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‘Music is a playground’

SINGAPORE – Earlier this year, Disrupt Channel was launched, featuring videos of original music and cover songs as sung by up-and-coming talents from around the region including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Lin Ying and Teza covered Britney Spears' Toxic for Disrupt Channel, not because they like the American pop singer, but to push stretch their own musical wings.

Lin Ying and Teza covered Britney Spears' Toxic for Disrupt Channel, not because they like the American pop singer, but to push stretch their own musical wings.

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SINGAPORE – Earlier this year, Disrupt Channel was launched, featuring videos of original music and cover songs as sung by up-and-coming talents from around the region including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.

And now, you get to see these performances, not online, but in the flesh, with the series of pop-up shows that feature one Singapore musician and one regional act. Tonight, at The Courtyard at Rendezvous Hotel, the first one kicks off with Teza Sumendra from Indonesia and Lin Ying from Singapore taking the stage.

Last year, the Singapore singer was featured in Huffington Post’s 6 Of YouTube’s Most Impressive One-Man Les Miserables Medleys (she does all her medleys by ear, which makes her transitions a refreshing change from the medleys you’ve heard countless times). She has since popped up at various shows, including the Noise Singapore concert and her cover of I Need My Girl by The National was even shared by the alt-rock band online.

Teza, on the other hand, has been making waves in his home country as an R&B singer, having been influenced by the music of Motown since young. He is a vocalist in the band Clorophyl D’Next Generation and has worked with noted Indonesian musicians such as Indra Lesmana (for a compilation album titled Kembali Satu, as well as performed in theatrical productions such as Musikal Laskar Pelangi, Ali Topan The Musical.

“I think Disrupt is one of the best platforms to uncover new singers, only because there is no restriction here, unlike some channels which (feature) only indie rock or something,” said Teza. “This is quite different.”

For Disrupt Channel, the two musicians hooked up for a stripped-down, soulful performance of Britney Spears’ hit, Toxic. Interestingly, the American pop singer doesn’t really figure into both of their play lists.

“Britney Spears is not really my style - but okay, lah,” said Lin Ying.

“No, Britney Spears is not on my top list,” concurred Teza.

So why agree to tackle her tune?

“I just wanted to try something different with pop music, to give it a different vibe and to show that music is so universal that you can make anything and everything,” said Teza. “I just want to spread the word that music is not just one genre. Music is a playground - you can do whatever you want.”

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Lin Ying. “Even the collaboration with Teza, he’s a top soul singer (but even though) I’ve never done anything like that, I don’t see that as a reason to back out of it. That sort of music is not my preferred style – I wouldn’t cut a soul album – but I do enjoy soul music.

“I used to be quite worried about dabbling in different kinds of genres, because I felt people would be confused about what I do, like, ‘is she a house music or an acoustic artiste?’ But then, I’ve realised that we, as listeners, don’t confine ourselves to a genre ... people are diverse listeners, so why can’t musicians be diverse as well? There’s no harm in that.”

“It’s very important (to have varied influences),” added Teza. “As a musician, you have to collect references and influences from everywhere, so that you can draw from it. You have to get your own character from that. I just love music, because it’s my passion.”

Lin Ying said she likes collaborating – she has done a couple of electronic music tunes with others, such as Krono and Felix Jaehn - because it stimulates her. “It’s very fun for me. It forces you to hone your songwriting craft. It makes me more deliberate in my songwriting. I have to figure out how to work with different styles of music, even if it’s not my most comfortable way of expressing myself. It also makes me not confine myself to a single genre. Electronic music has never really been my style at all, but ... across all kinds of music, there are things that are very important, like the vibe and the feel the music can evoke.”

The Disrupt Channel pop-up session happens today at 6.30pm and 7.45pm at the Courtyard at Rendezvous Hotel. Check out Disrupt Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/disruptchannel.

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