Spending four months in Pulau Ubin is just scraping the surface of Inch Chua’s colourful life
For her latest album, “Letters to Ubin”, Inch Chua retreated to the secluded island of Ubin for inspiration.
Hopping between diverse experimental sounds and projects, local singer-songwriter Inch Chua – also known as iNCH – has often imagined the mouse deer to be her spirit animal. Like the creature, she’s tiny, yet adventurous, she says.
With her latest album, she’s taken her imagination to the next level.
Inch packed up, set off and, for four months, squirrelled herself away in Pulau Ubin. This journey to find her kampong roots fuelled the writing behind her new album, “Letters to Ubin”, which will be released on Nov 27.
Inch, 26, shares with Weekender her fondest childhood memories and how they’ve impacted the musician she has become.
Since releasing “Letters to Ubin”, what have you been busy with?
There’s been a lot of prep towards the launch and I’m really excited… Ever since the partnership with Warner Music, local record label The House of Riot! team and I have been able to focus on the creative aspects and production of the album’s launch event.
There’s going to be 3D projection mapping by The SuperSystem and cocktails by bartender Jay Gray using ingredients from Pulau Ubin.
Most importantly, the band and I have been practicing hard in the studio.
Why did you choose Pulau Ubin as your inspiration?
It was inspired by conversation I had with some of my musician peers, who felt that they needed to go somewhere exotic overseas to be inspired. But I disagreed with that.
It struck me one evening that a kampong house on Ubin would be Singapore’s equivalent of a western country’s cabin in the woods. And it would mean so much more, especially since Ubin is an island so deeply linked to our heritage.
My hope was that this total immersion would help me to discover and experience new things about our DNA on a personal, historical, societal and existential capacity.
With “Letters to Ubin”, Inch explores the return to Singapore’s kampong roots
Your album before this, “Bumfuzzle”, was inspired by your experience of city life in Los Angeles. How did you arrive at a more quiet inspiration with “Letters to Ubin”?
All my albums sound different from the previous versions. In life, we go through seasons and I was at a season in life where I wanted to look beyond myself and practice the art of stillness.
It’s inevitable that my music, which is an extension of who I am as a person, reflects my state of being.
Can you recall the first song you wrote? How old were you, and what was it about?
I was 16. But I didn’t write the music, just the lyrics. It was titled “Fairytale.” I don’t remember the exact lyrics, but it was pretty emo, considering how my taste in music was pretty much emo, emorock and and screamo music. [laughs]
The song probably had something to do with feeling rejection. You know, juvenile teenage trauma.
What’s your favourite memory growing up?
I had an imaginary friend, and we’d play a lot together in my grandma’s garden. He kicked my a** at every game we play — catching, hopscotch, hide and seek — and if I did win, it’s usually some sad consolation as he would impose a strict handicap on himself.
My fondest memory was playing with him on the top of the jungle gym my mum built for us to climb, we would watch the clouds while we sat at the highest point, making up songs. My imagination was, and still is, my best friend.
Do you feel greater pressure at work due to today’s fast-turning social media trends?
Not at all. Being adaptive is important and I enjoy having to learn new things, and reassessing the way I view things from time to time. It’s like recalibration. But change doesn’t pressurise me to change my fundamentals. I roll with it.
How would you advise the youth to deal with the pressure of keeping up with trends?
Stop comparing yourself — [having this mindset] solves everything.
Is there a fellow Singaporean singer or band that you’d like to work with? Who is it, and why?
I’d love to work with Bani Haykal or Bani Hidir on a song someday. They are both my idols from my favourite Singaporean band, B-quartet. It would be magical.
In three words, describe how you feel when you’re performing.
Privileged. Grateful. Ready.
What’s your favourite score from a film, musical or TV series, if any?
Jon Brion makes the best soundtracks: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Heart Huckabees and Punch Drunk Love. He’s my favourite producer and musician of all time.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Listening to Limp Bizkit.
If you had a superpower, what would it be, and why?
The ability to talk to animals. Watching Doctor Dolittle changed my life. Don’t we all want to know what a fox really says?
What upcoming projects can fans see you in?
“Letters To Ubin” will be out soon, and you can expect touring coming up next year. But I’m also starting on my next album already.
By Pamela Chow
“Letters to Ubin” will be released on Nov 27.
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