Idol dreams
Feb 6, 2005
Idol dreams
Teenagers hoping to be the next singing sensation are flocking to a studio to record their very own album
By Serene Luo
SINGAPORE Idol may be over for now, but many people are keeping their singing dreams alive by immortalising their voices in a cover track from their favourite singers.A steady stream of teenagers has been going to a shop in the Century Square mall in Tampines, hoping to be the next Stefanie Sun or Jay Chou.
Discovery Studios opened less than three weeks ago, but already more than 120 people have come in for a free trial to record and listen to their own voices.
Of these, about half have signed up for packages to record a cover of an existing pop hit, which will be edited and made into a CD.
The other half say they will be back after the Chinese New Year, said the 32-year-old manager, Mr Lye Ray Sen.
'They're the younger crowd, who say they are waiting for pay day or their hongbao money. But so far, the most impressive thing I've heard is that they want to go home and practise singing before they record their voices.'
Apple Wong, 14, is one of those who tried a variety of songs in the recording studio before deciding to plonk down her pocket money to record a track.
'It's my dream to be a star,' said the Secondary 2 student, who idolises Taiwanese singer-composer Jay Chou. 'I'm quite emotive in my singing but the first time I went, I was having the flu so I sounded bad. I'm trying to learn more and practise before coming back to record.'
The no-frills basic package costs $38 until the end of this month, and will cost $68 after that. Customers can pick one of more than 100 tracks from both English and Mandarin artistes, the most popular being Jay Chou and Malaysia-born Fish Leong.
They record the song with instrumental backing and can pick up the CD about half an hour later. Usually, professional recording studios charge hourly rates starting at about $60.
The most expensive package at Discovery Studios costs $1,888, which buys you 10 professionally edited tracks, vocal training to polish your voice, a makeover, a professional photo shoot, a customised cover and 50 duplicate discs to give your family and friends or even prospective artiste management agencies and record labels.
Discovery Studios pays music rights and royalties on all the songs it offers. Mr Lye, who set up the business with sound engineer Gabriel Yeo and a silent partner, says there are another 24,000 songs on the way, pending copyright clearance.
And these youngsters' dreams of hitting the big time may not be just stardust.
At the end of each month, vocal trainers listen to all the tracks customers have recorded and pick the best. Discovery Studios will then pitch the selected demos to big music publishers and record labels. The company also intends to expand into talent management in the future.
Mr Lim Sek, the chief executive of artiste management company Music & Movement, said many more young people are encouraged to give stardom a shot 'compared to pre-Stefanie Sun days many years ago'.
'In the past, if you wanted to be a singer, there was a social stigma of being perceived as a dreamer,' he said.
'But after Stefanie Sun became a big hit, people realise it's not impossible. There are also more music schools and the technology has improved, so it becomes easier to get a decent demo done.
'We might have a lot of hidden talent in Singapore and because of all these factors, we may discover them now.'
Not everyone is recording a CD for fame. ITE student John Yang, 20, thinks a $200 recording will make a terrific gift for his girlfriend of over a year on Valentine's Day.
'She's mentioned that she enjoys listening to me sing, so I'm going to record two songs and get a makeover for the CD cover.'
He has picked two Mandopop numbers, The Edge Of Loneliness by Zhang Dong Liang and Forever Love by Lee Hom.
It has not been easy. When he recorded one song last week, he was very nervous because he had never stepped into a recording studio before.
'But for my girlfriend's sake, I will overcome my awkwardness,' he said.
Besides the initial embarrassment, Sheryl Tang, 14, recounted the time she and Apple tried singing a duet but were not familiar with the music.
'We both started singing at the wrong time and just burst into laughter in the studio,' she said.
'Luckily, only Gabriel the sound engineer heard us, not everyone in the shop.'
Undergraduate Cindy Chan, 24, said she was so caught up in her song that she 'kept on singing and singing without realising the song was over'.
But all the people interviewed agreed that recording their own CD is 'a terrific experience'.
Said Ms Felicia Ang, 18, who is waiting for her O-level results: 'When you're recording, people walk by and look at you perform.
'You feel like a real star.'
Taken from:Straits Times,GEN Y, 06/02/2005
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/geny/story/0,5562,299609,00.html
Feb 6, 2005
Idol dreams
Teenagers hoping to be the next singing sensation are flocking to a studio to record their very own album
By Serene Luo
SINGAPORE Idol may be over for now, but many people are keeping their singing dreams alive by immortalising their voices in a cover track from their favourite singers.A steady stream of teenagers has been going to a shop in the Century Square mall in Tampines, hoping to be the next Stefanie Sun or Jay Chou.
Discovery Studios opened less than three weeks ago, but already more than 120 people have come in for a free trial to record and listen to their own voices.
Of these, about half have signed up for packages to record a cover of an existing pop hit, which will be edited and made into a CD.
The other half say they will be back after the Chinese New Year, said the 32-year-old manager, Mr Lye Ray Sen.
'They're the younger crowd, who say they are waiting for pay day or their hongbao money. But so far, the most impressive thing I've heard is that they want to go home and practise singing before they record their voices.'
Apple Wong, 14, is one of those who tried a variety of songs in the recording studio before deciding to plonk down her pocket money to record a track.
'It's my dream to be a star,' said the Secondary 2 student, who idolises Taiwanese singer-composer Jay Chou. 'I'm quite emotive in my singing but the first time I went, I was having the flu so I sounded bad. I'm trying to learn more and practise before coming back to record.'
The no-frills basic package costs $38 until the end of this month, and will cost $68 after that. Customers can pick one of more than 100 tracks from both English and Mandarin artistes, the most popular being Jay Chou and Malaysia-born Fish Leong.
They record the song with instrumental backing and can pick up the CD about half an hour later. Usually, professional recording studios charge hourly rates starting at about $60.
The most expensive package at Discovery Studios costs $1,888, which buys you 10 professionally edited tracks, vocal training to polish your voice, a makeover, a professional photo shoot, a customised cover and 50 duplicate discs to give your family and friends or even prospective artiste management agencies and record labels.
Discovery Studios pays music rights and royalties on all the songs it offers. Mr Lye, who set up the business with sound engineer Gabriel Yeo and a silent partner, says there are another 24,000 songs on the way, pending copyright clearance.
And these youngsters' dreams of hitting the big time may not be just stardust.
At the end of each month, vocal trainers listen to all the tracks customers have recorded and pick the best. Discovery Studios will then pitch the selected demos to big music publishers and record labels. The company also intends to expand into talent management in the future.
Mr Lim Sek, the chief executive of artiste management company Music & Movement, said many more young people are encouraged to give stardom a shot 'compared to pre-Stefanie Sun days many years ago'.
'In the past, if you wanted to be a singer, there was a social stigma of being perceived as a dreamer,' he said.
'But after Stefanie Sun became a big hit, people realise it's not impossible. There are also more music schools and the technology has improved, so it becomes easier to get a decent demo done.
'We might have a lot of hidden talent in Singapore and because of all these factors, we may discover them now.'
Not everyone is recording a CD for fame. ITE student John Yang, 20, thinks a $200 recording will make a terrific gift for his girlfriend of over a year on Valentine's Day.
'She's mentioned that she enjoys listening to me sing, so I'm going to record two songs and get a makeover for the CD cover.'
He has picked two Mandopop numbers, The Edge Of Loneliness by Zhang Dong Liang and Forever Love by Lee Hom.
It has not been easy. When he recorded one song last week, he was very nervous because he had never stepped into a recording studio before.
'But for my girlfriend's sake, I will overcome my awkwardness,' he said.
Besides the initial embarrassment, Sheryl Tang, 14, recounted the time she and Apple tried singing a duet but were not familiar with the music.
'We both started singing at the wrong time and just burst into laughter in the studio,' she said.
'Luckily, only Gabriel the sound engineer heard us, not everyone in the shop.'
Undergraduate Cindy Chan, 24, said she was so caught up in her song that she 'kept on singing and singing without realising the song was over'.
But all the people interviewed agreed that recording their own CD is 'a terrific experience'.
Said Ms Felicia Ang, 18, who is waiting for her O-level results: 'When you're recording, people walk by and look at you perform.
'You feel like a real star.'
Taken from:Straits Times,GEN Y, 06/02/2005
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/geny/story/0,5562,299609,00.html
Idol dreams
Teenagers hoping to be the next singing sensation are flocking to a studio to record their very own album
By Serene Luo
SINGAPORE Idol may be over for now, but many people are keeping their singing dreams alive by immortalising their voices in a cover track from their favourite singers.A steady stream of teenagers has been going to a shop in the Century Square mall in Tampines, hoping to be the next Stefanie Sun or Jay Chou.
Discovery Studios opened less than three weeks ago, but already more than 120 people have come in for a free trial to record and listen to their own voices.
Of these, about half have signed up for packages to record a cover of an existing pop hit, which will be edited and made into a CD.
The other half say they will be back after the Chinese New Year, said the 32-year-old manager, Mr Lye Ray Sen.
'They're the younger crowd, who say they are waiting for pay day or their hongbao money. But so far, the most impressive thing I've heard is that they want to go home and practise singing before they record their voices.'
Apple Wong, 14, is one of those who tried a variety of songs in the recording studio before deciding to plonk down her pocket money to record a track.
'It's my dream to be a star,' said the Secondary 2 student, who idolises Taiwanese singer-composer Jay Chou. 'I'm quite emotive in my singing but the first time I went, I was having the flu so I sounded bad. I'm trying to learn more and practise before coming back to record.'
The no-frills basic package costs $38 until the end of this month, and will cost $68 after that. Customers can pick one of more than 100 tracks from both English and Mandarin artistes, the most popular being Jay Chou and Malaysia-born Fish Leong.
They record the song with instrumental backing and can pick up the CD about half an hour later. Usually, professional recording studios charge hourly rates starting at about $60.
The most expensive package at Discovery Studios costs $1,888, which buys you 10 professionally edited tracks, vocal training to polish your voice, a makeover, a professional photo shoot, a customised cover and 50 duplicate discs to give your family and friends or even prospective artiste management agencies and record labels.
Discovery Studios pays music rights and royalties on all the songs it offers. Mr Lye, who set up the business with sound engineer Gabriel Yeo and a silent partner, says there are another 24,000 songs on the way, pending copyright clearance.
And these youngsters' dreams of hitting the big time may not be just stardust.
At the end of each month, vocal trainers listen to all the tracks customers have recorded and pick the best. Discovery Studios will then pitch the selected demos to big music publishers and record labels. The company also intends to expand into talent management in the future.
Mr Lim Sek, the chief executive of artiste management company Music & Movement, said many more young people are encouraged to give stardom a shot 'compared to pre-Stefanie Sun days many years ago'.
'In the past, if you wanted to be a singer, there was a social stigma of being perceived as a dreamer,' he said.
'But after Stefanie Sun became a big hit, people realise it's not impossible. There are also more music schools and the technology has improved, so it becomes easier to get a decent demo done.
'We might have a lot of hidden talent in Singapore and because of all these factors, we may discover them now.'
Not everyone is recording a CD for fame. ITE student John Yang, 20, thinks a $200 recording will make a terrific gift for his girlfriend of over a year on Valentine's Day.
'She's mentioned that she enjoys listening to me sing, so I'm going to record two songs and get a makeover for the CD cover.'
He has picked two Mandopop numbers, The Edge Of Loneliness by Zhang Dong Liang and Forever Love by Lee Hom.
It has not been easy. When he recorded one song last week, he was very nervous because he had never stepped into a recording studio before.
'But for my girlfriend's sake, I will overcome my awkwardness,' he said.
Besides the initial embarrassment, Sheryl Tang, 14, recounted the time she and Apple tried singing a duet but were not familiar with the music.
'We both started singing at the wrong time and just burst into laughter in the studio,' she said.
'Luckily, only Gabriel the sound engineer heard us, not everyone in the shop.'
Undergraduate Cindy Chan, 24, said she was so caught up in her song that she 'kept on singing and singing without realising the song was over'.
But all the people interviewed agreed that recording their own CD is 'a terrific experience'.
Said Ms Felicia Ang, 18, who is waiting for her O-level results: 'When you're recording, people walk by and look at you perform.
'You feel like a real star.'
Taken from:Straits Times,GEN Y, 06/02/2005
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/geny/story/0,5562,299609,00.html
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