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
S1E10: Home-grown singer Rangga Jones’ regional fan base includes a K-pop star
Season 1 · Episode 10
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 • Duration 23:34
Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones is the tenth guest in this music channel.
Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the 10th episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones.
He might not be a household name in Singapore, but in recent years, the 27-year-old has been steadily building up a fanbase in the region with his R&B/pop songs.
On streaming services, the Singapore-based singer has racked up millions of plays, mostly from fans in the Philippines and Indonesia, where he was born. Call Me, a song first released in 2022, has 23 million streams on just Spotify alone.
The song also caught the attention of Ruka, a member of South Korean girl group Babymonster, who added it to her public Apple Music playlist.
Jones, who started releasing music in 2019, dropped his first full-length album, Emotions, in late 2023. He has already started on new projects, and recently released his latest single, Pushing Me Away.
In this episode of Music Lab, he sang live renditions of Call Me as well as Not Good Enough, one of the songs off Emotions.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:45 - On having K-pop star Ruka from Babymonster as a fan
4:19 - Turning his self-consciousness into a song
7:41 - His transition from metalhead to pop singer
9:26 - Ed Sheeran inspired him to be a songwriter
13:01 - On becoming a full-time singer just before the pandemic hit
15:36 - He only learnt to speak English at eight years old
16:04 - On his international fanbase
S1E10: Rangga Jones - not good enough (Live)
Season 1 · Episode 10
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 • Duration 02:32
Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones' intimate live studio take of not good enough, a song from his first full-length album, Emotions.
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 new Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/KRFD
Listen to Rangga Jones talk about his musical journey in the full audio-only podcast here: https://str.sg/eN65
Home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Rangga Jones' intimate live studio take of Call Me, a song first released in 2022, has 23 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 new Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/KRFD
Listen to Rangga Jones talk about his musical journey in the full audio-only podcast here: https://str.sg/eN65
S1E9: Newcomer Josh Makazo's rise as one of Singapore's top artistes on TikTok
Season 1 · Episode 9
Tuesday, December 26, 2023 • Duration 30:44
Home-grown singer and songwriter Josh Makazo tells us about his breakout year in 2023.
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In this ninth episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts home-grown singer, songwriter, and producer Josh Makazo.
A rising name in the home-grown music scene, he is one of the most popular artists on TikTok in Singapore in 2023.
While he was still serving national service, he released his song - half of my heart - which went viral on TikTok and has since racked up over 5.3 million views.
Makazo discusses how his strategy of targeting the fanbase of artistes that he was inspired by, such as Korean-Australian singer DPR Ian, helped his music blow up on TikTok. The two versions of the song that he released on Spotify have also clocked over 6 million streams in all.
In November, Makazo, 20, released his debut album, Gradient, and it has already gained over 10 million streams across various platforms.
In this episode of Music Lab, he sings a live rendition of half of my heart, which is also in his new album.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:59 K-pop fans are using his song to soundtrack their TikTok videos
5:42 How he made his song half of my heart go viral
8:20 His hit song inspired by his first love
14:01 On his musical theatre background and acting in hit musical The Sound Of Music
Home-grown pop singer Shye is the eighth guest in this music channel.
Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.
In the eighth episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts home-grown singer, songwriter and producer Shye.
At the age of 21, the multi-talented artiste, whose full name is Trinity Shye-Anne Brown, has already achieved much in recent times.
Since she made her debut in 2018 at the age of 16, she has released four EPs, one album, and multiple singles and music videos.
She was the youngest winner of music competition Vans Musicians Wanted and was also one of the singers behind 2021 National Day Song, The Road Ahead.
On streaming services, her songs rack up millions of plays. Love U, a song from her 2020 album days to morning glory, has over 3 million streams on just Spotify alone.
She has done concerts not just in Singapore, but also in the United States and China, where she recently took part in a television reality show, Youth Pi Plan.
In this episode of Music Lab, the singer sang a live rendition of Need, a song from her latest EP released in early October, 9Lives.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:20 On how her cats helped shape the songs on her new EP, 9LIVES
11:17 She went to China to take part in Youth Pi Plan, a reality television show for young musicians, and ended up as one of the finalists
19:47 Having bad skin as a teenager prompted her to start making music
23:24 What it was like to be the youngest winner of Vans Musicians Wanted at the age of 16
27:37 Singing the 2021 National Day Parade theme song, The Road Ahead, and becoming a role model for young students
35:06 On helping younger talents get a leg up in the music industry
S1E8: Shye - Need (Live) @ ST Podcast Studio
Season 1 · Episode 8
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 • Duration 03:02
Singaporean singer, songwriter, and producer Shye's intimate live studio take of Need, a song from her latest EP, 9Lives.
Synopsis: This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio.
Listen to Shye talk about her musical journey in the full podcast here: https://str.sg/iGGs
S1E1: Hear our podcasts on The Straits Times' app, besides Apple Podcasts & Spotify
Season 1 · Episode 1
Monday, October 9, 2023 • Duration 02:25
Each follow on the audio apps below and a rating really helps us! Happy listening!
Synopsis: A brand new feature is within The Straits Times app, which you can download from the Apple app store or the Google Play store. For those of you who already have it, the latest version update now has a dedicated Podcast Section, where you can listen to our latest incoming show episodes and check out back episodes too.
You can also choose to follow our podcast RSS feeds, or the shows on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
If you have a smart home speaker like the Google Home or Nest device, or your Android phone, just say: “Hey Google, play me (name of any of the shows below) or The Straits Times Podcasts.”
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