Singapore’s indie pop princess plays rock bars in Manila
When you walk into Saguijo or Route 196 these next few days, you might be surprised to find Singaporean singer-songwriter Inch Chua on the lineup.
Singapore’s indie pop music princess is set to play Manila’s smaller venues beginning tonight, August 6 at Aracama at The Fort Strip in Taguig, August 7 at in Saguijo in Makati, August 8 at Route 196 in Quezon City and it’s back to Saguijo on August 10.
Her live concerts precede the worldwide release of her new album “Bumfuzzle” on August 27.
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Fired from her band
In addition to Manila, her tour includes shows in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and, of course, her native Singapore.
It wasn’t always on the up and up for the 24-year-old.
But, being fired from a band may have been the best thing that ever happened to her.
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Bad situation turned good
At the age of 16, she fronted for a band called Auburn’s Epiphany after answering an ad looking for members. A few years later, just as they were set to play 2007 Baybeats Festival in Singapore, the band’s founder fired all the members, Inch included.
But because they weren’t allowed to back out of the festival, she and the other members quickly formed a band, furiously wrote a bunch of original songs and debuted at the fest as Allura.
It was a bad situation turned good as Singapore was in need of edgier original rock music and critics were one in praising them.
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More setbacks
Yet the band couldn’t continue on with their career as Inch’s bandmates were drafted for the mandatory National Service in Singapore.
Inch then developed solo stuff at home in between schoolwork. In 2009, she released “The Bedroom EP” which she distributed through a “pay what you want” method which got the attention of Singaporean media and was recognized by music bloggers worldwide.
In the same year, she became the first Singaporean musician to get invited to the prestigious South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. She also represented her county in the Shanghai expo in China.
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Opened for Katy Perry, Vampire Weekend
She released her first full-length album, “Wallflower” in 2010 which Inch says was inspired by her loneliness as a child.
When Inch was 10, a dog bit her on the face, which required 135 stitches and left slightly noticeable scars. This incident just emphasized her sense
isolation from the world, which pushed her even more to retreat to her art.
Since she began her career, Inch has opened for Katy Perry, Macy Gray and Vampire Weekend, among others. Yet she decided to push herself further by moving
to the U.S. temporarily to try out an unfamiliar music scene.
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New album ‘tough and incisive’
This led her to record the album “Bumfuzzle,” set to be released worldwide on August 27. Inch describes “Bumfuzzle” as a “natural evolution of my sound – tough, incisive and much more reflective of my indie rock roots.” She adds, “It’s been an amazing year for me personally to move to LA, being away from familiarity, reveling in new inspirations.”
She has released the video for the first single called “Artful Dodger” which was directed by US-based Brazilian director Felipe Soares who has directed films for artists like apl.de.ap and Butch Walker.
The setbacks Inch experienced early in her career have only moved her forward, allowing her to conquer the world inch by indie pop inch.
Inch Chua plays Manila on August 6 (Aracama Filipino Cuisine at The Fort Strip), August 7 (Live in Your Living Room, Saguijo), August 8 (Sound Circle, Route 196) and August 10 (Saguijo). For more details check out Inch Chua on Facebook.
