Inch's creative process

In the past few years, singer-songwriter Inch Chua has been playing gigs in Singapore, Los Angeles and New York, and working on her music.

Next year, the 25-year-old Singaporean plans to settle down in a less urban environment to make her music - Pulau Ubin.

"I'm hoping to do a project at Pulau Ubin. I want to live there for months and write an album. I'm really trying to make this happen and I want to do it next year," she says during her recent visit home.

"I want to live in a kampung house with a diesel generator and record an entire album on a four-track recorder. People can visit, but I'd like to write and record on my own as much as possible."

Chua, who has since returned to New York where she is now based, recently launched a book titled Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea. It is published by Los Angeles-based literary group and boutique publishing house The Altar Collective. She came onto the group's radar when she was based in the Californian city from 2011 to earlier this year.

The book is sold at Tiong Bahru bookshop BooksActually, and in Marc Jacobs, Urban Outfitters and Barnes & Nobles stores in Los Angeles and New York.

It offers a deeper look into the artist's creative process through hand-written and typed lyrics, poems, personal notes, sketches and paintings.

The Lasalle College of the Arts graduate first came into the spotlight at the age of 16 as the lead singer of indie rock band Auburn's Epiphany, which later changed their name to Allura.

The group became inactive in 2009, a year after they released an EP, Wake Up And Smell The Seaweed. Chua went on to become a solo artist, releasing her debut EP, The Bedroom, in 2009, as well as two full-length albums, Wallflower (2010) and last year's Bumfuzzle (2013).

She has performed at music events here such as Music Matters in 2012 and this year's Baybeats music festival. Overseas, she performed at the Canadian Music Festival in Toronto in 2012 and South By Southwest (SXSW) in Texas in 2010.

But nothing beats playing to a home crowd though, she tells Life!.

"The most memorable audiences are always at the intimate shows I do in Singapore.

"It's good to be in touch with where you come from and see how far you've come, and to be around the audience that's been with you on the journey thus far."

8 Questions with Inch Chua

1 How did you end up writing the book?

This project started when Altar Collective came to me and said they were thinking of doing a book, which is part of a series called The Orchard. They get musicians to write anything they want, publish their thoughts, their history, songwriting process, anything like that.

It's funny because when they suggested the project to me, I had been wanting to do something like that for a while.

So the idea of going through my diaries, the process I went through of writing the songs and compiling them into something to commemorate all of it was the reason for this book.

2 You are known for not including lyrics in your EPs and albums. What made you decide to finally make them public through the book?

Over the years, I have refrained from publishing the lyrics of my songs because I wanted to be able to compile them one day into something visually cool as well. So the book was a perfect opportunity to finally publish them.

3 What is your schedule like in New York?

I play shows here and there, I write music and I do voiceovers and jingles as well. In the mornings, I like to walk dogs. Yes, I'm a professional dog-walker - I'm living the dream.

4 Do you have any plans to release new songs, EPs or albums in the near future?

I'll be winding down in November - Thanksgiving and Christmas, that's when everyone just doesn't feel like working anymore and that's when the gigs slow down. That would be the perfect time to be alone. The solitude would be good, so I can write more.

5 You were back in Singapore for three months from June to early September. What did you do here?

I was doing publicity for the book. Besides performing at Baybeats, I also did a couple of shows at the Red Dot Design Museum Singapore and at the National University of Singapore arts festival. But mostly, I spent time with my family and my dog, who was a little ill. He's 15 years old.

6 Do you have any plans to come back for good?

Next year, my priority is to be here more because it's SG50. I love Singapore, it's still my country so I want to be here, be part of anything that's happening next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

7 One of your recent performances was at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Are you a sporty person?

Not at all (laughs). I try to be healthy though, and I love swimming and hiking.

8 How would you like to be remembered?

Relationships come first. Hence, I hope to be remembered as a good daughter, sister and friend, one who is always present. And maybe secondly, as an honest and creative person.

This article was first published on Sep 22, 2014.
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