Corrinne May’s return to discovery

Before I met Corrinne May, I’d pictured her to be soft-spoken, classy and almost ethereal — much like her music is. But May broke the ice almost as soon as she walked into the room, wearing a simple, flowy blouse and black pants, as well as a big, warm smile.

The lady is an institution in Singapore’s music industry, even though she has been based in the Los Angeles for more than 15 years. The singer-songwriter, whose full name is Corrinne Foo May Ying, was one of the first musicians who proved it was possible for a Singaporean to make a living singing in English, paving the way for younger artistes like The Sam Willows, Gentle Bones and Inch Chua to carve their own indie music careers.

“I get paiseh (Hokkien for “embarrassed”) lah,” the affable musician said, when we asked if she was tired of being asking when she was going to release her next album, after 2012’s Crooked Lines. “Like, oh no, I’ve got to write!”

The 41-year-old, who has five albums and numerous music awards under her belt, added that she was in the process of working on her sixth record, and recently took a short trip to a monastery run by Benedictine monks in Big Sur, in the central coast of California, to “sit, be quiet and just be still”.

“They hold these retreats where everybody is quiet. You have a little cottage on the hill, and when you wake up in the morning, you can look at the Pacific Ocean. It’s beautiful,” May said of her experience. “All you hear are the sounds of birds, and the winds rustling in the trees. You don’t get Internet connection and there is no mobile phone coverage. That is when you try to search for the important things in life, and what you want to say when everything quietens down a bit. Sometimes when it is too noisy, as it does in Singapore, it can get hard to find a spot where you can be quiet and just think about where you are going. I think that is the challenge of living in Singapore.”

Still, May, who splits her time between Los Angeles and Singapore, said she and her husband have been contemplating moving back to Singapore for good. She wants her daughter to grow up in Singapore because of family, but she admitted that she also loved living in LA. Her latest single, Kite, which she co-wrote and recorded with fellow musician Charlie Lim for the SG50 album Sing, Love, reflects that “emotional tug-of-war ... between being in a place that anchors you and being in a place where you can fly”.

“(My husband and I) have been trying to figure out whether we are supposed to be here or there. In fact, I don’t think we are fully done with the decision yet,” said May, who decided to stay in the United States to pursue a career in music after graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1998. “It’s almost like a pendulum. Sometimes we swing this way, sometimes we swing that way.

“It would be great for (my six-year-old daughter) Claire to grow up in Singapore, but we do sometimes miss being able to have the large expanse of space to play and to create in,” she continued. “It’s like trying to balance the best of both worlds. Right now, we are fortunate in that we can go back and forth. But one of these days, I am sure we going to have to pick one or the other for a stretch of time.”

If and when Corrinne decides to come home, however, she will find a tight and growing community of musicians and music fans who would be more than happy to welcome her back to their ranks. After all, Corrinne has consistently held sold-out shows since she released her debut album in 2001.

“I think we all need (encouragement), no matter how far we are on the journey,” she mused. “It’s always a process. With every album, it’s a return to the process of discovery, about figuring out what you want to say, putting your take on things out there, and being vulnerable.”

May continued: “I must say, (the local music scene) is much more active now. Back when I first started, it didn’t seem like there were many singer-songwriters who were doing their thing. There are a lot more people making their own music, finding their way using social media and reaching out to fans. It almost makes me feel like a dinosaur to think about how they are starting out, but it also makes me feel so proud to see how some of the younger musicians have progressed. You can tell from their music, the way they are on stage and the way they sing, (which one of them) is truly in love with their music.

“That is why I am excited about the current batch of musicians (in Singapore). They are all making music, and they are waiting in the wings for an audience. I hope the Singaporean audience will grow for local music.”

Music is one thing May can always count on — to connect her with those she loves, those who love her work, as well as those who are in the process of getting to know her better.

“Music has always been a source of comfort, even when I was a little kid,” May said. “But my relationship with music has gone beyond just me and the piano. It’s almost like a language I am able to share with someone else. When someone else gets it, and they convey that they get it back to me — that part is very rewarding.”