Singaporean Brooklyn-based artiste-producer Hongjoin has officially unveiled his highly-anticipated debut full-length album Clockwork.
Arriving alongside the focus single Universe, the record marks a definitive milestone in his career: an ambitious, conceptual rotation through every emotional state of love and loss. Clockwork is a 12-track exploration where each song represents one hour on the clock face.
The title speaks to Hongjoin’s obsession with time: The way we love someone like clockwork, returning to them with the reliability of hands circling a dial.
Yet paradoxically, love is the one force that shatters time’s linearity. In love, past moments bleed into present feelings and future anxieties collapse into now. Clockwork exists in this tension, living between time’s mechanical precision and love’s ability to transcend it.
From euphoric highs to contemplative lows, each track captures a distinct mood for every stage of the non-linear journey through love.
Drawing inspiration from the timeless tale of The Little Prince, Hongjoin positions himself as the Prince in the focus track Universe, falling deeply for the rose and enduring heartbreak, yet choosing love through it all.
The track serves as the gateway to the album, setting the stage with cinematic drums that cascade over spacey synthesisers and delicate felt piano, while Hongjoin’s vocals cut through layers of cosmic soundscapes.
It is atmospheric and vocally striking, showcasing his distinctive approach to self-production and songwriting. The album boldly reimagines the narrative of romance by centring on accountability.
Across the project, Hongjoin does not shy away from the uncomfortable truth that sometimes we are the ones at fault. The album celebrates the courage it takes to admit mistakes, to sit through difficult conversations and to still choose love despite our imperfections.
This refreshing honesty challenges contemporary narratives around self-sufficiency, instead embracing reliance and dependency as profoundly human traits. Through storytelling production, he proves yearning for someone to fill the holes in your heart does not diminish you – it completes you.
Following this release, Hongjoin will take to the stage for his biggest Singapore headline show yet at *Scape Ground Theatre in July. Capturing the hearts of Gen Z hopeless romantics and indie music lovers, the concert invites audiences into a warm, nostalgic world – reflecting on growing up, falling in love and finding yourself all at once.
A rising name within Southeast Asia’s new wave of globally-minded artistes, Hongjoin has steadily built momentum across the region and internationally.
He has amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify and currently draws more than 183.9K monthly listeners with his top listeners concentrated across key Southeast Asian cities, including #2 Philippines, #3 Taiwan, #4 Indonesia, #5 Singapore, #6 Thailand, #7 Malaysia and #12 Vietnam.
In 2024, he received two accolades from Spotify – Top Artiste of Rising 65 and Top 5 Songs of Rising 65 for Komorebi. His music has also received coverage from regional publications including The Straits Times, Men’s Folio and SEA Today News.
In 2024, he sold out his homecoming headline show Everything in Between at the Esplanade Annexe. He has also opened for notable acts including Ricky Montgomery, Charlie Burg, Matt Maltese, Mikayla Geier, Pryvt, Grentperez and more, further underscoring his growing presence on the regional and international live circuit.
He is set to hit the road as the opening act for Ejean’s upcoming run of US tour dates in Brooklyn, Vancouver and Seattle. Entirely self-produced, his work reflects a generation shaped by global internet culture and intimate bedroom creativity – positioning him as a standout voice emerging from Singapore’s independent music scene.
Clockwork promises a vivid, coming-of-age world – one that captures fleeting romance, youthful imagination and the emotional textures of growing up in motion.
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