Up-and-coming Singapore Creatives and Where to Catch Them
Looking to add a splash of colour or new tunes to jam to this year? You don’t have to look too far away. Here are five local artists who have been carving a niche for themselves through their unique art styles, and where you can catch some of them.
1. Frission
Whether they’re crooning classic love songs with velvety vocals and lush chords or eliciting nostalgia with the punchy and playful dynamics of 2000s cartoon theme songs, Frission’s riveting performances capture the mood and sentiment of each song with nothing but the human voice. The phrase “greater than the sum of its parts” definitely applies to Frission’s music. As a group of five, they harmonise their buttery smooth vocals and crisp vocal percussion to create an enthralling soundscape.
Having started from humble beginnings in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s a cappella club, the group first came together to do a National Day music video project which is still available for viewing on the club’s YouTube page. Six years on, the group has expanded their repertoire across genres, covering well-loved classics like the Bee Gees’ “How Deep is Your Love” and R&B tracks like “Won’t You Come Around” by local artists Charlie Lim and Aisyah Aziz.
Frission’s latest music video is a heart-wrenching rendition of Thirdstory’s “I’m Coming Round” which is set to be released later this month. The group also does live performances. You can follow them on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for their latest updates.
2. Beadbadwolf
Ever wondered what maximalism and craft would look like combined? With bright pops of colour and lots of textural elements, Beadbadwolf’s creations have a whimsical charm to them that are sure to bring cheer to your day. Drawing inspiration from her Peranakan roots, Cheryl Tan, the textile artist behind Beadbadwolf, is bold in her use of colour in all her creations — in her textile pieces or in the décor and furnishings of her craft studio. Cheryl’s tasteful pairing of vibrant colours with the soft textures of fabric results in a cosy and warm finish.
Her craft journey began with her grandmother who she shares a tight knit relationship with, and from whom she first learned how to sew and crochet. And Cheryl is spreading that same love for sharing craft with others around her, offering many different craft workshops since 2015.
You can follow Cheryl’s craft journey on her website, Instagram, or TikTok. You can also catch her at PRESSPLAY 2024 where she’ll be hosting Punch Needle Embroidery Workshop sessions and the Pro Series: Contemporary Embroidery online talk on 27 January.
3. Mary Sue
Rapper and producer Mary Sue’s music will keep you on your toes with his avant garde production style that keeps evolving with every release. From brassy instrumentals to glitchy sounds to eclectic and experimental styles, you can find them all in Mary Sue’s albums. Yet one thing remains consistent throughout all of Mary Sue’s music — introspection and raw honesty in his lyrics.
Some of his tracks include samples of laughter, or snippets of conversation, that give a certain unfiltered and candid feeling to his music, almost as if the listener is getting a peek into his daily life. Juxtaposing the smooth flow of his rap style with fractured sample loops and crunchy beats makes for interesting sonic textures that will have you reaching for more.
Mary Sue is no stranger to collaborations, partnering with many other music artistes such as UK beat-maker Psychedelic Ensemble in his latest collaborative album titled CACOPHONOUS DIGRESSIONS, A RECORD OF A MOMENT IN TIME or with local producers fxrxzx, Cravism, and ABANGSAPAU on other albums.
His live performances are accompanied by Clementi Sound Appreciation Club, which debuted at local underground favourite festival Dogfest and also featured in the Esplanade’s Baybeats. Clementi Sound has also concluded a multi-city Asia tour including Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Follow Mary Sue on his Soundcloud, as well as his Instagram to stay up to date on all his latest uploads. If live performances are more your thing, we’ve got good news for you. Mary Sue will be performing at LASTPLAY, the finale to PRESSPLAY 2024, on 3 February 2024 at the National Library Events Plaza.
4. Kapilan
With a seamless blend between visual art and technology, Kapilan’s works make for fascinating and engaging experiences. As a technologist, Kapilan has a deep interest in the effects of rapid mechanisation in modern society and the emergent nature of procedural generation. Marrying this expertise with his background as a media artist and designer, he works with interactivity and real-time data as his mediums to create engaging works for his audiences.
One of his recent exhibitions that encapsulates this incorporation of audience engagement is Synthetic Visions for a Future Past (Jurong Dreaming) which was part of Science Centre Singapore’s Art in the Commons: Data Visualising Jurong. The concept behind the installation was to connect the stories and memories of people while using creative technology as the medium. In order to bring an authentic feeling to the installation, Kapilan also collected sound samples around Jurong and synthesised it with digital sounds to match the medium of creative technology.
If your interest has been piqued, you’ll surely enjoy his upcoming installation titled soliloquy_bbb. Similar to Synthetic Visions for a Future Past (Jurong Dreaming), this work delves into the themes of memory, place, and the swift transformation of societies under technological influence, and will utilise creative technology and AI algorithms that have become iconic to Kapilan’s style. Follow Kapilan on Instagram and Behance for his latest updates.
5. Samara Gan
From charms of chibi versions of your favourite characters to illustrations of characters in a Café AU, Samara can do it all. This self-taught writer and artist is also better known as SamaraSketch. With her roots in fandom culture, her bubbly illustration style with lively and refreshing hues imbues all her works with a sense of youthful fun that’s synonymous with fandom energy.
Samara recently released her debut graphic novel How to Date a Dozen Men, a semi-autobiographical account of her personal experiences in the dating scene. She also released a book bundle merch to accompany her book, including a Wifey Photocard Display, Happy Dino Charm, Sticker Sheet, and Bingo Print. Talk about a fandom merch queen.
Samara’s graphic novel is available in stores as well as in our libraries. For anyone who has had to endure the woes of the dating scene in their twenties, this novel will definitely be a humorous and relatable read. And if you want to check out the behind-the-scenes of Samara’s illustrations, come join us at PRESSPLAY 2024’s “How to Draw a Dozen Disguises” happening on 3 February on Zoom. You can also find more of Samara’s illustrations and merchandise on her Instagram.
Calling all art lovers — whether you’re an art aficionado or just curious, come join us at PRESSPLAY 2024, NLB’s biennial arts festival that promises a month-long tapestry of workshops, talks and exhibition.
In this edition of PRESSPLAY, we celebrate the little improvements we make through iterations in art, stroke by stroke, note by note, click by click.
PRESSPLAY aims to make youth arts more accessible to the public and celebrate the impact of the arts on young people’s lives. In collaboration with community organisations and independent artists, PRESSPLAY offers arts programmes for young people in public libraries throughout Singapore.
So what are you waiting for?
It’s time to PRESSPLAY.
For more details on PRESSPLAY 2024, click here. For the full list of PRESSPLAY 2024 programmes, click here.
