Evan Low

Tell us your story, how did you get here?

I started by picking up the piano when I was a child, which eventually led to me going to school to learn about drums and music technology. After working and writing for some incredible artists and projects that I’m so grateful to be on, I looked inward to find what I could do to best express myself as an artist rather than just a music mercenary. Hence the artist moniker, “evanturetime”.

What impact have you made in Singapore?

The thing that people most likely recognise me for, as Evan Low, is probably the 2021 National Day Parade Theme Song “The Road Ahead” that I co-wrote with Linying.

Personally, though? I’m very proud of my journey toward finding a “Singapore Sound”. Like I mentioned in my TED Talk, the journey is an ongoing (and probably never-ending) one. But I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve made it a point to include an element of what I thought would be a uniquely Singaporean music trait in every song I write.

What does 2022 look like for you?

I have a full EP coming out in Q2 or Q3 of 2022! It all began when I wrote a short tune for my wife. She commented nonchalantly that she really enjoyed it, so I thought it’d be great to celebrate our wedding by writing tunes representing the 5 stages of love, mirroring and culminating in my new journey with my (now) wife as a husband. Amidst all the corporate music work, this is something I’m passionately looking forward to showing the world as it’s really close to my heart.

What do you love most about Singapore?

I love that we’re a group of incredibly practical and honest people. We’re able to handle the hurdles that life throws at us with a healthy amount of dignity and sass. That has created a culture and a group of people who are incredibly passionate, resilient and hardy about things we love.

Tell us about the coolest performance you’ve ever seen.

I can give you two that I put in the top spot as the coolest local performances I’ve ever seen. The first was the free jam night at Barbershop @ Timbre when Lush 99.5FM was ceasing transmission as a radio station.

The second was another free jam night at Blu Jaz when it was the last day of their public entertainment license. On both occasions, the music community came together to celebrate, support and play till they couldn’t anymore. It was incredible to see talented musicians from all genres and walks of life band together to support and celebrate a cause.

Who is your Local Legend, and why?

As far as local legends go, I think of Kevin Foo. He’s been an integral part of the indie scene in Singapore for a long time. He’s assisted local musicians in whatever way and capacity possible throughout his illustrious career – from being a music producer and manager to studio owner and now General Manager of Sony Music Taiwan. He’s been incredibly helpful and supportive in my journey as a musician and an artist. I can safely say that without his help, I wouldn’t have found the courage to step out on my own as an artist.

That being said, there are some incredible mentor figures in our music industry who have been quietly but relentlessly supporting us younger musicians. I won’t forgive myself if I didn’t mention their names: Leonard Soosay, Ruth Ling, Sydney Tan, Jimmy Ye, Martin Tang, Tat Tong, and the list goes on.