The Beat Singapore’s Up and Coming is a series where we feature rising talented artists from Singapore, giving them a platform to share what they’re passionate about and promote the music they (and us too!) would love for the world to hear. Do you want or know someone who wants to be featured? Email us at sgp.editorial@thebeat.asia or slide through our DMs on Facebook or Instagram! 

In a world full of constant pressure, one kid stumbled upon a unique and cathartic outlet: music. That kid was hongjoin, who is now an emerging artist in the music scene. What began as a mere coping mechanism gradually blossomed into a potent avenue for self-expression. Unbeknownst to him, the melodies he created had an innate ability to not only resonate with his journey but also to ignite inspiration within others who had the privilege to listen to them.

For The Beat Asia’s inaugural Up-and-Coming feature for Singapore, we talked with the singer-songwriter and Spotify Radar Artist about his inspirations, achievements, hopes, and dreams as a musician. He also delved into his way of making music as well as his recent headliner show in his hometown.

Hi, hongjoin! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the story of how you decided to pursue music?

Music has always been a huge part of my life growing up. I’ve always been writing as a coping mechanism, but it wasn’t until I started posting covers online that I started gaining traction and began taking it upon myself to learn how to produce. Initially, it was just a hobby that I fell in love with, with no intention to pursue it as a career whatsoever. I took my time working on my craft and just releasing music for my satisfaction.

Strangely enough, with every release, it started hitting me that my music had an impact on others, and I felt a sense of responsibility to keep doing what I did. I fell deeper and deeper in love with the art of making music, and I’m just immensely grateful for the opportunity to do what I love every day!

What is the story behind your artist name?

hongjoin is actually an autocorrect from my real name, which turned into my nickname growing up as a kid! So, I just naturally adopted it as my stage name and didn’t put much thought into it, but it’s a pretty unique, fun, yet personal name, so I really grew into it, and all my friends call me that too!

Who or what have had the most significant impact on shaping your musical style and direction?

I generally listen to very diverse genres of music, from oldies to modern pop! My favorite genre has got to be indie rock, but songwriting-wise, I’m very inspired by my favorite band VALLEY, juxtaposing upbeat melodies with extremely meaningful and usually reminiscent lyrics.

You were recognised as one of Spotify’s 2023 RADAR Artists. How did you feel about the recognition?

I’m extremely grateful and honored to be a part of the RADAR Program, but I try not to overthink it too much! It really just motivates me to keep being me and putting out music that I have prepared because I know that I have their full support. It’s refreshing and heartwarming to be supported by the industry alongside the immense support I already get from my listeners!

Congratulations on your headline show ‘I’m So Far From You!’ Can you tell us how it came to life and some of the best memories you had while working on the show?

I’ve always loved playing live and made it one of my goals to come back to Singapore to organize another concert to showcase the music that I’ve made in a live context. I think getting booked for shows and festivals [is] great, but there’s just something about organising your own headliner where you get free liberty and creative control of what you want the show to be like.

Mainly, I just wanted to create a safe space for all my listeners to gather in one place and be able to feel alright for one night. I also wanted to use the community that we worked so incredibly hard to build to link people up and form meaningful connections. [My] favorite part of doing all these is being able to meet the listeners in real life and [interact] with them after the show, as well as introducing the opening acts that I love so much to my audience!

We heard that you’re a ‘firm believer of the DIY process.’ Why do you think it’s important for an artist to be there in every step of the way when making their music?

I think music is a privilege, and to be able to share stories and create experiences for your listeners is something that I cherish so much. There isn’t a right or wrong way to [make] music, but I think what I value most about making music is the tangibility of the art that we make, and what better way to create the most honest art than to be there every step of the creation process?

For me, there’s always a specific way I want the song to come to life after writing it acoustically, which is why I take it upon myself to produce my own tracks so that it turns out exactly the way I wanted it to. But I definitely think that working and collaborating with others can also create new visions and beautiful ideas that you might otherwise not be able to find yourself. I work with people often in terms of arrangements, instrumentals, mixes and masters, and I find myself seeing my own songs from new perspectives when working with others!

If you could collaborate with another artist or open a show for them, who would it be and why? 

I’ve met some really cool artists that I’m also a fan of doing this whole music thing, and artists have always been so supportive of one another as well! But my dream would really be to write a song with VALLEY or Charlie Burg, and opener-wise, I’d love to open for anyone, really. I’m just happy to be here, but [my] dream would be to play in “Head In The Clouds” one day! Shoutout Asian music! 

If there’s one thing you’d like to be known for as an artist, what would that be? 

It would be that my songs are original and that my projects are diverse! I made a promise to myself not to stick to just one genre and be comfortable in it, but to keep experimenting and learning as a musician! Something that makes my music a hongjoin track would be songwriting because I place most emphasis on that, so I’d hope that no matter what genre it is, you can tell that it’s my song just from the lyrics! 

What’s next for hongjoin? Any projects or gigs you’ll be participating in soon that we should look forward to?

I think I’ll take a break from live shows for a while, and it’s been a good run with the whole EP thing! I’m ready for my collaborations to finally be released, and then I’m set to release a few singles before working again on my next project, so I hope you stay for the ride!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To know more about hongjoin, follow him on Instagram and stream his music on YouTube and Spotify.