THE ARCHITECT OF INNER SOUND

To Singaporean chanteuse and producer Shye, music isn't just heard. It's lived, a canvas painted with the hues of her world, one experiencecoloured note at a time.

- INDRAN PARAMASIVAM

GENRE IS AN INSUFFICIENT and limiting tool for appreciating how richly music figures in the lived experience of Shye-Ann Brown. As the artistic incarnation of Shye, the 22-year-old regards pop as a personal ritual, one of cleansing and disclosure, the torch-carrying means by which the world, and its procession of daily dramas, open up to her. Her latest single 'All at Once' caresses the listener's neural grooves gently, even as its epic sense of longing for what once was haunts every inch of sonic space.

There is no equivocation here. Shye crafts the soundtrack of her generation, particularly for those who are attuned to the signs of truth glimpsed in their dreams. She also opened for two generational voices, Daniel Cesar and Clairo, when they performed in Singapore. It's a testament to her global appeal.

Burning brightly at home, that light also lent its shimmer to the swearing in ceremony of Singapore's nowincumbent Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

But even as she turns heads in non-musical worlds such as fashion, she maintains her commitment to her life's calling. "I am not an influencer. I'm always a musician first".

I'm enjoying the plaintive power of 'All at Once'. To me, it feels as if its narrative is connected to its predecessor 'Waiting for You'.

Thank you! Honestly, I didn't plan it. I wrote it around the same time and I guess I wanted closure from that, so it just flowed nicely. It made sense to have it be the next single that comes out. It's a sign of progression but I never intended for it to be connected. I was in the same headspace when I was writing both songs, which explains why they feel connected.

Is the tumult you sing about in 'All At Once' something you experienced?

Yes.