THE way to a man’s heart is via the stomach. Or his ear, with a good song. Like all young girls, Lyn Wen Ten developed a crush, and used her musical gifts to impress her object of admiration.
It was such experiences that solidified her bond with music, said the 21-year-old college freshie who is already known in indie circles as an upcoming singer-songwriter.
According to those around her, Lyn Wen has always had a flair for a tune. Her parents used to send the budding talent to musical auditions.
Her brand of music evolved over the years. It began with acoustic. During the lockdown, she began to experiment with music atmosphere using a pad, synthesizer, vocal harmonies and an electric guitar.
“I would say my appreciation and relationship with music really grew stronger when I learnt how to play musical instruments,” said Lyn Wen.
She transitioned from the ukulele to the guitar at the age of 16. Her dad was an avid fan of playing blues on the guitar. Finding an instrument to practise on around the house was easy.
“The first guitar that I’ve ever owned was an acoustic Morrison guitar gifted by my high school friends. I appreciate them so much for it,” said Lyn Wen.
She marks 2016 as a high point. That year, she wrote so many songs she cannot remember exactly which one was the first.
But the most memorable was a composition for a McDonald’s competition.
“It was to win a burger or something.”
The lyrics were accompanied by a ukulele and sung with a British accent.
Lyn Wen used to affect such an accent when she was younger, something she is glad to be done with.
She describes her earlier demos as shaky and insecure but as years went by, she gained confidence in her performance.
Lyn Wen admits that singing and songwriting does not come as naturally as some people might think. It took some effort for her to follow through with performing and writing. It took effort for her to get to where she is now.
“Looking back, my earlier compositions were more of me messing around and making myself write in order to enhance the skill rather than writing based on how I felt. Now, it is the other way around,” said Lyn Wen.
Her songs became more personal and detailed as she gathered more life experiences.
She picks up new melodies and harmonics from new songs and different genres and sounds. Slowly but surely, it all came together.
Her lyrical influences come from Rusty Clanton, Dodie Clark, Boygenius and Lizzy McAlpine. On the technical side, she follows Anderson Paak, Hiatus Kaiyote and Ella Fritzgerald.
Lyn Wen also loves film scores.
“Sing Street is one of my favourites, I rewatch it every year and whenever I do, I get all pumped and motivated”.
Her music can be found on YouTube and Instagram. She also occasionally performs live on Nada Music MY.
Despite all her talent, Lyn Wen has no plans for her musical career. She fears she might hate songwriting and singing over time.
“I’m quite content with where I stand now. There is definitely room for improvement, but it’s way better than back in 2016.
“My ability to produce originals on my own is still not ideal, it could scrape by as demos but the aim is to someday reach distribution level,” said Lyn Wen.
For now, she just wants to do it for fun. And who knows, perhaps one day, the singer-songwriter’s life would choose her instead.
