S1E15: Singaporean switches banking studies for music; debut album on US jazz chart
Season 1 · Episode 15
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 • Duration 30:04
Home-grown jazz saxophone player Sean Hong Wei is the 15th guest in this music channel.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 15th episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean jazz saxophone player Sean Hong Wei.
The 25-year-old marked a milestone when his debut album The New Jersey Sessions - a collaboration with his mentor and home-grown jazz maestro Jeremy Monteiro - reached the Top 20 of the chart of American publication JazzWeek in July, 2024. The chart ranks releases based on airplay reports submitted by radio stations.
The album had earlier gone to No. 1 on the overall chart and jazz chart on iTunes Singapore within two days of its release on Jan 1.
The former banking and finance student is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in music at The New School, New York. He also plays regular shows in the city’s vibrant jazz scene, where he meets and learns from seasoned veterans.
He shares his experiences of touring in Asia, including recent performances in Shanghai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
Sean discusses his plans to return to Singapore after completing his studies to contribute to the local jazz scene.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:57 On his album charting in the US jazz charts
4:13 On how his Singaporean background is not a barrier in the close-knit New York jazz scene
7:55 His experiences of touring, including recent gigs in Shanghai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
15:25 Getting into the saxophone, and jazz music, in secondary school
18:15 Dropping out of banking and finance studies and switching to music
25:56 Paying $1 for his saxophone, which is now worth $8,000
28:10 His future plans to help the local jazz scene grow
Watch Sean Hong Wei's rendition of Body And Soul, a 1930 jazz standard composed by American songwriter Johnny Green: https://str.sg/nArc
S1E1: Get a headstart in your finances & career from our new ST podcast
Season 1 · Episode 1
Thursday, August 29, 2024 • Duration 01:40
New episodes from our rebranded podcast channel will drop here: https://str.sg/wB2m
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times.
Our previous Money and Career podcast channel is now rebranded HeadSTart on Record, taking on a fresher and sharper approach on how to chase your aspirations and grow your money.
Hosts Sue-Ann Tan and Tay Hong Yi will speak with guests on how to navigate jobs and finances in a daunting, complex world.
Hong Yi has been covering manpower and talent topics for ST, with a focus on careers, the job market and workforce trends.
Sue-Ann will look at how to invest your money and the delicate balancing act between saving and living. Sept 2 Monday sees her first episode dropping across our audio platforms and the ST app.
Stay tuned for more episodes on chewy topics like how far would you go for your pay cheque and how you can invest from age 18.
Produced by: Sue-Ann Tan (suetan@sph.com.sg), Tay Hong Yi (), Ernest Luis and Amirul Karim
S1E14: Despite his elimination from Rap Of China, Shigga Shay stills sees it as a win
Season 1 · Episode 14
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 • Duration 38:20
Home-grown rapper Shigga Shay is the 14th guest in this music channel.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 14th episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean rapper Shigga Shay.
The 31-year-old hip-hop artist speaks at length about his experience as the first Singaporean to take part in The Rap Of China 2024, the popular Chinese reality show (2017 to present) that looks for the country’s next rap star.
He was among the 72 contestants out of 600 who passed the first round, and reached the 41st spot before being eliminated in the third round.
It is still a win, he says, because his time on the show gave him a platform to reach out to a whole new fanbase in China.
He still makes regular trips to China to work with his counterparts there on his upcoming release, a mixtape titled Hanyu Pinyin.
Featuring verses in Mandarin, English and Hokkien, this new batch of songs reflect his identity as a multilingual rapper from Singapore who is ready to take on the global stage.
Shigga also discusses how hip-hop helped him overcome his shyness, and how his late father gave him his stage name.
In the episode, he also performs a rendition of his latest single, Overachieve, which will also be included in his upcoming release Hanyu Pinyin.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:54 On being the first Singaporean to take part in The Rap Of China
14:24 How his multilingual songs tells his story as a rapper from Singapore
18:15 On how he has been rapping for half is life
26:17 Why he calls himself Shigga Shay
30:20 He started making music videos in school
S1E14: Shigga Shay - Overachieve (Live)
Season 1 · Episode 14
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 • Duration 03:39
Hear home-grown rapper Shigga Shay's intimate live studio take of his latest single, Overachieve, which will also be included in his upcoming release Hanyu Pinyin.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio.
Listen to Shigga Shay talk about his musical journey in the full audio-only podcast here: https://str.sg/yzJA
S1E13: How young Singaporean singer Hongjoin aims to make his mark in the US
Season 1 · Episode 13
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 • Duration 29:32
Hear how Spotify's Radar programme has helped expose home-grown singer-songwriter Hongjoin.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 13th episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean singer-songwriter Hongjoin.
The 22-year-old, whose music encompasses genres ranging from R&B and indie-pop, is based in Boston, United States, and is trying to make his mark in the US music scene while studying there.
He has regular shows in various US cities and has been highlighted by Spotify as a Radar artist, a program that highlights rising talents from around the world.
He recently returned to Singapore to do two concerts - a solo headlining show at the Esplanade in June, and as the opening act for US singer-songwriter Ricky Montgomery’s show at the Pasir Panjang Power Station in May.
Like many singers from his generation, he is active on TikTok and Instagram, which has helped him build up an audience in regional countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
In this episode, he also sings a live rendition of the title track from his sophomore album released recently, Komorebi.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:55 How he ended up as a musician in the US
8:11 His solo show in Singapore was sold out
13:38 On tapping into his Japanese roots for his new album
15:50 How the pandemic led to his decision to take music seriously
22:08 On how TikTok and Instagram helped him find an audience in Indonesia and the Philippines
23:32 Taking a break from school to focus on music full-time
25:42 His plans to return to Singapore and contribute to the music scene here
S1E13: Hongjoin - Komorebi (Live)
Season 1 · Episode 13
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 • Duration 04:18
Hear home-grown singer-songwriter Hongjoin's intimate live studio take of the title track from his sophomore album released recently, Komorebi.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio.
Listen to Hongjoin talk about his musical journey in the full podcast here: https://str.sg/cTrZ
S1E12: Shazza & Umar Sirhan - Rain In Manhattan (Live)
Season 1 · Episode 12
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 • Duration 06:18
Hear home-grown singer-songwriters Shazza's and Umar Sirhan's intimate live studio take of their latest single, Rain In Manhattan.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio.
Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/b5za
Listen to Shazza talk about her musical journey in the full audio-only podcast here: https://str.sg/LstG
S1E12: Meet Shazza, the Singaporean singer whose music has the attention of Coldplay’s Chris Martin and PM Wong
Season 1 · Episode 12
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 • Duration 31:00
Home-grown singer and songwriter Shazza is the 12th guest in this music channel.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 12th episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean singer and songwriter Shazza.
The past year has been quite eventful for the 22-year-old - her music caught the attention of several high profile personalities, including Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chris Martin, the frontman of popular British band Coldplay.
A video that she did with Canadian pop duo Crash Adams went viral worldwide, earning her new fans from as far as Brazil.
As one of the artists fronting Spotify’s Equal campaign, her face was featured on a billboard at Times Square in New York City.
In July 2023, she put out her debut album Chapter One, a release that includes Right Person, Wrong Time, a song that has clocked over two million streams in Spotify alone.
The hijab-wearing singer, whose real name is Shareefa Aminah, speaks about how people assume she makes Malay music because of how she looks, as well as her drive towards inclusivity in the pop music world.
She also sings for our Music Lab Podcast, a live rendition of her latest single Rain In Manhattan, a duet with fellow home-grown singer-songwriter Umar Sirhan.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:58 On having to turn down an invitation to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s swearing-in ceremony
3:25 How singing in the viral Crash Adams video made her famous worldwide
5:28 Chris Martin calling out her name at one of Coldplay’s Singapore concerts
9:45 On being featured on New York’s Times Square billboard
11:24 Being a hijab-wearing singer making English pop music
S1E11: rhyu - It's fine (Live)
Season 1 · Episode 11
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 04:45
Home-grown singer-songwriter rhyu's intimate live studio take of It's fine, a song first released in 2023, which has a million streams on just Spotify alone.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio.
Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/tWma
Listen to rhyu talk about her musical journey in the full audio-only podcast here: https://str.sg/Aqou
S1E11: Newcomer rhyu - Singapore’s answer to Laufey?
Season 1 · Episode 11
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 28:45
Home-grown singer and songwriter rhyu is the 11th guest in this music channel.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 11th episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts home-grown singer and songwriter rhyu.
The newcomer’s arresting vocals and original songs, a mixture of pop, jazz, and R&B, have garnered comparisons to popular Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey, who reposted one of her videos on TikTok.
The 19-year-old, whose real name is Raine Hahn Yu, started releasing music in 2022 and started dabbling in writing and composing songs as a child.
She has since staged performances at venues such as the Esplanade, music festivals and was an opening act for Taiwanese band Cicada’s concert in Singapore.
In this episode of Music Lab, she sang a live rendition of It’s fine, a song that has garnered over 1.3 million streams on Spotify alone.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:15 Having her song blow up on TikTok
3:28 She came up with the melody while queuing at Old Chang Kee
4:46 Laufey reposted one of her videos on TikTok
6:04 She started writing songs at the age of 4
10:36 Her early influences were Mandopop artistes like JJ Lin and A-mei
13:59 On her studies and a music career
16:25 Her new song came to her in a dream
21:47 Her family used to organise concerts
Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/tWma
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