Why Should We Support Local? - Singapore Arts Industry Edition

Support Local is a term (and initiative as of late) that you might be familiar with or may have come across occasionally. The idea of support local, in a Singapore context, encourages Singaporeans to back more homegrown businesses and just about anything that is produced right at home.

While the local arts industry is, without a doubt, brimming with talent, these artists and their works so often go unnoticed due to the lesser developed state of this trade— to be more specific, in the film, television, and music industries.

Take this for instance: When you’re on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you get your daily dose of tunes, what kind of music do you listen to? Or more importantly, are they from here?

Even though the music that is composed or performed by Singaporeans is accessible to the public, a study from the National Arts Council (NAC) in 2019 showed that only 32% of Singaporeans were aware of new local music releases... and 36% actively sought local music out of interest.

Excerpt from the National Music Consumption Survey 2019

Also, with everyone cooped up at home most of the time today, together with the growing demand for online video streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video at your disposal, how often do you put on or binge-watch a local film or television series?

Our guess is: pretty unlikely, isn’t it?

In this article, we explore why there is a lack of support for local talents in the Singapore arts scene by delving into the underlying reality of this sentiment, and how we, as a production house are doing our part to push the efforts of these aspiring yet disadvantaged artists that walk among us.

The Elephant in the Room

Western and East Asian media influence is evident in modern Singapore society. Whether it is music, films, or any visual content, these international works have found their way into the lives of many Singaporeans (and people around the world as well). We are, at this present moment, so accustomed to the works produced far away from home that anything that is made locally would be unjustifiably viewed as something of lesser quality, or worse, something that is not worth checking out altogether.

Here’s a little throwback.

Excerpt from a survey conducted by Sunday Times on June 14 2020

The contentious survey conducted by the Sunday Times amid the Circuit Breaker period in 2020 is a testament to a long-standing stigma of the creative industry in Singapore. Having ‘Artist’ lead a survey for ‘Top 5 Non-Essential Jobs’ certainly didn’t help with the situation— just to be clear, this is not even a case of taking offence during the age of cancel culture.

The Ones Who Got Away

However, we have seen local talents over the years who have worked their way onto the international stage and received newfound admiration from local audiences. These are your JJ Lin, Stefanie Sun, Joanna Dong, Chin Han, and a few others. While it is not exactly a big community of talents that fall under this category, one could attribute their acceptance by Singaporean audiences simply to the fact that they made it overseas.

Additionally, to have a taste of the stage or be allowed to gain more exposure here, it is likely that one must be expected to have at least one of these criteria in their portfolio to be seriously considered: a strong background, be backed by reputable labels/brands, or works that imbue a mainstream and commercial quality.

Not exactly a perk for a budding artist, but sadly, more of a pipe dream.

A Little Effort Goes a Long Way

At TSB, we appreciate good work.

Making use of our capacity as a full-fledged production house, we experiment and produce music videos with high production value in a bid to elevate the voices of local artists. While it is also a learning experience for us, we found that these creative collaborations (or exercises) help us and the artists on the marketing front of the business as well— with things like creating effective marketing campaigns around our projects to drive up publicity and enriching our company’s versatile track record.

Presented below are a few music videos we have produced recently with some of the most talented local artists. Our stance on MVs is this: Wouldn’t it be an injustice if a good song is not supported by nice visuals and a fitting narrative?

Shin’s 明天明天

Employing a bit of Wong Kar Wai-esque visual styles, this upbeat acoustic pop track tells a humorous story of a lonely man, at his wit’s end, on a quest to get back the money that he so regretfully loaned. Something an everyday person could relate to, sadly. 

StellaVee and Xixi’s Rainie Yang Medley Cover

This medley cover by local singing duo, StellaVee, and media personality, Xixi is a tribute to the popular songs of Mandopop artist, Rainie Yang... which later received the attention of Rainie herself!

Zadon’s 月光 (Moonlight)

A Singapore Tourism Board (STB) initiative by Universal Music, Zadon’s 月光 (Moonlight) is a hip-hop cover that incorporates samples from the 1995 hit song, 城里的月光 (Moonlight in the City) by Mavis Hee, a local music artist who found immense success abroad! 

Check out our BTS featurette for this project here.

Support Local Lah

The notion of ‘making it overseas means it’s better’ remains the growing consensus for most Singaporeans. But we believe the root of this lack of support for local artists is due to the absence of a strong identity.

With so many unique and diverse cultures in our little garden city, we should reevaluate, appreciate, and make good use of the abundance of original material and unfulfilled potential present in our society.

After all, if we don’t ‘support local’ on this front, who would?