Everywhere and Nowhere

We sat down with Asian Australian indie pop/electronic artist BIRDEE 王煒 whose soulful and expansive vocals have won our hearts unequivocally. We chatted about the importance of her Chinese/Greek/Russian heritage to her music and journey, and how her inwards-looking sense of lyricism is buoyed by her bombastic earworms. 

We invited our dear friend and founder of media platform ⁠Freshmusic Awards⁠ Yuneng Chen to join us on this very special episode of Everywhere and Nowhere titled 'COMMUNITY'. Inspired by the tireless work Yuneng and his team have been doing for the regional music scene over the last 16 years, we wanted to shed a light on what they've done for the community and get an insiders' opinion from Yuneng on who he felt should have made the ⁠winners' list ⁠at this years' Freshmusic awards.

But more than that, this conversation was special to us because underneath it all, it's all about Community. About the work it takes from people who have no rational reason to do what they do; and how they create these magical experiences, spaces, conversations which benefit the wider music scene. I had the pleasure of attending the Freshmusic awards LIVE for the first time ever last month, and it really reminded me about the value of the communities people like Yuneng are building.

It’s not just about being able to put on an event, a show, write a piece with the same 'quality' as a for-profit who’s getting paid to do it; it’s about all those little nuances that come together and add up to create something magical, something transcendent. Something bigger than us all. And those are the experiences we seek out, we live for, we remember the longest. Why? Because in shared experiences and spaces we find community. We find solace and a shred of similarity that tides us through for one more day. That feeling of being in a room full of like minded and well intentioned individuals is like no other. And these are the moments that contribute to a healthier, safer, prosperous music ecosystem.

So grab a seat and let's dive deep into music nerdery as Yuneng and I deconstruct some of his favourite albums and artists of 2022 from across Singapore, Malaysia and the Greater China music space.

Yuneng's Picks

Top 10 Singles 十大單曲：Involuntary Adventures - 蘇珮卿 Paige Su from You’ll live forever in my songs 

Top 10 Albums 十大專輯：新世紀的女兒 Daughters - 鄭宜農 enno cheng ft Chunho  from mercury retrograde (album)

Best EP：Ring of Fire - WADE DAO from Wild dance of flame album

Best Male Artist 男演唱人：自信 confidence - 熊仔poetek from PRO album 

Best Female Artist 女演唱人：怪物的自己 the monster in me - 靜物Lisa Djaati from 漣漪效應 Ripple effect album 

Best Newcomer 新人：我們的所有差別 all our differences - Pezen - same album title

Best New Band 新團體：No Time - Robot Swing from System Booting… album 

Regional Album 區域專輯：Piss PeePeePooPoo - deformed from Singapore Shitpost Status album

Rising Star Award 區域潛力之聲：Pillowsophy - Soft Soft Pillow from eponymous debut album 

Most Improved 年度大躍進：八寶公主 eight treasure princess- 同根生Aroot from Holy Gazai album 

Best Vocal Group 組合：冷調的咖啡離開了悲墊 cold coffee has left the sad cushion- 黃嬉皮yellow hippy - epnymous debut album

Best Band 樂團：也許是你拯救了我 perhaps it was you who saved me- 椅子the chairs from Shangrila is Calling album 

TAMA Award：Cactus - LÜCY from eponymous debut album

Bonus：I <3 U - yeule from Glitch Princess

Asian Pop Weekly's website: www.asianpopweekly.com

We welcome Wiradjuri/Filipino singer-songwriter and visionary Mo’Ju to the show to share their thoughts on change as they embark on a new sonic journey with their groundbreaking new album “ORO PLATA MATA”. A complex amalgamation of Mo’Ju’s culture, heritage, sense of self and worldview, it is a heartfelt call for change that touches on topics such as eco-anxiety and capitalism whilst elevating the singer-songwriter’s iconic alt-R&B sound to new heights. 

About Mo'Ju

Recent years have seen ARIA-nominated musician and songwriter Mo’Ju enter new realms of renown, their brand of visceral storytelling striking at the heart of a country whose social and cultural climate was manoeuvring a particular state of unrest and change.

A full spectrum of emotion and sonic textures marry together in Mo’Ju’s music, producing sounds that can be equal measures of sensuality, vulnerability and hard-hitting strength. When their 2018 studio album Native Tongue was released to widespread acclaim, it was not without debate, Native Tongue ignited and inspired some long overdue, sometimes tough, conversations.

The inability to categorise where an artist such as Mo’Ju fits has been a common narrative throughout their career. However, the Naarm-based musician, songwriter, storyteller and third culture kid (Filipino/Wiradjuri), is not here to be boxed in and commodified. Their music is created in alignment with a central artistic vision that is built on truth, authenticity and most importantly, legacy.

We interviewed Singaporean alt-R&B singer-songwriter and producer Chriskris on Indiego's latest season of 'Recess' where we chatted about his influences as an artist, how he started by borrowing his sisters guitar when she was out of town to hone his chops, and this new chapter for him as owner of label Closed Door Collective and as a performer on the up and up.

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This Lunar New Year, we interviewed our favourite ethereal singer-songwriter, Diana Wang to herald in the new year! Born in the Netherlands but having set her sights on the Greater China scene since her debut, the singer-songwriter and all-round creative who's known for chart-topping hits such as 'HOME' and '愛存在' as well as groundbreaking alternative R&B works such as 'Poem 一步成詩' spoke with us about how she usually celebrates lunar new year, how the moon inspires her creations (such as her album '月 Moon') and what's next for her.

Watch the full video of our interview with Swedish-Singaporean Jazz guitarist Andy Yeo who's fresh off releasing his debut album 'Haw Par Villa'. Inspired by the aged theme park, we picked Andy's brain about how he's so deftly incorporated his culture and heritage into his music, where this motivation comes from, and went on some interesting tangents about our shared Hokkien heritage and what it feels like to be between cultures and identities.

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A full, unabridged video of our interview with Asian-Australian singer-songwriter Yeo, who joins us for our 'CRAZY' episode of Everywhere and Nowhere as a guest announcer. We grilled him on his collaboration with the indomitable Kitty Purrnaz, his experiences as a veteran independent artist, and his love for cooking Southeast Asian dishes. 

We welcomed Singaporean singer-songwriter Krysta Joy to our radio show #EverywhereandNowhere to discuss self love, donuts and being gentle with oneself - with some spurts of hilarity in between for good measure.