The talented musician tells us how her life has changed with social media
By Samantha Francis
(Photo: Daniel Ho)
With 112,000 Instagram followers and counting, it’s clear that Narelle Kheng commands an irresistible charm both in the online and offline arena.
Apart from making waves in the indie music scene with homegrown band The Sam Willows, and occasionally breaking hearts by posting cute selfies with rumoured beau Joel Tan (of Gentle Bones), she has also been busy with new projects like her debut single ‘Some They Lie’.
We caught up with the Fly Entertainment Artiste in between school and tours, to find out about her top tech picks.
Hi, Narelle! What have you been busy with lately?
Hey, it’s been a busy time lately! I’m in my last year of university, so I’m rushing out plenty of projects and hoping to graduate.
I’ve also been working hard with The Sam Willows this year, keeping things running and producing content, as well as planning for the rest of the year. I’ve also been busy with some acting jobs, and I hope to get back in front of the camera more.
The Sam Willows with their fans in KL.
Congrats on your recent KL gig with The Sam Willows! Tell us, how was the whole experience like?
Thanks! It was wonderful meeting our fans from Malaysia and playing our first ticketed concert overseas. It’s quite a thrill entertaining a crowd from a different country — we definitely did not expect that kind of response.
You travel quite a bit, so What are your favourite tech stuff to use on-the-go?
I guess no matter where we are, we can’t live without our phones — and sometimes that’s all you need.
A GPS is also really important for travelling because phone reception might not always be good, especially when you’re driving great distances away from major cities.
I try to always have a camera with me because I love photographs, and it makes me really upset if I’m not able to capture something that I know would have made an amazing shot.
How has life changed for you because of social media?
Being a public figure and living in the digital age is definitely not mutually exclusive.Social media is where I gained my platform, and where our lives were completely transformed.
But when your work exists online, scrolling through social media is no longer entirely recreational; it becomes more active than passive. I try and evaluate content creators, look at trends, and learn. Social media is a lot less superficial than you’d think — the whole world can be your database. Of course, I still indulge in random videos now and then just for fun!
Do you feel like social media has invaded your privacy?
Not really. Everything that goes out online can be curated. If I want more privacy, I simply don’t pick up my phone. I don’t post much about my life actually and I don’t use apps like Snapchat much (although I have it) because I think that’s a little too invasive.
The only times I get self-conscious is when I’m outside and I notice someone sneakily trying to take a picture of me. Even if that doesn’t happen very often, it’s enough to put me on edge. I’m certain there’s a horrible picture of me with puffy eyes wrapped up in a blanket on a plane somewhere out there.
The 22-year-old has been juggling school, acting and gigs with The Sam Willows.
What was the first gadget you purchased on your own?
I think it was an MP3 player from Creative. I didn’t know how to use it at all, and to be honest, I can sometimes be a tech noob. I hadn’t realised that playlists existed and I’d spam all the buttons trying to make something happen. I was very young then…
What gadgets can you not live without?
I have the Apple iPhone, MacBook, iPad — what I call the ‘holy’ trinity.
What would happen if you lost them…
Well, I once placed my iPhone and iPad on top of a car and drove off without realising it. When I made a turn, I actually heard a loud thud on the roof but didn’t think much of it. I only noticed two hours later, and by the time I drove back, both were gone. They did decide to leave my phone cover though!
What are you secretly really good at?
I’m pretty savvy when it comes to editing photos. I use the Photoshop and Lightroom apps on my phone a lot.
What’s one tech invention on your wishlist?
Probably Google Glasses. I’m quite a multi-tasker and I like to be engaged constantly. Otherwise, I would totally love for Siri to become as sophisticated as the OS system in the movie Her — that would be perfect.
Where and when can we next see you in the media?
The Sam Willows recently released a new music video for “All Time High”. I also have a new show out on Channel 5 called “Premonition”, a movie in mandarin, as well as another a movie for Kollywood (Tamil cinema) coming out later this year.
Follow Narelle Kheng on Instagram at @narellekheng
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of Weekender, Issue 155, June 24 – July 7, 2016, with the headline ‘Narelle Kheng: “Social media is where i gained my platform; our lives were completely transformed.”’.
ADVERTISEMENTS