Industry Insiders Forecast What's Next For Singapore's Music Scene In 2024

To say that Singapore’s music scene rebounded from Covid-19's decimation would be an understatement. In fact, 2023 might have been one of the most exciting years in local music history, thanks to rejuvenated veterans returning to the forefront and the infusion of fresh Gen Z energy in mosh pits and dancefloors. From unique large-scale events like The Last Mile and Sunda Festival to smaller underground gigs at kopitiams and hair salons, the last 12 months brimmed with amazing shows at unorthodox venues. It just goes to show how innovative promoters, musicians, and DJs have become to revitalise our music industry. But has 2023 just been an anomaly, or can we expect bigger and better things in 2024? We spoke to five insiders to get their take on what the next year has in store.

NAOMI CLAIR SEOW

Although Midnight Shift, an electronic music label, has shifted its base to Berlin, it hasn't forgotten its Singaporean roots. In recent years, Naomi Clair Siow, one of its members, has played a pivotal role in maintaining the strength of the renowned techno institution in her home country. Lately, she has been instrumental in promoting incredible parties featuring headline acts such as ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U and Barker, as well as collaborative events like Ink & Rhythm, which showcased female tattoo artists alongside DJs. In addition to her role in event promotion, she is also a creative producer, music journalist, and former host at Singapore Community Radio.

CROSS-POLLINATIONS WILL BE MORE PREVALENT

"I wouldn’t really call it a trend as it has been bubbling for a while now, but I am anticipating a bigger and more widespread movement of cross-pollination, collaboration and openness, both locally and regionally. We're swiftly moving from relying on big-name internationals to fill up dance floors to promoting our own upcoming regional and local acts who deserve to be heard.

I anticipate more cross-collaboration regionally and locally, resulting in various eclectic styles that cross genres to create new sounds on the dance floor (and bedroom speakers)! It shows confidence in ourselves as a region and the unique take we have on the fundamentals of music.

A positive side effect of this movement is that people are gatekeeping less and sharing more music with each other. To witness and be part of that communion is indeed beautiful, and I can't wait to see more of that happening as we move forward."

KIN LEONN

Producer, composer, electronic musician, pianist and DJ. Kin Leonn has established himself as one of Singapore’s most versatile talents over the past few years. From three beautiful ambient albums on KITCHEN.LABEL (his latest LP mirror in the gleam was just released), to collaborations with artists like Miguel Noya and Hiroshi Ebina, to designing sonic installations for the ArtScience Museum and London’s Architectural Association, to crafting moving scores for indie films like Baby Queen and The Breaking Ice – Kin is as prodigious as he is prolific.

THE WAY MUSICIANS CREATE WILL EVOLVE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

"It already happened in 2023, but the explosion of user-generated reel content on social media is creating a new niche for short soundbites and 'mood music' that’s easily applicable to a variety of content archetypes. In response, there will probably be a new generation of producers and musicians catering specifically to this market of soundtracking for reels, hoping to create the next snowfall by Øneheart."

ZINHO DE COSTA

As the brainchild of the underground music archive Blindside Archive, Zinho de Costa has made quite a name for himself through his robust and vivid documentation of Singapore’s punk, hardcore and metal scenes. Beyond his abundant talents as a photographer, de Costa is also an active participant behind the scenes as a member of gig promoters Firstblood Productions. When he's not caught up with shooting bands or helping to organise gigs, you might also find him onstage as the harsh vocalist for the experimental post-hardcore band Thomas The Death Train.

NEWER BANDS ARE BRINGING A NEW P.O.V TO MUSIC SUB-GENRES

"There are lots of newer bands with fresher takes on their respective sub-genres, and some are just waiting in the wings, getting ready to take the stage! Local punks are bringing stenchcore and D-beat to the stage in the most chaotic ways possible, and I sure as hell hope it continues that way. Angry-as-f**k vocals with screeching guitars and hard-hitting snares are going to blow out more amps, as they should."

WE'LL BE HITTING THE MOSH PIT EVEN MORE

Metallic hardcore is being pushed into the spotlight with unrelenting fight riffs and unforgiving vocals. This is the path newer bands are guiding the roar of Lion City hardcore towards once again. Metalcore is coming back in a big way, with relatively newer bands crawling out of the dark, while older bands are picking up their axes again to send us all to headbangin’ haven."

WEISH

You’d be hard-pressed to find a musician in Singapore as multi-hyphenated as Weish. It’s actually a little scary how talented she is at everything she tries. From her live-looping solo material to fronting bands like .gif and sub:shaman, to acting, writing, and composing for a variety of multi-disciplinary productions (stage plays, short films, TV shows, etc.), to collaborations with acts as diverse as Wormrot and Batavia Collective, to headlining festivals around the world – she has done it all. Did we say she's also penning an upcoming musical for Checkpoint Theatre?

INDIE GENRES FROM THE 2000s TAKE CENTRESTAGE

"I think emo, shoegaze, and 2000s indie are making a comeback in this wave of newer local bands! It's the music I grew up on, so I'm psyched that these sounds are cool again. I'm also hoping to hear more bands put their own unique spin on the genre and make it new."

NEZ SENJA

Nez Senja, aka Helios XL, the bossman of the music and events promotion brand called Revision Music, has been a steady pillar for our local drum & bass and alternative electronic music community for well over a decade now. Whether he's running high-octane parties for Singapore's junglists or DJing himself at stages big and small, you can always count on this consummate professional to come correct. Behind the limelight, Senja also has a background in the music industry as an audio engineer and sound designer, along with his teaching experience as a DJ coach and former SAE Institute lecturer.

MORE DJ COLLABORATIONS FOR YOUR PARTIES AND RAVES

"Expect more collaborations between party crews, especially for touring DJ/artist bookings that cover a range of styles and genres. This trend may encourage Singaporean DJs to explore other styles, genres, and alter egos, much like the not-so-confusing Nez Senja, Helios XL, Senja XL, Senja concepts!"