Music producer Zennon Goh, who performed at the 4th Singapore Film Festival, shares his experiences as an artist and his thought process. By A Paljor
Zennon Goh is currently the key instructor of Ocean Butterflies’ Professional Music Career Programme. Goh has been in the music industry for more than 20 years. He has produced more than 150 albums for the renowned Chinese music artistes such as JJ lin, A-Do and Kit Chan. He is also a successful composer and arranger who has composed numerous songs for artistes in Asia. Goh has created several award-winning advertisement jingles for clients such as UIC, Nippon Paint, and Nestle Soya Milk. Zennon is also a qualified concert music director.
He was among the artists who participated in the 4th Singapore Film Festival, organised at Siri Fort Auditorium II.
How did you start your artistic careerIJ
I started playing music when I was a teenager, slowly discovering my musical talent and began composing songs while jamming with friends. I completed my diploma in civil engineering and started off as a draftsman in a structural engineering firm. I was lucky that Ocean Butterflies, a music company gave me some arrangement jobs. I managed to become a full time in house producer/arranger after working with them as a part timer for two years.
You have produced more than 150 albums for renowned Chinese music artistes such as JJ lin, A-Do and Kit Chan. How has your experience been so farIJ
The most enjoyable part of music making are recording sessions in the studio with great vocalists and musicians. However, the stressful part is to write out a promising, good song in a short period of time where inspirations do not always come that easily.
How did you feel about performing in IndiaIJ Anything particular that was on your mindIJ
I was both excited and at the same time nervous because I was performing Mandarin songs in front of a large non-Chinese speaking audience.
While the North-eastern side of India has a close cultural connection with the South-eastern world, do you find any particular similarities between the two countries musicIJ
Singapore is a multi racial country, we do have Indians living in our community. We are also exposed to Indian music via TV and radio stations. The two distinctive similar instruments I can tell are tabla and sitar. But I only got to know about the sarangi when I was here in India. It is such a beautiful-sounding instrument.
Can you briefly walk us through the changing trends in music, especially in SingaporeIJ
Pop music in Singapore dates back to the 80s where by we started composing our own original songs and developing our own local artists. There has been a tremendous improvement over the past 30 years which has been aided by the improvement in the technology as well. However, the CDs market for music is declining due to the convenience of digital streaming nowadays, affecting the profit making by the musicians and the artists.
Tell us about the music genre you prefer. How did you find your nicheIJ
I will consider any genre to be good music as long as it is relatable to the mass audience.
Any particular anecdotes or instances you can share about your artistic life – the struggles, the hardship you had to go throughIJ
Music making has always been an enjoyable art for me. However, there are times whereby the work done has been rejected for some reason, especially commercial music for advertising. We have to meet the clients’ need where sometimes making compromises is necessary. Balancing the artistic with the commercial aspect was the hardest part. Of course, at times we are lucky to have clients who understand and appreciate music and hence the process would be much smoother.
What is the relevance of such film festivals with an international audience for the development of art be it music, filmmaking or any form of artIJ
I believe all good arts are borderless including movies and music. It is a good thing to have film festivals being held in different countries with international audience. It is an eye opening experience for all filmmakers as well as music directors. Good art should be shared with more people in the world and at the same time we can take the opportunity to understand the cultures of other parts of the world as well.