Soul-Funk-Pop singer/songwriter Dru Chen has had an interesting upbringing. Having spent half his life in Melbourne and half in Singapore, it made sense for him to perform at Music Matters where he had previously performed as a guitarist for Brisbane singer Bec Laughton. Here, Dru takes us on a trip around his second home, sunny Singapore, from killer eats to radio to rehearsal to the stage!
Day 1: Radio visit and Carvers & Co!
First thing I did was premiere my new single ‘You Got It Babe’ on Lush 995 FM, Singapore’s top indie radio station. Here’s DJ Elias Soh who does Monday to Friday evening drive time. What a legend!
Then we headed over to Carvers & Co which is a eatery run by my friends Wen and Sarah in the hipster strip of East Coast Road. OH MAN, you have to try their ‘holy trinity of meats’. Also, death by Crack Pie. Yup, the name says it all #addict. Also, I had to have a side of creamy mac & cheese, being a soul food connoisseur. I need to get in the mood to play funky soul music for the next few days.
Day 2: Rehearsal
These guys are some of the top r&b guns in Singapore. I love playing with Titus Ng (bass) and Anson Koh (drums). They play in several bands on their own and together as a rhythm section combo. We rehearsed the Music Matters set for a few hours to keep fresh and get ready for the big 3 days ahead of us.
Day 3: Music Matters, The AU review, MRT, show day!
So guess who I bump into immediately after I check in to the Music Matters conference? The AU Review’s very own Larry Heath and Johnny Au. Reprezent!
It was great catching up with industry friends and meeting / making new friends as the conference went on. I come to these events to get inspired and come out with a wealth of new possibilities. Never stop working on your craft!
After the day events, I took the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) back to my accommodation to grab my gear for the evening’s show. You never ever have to wait longer than 5 minutes for a train here. Whoa.
Here’s a photo from the show that night at China One Bar in Clarke Quay, the heart of Singapore’s nightlife. The photo is credited to my photographer friend Lee Guo Sheng.
Day 4: Shuffle Bistro
Well. Day 4 was relatively chill. I got to sleep in a bit (I’m a night owl, muso-cliche I know…), and recharge for the evening’s show at Shuffle Bistro. The photo was taken by the lovely peeps at Ignite Music Festival who are doing great things for indie artists over in Singapore.
Day 5: Toffee beer (!), Aussie BBQ
ERMYGERD TOFFEE BEER!!!!! This was insanely good. I found this at The Beer Market. Some may take this as sacrilegious but I thought it was genius!
Later that day, I performed at the Sounds Australia showcase “Aussie BBQ” which was great in it’s garden variety of talent from Down Under being brought to overseas attention. Music is a language spoken by the world, and excellent artistry, songwriting, production and stagecraft will always be recognised. I feel proud to have been a part of Music Matters 2015. Thank you to The AU Review for letting me share this journey with you all!
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For more updates on Dru Chen, check out his social pages below:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/druchenmusic
Instagram: http://instagram.com/druchenmusic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/druchenmusic
Music Matters returns this September to Singapore. For more details head to their official website.
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