From the movie soundtracks that mesmerized him at age 10 to the global stages his music now graces, JC’s journey is a testament to passion and dedication. This Singaporean songwriter and producer, a key member of Bertyverse, has penned and produced hits for renowned artists like Lu Han (“纵横宇宙”) and Yuqi ((G)I-DLE) (“One”). Prepare to delve into the story behind his remarkable career and the creative process that fuels his music.
I write songs, make beats, and then vocal produce, sing backing harmonies and do anything it takes to make the song sound as good as possible. 😂
My notable works includes
纵横宇宙 by Lu Han
One by Yuqi (From G-Idle)
which i wrote with my buddies in our team called Bertyverse. 🙂
I started music because when I watched movies when I was 10 years old, the songs that appeared in the movies always captivated me and I wanted to create music that would be immortalised through films. And 8 years later, i finally got my dream job.
You describe yourself as a songwriter/producer who does “anything it takes” to make a song sound its best. Can you elaborate on your multifaceted role in the music creation process? What are some of the less-visible tasks you undertake?
So in music creation, besides writing the melody/lyrics.
There is less glamorous stuff like, vocal comping, recording & tuning vocals, planning & recording backing vocals, project files stream-lining and then mixing, which would sometimes take even more time than writing the song itself.
Which is also key to making a song sound good. Of course, the most important part is always to have a good song first.
“纵横宇宙” (Across the Universe) by Lu Han and “One” by Yuqi are very different songs. How did your approach to songwriting and production differ for these two projects?
So, basically for movies, the film-makers and producers are the ones who will give us the direction. They gave us an amazing direction. but as you said, they are very diff movies, so the direction given to my partners and I was very different.
For example:
For Lu Han, they wanted an emotional electronic song
For Yuqi, they wanted a song that is more powerful and energetic like her
then it’s up to us to follow the guidelines but put our own interpretation to it.
They are very different songs and both were custom-made for the Movie & artist.
So, as songwriters, we needed priorities the story and take a step back and write a song that fits both the artist and the movie.
You mention working with Bertyverse. How does collaboration within the team work? What are the strengths each member brings to the creative process?
So for creative process, all 4 of us are producers so we can check and synergise with each other constantly
but for these 2,hubert focuses on toplining, direction setting, co-ordinating & understanding from client wants
Jyphan and I are in charge of making the track and edits.
Max was the vocalist with a range like Bruno Mars & topliner who worked with Hubert to create the melody that best fit the vibe.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a songwriter/producer, and how do you overcome them?
Personally I am tone-deaf
So, I remember that I really wanted to do music, but I can’t even sing the melody I imagined in my head. I had to do vocal pitching exercises everyday for a long period of time.
Just to be on the same starting ground as my peers who started.
And then, the constant rejection saying my demos are too simple, so I had to learn music arrangements at like 24.
But rejection is common in our field.
Most of us write 100-200 songs before 1 gets picked up by the label.
What are your goals for the future of your career? Are there any specific artists or projects you’d like to work on in the future? What kind of impact do you hope to make on the music industry?
My goals are simple. I wish to wake up everyday and be able to do music that I enjoy.
So, no matter what bigger future success may happen, I leave it to God. My everyday goal would be to wake up and be able to write music that resonates with people.
Working with any like-minded artist, labels & songwriters would be a dream come true.
What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters and producers in Singapore or elsewhere?
hmmmm, I don’t think I see myself as a full success story yet. but I am a teacher on the side, so from a teacher’s POV to my students i taught,
If you are an artist, always focus on the story you want to tell and everything in your music should reflect that.
If you are a songwriter, always focus on the story the artist wants to tell. and everything you create for the artist should reflect that.
Because good stories resonate with people more than any bells and whistles in music.
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