Hello to all The Hidden Gems’ readers!
I have recently gotten an exclusive chance to
interview Kenny Khoo 邱锋泽,
our very own Singaporean singer-songwriter!
Hello
Kenny! Please introduce yourself and your album!
Hi, I'm Kenny Khoo
and I'm 25 years old and a singer-songwriter from Singapore.
I have recently launched
my debut Mandarin album “Ten Storeys”
featuring ten tracks (that has ten stories in it) with various musical styles
and heartfelt lyrics, based on my personal observations and experiences.
But in a nutshell, I
would say it’s a pop/rock album :)
Who
are your mentors and how did they groom you to become who you are today?
I have many mentors
but the 2 mentors that I worked most closely with, are Eric (黃韻仁 ) and Xiaohan (小寒). I started from nothing in terms of songwriting and
lyrics writing.
They were gracious
enough to teach me the craft and consistently check on my progress.
In the whole process
of producing the album “Ten Storeys”, we constantly discuss and strategize on how
to produce a great album that listeners can relate to.
What
are some sources of inspirations when write songs?
Past experiences,
observing the surroundings, conversations with friends, reading the news, watching
a movie, and many more. All these can aid in the songwriting process.
However, I feel that it’s not enough to rely solely on
inspirations to write songs, because inspirations
will run dry one day.
Hence, the best way
is to just enjoy the process of
writing songs. Think of it as playing a game of jigsaw puzzle, joining the bits and pieces (the melody) together.
It’s also important
to have the willpower to set writing
goals. For example, I will tell
myself, '' today I'm going to write a rock song. '' And I will leave the studio
only when I have completed the song.
This is a good way to
activate the music muscles in the brain.
Are
all 10 songs in “Ten Storeys” based on personal experiences?
(If not which ones are?)
(If not which ones are?)
Huge portions are
based on my personal experiences.
That includes 伤者, 菲尼克斯, 单人套房, 无关勇敢不勇敢, 再不然, 关于我们, and灵魂.
(Which means 经典对白, 你还好吗天, and 亮就分开 are not!)
Do you
personally prefer bright songs like "关于我们" or emotional songs like "伤者"?
I'm a greedy person,
I love variety.
Therefore I can’t really
pick a side. One of my main goals in the album is for every song to have a different vibe, so that when listeners
hear each track, they will feel that it is refreshing
and not a replicate of the previous song.
Please
describe your voice!
Vocal range wise, I'm slightly nearer to being a tenor. There is a
certain airiness in my voice that is pretty effective in terms of
expressing my emotions.
People tell me that they feel my pain when I sing sad songs.
If you
aren't a singer-songwriter now, what would you like to do?
Probably try out acting as a career, because acting was actually
my childhood dream as well.
I enjoy acting a lot, just that I sort of put that on hold at the moment as
I want to concentrate on pursuing my music career first.
Have
you participated in any past competitions/ auditions?
I have participated in just a couple of small-scaled singing competitions
when I was a lot younger, but I was still finding my voice at that time.
What
do you think will be different if you were to have gone through a singing
competition instead of going the traditional way into the industry?
Assuming I came through a competition and emerged as a winner, releasing
a self-penned album after would definitely be a huge plus-point because people
would have already recognized me as they have seen me on the television.
It’s easier to gain acceptance in the initial phase. However, with so
many singing competitions being held year after year, it is essential for the
past winners to continue striving hard in the industry.
Long term wise, the requirements for both methods would work out to be
just about the same:
Hard work and
dedication.
What
are some hard and good times you've been through before you made your debut?
The only hard time I had
was when I fell sick with a very high fever to the extent that I had to be
taken to the hospital.
That happened halfway through the album production
period.
I was so afraid it would
be dengue which can be fatal.
Luckily, it was just
a minor virus infection.
So, after a week or
so, I could get back to work and finish up the album.
It was a huge relief for me as producing this
album is really a dream came true.
As for good times, it
would be whenever Eric says that the song I had finish writing has potential.
It gives me a great
deal of satisfaction because I then
know that I’m on the right track.
Also, before I made
my debut, I was singing in pubs with my band. After every night of performance,
I would feel very happy because I know I brought joy to the audiences.
[Exclusive!]
Is
there an untold story you can exclusively share with The Hidden Gems' readers?
Sure!
My song 单人套房 went through a restructuring phase.
The very first
version of the song was a rock’n roll,
upbeat song with different lyrics.
Towards the end of
the album production, we felt that it didn’t blend in with the rest of the
songs because it doesn't match with my personality.
Hence, we finally
changed the arrangement as well as the lyrics into the单人套房 you
hear now :)
Was
there a time you ever felt like giving up on everything you're working on?
Honestly, there isn't any, because I feel that I had
put in so much effort in my future career it’s too late to give up.
To me, it’s all or nothing.
I have set a
direction in my life and I will do my best to succeed.
What
motivates you to keep going?
There are two main factors.
Firstly, it is the love I have for music.
Hearing a good song
on the radio gives me a great deal of satisfaction and motivation, hoping one
day I can write a song that can reaches out to many people and leaves a positive impact.
Secondly, having a vision is pretty important.
I would constantly dream
of having my concert, touring
different countries. That seems like a great deal of fun! :)
Some
words to say to the younger people in Singapore who dreams to be like you?
I don’t quite believe in talent, I believe in hard work.
I wasn’t born a
singer, neither was I born as a songwriter. To be a recording artist today, didn’t
happen by an accident, nor by luck.
It was a conscious
decision-making process that I made when I was a teenager, finding a direction
and purpose in life.
One thing I would say
to younger people is to have an open mind.
Try out as many things as you can and see which direction gives you the
greatest happiness.
Subsequently, dream big, but make practical small goals along the way
to help yourself achieve it.
One
reason to support Kenny?
Hearing my music is a
good way to distress! Hahah!
Some
words to your future (Not present!) fans?
Hi future fans!!
Glad to have you
onboard!!!
Stick on this ride
with me and I will guarantee you are in for a wonderful time :)
Another big thanks to Lj, and Kenny for taking the time to take this
interview!
-Jiayi
