Bevlyn Khoo

Ok, this is so cool. Speaking of faith in the Universe, I’m sure I did something like that too when I was reeeeeaally young:

And for hardcore fans, he’s sooooo adorable here.

I’m usually not the kind to be star-struck..but it was cool to see the oversea artists in real life, esp Tanya, Jam and Lala - their singing rock! There were really many songs which I didn’t know and had to turn to Tien-yao to ask “What’s the title of this song?” etc…well well. I gotta hand it to myself for not going to the toilet and not drinking any water from 715pm - 12am, never imagine I could do that. Really happy to be seated with Yet and his lovely wife though (Tanya’s mum was just seated next to Tien-yao haha)

Didn’t bring any good camera, but a memorable experience nevertheless!

This is so tragic….

Sometimes my zest for life, and living it, comes from the surfacing awareness of mortality.

It’s so sad…esp when I see that she had gigs scheduled for November. I don’t know her before I came across the news, but it’s certainly thought-provoking. Listen to her music here. My favourite is Clarity.

So, do you spot the difference?

I was the only non-Korean in the picture, but I thought I blended in quite nicely with the rest. Presenting to you MAYTREE the a cappella group! They are a full-time a cappella group from Korea (in fact one of the top groups). Their concert here on Sat was a success - their blend was superb despite the disappointing sound system, cute presentation, great interaction with the audience though they seldom speak English, creative arrangements of the songs, and loads of talents.

Most ladies will notice the cute guy on the extreme left, but, but, but, the guy on my right (I can’t catch any of their names cos they just don’t register in my memory), despite his kooky look, he is really VERY VERY MAN. I thought my heart skipped a beat when he started singing, esp the korean traditional songs. My korean friend (on my left) dragged him to stand beside me during the photo-taking. I was thinking, “Thanks thanks, how more embarrassing can my life be?”

Extra notes: The girls’ outfit are so kawai, and the percussionist’s (extreme right) vocal drum kit is cool, esp. the “jazz kit”. Brush Brush Brush!

To sample their performance: L.O.V.E, Lion Sleeps Tonight. It’s a bad sample cos ‘live’ is really better x 100 times.

Ok, so I’m no longer indie, but I’m proud to say I’ve strode out indie and been in that phase before to appreciate the process of album-making. This blog entry is dedicated to my indie friends who are throwing a performance next week. The ‘organiser’ is one of the indie artist Yet, who is making this a first in Singapore, and he hopes to make it an annual event to celebrate local music.

So do lend your support by checking them out. Bring many friends along so it’ll be all the merrier!

INDIE Hooray !!! Music Concert Party 2009
<<独立万岁!!!>>
叶敦鸿和独立派户外音乐会

Event: INDIE Hooray 2009 – YET & INDIE Friends Music Concert Party
Venue: Atrium, Level 1, MICA Building
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Date: 20/09/2009
Ticketing: $12, email indiehooray@gmail.com or call 9155-9325 for tickets booking (*Free Seating)
Official Supporters: J Café@MICA Building, soft.com.sg &
特别表演嘉宾: 讨闹派RazzlePlay, Matthew Quek, Lizz

For more details, pls go to here.

… or at least the panel of judges for the 20th Taiwan’s  prestigious 金曲奖 for Best Newcomer (最佳新人) and Best Composer  (最佳作曲人). ECSTATIC is such an understatement for how I feel.

Only Crowd Lu is capable of carrying off  such a suit, cos he’s weird enough. In fact I’ d feel weird if he wore normal and formal (i.e. boring) clothes like the rest (cough cough). What he wore reflected his music and personality: outstanding and unique.

People who think outside of the box… are so… fresh.

With the passing of MJ, and the winnings of Crowd Lu, my emotions have been very stirred…but the outcome is none other than inspirational. I’m preparing a surprise as a tribute to MJ. It will come true I believe…. with hard work! Wait up!

[Edit: On second thoughts, I think his fashion consultant got the idea from here: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2992019712/tt0094721]

My first cassette tape was Michael Jackson’s “Bad”. I really cannot explain why at the age of 10, I would want to own that piece of plastic; All I knew was, his music opened my mind to a whole realm of explosive and wondrous music, which led me to dig further into the pursuit of music. Of course I’m not doing dance or anything near his sort of music now. But his music inspired me, at age 10, that anything is possible.

Do you really think there’s gonna be anybody close to what he had achieved coming up in the next 20-30 years? No, I really don’t think so. Nowadays, we’re probably gonna get more people like Paul Potts and Susan Boyle. Which is excellent as well, but I believe the definition of a legend involves immense hard work and popularity which span over decades, and most importantly, changes, good changes.

This is my favourite song.

I can’t believe I have been disturbed by his death for the whole day.

Once again, I was delighted and honoured to be invited to one of Fresh Music’s podcasts, this time round as a ‘presenter’ for Fresh Music Awards 2009. I have to say I am always amazed by how quick and witty the 2 presenters ‘Yellow Cucumber’ and ‘Little Tomato’ are, and the explosive chemistry they share. What you hear is totally unrehearsed and unscripted, recorded at one go:

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/freshmusic/10826786

I love Fresh Music because they are REAL. They do not bootlick, play up to politics, as you can probably tell from what they say in the podcast. Beware: not for conservatives.

I sort of regret not recording the singing segments first. I was laughing so hard during the presentation I sort of lost my voice by the time we got to the recording part. Kudos to James Yeo, who kindly and generously agreed to provide the piano accompaniment for me. 

Btw, Fresh Music is totally Singaporean, and listed in the top 100 blogs for Asian music review!

My pick is Adam Lambert. I’m usually not into beautiful men like him, but boy, he has so much substance to back his good looks up it’s unbelievable. He is

- creative (I dig how he strips each song and makes it his own)

- very emotive - check this video out, my goosebumps just popped out

- most importantly, very consistent in upping his own standards at each stage of the competition.

He is the REAL artist!

Guys if you try to sing his songs, don’t. He is singing in female’s key - MY key.

Who’s your pick?

I’ve been wanting to blog about these 2 local acts:

1. RazzlePlay

Vincent (leader and electric guitarist of the band) and I both agree that, doing a DIY album by oneself stretches one thin, but to have a whole band with each one having their own ideas, that’s chaotic! But RazzlePlay did it, and I have to say I am very impressed by their efforts, dedication, what they’ve thus far achieved (one of their songs are on the charts of 1003 now!), and what’s coming down the pipeline!

And if you’ve actually missed this tight and energetic band completely so far, you’re welcome to drop by to the series of free performances (5 Saturdays) they have lined up for you, with the first one beginning on 26 Apr, all over Singapore. Check out the dates here! Preview one of their hit songs here.

2. Matthew Quek

If you had heard Matthew sing, his passion for music could hardly escape you. He had recently gotten the famed jazz artiste Jeremy Monteiro to produce and play for his 5th album (5th!!). I was awed when I learnt from Matthew that this album was ‘done’ in 4 separate recording sessions (only!).  Here are some clips from the album. This, is my favourite.

If you’re keen to hear him ‘ live’, catch him @ HMV (Orchard Heeren) on 1st May @ 7pm. The actual launch is on 10 May @ Love The World Soul Rock Bistro & Bar (singapore flyer) #02-05. RSVP here.