News & Event Updates
December 2018’s Feature – Charlie Lim
Charlie Lim is a singer-songwriter/producer based in Singapore, whose debut record clinched the #1 spot on the iTunes Singapore chart and was named Best Pop Album of the Year by The Straits Times and awarded Best Song of the Year by Apple Music Singapore. Gathering accolades and prominent festival slots along the way, including a central role in writing and performing the theme song for Singapore’s National Day this year, Charlie has quickly grown into one of Southeast Asia’s most unique voices in modern pop music.
Coming off of a successful festival slot at Japan’s Summer Sonic 2018, which also featured the likes of Beck, Chance The Rapper and St. Vincent, Charlie Lim will embark upon an upcoming regional tour in support of his new album, CHECK-HOOK, followed by a homecoming concert at The Star Theatre in December.
COMPASS: Tell us more about your latest album – Check-Hook. How did you get your inspiration for this album and why the 3 year gap between Time/Space and Check-Hook?
Charlie Lim: The last album (TIME/SPACE) took quite a lot out of me and I just needed to find time to recharge, as well as figure out what I wanted to do next. The term ‘CHECK-HOOK’ is actually named after a boxing move, where the boxer pivots around a charging opponent while throwing a hook to take control of the fight…similar to a matador in a bullfight. I guess it’s my own take on trying to pivot as a songwriter and musician in order to keep things interesting for myself.
C: How different is Check-Hook from Time/Space, musically?
CL: TIME/SPACE was more of a heart on sleeve, slow-burn kind of record. Production wise, it was fun to experiment with the concept of the double EP, but tempo and form wise it’s still very much in the classic “singer-songwriter” vein –I could strip any of those songs down and play them on guitar or piano. CHECK-HOOK is quite the opposite, it’s a lot more production heavy and borrows a lot from electronic dance music, but I tried to subvert some of those tropes and combine it with the way I write songs to come up with something more intricate.
C: What prompted you to become a singer-songwriter?
CL: I was in high school when I first heard some live recordings of Jeff Buckley, John Mayer and Damien Rice when they first started out just playing cafés and small acoustic club shows. That was really inspiring for me and got me wanting to perform and eventually start writing my own material.
C: Anyone whom you wish to collaborate with on your next song writing project and why him/her?
CL: I’d love to work more with Khalil Fong; we did some stuff recently for one of his artists (Diana Wang) but hopefully we’ll find a bit more time next year to do a proper collab.
C: How would you advise new singer-songwriters to attain the success that you have now?
CL: It’s probably best to figure out what you mean by success in the first place; if it is about having the right kind of skill set and ability, then there are hardly any shortcuts and very few compromises should be made when it comes to your craft. It’s a lot of experimentation, and good work takes time to put together. It does take a bit of naivety and foolhardiness to want to do this, and it always helps if you are in love with the process rather than the result.
Where to find Charlie Lim:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlielim/
Youtube: http://youtube.com/charlielimvevo
Instagram: https://instagram.com/wherewascharlie/