From Soundcloud to the stage: Soulful R&B singer's major festival debut
When you ask Sam Rui to describe her music, she's a jumble of giggly self-deprecation that belies just how much of herself she puts into her lyrics.
Just 20, the fast-rising singer songwriter is making her mark on the Singapore music scene. She's just recorded an EP, and in January, will be making her debut on the big stage at the famed St. Jerome's Laneway Festival.
And it probably won't be long until you start hearing Rui's music outside of the festival scene, because when she starts singing -- oh boy.
Displaying a surprising depth of soul, she sings about life, boys, and her art, with an easy jive.
Most of her songs are written first with a groove laid out in the studio by DJ friends, she says. She focuses on a topic and starts freestyling, before she goes back to fine tune the material.
"I can be quite anal about how I want the song to turn out," she says.
At home, she's like most people her age, spending the bulk of her time online. "I love Soundcloud," she says. "I've met so many people there, and their talent is amazing."
While Rui will be performing live on stage with a full band backing her at Laneway, she performed two exclusive unplugged numbers for Mashable.
"Boys"
This song is the first one she recorded for the upcoming EP.
It was written for a boy that broke her heart, but like many songwriters, she found the creative path an effective purge.
"I can sing it and not feel anything anymore," she says.
"Better"
This song, also about healing from heartbreak, started fairly angrily in the studio when she was writing it.
"This song is called 'Better', because I think I'm doing better now."
Sam Rui plays at the Laneway Festival in Singapore on Jan. 21.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
