Singer-songwriter Charlie Lim is the latest homegrown indie act to sign with a major record label.
He joins another singer-songwriter, Gentle Bones, on the roster of Universal Music Singapore as the second Singapore act with a "360-degree deal", which was negotiated over six months.
The deal, announced on Thursday (Aug 11), is one that entails recording and publishing rights, live shows, endorsements, merchandise as well as co-management with his current team from music consultancy, House of Riot.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Lim, 27, says that as an independent artist moving to a major record label, he hopes that he will have a bigger platform and more resources with the backing of Universal to spread the word on his music.
He says: "Hopefully I'll get to work with more people within the same family - whether it's producers, other artists, songwriters or musicians. It's what I'm most looking forward to, just collaborating with more people under the same family."
First on the cards is work on his first release under Universal, which he says is "tentatively" an EP due out mid of next year.
Although the Singaporean musician spends most of his time here, he regularly visits Melbourne, where his parents are based. He plans to continue shuttling between the cities while working on the EP.
His first release was a self-titled EP in 2011. The multi-talented neo-soul troubadour, who can play several instruments, has since gone on to garner critical acclaim for his music in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. His last major release was last year's double EP, Time/Space.
The success of his label mate Gentle Bones, whose real name Joel Tan, is also encouraging, Lim says. Tan staged sold out both nights of his solo concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall in June this year.
Lim says: "I really respect how he's managed to craft his own brand of music and he knows his audience really well. I think my audience might be a little different, but I'm glad Universal believes in what I do and wants to support my work as well."
