First off, we absolutely love your latest single ‘walk away’. What’s one thing you’ll never walk away from?                                                                          

“My adopted tortoise-shell mixed cat named Cat! Well, at least she answers to it when she’s in the mood or when I have food to offer. I like to call her Bread too because she’s soft and looks like a loaf of bread sometimes. My brother adopted her but I like to think she’s mine now. But seriously, though, I hope I’ll never walk away from making music.”                                         

We can’t wait for the rest of the EP. What do you think will be your fans’ response to this release and why?

“It’s always difficult to gauge their response but I had fun making [the EP] so hopefully it’s a nice surprise for them. Honestly, it’s as exciting as it is nerve-racking, because with every EP I put out, I like to explore and do something different in a style/genre that I love, and try out different concepts. That’s how I keep learning too. I’m thankful that the people who listen to my music support me that way. When it comes to my music, I don’t believe in playing it too safe or being pigeonholed. It’s certainly more fun for me and hopefully, it is for my supporters too!”

What are some new concepts we can expect in the EP?

“I’d say my new EP  is bedroom-pop with elements of electronic/indie pop and some sort of rock edge in ‘walk away’ and ‘build a life’. ‘idk it’s complicated’ is about how we often use that phrase to indicate some dissatisfaction in our emotional state. It’s a reminder that in the highs and lows of each emotional state we find ourselves in, be it in a crush or love interest, a toxic friendship, in the search for answers in life or in finding our own people, we are bound to feel emotionally dissatisfied at times.

[I used] the concept of a jigsaw puzzle to show that life is made up of many pieces and they can look complicated at first glance but with patience, especially with ourselves, every piece will fit and fall into place. Take heart that what’s meant to fit will fit.”

How would you say your sound has evolved since your last release?

“I feel like this release may come as a surprise to some because I’m actually going backwards to my bedroom-pop roots, in a way. Turning 20 this year has made me feel a little nostalgic. I spent a lot of time listening to older demos that I had first written back in 2018. I suppose in a way, I wanted to go back in time and recreate the music I made back then, but this time with the knowledge of what I’ve learnt in terms of production and mixing.

Fun fact: ‘everything has changed’ from my new EP is actually an old demo from 2018, which I’d uploaded to SoundCloud. I just changed it up with the things I’ve learnt over the last couple of years.”

What’s it been like prepping for your very first headline showcase? What was the most interesting moment from the experience?

“Rehearsals are fun but making sure we have everything ready for the show can be a bit daunting since we are planning and organising it ourselves and it’s our first. So fingers crossed [that] all will go well. Honestly, the most interesting moment was finding out that the show sold out – early-bird tickets sold out within an hour – such a relief! It’s not a huge venue but I’m just happy people are coming. Some have told me it’s going to be their first show after Covid so that’s really nice to know.”

What drew you to get Days of Television on board as your opening act?

“In my audition form, I had included the section ‘Why would you like to open for Shye?’ Days of Television was formed by Aman and what he wrote really resonated with me. He had started making music in 2020 during the lockdown simply because he wanted to. He watched YouTube videos on how to use the different music software and I could relate to a lot of that because that’s how I started.

I felt like Days of Television deserved this opportunity because it came from a sincere place. A genuine love for music and wanting to continue to learn and grow. And of course, I liked what I heard from the audition video!”

Now that you’ve graduated from your teens, what are some things you want to achieve in your 20s?

“In terms of music, I would love to play more shows or festivals regionally and grow my music fan base. Going on tour would be amazing! I have recently started to learn to play the bass, which was something I’ve always wanted to try before, I’m really enjoying that so I hope to continue and play it well.

Going to Fashion Week would definitely be high on my list of things I hope to achieve too… haha. To be able to be there to see all the amazing ideas and inspirations of the designers come to life on the catwalk, the buzz, the anticipation, that experience in itself will be such a thrill, [regardless of which show I watch.] And to travel as much as I can. I would also love to have another cat. Maybe two more, if I can convince my mum.”

Name one thing you want to achieve in 2022 and how close you are to that goal.

“Can I share a couple? One of the biggest goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to hold my own headline show. I can’t believe it’s finally happening and it’s sold out too hehe. I’m really thankful for that. I also wanted to play an overseas gig and I’m getting to do that at the Asia Rolling Festival happening in Taiwan on Oct 28 – super excited about it!”

In previous interviews, you’ve spoken about coping with pressures and expectations — especially when peers in school mention your music. How do you cope or navigate that? 

“It’s not so much the pressures or expectations, but I just always feel awkward when my music was brought up when I was in school. Among my close friends, we have a quiet understanding that we don’t talk about it. It’s not like I’m not proud of my music but I’d just rather keep it lowkey, know what I mean?”

We also heard that you design your poster artwork and merchandise. What made you branch out to these areas?

“I figured why not? It’s pretty much like how I first started making music, I wanted to give it a try, so I did. It’s also really fun to do it yourself because you get to witness the whole process from start to finish. I see for myself the amount of work that goes into everything. That makes me more appreciative of all the people who work in these fields. I’m a very firm believer that we should always just give [things] a try.”

How important is art in your personal and professional life?

“I think art, like music, encourages creativity and adds colours to life. It lends a voice and really helps people like myself who are not very good with expressing myself.”

What would you say makes your merchandise unique or special?

“The ideas are mine (with a little help from mummy), so I think that makes [my merch] very personal. I’ve been responsible for all my designs, apart from this upcoming show poster and EP cover art, where I engaged visual artist Kristal Raelene Melson for it. I shared my ideas and concepts, as well as some colour themes, and let her work her magic!  It’s fun coming up with ideas, sourcing for materials, printing, and even the packaging for my merchandise.

The artwork and designs for the merchandise for my previous mini-album, hello TRINITY were done by me. I had a grey fisherman’s hat with my name embroidered in pink. I also designed the hoodies, stickers and CD booklets with a thank you note, and postcards. I even burned the CDs and came up with the packaging and packed them myself! If I’m able to do it, then why not? I’ve really enjoyed doing it.”

Will we be seeing more designs to come?

“Hopefully! I got really positive feedback for the artwork for ‘walk away’ so that’s very encouraging. I’ve also designed the artworks for some of my other songs, ‘I’m fine, no’ (pictured) and ‘notgonnalie’ too, which you can see on streaming platforms. I usually just draw whatever comes to mind. It also depends on how the song makes me feel. I try to think of colour themes that I identify the songs with and see where it goes from there. I’ll definitely see what I can do for future releases and merchandise!”

Who are some of your favourite artists and why?  

“I always mention Tame Impala because I love his production. I find his instrumentals really creative and it’s what inspired me to focus more on my own. I also love ‘Djo’ and ‘iDKHOW’ because of the musicality of the songs. Some of my other favourites are Men I Trust, Beabadoobee, Basement and many many more. I also love K-pop hehe. Stray Kids of course… But I’m also a huge girl group stan. LOONA, IVE, ITZY and TWICE (obviously…) are just some of my favourites!”

You’re in your element when it comes to K-pop and K-pop dance. You’ve already danced with Tiffany Young during her trip here to launch the Lancome’s Beauty Tech flagship. What’s your next K-pop wish?

“Tiffany was really so lovely. One of my K-pop wishes was to see Stray Kids at a concert and I just found out they’re coming to Singapore on their tour next February so woohoo! I would also love to produce for a K-pop act. I think working on anything K-pop is really interesting because it’s not just one person. Producing for a K-pop group would require me to pay attention to all the members’ voices and to figure out how to showcase each of them individually while making the sound cohesive so the group as a whole supports one another.

I think being both a producer and singer-songwriter myself stands me in good stead, my interest and understanding of dance will most likely help too when it comes to the arrangement.”