Emma Lim: The 22-Year-Old Student Popping Up On Your FYP With Her TikTok Covers

EMMA LIM, 22, STUDENT AND EMERGING SINGER-SONGWRITER

TikTok account: @iemmapotato

Started on TikTok: “The first public video I posted on TikTok was around September or October 2019.” 

TikTok stats as of press time: 214.5K followers, 6.6M likes

Why know her: The psychology undergraduate insists that the main reasons why some of her singing videos have gone viral is because of trending audios and “the algorithm”. We beg to differ. It’s hard not to be mesmerised by how effortlessly she croons in her melodious voice covers of tunes by pop powerhouses such as Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo. That she usually records herself doing so from her bedroom while dressed down and plain-faced only further highlights her musical chops though her occasional GRWM videos hint that there’s a fashion and beauty girlie inside of her too.

Her background and how it’s shaped her content: “I first got interested in singing when I was five years old and saw High School Musical for the first time. I became obsessed with it and would watch it on a daily basis after – the original movie as well as sequels two and three. I also watched on repeat other musical movies such as Hairspray, Grease and Mamma Mia!. In primary school, I joined the choir. Surprisingly, I didn’t continue to pursue singing as a CCA in secondary school and junior college, but have become a part of my school’s acapella club since entering university.”

Her best talent: “Probably singing, though I’ve another creative interest that I haven’t really shared about on TikTok: I used to dance competitively until I was 19 years old. In fact, I still have a strong interest in dance and have been teaching it part time for the past eight years.”

Her music inspirations: “Everyone’s going to say that my music taste is super basic, but I really like SZA, Daniel Caesar, Rex Orange County, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo.”

How she decides on the songs to cover: “Most of the time I’ll cover songs that are stuck in my head, trending on social media or requested by a follower.”

READ MORE: Shazza: The Viral ‘Wholesome Rockstar’ You Never Knew You Needed

Most memorable comment she’s received: “I’ve had the original artist of the songs I’m covering leave a comment, which is crazy to me. One example was Madison Beer when I did a duet cover of her song Selfish back in 2020 (‘I love you so much this is so beautiful,” wrote the American singer).”

How TikTok has helped her to nurture her creative talent: “Before TikTok, it was nearly impossible for new artistes to get their music out there simply with social media. However TikTok’s algorithm gives almost every account a chance of getting on its For You Page, and this means that artistes have more opportunities to promote their music. I’ve also been very lucky to have made friends with other local musical talents through TikTok and learnt a lot from them and other creators.”

Her musical aspirations: “I haven’t written any new songs in a few years. I’ve kind of been in a slump and haven’t had any fresh ideas. However lately I've been feeling super inspired to get back to songwriting and hope that I can contribute more to the local music scene.”

READ MORE: Meet The New Vanguard Of Singapore Music Of The Post Gen-X Era

How much of her TikTok personality is true? “I’d like to think that everything I post on TikTok is very me and that my content is very real – all the audio on my TikTok covers is raw and unedited! That said, I would say I only post about 20 per cent of my true personality online. I don’t mean that I’m fake, but I’m not the kind of creator who posts about every little detail of my life. I’m an introvert and would like to keep my personal life private. What you see on TikTok is that 20 per cent of me that’s more extroverted.”

Best thing about tiktok: “It provides a very accessible platform for music artistes to promote their music. We’ve seen so many songs go viral because of TikTok and I think that is super beneficial for singer-songwriters such as me who don’t have the reach of already-popular artistes.”

Worst thing about tiktok: “Part of being a content creator is accepting the fact that not everyone is going to like your content and that hate comments are part and parcel of it all.”

If there was no TikTok: “Life would be very different!”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND BREVITY.

COORDINATION EMMA ASHLEE GOH PHOTOGRAPHY ATHIRAH ANNISSA STYLING DAMIAN HUANG, ASSISTED BY DANESSA TONG HAIR PETER LEE/35A, USING GOLDWELL MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE, USING NARS

This article first appeared in the June 2024 TikTok Edition of FEMALE