Complex heart & perplexed mind

(Sings lyrics) “This Girl, she only loves... Music.”

Foreword

Hello April soon! I am back on home turf carrying my nation’s flag after performing for South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas (wow jetlag is real, touring and transiting can be tiring - which city am I in now and what time is it...?) and as promised, I'm going to find time to write about everything I've learnt from planning, preparing and performing for it. It’s possibly similar for other premier and great international shows too. But for SXSW, it's been five years since the last independent artist was invited to the Festival so to the next one: Please go for it! I highly recommend and I will help as much as I can, unconditionally. It's really all for music. Austin folks are really lovely, also sensitive and appreciative of good music. By writing this note, I hope the information will be useful to musicians and artists looking to gear up their works for international platforms, because when I needed these I sure worked darn hard for it and it wasn’t so easily available for some reasons.

But after I receive so much love from the community throughout this journey and so much positive energy from the people in the cities and festival, I feel I have to pass this baton on. Properly. So here you go! And you’re very welcome.

It's been a helluva crazy 3 months preparing it because I was one of the last few musical artists receiving the invite from the final batch (upon receiving the news from SXSW on December 13th 2017 for all I could remember, I went to Leonard Soosay with Sean Joseph and cried haha) and I totally did not see it coming, nor was I expecting myself to head to the States this year, or this life. Because it's a 24-hour flight away and I am usually not the kind who loves to be stuck in the plane for a long time if I didn't plan for my heart to be ready for it. And I certainly wasn't ready for this at all.

But I went for it. I have a lot to be grateful for. BIG THANKS AND HUGS TO: All the audiences who came and rocked my SXSW showcase with me thank you so much - my Tunecore friends and partners Laura and Andreea, Mr Brown who's the very awesomely Singaporean #KimHuat and was there at SXSW for work too but came down specially for my show, Redza who brought me another guitar as backup because he's afraid sound systems or my guitars may fuck up ("for some reasons Singaporean acts who came to SXSW to perform before you tend to fuck up, so here take this... he said and I laughted. Thank you so much!), Justin, Lynn and many others etc who came all the way crossing miles and borders for me to hear me sing, my very kind sponsors who believed in my music at first listen, or at first read of my media releases / write-ups by journalists and understood my predicament and who came to meet me - thank you so much Roy from Institute of Arts & Sciences and Cat from AceChamps. My music mentors, pillars and the great musical helping hands: Leonard Soosay, Randolf Arriola, Vanessa Fernandez, Bas Linders, Mike Spinks. Thank you so much for all the moral push-ups, help and advice for a little lost sheep like me in a foreign big, big world that I was heading towards. My crew in Singapore who helped me so much and who I am sorry to as my funds are limited to bring them over - George the guitarist, Tiffany the keyboardist and Raye the videographer. You guys are so talented and great on your own, thanks so much for helping me out to perform alongside with me and fund-raise for my SXSW trip despite your own busy schedules. My crew in SXSW - Michael, thank you so much for organising my show and accommodating to my stage and show requests. My beautiful and incredibly supportive partner in crime, Sean Joseph Tan. Thank you so much for wiping away my tears and sharing my joys throughout the trip. My hosts - Lanna, Lalo, Rach, thank you so much for bearing with my weird habits living with me. My kind and generous donors in my Crowdfunding campaign - all of you, thank you so much. And my family who's not even complaining why I am still performing my music for free at the age of 27 soon, thank you. Trust me, I'd sign a permanent corporate contract that I initially had and paid well but I simply cannot refuse this offer by SXSW. I had to give one up. And I can't give music up. Not yet. Not this once.

Some experiences sharing session here, let’s go:

SXSW Things To Do Daily: There's alot of conferences to attend, big acts to catch and great music to follow. While you need time to get familiar with the place, you have to get familiar with the daily happenings first. Cross out the things that are not that relevant to you, the musical act, eg. SXSW Gaming or Tech and with limited time there, try to maximise time on your free days (non-performing days) to attend useful events under SXSW Music or SXSW Music Marketing held by SXSW with your SXSW Artist Pass (which is bloody expensive, but gains you access and entry to many of these easily aka Primary Access; crews have Secondary Access - and the queue lines are different. Feel free to ask me more if you wanna know!). Do note that if you bring along your technical crew (sound engineer, photographer, tour manager etc) they have to purchase a Crew Wristband which is different from your Artist Pass/Wristband and you will have to pay 80USD each for it (80USD is already the discounted rate given to the SXSW Artist and the max to purchase at this rate is 2... yeah it's expensive, some say SXSW has gone commercialized as the wristbands used to be free for crews) but I will advise if your crew only attends your official SXSW showcase/concert to help you out, he or she won't need this. The crew wristbands is purchased for the purpose to attend other SXSW artists' showcases. Unless you are a super, super fan of SXSW artists A, B, C etc and you wish to go for the shows, I'd say don't buy it, as I reckon you won't have time to attend all of it anyway. Besides, there are many FREE and incredibly interesting things to do in Austin. In this whole week of SXSW Festival, there won't be SXSW events everyday which you have to 'work' and 'sell your music' to partners or artists or collaborate. I feel some things require good fate to happen too. You may work super hard for it but there won't be a point to overly push for it. Besides - It's a bloody long and tiring flight there, so do take some relaxed time to soothe your nerves too and have a free day to enjoy the city and what it has to offer, if not it is easy to get drained out by the crazy crowds and overwhelming schedules. Also, note that some pubs/bars that host SXSW showcases and events are for ages 18+ and 21+ so if you are below 18+ you may still enter but are not allowed to buy alcoholic drinks, which may be the only drinks available in those venues. Do bring your ID to prove your age too and don't just bring along photocopies of your Passport or Visa.

Non SXSW Things To Do: Austin is a lovely city, very laidback and friendly. Though the snakes and insects there certainly don't seem very friendly. But the people are. They love their food, BBQs, music, rodeo shows, dogs walking, horse riding, boots & hats hunting - they're crazily in love with their hats, especially cowboy hats. They have such delicate and specially designed cases to store their hats for them to carry around they almost look like expensive suitcases but hat-shaped suitcases that are customized. I notice alot of locals also seem to detest the SXSW hype in their own city so if you want to avoid the SXSW hustle and bustle for a day and check out the real Texan music, it'd be great to ask and follow the locals! Drive out minutes away from the crazy downtown you will find yourself in quieter towns and surprising views of the nature.

SXSW Planning: Whether you are bringing a band of musicians or performing solo, there needs to have certain tasks to be done for the trip - hence the need of Secondary roles to be filled by the members travelling to SXSW. You will need a Timeline indicating day by day activities and what needs to be done (for the Sound liaison, for the Videography Editor, for the Marketing etc, it is almost like you are running a small team or company) till the day you depart for SXSW and a separate Itinerary for what you are going to attend and do at SXSW on your performing and non performing days. Mental note: Initially I did not see these coming and assume people around me who have helped me before will help you out this time too. But SXSW is a large-scale project that can involve bigger and longer planning, so to not get emotions stirred or lines blur, draw them out, so no feelings get hurt. The earlier you do this, the more efficient things will flow.

Some Secondary roles Sean Joseph and I have broken down into include:

-Sound liaison with SXSW designated organiser who'll be in charge of your performing venue and liaison with your soundman for your showcase.

-Finance and claims - for all tracking, budgeting and administrative/secretarial recording of expenses relating to the trip

-Marketing & PR your music before SXSW in your homeland (as it is a nationwide great news to share that you're performing on a great international well-recognised stage!) and outside your homeland - PR, Pitching to media platforms, Press releases crafting, EPKs, content, adverts, design of posters or materials for crowdfunding show

-Sourcing for trip funds - if this trip is going to come out of your own pockets it is going to be hefty. Look for alternative funding methods and supporters who can help you out in your cause - you're not alone and don't feel overwhelmed by the need to ask for help! I initially don't know it is going to be so stressful and almost broke down. But only if you have tried asking all resources and still don’t have enough resources to make it possible, then can you dare say you tried but failed. Another thing, don't be naive and just rely on one funding channel or the arts governing associations - You may be so disappointed but nobody owes you anything even if your funding proposal is top-notch (I've spent a month - about 20 hours a day no kidding and you wake and sleep and breathe and worry about this - doing up a perfect proposal amidst of performing shows after shows to fund-raise, but I didn't get funded by any officials, my trip is 100% cool people-funded). Also, have back-up plans or else last-minute planning or booking of flights/accommodations will be darn expensive and hard to get.

-Video/Photo and Editing - you would want your performances and trip to be remembered and captured in photos and videos of great quality. If it is too costly to bring along your own photographer/videographer crew to fly with you, you may engage with a local media team there in Austin at a price. Do your research. Or invest in a decent quality camera / camcorder if you don't have one to get your trip members to film or record snippets that are precious and useful for after-trip uses.

-Tour Manager - planning of itinerary, what to do on which day : free days/ practice days/ performance days, get everyone familiar with some streets, set up meeting points, liaise with contact personnel in Austin (accommodation, car rental, flights, tour guide etc) and SXSW personnel who does check-in of your attendance as the SXSW Artist and handles your entry at the US port, check and get ready your VISA / ESTA (International SXSW artists need Visa B1/2 or O/P depending on nature of your shows - please check with relevant embassies), your travel insurances and your musical instrument travel insurances in all the cities you will be touring, check if your planes allow you to bring on board your music instruments, or if your hotels allow you to put your baggage first before check-ins timings or if your AirBnbs have pets that may accidentally destroy your music instruments.

-Relations - try to converse with previous SXSW artists who have performed and attended SXSW or have worked / lived in Austin to find out more about how it is like. Ask many questions and answer all your curiosity you have in store. If they refuse to share for whatever reasons, hey it is cool - you've tried and they just have issues, maybe? But if they share generously with you and offered you great tips, which they should because it's an exciting thing someone else is undertaking your journey that you used to partake, do give them a little or more in return and I always try to as generous as possible to give back twice as much as I receive. I believe sharing good things goes a long way and it will come back to you one day, you will never know. So be friendly to everyone, before, during and after the trip. I just got back from New York and Tokyo and from touring these places playing music with so many fellow artists, there really isn't a lot who don't share what they love doing. We are all trying to learn from each other afterall. So I've learnt not to be shy and be open about reaching out :)

-Packing of luggage - SXSW happens in March and it is a month of transition of the season in the States. In Austin, it can get warm and cold, sunny and rainy at times. So pack a variety of clothes which you can layer over. If you are touring to other places in the States after SXSW for shows or for travel, be sure to pack more coats as some places may still be really cold to the extent they have hail / snow. You'll also need to bring along a lot of your music merchandise and promotional materials (hard copies, soft copies etc) for networking exchanges / collaborations / sale / marketing or media purposes, plan and make sure your luggages do not exceed luggage weight limit as stated by your flights that you booked or else you gonna incur extra costs.

SXSW Expectation: You will set high expectations for yourself to perform your best in your SXSW showcase, since it is a bigger showcase than your local intimate showcase you first started out, and you are performing alongside with other famous and greats. But be calm and not to freak out, and remember there must be a reason why you are invited here after reviews from the music panels of SXSW Festival. Let the city inspire you greater and creative things and infuse them into your craft - I did some rearrangements of my songs in my live performances which I did not expect to be, but I 'd say they came from the city of Austin as I reshaped some of my songs into the way I wanted the enthusiastic audiences to hear them if I were to set up my first restaurant here serving my first pastry. Be bold to improvise and trust your instincts and skills. It's easier for me because due to limited funds, I came to play here solo but also because of this, I can do whatever the fuck I want with my own songs the way I like them to sound great. There’s great freedom and liberation to my control over my art which I enjoy having. And no matter how busy your schedules are, ditch some things just to find an hour or two before each your performance day and the day before to re-think about how you want to perform them, and keep up the practice-and-review works. On freer days and better moods, try to write new songs that sparked from new conversations, discoveries or feelings. It's a luxury to do what you do - remember why you are here and give good music back in return. The world needs more of it. It's important.

You may get great contracts and partnerships from it (which I did, yay!) and also some not so great ones in ways you may not like it. Be wise to look through and don't be afraid to say no as well if you don't feel it is for you. You know yourself best.

After-thoughts: It makes me wonder at some point in time while looking out my plane window, or on my train seat, why do musical artists or artist put in so much work and call them their own, only to try to fit into what people want or don’t want so as to be recognized? I have traveled so many miles for this, thinking about music business, thinking about whether I want to be in it, having to come so far..., was it because of my curiosity of how far my own music can bring me or was it to see and feel for myself with my own senses the new cities’ audience response to my works? Will I want to continue to do so? To be a big music company’s or music label’s artist, churning songs and pushing markets of people that may buy them? Or to be my own artist, observing from my own experiences and matters that greatly touch my heart, but earn not the world’s recognition, but for my own need to express it through music? Some say if you play a show to only yourself, the art is self-serving. Some say a good show wouldn’t reach anyone if you perform it only to the four walls of your room. On the other side, music that I find distasteful can be so well marketed that it has reached to the entire world population and been positively accepted, to the point it has reshaped culture and attitudes. It makes me doubt - as an artist and human sometimes - is the world even worth my genuine art and thoughts? Am I, being too stubborn, just holding on to what I feel what music should be like, instead of refusing to follow the new art trend, and hence becoming irrelevant? But do I want to hop on to the trend, singing things I do not like, performing like a monkey trained for the circus? In my deep thoughts and sighs, I’ve found my answer.

That's all I have now - I hope it's useful and I certainly hope there will be a next SXSW artist soon from Singapore! It's a valuable learning journey and will hone you to be a greater planner, artist and human. I may or may not have adequate fundings or the destiny to head to my next invited showcase in Toronto during Canada Music Week (CMW) this May, but I have learnt a lifetime worth just from this. It's not about quantity (of shows), but quality (of music) I'd say. It also very much depends on your state of mind. And right now, mine's exhausted as I've been on a non-stop performing spree for the past 3 months. To some artists, SXSW may just be a stopover of their North American tours designed by their managers, but to me its my first invited international show. Artists used to be able to perform SXSW and CMW easily as the dates and venues are close together, but CMW has been shifted to May due to warmer weathers so it's a tad tricky to stay so long here. Depending on situations, one gotta to decide what's best for yourself and make the most of what you have!

Once again, thank YOU so much to everyone who's supported me in this journey that has brought my music into the international limelight. Please know that I am and will be eternally grateful from the bottom of my heart.

To watch my live music performances at SXSW 2018: https://goo.gl/xzbLhz

Some photos to share: