A satisfying week for all concerned at KAMCO Music (meaning yours truly!) as the first edition of Indie Solo Live ran smoothly with a attentive group of family, friends and fans packing the Soho Coffee cafe. After the success of SING A NEW SONG, it was gratifying to put on a show on a smaller scale but once again with the focus on Singapore singer-songwriters sharing their original music.
Tall Mountains/Sydney Yeo by Xin Zhe Toh
I am constantly (pleasantly) surprised by the sheer volume of songwriting and performing talent that we have here in Singapore. Despite our inhospitable arts climate, our singer-songwriter-musicians continue to believe in themselves and their own music and against all odds, thrive.
Today, 15th August 2011, was a special day, by all accounts. An unshakable sense of achievement was strongly felt (finally) as an artist manager, as KAMCO Music launched Lydia Low’s debut EP, Electric Flower, at Bandcamp and as I also announced Cheating Sons’ tours of Korea and China in September and October.
Much of this is new territory for me, of course. But much of the credit must go to Lydia and the Sons. This has less to do with my abilities than with the faith and trust placed upon me. I first met Lydia in April (thank you, Ingrid!) and when I heard her music I was sold! When we had our first discussion and she told me that she would be leaving Singapore soon, my heart sank. There was so much potential in her that I truly wondered what we could do in the short time that we had together. But thanks to Lydia’s unwavering belief in me (she basically did everything I asked of her) we are now to this moment, a debut EP which Lydia and I are rather proud of. Special thanks to Patrick Chng for his kindness and generosity, as always!
I must confess that I have suffered numerous disappointments in this area – a sense of rejection, a lack of belief in what I could achieve with artists that the feeling of validation is hard to describe. The self-doubt can sometimes be crippling but I thank God for the right timing and the right opportunities. In any case, this is only the beginning but it’s a good start. Check out this link to listen to/download Lydia’s debut EP.
Certainly, with respect to Cheating Sons, it has been refreshing to work with a band who are on top of their game always. Musically the band knows where it’s headed and they more or less leave me to guide them along in terms of getting gigs and so on. I have been truly amazed by how well all this is going so far. Whilst we are under no illusions about how difficult the task continues to be, the main strength is our mutual respect, which is borne out by commitment (and not mere words) and our understanding of the lengths we will go to in order to make Cheating Sons an international success. By now, some of you have read about the band’s Korean and China tours coming up. There are more stories to be told and I am very excited to be part of this new journey.
…still there’s more…
This is my contribution to ACRES Singapore’s World’s Saddest Dolphins Campaign. Recorded at Patrick Chng’s homestudio with Lydia Low, it is my version of the official campaign song and hopefully, it will assist to get the right attention to this cause. I personally find dolphins to be emotionally sensitive creatures and for the Resort World Sentosa (RWS) to hold them in captivity is scandalous. Surely, there are better ways to make money than to abuse these dolphins in this inhumane manner. So I would appreciate it if you could share this song with as many people as possible, get the word out and to pray to RWS to “let the dolphins go…”
Kevin Mathews (ft. Lydia Low) – The Dolphin Song (Round and Round and Round) by Power of Pop
More information on how you can contribute here.
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