The unheard voices of Yale-NUS’ songwriters and instrumentalists
Three student musicians share their passion for music
Zirdi Syukur (Class of 2023) (left), Pan Jia Qi (Class of 2023) (middle) and Jesse Tan (Class of 2024) (right) playing at various performances. Photos by Zirdi Syukur, Pan Jia Qi and Jesse Tan.
“Music makes me feel in resonance, swept up by sounds like waves and feelings,” muses Pan Jia Qi (Class of 2023). When one thinks of the performance art scene at Yale-NUS, one might think of prominent groups such as the Society of Yale-NUS Dancers, the Singer’s Guild and Chamber Ensemble. However, the sounds of modern instrumentalists and singer-songwriters are not as commonly cited. Zirdi Syukur, Jesse Tan and Pan Jia Qi are just a few of the many musicians on campus who have been creating their own music. They provide a deeper look into the heart of their music, share their projects, and provide advice for those looking to get into the music scene.
Jesse Tan (Class of 2024) strumming his guitar. Image provided by Jesse Tan.
Jesse Tan, a guitarist from Class of 2024, is deeply influenced by progressive metal and jazz. He enjoys any kind of progressive music for the physical and mental stimulation that he receives. Progressive music is characterised by music that seeks to push the boundaries of whatever genre it is based in. In the case of progressive metal, it is a fusion genre that takes the elements of progressive rock and heavy metal and combines them to showcase musicians’ technical proficiency via the use of complex harmony and odd time signatures. Jesse plays in a modern progressive metal band called 4Head, whose hard-hitting, sophisticated, and guitar-driven music can be found here. Jesse also has some solo work, which can be found under his stage name Jebbe. Some of his favorite artists include Jacob Collier, Plini, Tim Henson of Polyphia and Bruno Mars.
Progressive music might not appeal much to casual listeners. However, Jesse states that “regardless of whether someone is already listening to mainstream metal or jazz music, I would highly encourage listening to progressive music because it contains elements of many different genres.” Jesse also encourages listeners to have an open mind and avoid focusing on the number of beats.
In comparison, Pan Jia Qi (Class of 2023) is a saxophonist who loves jazz and funk music. Currently, he is the bandleader for NUS Jazz Band’s small big band and a wind band called PWO. When asked about his favorite musicians, Jia Qi excitedly shared how he has too many of them to mention. “A few of my all-time favorites have been Joshua Redman, Jazzmeia Horn, Billie Holiday, Laufey, Herbie Hancock, and Rachel & Vilray”, said Jia Qi. In terms of original music, he arranged and produced two of the songs from the student-directed musical Tiwala. “They are not my originals but I am definitely working towards releasing my own original music at the moment,” shared Jia Qi.
Jazz can be one of the most intimidating styles to listen to and play but Jia Qi encourages anyone interested to “jump straight into it and not get bogged down by its theory. Just play what you feel and have fun, nothing matters more than that,” shared Jia Qi, the avid jazz music listener.
Zirdi Syukur (Class of 2023) shares a different, more rhythm focused perspective on music. He is a guitarist who enjoys the tight, pocket-focused grooves of funk, but also dabbles in R&B and soul music. He is a solo artist whose album, Overdrive, can currently be found on all available streaming platforms. His influences include funk artists such as Vulfpeck and Lawrence. However, his body of music is quite different from his influences. “Honestly, my original music is quite different from my influences. It is more rock influenced. I think the best way to digest it is to let go of perfection and technique and focus on having fun and moving your body to the beat,” he explained.
Some of the core elements of music include rhythm, harmony, melody, and timbre. Every musician seems to have their preference for what they find most important. As a student of the complex harmonies and dulcet tones of jazz saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Jia Qi is “stuck between picking harmony and timbre.” Funk guitarist Zirdi confidently says, “Rhythm is my favorite, because that’s how I move my body to music, often unconsciously!” However, Jesse is more unsure. “This is quite a strange question to me because they all work together to create what we know as music. If I had to pick one in isolation, I would say melody. A good melody can carry a song and determine how the other three things play out.
Like colours on a painters’ palette, different musicians will bring different perspectives and sounds to the same piece of music,” he shared. Just as Jesse, Zirdi and Jia Qi have demonstrated, one needs only to bravely take the first step to learning an instrument or singing to find out their own voice.
