Music is for life; when you listen to music you can relax your mind; nothing else but music… No music no life….
-Small X
The 4-man band Small X has been in the local music scene for the past one year. Starting from humble beginnings, it was formed after its members split from their previous bands. But the fledging group was determined to succeed in making their music known to Singapore and beyond. Band members participated in a number of gigs in school. They however said their crowning accomplishment so far was when they took part in Covenant Evangelical Free Church’s Bukit Panjang Idol and walked away as champions. As one member phrased it, the competition “changed their life”. It helped them to look beyond the present and even envision a day when what they do can change the way Singaporeans view local music. And this resonated in their dreams for the local music scene – that it would one day influence countries in the world, so much so that people all over would know about and appreciate Singaporean music.
Music permeates the raison d’etre of the group. They noted that life would be a strange place without the pulsing beat of music; that the stresses of life would be unmanageable, and that life itself would be boring. One member even expressed that a reason why he raised the volume on his portable CD player was to “share the music” with others around. Indeed the band’s de facto motto of “no music no life” clearly shapes the way they view life – that existence cannot merely be measured in terms of societal expectations, but in terms of personal experiences and how saturating oneself with music can help to create a reservoir of memories to sustain them through the harshness of life.
As individuals, the 17 year-old band members of Small X share similar dreams with youth of their age. One member said he wanted to learn a variety of musical instruments just like his father. Another expressed an interest to become a businessman due to the influence of his family as well as his skills of communicating with people. A third said he wants to become a policeman because his father is one. These aspirations, when woven together, uncover a common thread that despite a teenage desire to carve out an identity of their own, there’s still a longing to follow in the footsteps of their parents. As one band member articulated, he didn’t want to let his parents down.
Band members also expressed a desire to excel in studies and carve out a niche in the workplace in order not to disappoint their parents. Like other youths, they told stories of struggling between a responsibility to study and a yearning to do otherwise – to hang out with friends and forget the mundane. Despite their inner dilemma, band members were clear of their underlining goal in life – to succeed despite the odds. In the meantime, music served as their solace; their means to escape from the pressures of life and their hope at etching out a different future.
As representatives of the youth music scene in Singapore, Small X personifies the aspirations of young people from ordinary backgrounds desiring to carve out an extraordinary future utilising music as their vehicle of success. Their cry to be heard in the midst of a cacophony of voices in society underscores their longing to understand their own identity and purpose in life. Yet despite the reverberating beat of their music, a solitary whisper can be heard – that all they want is to be ordinary people living simple and content lives.
This article was written by Mark Lim Shan-Loong on
17th June 2004.
Words from the Heart
