Singapore's freshest R&B band brb
. talks about their identity and
vision as Asian artists.
Musical roots
My name is Clarence but I go by Clo, I am the main vocalist and writer for brb.
I’m Marc, I play the guitar, sing and I produce all our tracks with Zie.
I’m Zie, I play the keys, sing and produce alongside Marc. And I create our digital assets. We have known each other for a long time now. Singapore is a small place and we have bumped into each other over the years at events and concerts. But brb. is the first time we ever worked together.
My musical journey started pretty late. I remember discovering Jason Mraz when I was about 15. I was so amazed with his word play in songwriting, that I taught myself how to play the guitar. I didn’t sing back then, so I was pretty much a sessionist for my friends. 2 years later I started singing and discovered old school R&B artists like Stevie Wonder and James Brown. What drew me to their music was their groove and soul. That’s when I started exploring acoustic R&B, and developed a tone of my own.
As a teen, I was heavily inspired by P!ATD, Chris Brown & Ella Riot. But I’d like to believe my roots bring me back to songs from the Lion King (I had the OST CD on loop as a kid and would sing my heart out when my parents were at work) and Backstreet Boys’ ‘Millennium’ album that was a gift my folks got me for my seventh birthday. That album’s my religion (laughs).
Kinda weird for me because I grew up listening to 90s / early 2000 boy band centric pop, but also on the other end, a heavy dose of punk rock and nu-metal. I guess I like the earworm quality of pop hooks and the aggressive emotive qualities in heavier music. That’s not the whole story either, as I love everything else in between that spectrum.
I started in my teens, but before producing I was really into the guitar. I remember writing and recording my own shitty songs but I wasn’t satisfied with just a voice and a guitar, so I learned to add the drums, keys and everything else. The process is really fun and rewarding for me so I just kept it going.
It all began when I was 16, back in school. Bands like Panic! at The Disco were my number one inspiration and I’ve always wanted to be like them. So I downloaded a software called ‘mixcraft’ to start making my own songs with my band at that time.
We are definitely greatly influenced by asian art and design. Especially from Japanese and Korean artists. We do all the design work ourselves and we are constantly looking and learning, but we are still far from good. However, we will keep working at it in order to get better.
Identity as an Asian artist and fee
ling a connection with other artist
s
ーIn 2021, you plan to release more songs featuring artists from other Asian countries. Specifically, what scenes are you currently focusing on in Asia?
Japan is definitely one of these places. e can’t share much, but we have 2 collaborations in the works right now and we hope to do more. We are also looking at Thailand, Korea and Taiwan. There is some great music coming out of these places now.
ーSince the COVID pandemic and the racial discrimination issues in the U.S., I feel that artists are being encouraged to express their racial identity in some way more than ever before. Under such circumstances, what was the thinking behind your decision to release works featuring artists from Asian countries this year?
Yes, it was heartbreaking to see. Being in Singapore, we did not have to grow up trying to be more like a certain race. Racism here is less overt and more insidious, but it’s something we all have to work on together.
K-Pop has shown the world that asian artists are a force to be reckoned with. People from all over the world listen to korean music without knowing what it means. We want to see that happen with Chinese Music, Thai Music and Japanese music. The talent and quality is there, but it needs to be done more!
ーHow did you come to collaborate with AmPm and Chocoholic in 2019 (*AmPm has already answered this question in this interview, but I’d like to ask again for the sake of flow.)
We were introduced to them by our former record label. They were in Singapore doing writing sessions, and we were privileged enough to be in a room with them. It took a couple of months of back and forth, but we did it! It was our first ever collaboration, and we’re so happy to have done it with them.
ーPlease tell us about any Japanese music artists that you have been listening to for a long time, or any artists that you feel a connection to in the current scene. Also, what is your impression of Japanese culture in general, including music, compared to Singapore?
It’s going to sound so typical. But our first forays into Japanese music was through the anime we watched as kids and teens. Who has not listened to Aqua Timez? haha
We are listening to so many great Japanese artists now. We really resonate with artists such as SIRUP, Kan Sano, iri and I Don’t Like Mondays. But there are a whole bunch of other unique artists who we like, such as Haruno, No Buses, Wez Atlas and Shin Sakiura.
I don’t think we have experienced enough of Japan to comment much on this. But from just visiting, we feel that Japan has more in terms of culture than Singapore. In Singapore, you really have to be connected and in the know to find interesting things to do. And this was pre-covid. It’s tougher now. But we hope that things will improve soon.
About your newest EP “fleur”
ーAs the beginning of the first song “juice” symbolizes, “fleur” focuses more on guitars than your debut album, and it seems to have a more modern sound, combining the organic sound of live music with the inorganic texture of MIDI synths. Has there been any change in your mindset, musical ideas, or production methods compared to the previous album?
Yea for sure, lots of changes from our previous record. The way that we create has evolved and our tastes have also changed, whether it’s practical things like getting used to working remotely through the pandemic or our general approach to writing, I think we all just get better at the craft and find new ways to be inspired. That juxtaposition of live and synthetic elements was a very deliberate thing for us making this record. Sonically, ‘fleur’ is meant to show this transition of who we are as artists while hinting at where we’re going in the future.
Music you’re currently listening to, and future plans
ーI looked at some of the playlists created and published by brb. on Spotify. The songs selected for “on rotation” and “your type” are diverse in genre, but when you listen to them in a flow, you feel a common “mood” or “soundscape”. What are your criteria and thoughts when selecting these songs?
We have yet to update them recently, but we should do it soon. “on rotation” is usually updated before we drop a new track. The songs picked will help the user get the vibe of whatever song we’re releasing next.
“your type” is a playlist created by our listeners. We ask our fans for recommendations and we put everything in. It’s nice to hear what others are listening to and we always find some amazing gems that way.
We also do playlist takeovers with other artists. They would put their selections on our playlist, and we will create country playlists for them to feature acts from their home countries. It’s been really fun so far.
PROFILE brb.は、シンガポールで現在最も注目を集めているR&Bバンド。インディペンデントに活動しながら最先端のR&Bサウンドを切り拓き、各種音楽配信サービスでもバイラルチャートにランクインしている実力派だ。AmPmとChocoholicとのコラボ楽曲「Sorry That I Love You」にフィーチャーしたのをきっかけに、日本でも大きな話題を集め、シンガポールのアーティストの中ではトップの人気を誇っている。
RELEASE INFOMATION EP『fleur』 brb. 2021年6月25日(金) 【track list】 01. juice 02. honeymoon 03. move 04. saint
アーティスト
関連ニュース
DIGLE MAGAZINE
プレイリスト専門webマガジン「DIGLE MAGAZINE」。最新&話題の音楽プレイリスト情報、インタビュー、イベント情報をお届けします。