Ling Kai: Coming into her own voice
In the sea of YouTube sensations, Ling Kai is probably one of the few left without the frills or hyped-up overacting. We talked about her previously. Her videos are amateurish and pixelated, but somehow emote the same raw honesty in her music, without the sartorial embellishments and the vain trimmings.
But the story to her musical birth is strangely familiar.
Break a leg they say, and she literally did.
When Ling Kai’s leg was in a cast due to a fractured kneecap, she had found herself in a somewhat similar predicament to singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell.
Mitchell had a lot of time at her disposal when she was diagnosed with polio, giving her the opportunity to hone a distinctive guitar skill that was validated by her numerous Grammy wins.
Ling Kai too had the luxury of time when she was rendered immobile and confined in her bed. She had the capacity to pick up the guitar and write music, basking in her loneliness to author an original Philip Larkin-inspired song called “Larkin Step”, and upload it on YouTube hoping for some anonymous feedback to compensate for the lack of social interactions.
A million unexpected YouTube views later, Ling Kai was signed on with Australia-based independent label Lempicka Records, cladding a troubadour persona during her two-week trip in Brisbane while she was recording her six-track EP "Honestly," chalking up an experience no other average Singaporean undergraduate would dream of.
You would expect the whirlwind chain of events to turn her life topsy-turvy, especially when she opened for her inspiration, Aimee Mann, during the latter's maiden concert in Singapore in August 2009. But she reveals her preference to routine familiarity, liking how "life goes on as normal."
"Sometimes familiar things are good in their own way, when you know what to expect," she said to CNNGo.
And fans can expect the singer-songwriter to continue writing and making music. It used to be her romantic idea of a perfect job, but now it’s something she wants to do forever.
"I want to try and I want to keep trying," she asserts. "The song in itself is a reward."
getting there
Starbucks Presents Ling Kai
Starbucks Singapore is supporting Ling Kai and her debut EP "Honestly" with a string of performances at outlets across town in the month of January.
Sat, Jan 9, 4pm: Liat Towers
Thu, Jan 14, 1pm: Capital Tower
Sat, Jan 16, 4pm: Tanglin Mall
Thu, Jan 21, 12.30pm: Singapore Land Tower
Sat, Jan 23, 4pm: Raffles City
Thu, Jan 28, 12.30pm: OCBC Building
Sat, Jan 30, 4pm: ION Orchard
Starbuck presents Ling Kai (Facebook event page)
