The Sundown Festival, which celebrates the best of Asian music, returns for its eighth outing with local acts taking over the spotlight!
Happening on 5 August 2017 at the City Beach Resort, there’s no better way to get into the festive National Day cheer than immersing yourself with the very best of Singapore’s music scene. In anticipation of the concert, the Teenage team caught up with three of the acts – Derrick Hoh, FARRAGO, and Jack & Rai.
Derrick Hoh
How does it feel to be headlining the first all-Singaporean lineup of Sundown Festival?
I feel incredibly excited! I’ve been pushing local music to everyone I’ve worked with throughout my music career and to be able to be part of this year’s line-up is extremely exciting for me.
Any homegrown acts that have caught your eye recently?
Ling Kai! We touched base recently, and I’ve been a secret admirer of her work. Her music is very different from what I do but I love that untamed nature of her music – it’s very refreshing. Hopefully we can work together in the future!
What can we expect from your upcoming live showcase at the Esplanade?
It’s going to be extremely intimate. Besides debuting my new singles, I am going to have many close interactions with my fans. Since my last showcase, my life was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride and I can’t wait to share these experiences with my fans on stage.
What’s next in the pipeline for you?
I’ll be busy filming a drama in Singapore and working on brand new singles for myself. I’ll also have multiple releases in the coming months as a songwriter, with songs I penned for some great artists. Unfortunately, I can’t disclose them now but stay tuned to my social media channels to get the latest updates.
FARRAGO
This isn’t your first time performing on the Sundown stage. As a headlining act, how does it make you feel this time round?
The organisers of Sundown Festival have been good to us over the years. It’s great to be asked back and we are looking forward to playing to people who may not have heard our music yet.
What are three songs off your discography you think a first-time listener should definitely check out.
‘Hissy Fit’, ‘Traffic Lights’ and ‘Trilby Hats and Sunflowers’.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
That is extremely hard to answer as a group. We all have very different tastes in music, hence the name of the band. Some examples – Toto, Slayer, Dream Theater, Beck, Brian Wilson, No Doubt, Courtney Love and Stevie Wonder. Confusing, right?
What’s next in the pipeline for you?
It’s time to get recording again. Some new material is ready to be worked on and hopefully we can step up to another level. Unfortunately, the studio we recorded our album at has closed its doors so we are still trying to figure the logistics out. That is the plan in the next few months. Pete, are you reading this?
JACK & RAI
What are your thoughts on the current music scene and how has the landscape changed from when you first started out?
The scene is really vibrant now, as compared to when we first started in 2002! Digital music production has allowed more musicians to record their own material and put it out there, so we’ve actually seen quite a surge of young musicians being heard online, plus NAC’s Noise Programme has also provided a pretty consistent platform to showcase some of these acts live.
Any homegrown acts that caught your eye recently?
Plenty! More recently, we’ve seen acts like LEW, Shak, Stopgap and Take Two (now known as M1LDL1FE) and we totally enjoy the music they are creating.
If you could turn back in time and have a conversation with Jack & Rai circa 2005, what would you say to them and how would they respond?
Present: Guys, you really need to start writing and releasing more of your own material, make music videos, get on Youtube and do more of your own stuff!
2005: Got it, bros! We’re working on it progressively!
Present: *roll eyes*
You guys are known to have great teamwork, but when was the last time you guys disagreed on something?
The last time? Probably on which song to play next in our set, which usually results in a blank stare and then one of us quickly reacts to jump into the intro of the song he wants to play!
Catch the Sundown Festival 2017 on 5 August at the City Beach Resort, Labrador Park. Tickets from $15, Sistic.
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