Duck Dynasty: Isaac Chiew's Vision To Uplift The Local Underground Music Scene With Big Duck Music

We talk to Isaac Chiew from Big Duck Music, a Baybeats reject turned underground local music promoter and artist where we find out why he chose this career path

By Ashwin Singh Dhillon, Nashrul Farhan Bin Sazaly, Amos Eu Weng Lok

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Capturing the moment: Isaac Chiew and his band Cactus Cactus performing at one of their Malaysia shows during their tour (PHOTO: Big Duck Instagram)

When was the last time you immersed yourself in the vibrant local music scene by attending a live gig featuring homegrown talent? In bustling Singapore, our fast-paced lives often keep us from fully appreciating the thriving music industry that exists right on our doorstep. Beyond the glitz of major concerts by global sensations like K-pop stars Twice and the upcoming concerts from Taylor Swift and Coldplay at the National Stadium, there's a hidden treasure trove to explore—the dynamic local underground music scene.

Spanning genres from indie to hard rock and even unapologetic hardcore punk, Singapore boasts a burgeoning community of bands that may have eluded many. You might wonder, 'Are there a significant number of bands in Singapore?' or 'Are these local talents truly exceptional?' Well, the answer is a resounding yes. Our local music scene is teeming with talent that can rival international acts, some of whom have embarked on successful global tours. The likes of Subsonic Eye, Forests, Fuse, and Doldrey, among others, have garnered devoted followings.

But it's not just our local gems shining bright. Singapore has also been graced by the presence of renowned international acts, such as Anxious, Fiddlehead, Sunami, Movements, and Angel Du$t from the United States. Australian sensation Speed left a lasting impact with their high-energy performances at Annexe Studio Esplanade. And the excitement doesn't stop there. More international bands are making their way to Singapore to ignite the underground scene, with acts like Citizen, Soul Blind, and the hard-hitting Desolated from the United Kingdom set to deliver electrifying performances. As younger generations increasingly flock to shows, they not only get to experience international sensations but also rally behind our exceptional local talents, ensuring that Singapore's music scene continues to thrive.

The music scene has seen a gradual increase in Singaporeans listening to local music. A survey done by the National Arts Council (NAC) found out that 67% of Singaporeans listen to music composed or performed by local artists in 2022. With more up and coming talented local bands debuting, the percentage will surely see a significant increase with the years to come.

Francis, a gig goer we interviewed at a local show stated that “I’ve been going to local gigs ever since I was in Secondary School and honestly, it’s pretty chill to see more kids coming to local shows post-covid” showing that even the scene veterans are more than happy to see this change.

Meet Isaac Chiew

Calm Before the Storm: Isaac Chiew posing for the camera in front of Tonehouse Studios for one of Cactus Cactus’s gigs on a Friday evening (Photo: Ashwin Singh Dhillon)

Isaac Chiew, a dynamic and passionate figure in the music scene, has made a significant mark as a gig promoter with Big Duck. Issac not only spearheads the organization of exciting events but also plays a pivotal role in the band, Cactus Cactus.

His journey in the music industry traces back to an inspiring origin story in 2019 when his former band, The Intimate Friends, faced rejection from BayBeats. Undeterred, Isaac and his peers decided to take matters into their own hands, the exact words from Isaac were: “Yo, If we get rejected, then make our own BayBeats la.” featuring rejected bands.

To go more in depth into the origin story of Isaac Chiew, after auditioning for Baybeats through the Budding Bands Mentorship Programme, he and his band mates where at a coffee shop way past midnight having supper. It was there that the idea of CactusCactus was given birth to.

This event marked a turning point in Isaac's perspective on event management and ignited his passion for bringing cutting-edge acts to the forefront. Known for his affable and approachable nature, Isaac Chiew engages with his audience in a friendly and enthusiastic manner, fostering a sense of community at the shows he organises. This became quite apparent during our interview with him, as he skill-fully balanced enjoying a kebab in one hand while warmly welcoming all his friends who had gathered for the event.

On a daily basis, he manages his responsibilities at Scape, where he conducts music programs, utilising the skills honed through his work with Big Duck. His life is a whirlwind of activity, balancing work, band practices, show bookings, and socialising, making each day a unique adventure in the vibrant world of music. Isaac aspires to see the Southeast Asian music scene thrive, hoping to facilitate opportunities for artists to become full-time musicians and promote their work on a global scale.

The journey means more than the destination

Many would be relieved when reaching their final destination, but for Isaac it is all about the journey there, the success and the hardships, the goals and dreams he plans to achieve.

In 2019, after Big Duck was officially formed , Isaac and his band mates had a show called Naybeats. This is where they had invited all the rejected bands to play. Through their sheer tenacity to make this work, it ended up being a success. Isaac had the mindset as a kid where if he ran shows, he would always lose money. He would see all these bands that would play at an empty Decline show when he was younger and lose lots of money. However, through his experience, If he could play it smart and be passionate about it, bring in acts that are exciting and cutting edge and sell it well, people would eventually turn up. So from then on, he and his bandmates started running shows that got bigger and bigger. He made the dream shows he wanted to see happen, happen. Shows like Early Days, The Mediocre Haircut Crew ,Big rap shows with Abang Sapau, AhmadJohnson69, that go way back. From there, he moved to international artists like No Good from Malaysia, who were some of his punk heroes.

When asked what he could have done differently in his journey, the answer was simple, a no.

“All the mistakes have made me the person I am today and I've been able to learn from them.” he added.

Through the various projects, the mishaps and being able to learn from them, he is finally able to venture into bigger projects such as bringing in SweetAss from KL who are one of the best garage rock bands from Malaysia right now. SweetAss packs out venues and festivals in Malaysia and now Isaac is finally able to have them in Singapore.

The creation of the series “B-4” was because Isaac wanted to not only give a chance to give new artists an opportunity to showcase their craft but also wanted his audience to always be able to appreciate and take in new aspects of music. Isaac would get half of the line up where it is an open call where he would try and get brand new artists, like strip back sets to come and perform. This series would be a completely different concept and angle as compared to a show where he has an experienced or international line up ready to play.

Though Big Duck is a big part of his life, it isn’t his day job, despite the various things he has to do. Things like the expenses and the cost of hosting, the angles of the shows that he wants to put across to his audience. What is exciting and cutting edge as people evolve with the times. After all that is fine tuned and aligned to what the team is trying to achieve, he has to promote and sell the show as well. Thankfully, Isaac does not do this alone, he has his very trusty and loving team with him to be able to bring all the projects and shows to life. They would tap in on each other’s strengths like how Jasmine helps with finance and admin and how JX handles the editing and marketing for Big Duck.

Big Duck started off in 2019, which means they had gone through the big rollercoaster of COVID-19 as well. With the special measures taken to fight the pandemic, BigDuck was not able to host any shows for the entirety of the 2 years as well. When covid struck, Isaac was also serving the nation. It was hard for him to find the free time to work on Big Duck with all the restrictions he faced but Isaac was never one to back down from a challenge. Big Duck had then pivoted to music editorials which proved to be extremely difficult for Isaac as he was not a writer by trade. Wanting to pull through and see his dreams through made him adapt and learn, with the help of his wonderful friends and team, he was able to make it work through the two years.

Individually, Isaac has a dream to play music full time which he plans to turn into his reality. He wants to run shows that matter and highlight the artists that he loves, the artists that are behind the culture, artists that are underground.

Inspirations for artists and the future of the scene

With all the exciting plans Isaac has for Big Duck and the underground scene, we asked the multi-talented musician what his future goals for the scene were, he simply laughed and told us that “In the States, every night there's a gig of original music, you know, every night, can you imagine a gig every night, and it's packed? Well Singapore now, I mean, there's a lot more gigs, but we're not there yet” signaling that he would want to be a full-time artist but given that the scene is still in it’s fetus stage, local artists are not able to lead that lifestyle and would have to support themselves with other jobs as their source of income.

In the Zone: Cactus Cactus performing at Tonehouse Studios in front of their sweaty hard moshing fans (Photo: Nashrul Farhan Bin Sazaly)

Isaac wants to tour the USA with his band CactusCactus someday and put out records he loves. However, for now, to set up building blocks to reach that goal, he plans to tour neighbouring countries like Indonesia. To take in the culture and the different ways of living and jamming out. Just like how they did when they toured Malaysia. They got to appreciate the skill and sense of music they had while also being inspired to take in the value of being humble through success. Those are the things he wants himself and Big Duck to carry forward.

“If there's only a 1% chance in this life of making it, whatever that means, you should give yourself that full 1% every day.”

These are the words of motivation that Isaac wants to empower anyone in any generation who might have been or is in his situation. He believes consistency is king but also to do everything in moderation, even moderation itself. In this line of work, be it being a vocalist in a band or an event promoter, being mentally and physically drained is something that happens very often.

The final act

With the music scene in Singapore, consistency is definitely something that is lacking. From time to time there will be some breakout artists like Yung Raja or the Sam Willows that are locally birthed. However, for a genre that is pretty niche and underground, the popularity element is not enough for it to be a hit or allow talented young artists to take flight. Isaac Chiew is the anomaly in the system where despite all the struggles he has faced, he continues to pave the way for this community. Both being a gateway for artists to have their opportunity to gain exposure and chase their dreams but also allow Isaac to chase his own with Big Duck.