Another Singaporean artist who has covered similar festival circuit is Manfred Lim (no relation), who goes under the name of DJ Myrne—an amalgamation of his name and his idol’s: Talking Heads' David Bryne. Manfred has released three electro-house albums in five years and collaborated with a number of Singaporean artists including Joe Tan. He recently wrapped his first debut solo LP, In Search of Solitude, which comes out this September.

“Festivals are a natural progression, or product, of a thriving music scene,” says Manfred. “I think they are a productive way to grow the Singapore scene. Long-time fans will get to see their favourite acts live, and newcomers get to enjoy the food stalls, installations, and get introduced to acts they’ve never seen before.”

Having played numerous times at Singapore’s best loved festivals, he feels a particular affinity to making music on home soil in front of a crowd of his compatriots. “It’s compelling to play here both as a grounding element for me to remain true to my 'roots’, and a source of trust for me to experiment and try out new things,” he says. “Listeners also get extra excited any time a music act does something cool overseas, which adds a nice little facet of motivation to my growth. As always, I wish Singapore had a larger population—more communities to thrive, more people to bounce ideas off of, and bigger crowds at festivals.”

Given the speed with which Singapore’s music and festival industry has grown, there is speculation that it could soon rival that of larger industry hubs—namely South Korea or even Japan. “Japan’s domestic market size allows for self-sustainability,” says Charlie. “A young, post-colonial Singapore means we're adaptable and that makes us great consumers of international culture, but it also means we have to compete in the same international industry that has been around long before our country existed, let alone having a sense of identity or "sound" that can be exported on a commercial level. Like a lot of Japanese rock or K-pop, for instance. 

But while the urge is always there to make it in bigger, more sophisticated music markets, both Manfred and Charlie emphasised the importance of focusing on Singapore’s growing scene and being content with fame and success on home turf.

“We could always use more local and regional support and believe that a lot of what we have is actually good,” says Charlie. “I guess we will always look to the West or China for affirmation, because that's where the main industries are. But why do we always have to "make it" overseas before getting mainstream local attention?"