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

Singapore Scene: Shye – Music Lab

As a teenager, home-grown singer Shye’s insecurity about her “very bad skin” prompted her to start making music. Instead of spending her school holidays going out, she stayed at home and played around with an old keyboard.

She reveals this tidbit about herself and more on the latest episode of The Straits Times’ Music Lab podcast.

At 16, Shye – who taught herself how to play keyboards and produce music – became the youngest winner of the local music competition Vans Musicians Wanted in 2018. It was the first time she sang her compositions in public, and she ended up representing Singapore at a concert in Guangzhou, China.

Today, the 21-year-old multitasker, whose real name is Trinity Shye-Anne Brown, still does everything on her own – from writing and singing to producing and mixing – in her bedroom studio.

She recently released her fourth EP, 9LIVES. Featuring electronic pop music inspired by her cats, the songs display refined songcraft compared with the raw but earnest nature of her earlier works, such as the 2018 singles One Fine Day and I Rly Like U.

The singer, who is the youngest person from Singapore on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list released in May, still has a knack for earworm, though, and an undeniable pluckiness permeates the new tracks.

On the podcast, she talks about how her recent stint in China, where she ended up as a finalist on reality television music contest Youth Pi Plan, opened her eyes to the workings of the global entertainment industry.

She also discusses how being one of the singers of the 2021 National Day Parade theme song The Road Ahead led to her becoming a role model for young fans.

Listen to The Music Lab podcast, as well as Shye’s live rendition of Need, a song from 9LIVES, at str.sg/w9TX. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Ace Album: The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds

British rock veterans The Rolling Stones are far from going gently into the night in their twilight years.

Hackney Diamonds, their first new album of original music since 2005’s A Bigger Bang, is full of vim and vigour, a punchy melange of rock, blues and gospel.

Now down to the trio of singer Mick Jagger, 80, and guitarists Keith Richards, 79, and Ronnie Wood, 76, it is also their first album since drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021.

“I’m too young for dying and too old to lose,” Jagger sings defiantly on Depending On You, which, like many Stones songs, is aimed at a past lover.

They have roped in other senior rock ’n’ roll figureheads for this comeback record. Paul McCartney of one-time 1960s rivals The Beatles plays bass on Bite My Head Off, while the recently retired Elton John appears on two tracks, Live By The Sword and Get Close. Live By The Sword also features Watts’ drumming and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

But the band also acknowledge pop music’s contemporary landscape by having American pop star Lady Gaga do an enthusiastic duet with Jagger on the seven-minute Sweet Sounds Of Heaven, which includes soul icon Stevie Wonder on various electric pianos.

A special mention must go to the production, which retains the warm, analogue goodness of the Stones’ early records without sacrificing the vibrant clarity from modern studio technology. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: Eric Chou – No Place Like You

When Taiwanese singer Eric Chou stages his two concerts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Nov 4 and 5, perhaps he may gift his Singapore fans with a live performance of his tender new ballad No Place Like You.

The 28-year-old composed the melody and co-wrote the lyrics of the track, which is about how special a loved one is to him, and it is one of his most emotive works to date.

It starts off with him singing part of the chorus without accompaniment. Even when the guitar and strings kick in, they never overpower his warm vocals.

By the time the chorus hits again, it is sung with slightly different lyrics, carrying the narrative forward while reinforcing its emotional pull. Sometimes, keeping things simple is the best approach, and No Place Like You does this beautifully. – Benson Ang

Chart Champ: Ren – Sick Boi

Welsh rapper Ren came out of nowhere last week to wrest the No.1 position on the British album charts from bigger stars such as Drake and Troye Sivan.

What makes it remarkable is that Sick Boi, his second album, is also an independent release that does not have the benefit of his competitors’ big marketing push.

What Ren has, instead, is a strong online following, built on the appeal of his kaleidoscopic brand of hip-hop.

Chock-full of bouncy beats, hooks and chameleonic style of rapping, his lyrics provide a vivid description of his ongoing battle with a chronic ailment.

The album title is thus quite literal, as he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. Ren, 33, is in Canada to receive treatment for the bacterial infection that has prevented him from performing live.

He credits the efforts of his friends and fans for Sick Boi’s chart-topping achievement.

Speaking to Official Charts Company, which compiles the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, he said: “It means so much to me, it means so much to them, and it also feels like a victory over my illness because I’ve been so limited by it that when we do things like this, it feels very empowering.” – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Must-See MV: Jeff Satur – Black Tie

Fashion and music collide in Thai singer-songwriter Jeff Satur’s release Black Tie, inspired by luxury Italian fashion house Valentino’s collection of the same name. Both the line and the song subvert expectations when it comes to black tie, a traditional formalwear dress code.

The 28-year-old, who is taking part in the Chinese reality competition series Call Me By Fire, performed Black Tie when he was in Singapore earlier in October for an event hosted by Valentino.

The maison’s ateliers customised two pieces for the KinnPorsche: The Series (2022) star that bookended the dramatic music video, in which he is often seen prancing around and posing in a commanding manner.

Embracing a genderless aesthetic, the first piece is a feathered black-and-white overcoat with Satur’s name sequinned on the back. He stands at the top of a flight of stairs as dancers lie on the steps beneath him.

The second outfit is a red silk gown which he sports while standing in the rain, surrounded and circled in by dancers wearing all-black ensembles. The slightly sinister vibe of the video suits the eerie yet rousing rock number well. – Jan Lee