SINGAPORE – In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Singapore Scene: Music Lab – Sezairi

At Sunday’s Compass (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) Awards, held at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Grand Ballroom, singer-songwriter Sezairi picked up an Artistic Excellence Award, together with fellow Singaporean musicians Inch Chua and Martin Tang.

Sezairi has come a long way since he first came to fame as the third winner of reality television singing show Singapore Idol in 2009.

A guest in the latest episode of Music Lab, a podcast by The Straits Times, the 36-year-old talks about how his journey in music has not always been smooth sailing.

He had anxiety about his identity as a singer and songwriter, and he used to get so nervous that he would throw up before every performance.

Today, Sezairi is setting his sights on increasing his regional fanbase, buoyed by the success of his 2018 single It’s You, the first song by a Singaporean musician to clock more than 100 million streams on Spotify.

He also discusses how his childhood inspired his fourth album, Self Soothing, a work released in early September that blends his trademark honeyed vocals with soulful R&B/pop compositions.

There is a palpable sense of self-assuredness here. Tracks such as Luarbiasa and Daylight (featuring Indonesian singer-songwriter Gangga) are slow-dance numbers that cement his reputation as a formidable balladeer.

But there are also quite a few funky numbers that quicken the pulse, such as Deja Vu, December and 4pm, which see Sezairi in a mood to boogie.

Listen to The Music Lab podcast, as well as Sezairi’s live acoustic rendition of Daylight, at str.sg/w9TX.

Ace Album: Doja Cat – Scarlet

For those who know American singer-rapper Doja Cat for pop-leaning hits such as Say So (2020) and Kiss Me More (2021), the songs on her latest and fourth album might come as a surprise.

Full of hard-hitting rhymes and combative verses, Scarlet focuses more on her skills as a self-aware hip-hop artiste mindful of her public persona.

She deftly rebuts the many criticisms that she has had to put up with in recent times with cheeky, incisive lines.

Halfway through the album, she shows her gentle side through fetching melodies and romance-oriented rhymes.

With pre-album single Paint The Town Red hitting the top of music charts worldwide, Scarlet is already shaping up to be one of 2023’s biggest hip-hop releases.

The absence of guest stars is also notable for someone whose most popular tracks in the past featured the likes of rapper Nicki Minaj and singer SZA.

It is truly a sign that Doja Cat has reached that stage in her career where she is fully confident of standing on her own two sneakered feet.

Stream This Song: Andy Lau – Come On Stage

Hong Kong singer-actor Andy Lau is known for his rich, resonant baritone, and the Heavenly King puts it to good use on his newly released single Come On Stage.

On one level, the uplifting song is aimed at cheering on athletes participating in the ongoing 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. But the rousing number can also encourage listeners who have to “come on stage” in their lives, overcoming obstacles and fighting courageously for their dreams.

Chinese songwriter Tang Tian penned the lyrics, and some lines, such as “Those who chase the wind polish their shoes countless times/like a bird practising how to flap its wings before taking off”, beautifully capture a sportsman’s strive for excellence.

If you need a mid-week perk-me-up, Come On Stage will provide that energy boost.

Chart Champ: Drake & SZA – Slime You Out

Canadian rapper Drake proves yet again that he is one of hip-hop’s most bankable stars with his latest single Slime You Out, which went straight to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts after it was released in mid-September.

It features a verse from American R&B singer SZA.

It is Drake’s 12th top-ranking tune on the United States-based chart, and SZA’s second.

Right now, he ties with pop icon Madonna and girl group legend The Supremes, both of whom also have 12 No. 1 hits on Billboard.

Slime You Out, which highlights Drake’s crooning and rapping abilities, is an early single from his upcoming eighth album For All The Dogs, to be released on Oct 6.

There was some drama when he first announced Slime You Out with an Instagram post depicting a photo of Oscar-winning American actress Halle Berry covered in green slime at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

She called him out on it, saying that she had refused to give him permission to use that photo as the single cover.

The Instagram post, which is also on SZA’s account, is still there. But Slime You Out’s cover art on streaming services has been replaced by For All The Dogs’ cover art – a drawing of a dog by Drake’s five-year-old son Adonis.

Must-see MV: CNBlue’s Jung Yong-hwa on Killing Voice

Ahead of their first concert on home turf in six years, South Korean pop-rock band CNBlue’s frontman Jung Yong-hwa performed some of his and the group’s hits on the YouTube music programme Killing Voice.

CNBlue, which comprise Jung as well as bassist Lee Jung-shin and drummer Kang Min-hyuk, will hold their comeback show in South Korea on Oct 7 and 8.

The trio were active at the height of second-generation K-pop – alongside BigBang and Girls’ Generation – and stood out as a rare idol band.

Jung kicked off his 20-minute solo live set on Killing Voice with some of CNBlue’s beloved hits such as I’m A Loner (2010) and Love (2010), before moving on to more recent numbers like Then, Now And Forever (2020).

He also mixed it up with his solo songs like his recent release Your City and 2011’s For First Time Lovers (Banmal Song), which he wrote while on Season 2 of the reality dating show We Got Married (2008 to 2017), which pairs up celebrities as couples. Jung was coupled with Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun.