By: Naethan Teo & Hilmi bin Samsulbahri
“Making music is easy, but if you want to make music for yourself, that is the hard part. Your mind and soul have to be in line.”
Photo: Amanda Keisha Ang, Noor Akid Bin Amirullah and Linda Ong (from left to right) in their element. They are Singaporean musicians who make different genres of music for the masses. (Photo by: Amanda Keisha Ang, Naethan Teo, Linda Ong)
Moonlighting is an uncommon thing to do. It is a job that one engages during after working hours. Hence the name moonlighting was coined. People moonlight with different objectives in mind. Some do it for extra income, while others take it up as a side gig to fulfil their passion. Income and passion aside, moonlighting can also broaden an individual’s network and skills through the experiences that come from the different jobs they have. Not only that, individuals can utilise their skills from their day jobs into their side hustle.
Making music as a side hustle alongside your day job might seem taxing and merely impossible to many, especially when the music scene in Singapore is rather small and Singaporeans often overlook domestic music and are sometimes sceptical about the quality of Singaporean musicians according to research done by Lequn Fu, from Zhejiang University City College. Fu also claimed that the high reputations of original music genres have led to overlooked performances and the similar music genres of Singaporean musicians as Singaporeans prefer to consume music produced by musicians from other countries. There is also a stigma built around the profession of being a musician in Singapore. Most individuals do not see themselves becoming musicians due to the low reception from locals and much more attractive job opportunities around the corner.
Nevertheless, these musicians make it seem like a breeze as they pour their passion for music into everything they do.
Photo: Noor Akid Bin Amirullah indulging in both of his passions by posing with his limited edition guitar given to him by his uncle while he sits in his vintage barber chair. (Photo by: Hilmi bin Samsulbahri)
Snippin’ & Strummin’ His Way To Success
Take Noor Akid Bin Amirullah, 29, for instance, a barber at The Panic Room and a singer-songwriter. He started playing music when he was only 16 with the electric guitar that his parents bought. Being a rebel during his younger days in school, he was falling behind in studies to the point where he failed his N-level examination. He wanted to get out of school as soon as possible to start his own life and do what he likes, which was music. Akid brandished a bowl haircut. And surprisingly, this got him a lot of attention in the musical scene.
After his National Service, his friends invited him to learn the ways of cutting hair as he had nothing else to do and also because his family was not doing too well financially at that point in time. “I need to buck up, and do this particular job (barbering) and try to earn money out of it. I had the intention that if I am going to do this, it’s going to be to support my family and that just worked well for me,” says Akid.
At first, he did not enjoy barbering due to how confusing it was for him when he was being taught how to cut hair by his friends. Not only that, he never expected to become a barber anyway. His two career worlds intertwined when he was on a barbering tour in Kuala Lumpur. Akid’s producer for his first-ever EP had an unfortunate accident and could not meet him at Kuala Lumpur to release it. There was no turning back for him as he bought tickets and an Airbnb. So he went on Instagram, in a desperate attempt to reach out for a producer. I-SKY, a hip-hop music producer saw this and asked for a haircut. In return, Akid wanted him to produce his music for his services. We can only assume Akid did a fantastic job in cutting I-SKY’s hair as he accepted this barter trade.
“If you have two jobs in the future, just go for it. Keep yourself occupied. It gets tiring in a way but if it’s something you’d like to do, it doesn’t really matter. Then again, I hated barbering in the first place but if you have the right intention, everything is going to be okay,” says Akid.
Photo: Linda Ong prepares to jam with her bandmates. It becomes second nature to her when it comes to preparation, thanks to her being a lawyer. (Photo by: Linda Ong)
Transferable Skills Between Industries
To understand more about how an individual benefit from moonlighting, meet Linda Ong, 43, who works as a litigation lawyer as a full-time job and also plays the bass guitar for her band, Lunarin, feels that both her professions teach her skills that can be transferred from one job to another. “When you go to court, there is a lot of getting up. You need to do a lot of preparations. Same thing, before a show, you never just pick up a guitar and just play, it’s the same thing. There’s a lot of preparations and jamming and rehearsals. The more prepared you are, the better payoff becomes for you,” explains Linda
Performing on stage can be nerve-wracking for some. Not for Linda however. Being a litigation lawyer helps with stage fright as she is used to a crowd of people watching her “perform” in court. “I’m so used to speaking to people. In fact, I’m even used to people shouting back at me or being aggressive and having to defend myself that when it comes to performing live, I don’t really get nervous that badly,”
Photo: Performing in gigs as a DJ gives Amanda Keisha Ang the opportunity to express her passion for music as well as meeting new and like-minded individuals to expand her network. (Photo by: Amanda Keisha Ang)
Bigger Networks, Bigger Opportunities
Making connections is an important element when you get into the working life. Forbes says, “Individuals that seek publicity either for business, politics or even fame leverage more on networking. People quickly notice others that have stronger capabilities to make them relevant. When you stand out in both your expertise and the services you offer, it creates room for partnership which in turn builds a career.”
Amanda Keisha Ang, 36, mentioned that networking was one of the benefits of having a side gig, more specifically, a DJ. Meeting people with similar interests with her helped build a relationship with them and that led to many opportunities for her. Since she also works as a designer, she would get an opportunity to do freelance design work given to her by people she built a network with. From there, her network can expand even wider than ever before through building relationships with people working the same job. Additionally, an individual can widen his/her skill set through working multiple jobs, thanks to building a network.
Photo: Akid hated barbering when he was younger, but now, he has grown to like both barbering and music equally. His passion and love for barbering shines through when he cuts hair for his clients. (Photo by: Hilmi bin Samsulbahri)
Covid-19 Halting Musical Journeys
It was not all sunshine and rainbows for our dear musicians, however. With the Covid-19 pandemic being a pain to everyone’s behind, it was not unusual that Akid, Linda and Amanda got affected by it as well, especially in their musical life. During the pandemic, many constraints were brought to the music industry. Music concerts were postponed to prevent the spread of the virus. The Covid-19 pandemic that happened almost two years ago, caused live shows to be limited to only a small group of people and music artists across Singapore look for different means to perform their shows, such as online gigs. Linda, Amanda and Akid, unfortunately, had to put their musical journeys on hold indefinitely due to the pandemic and go back to working their day jobs.
For Linda, her band started to perform less in front of a live audience when the pandemic hit Singapore. Their last gig together was back in January 2019. A big concert or event is a rare occurrence nowadays due to the restrictions placed by the government. Amanda is in the same boat as Linda and her band. She stopped doing gigs due to Covid-19. She did stream her DJing about 3 times on Twitch.tv, a popular streaming website, but stopped after that. Akid on the other hand was not affected as much by the pandemic. He managed to get a few small shows to perform at, which he considers are enough for him, but he does miss playing at the proper big shows where the audience can get all crazy and hyped.
Photo: Akid’s studio is rather quaint and fascinating as he creates an 80s atmosphere with the help of his decor and paraphernalia. His artworks and music covers fill the walls, making the atmosphere a conducive place for producing music. (Photo by: Naethan Teo)
Passion Trumps All
Their musical journey and passion did not start in a day. Some started playing music as early as 14 years old and this passion has been an integral part of their lives up to this day. Even if the music industry is small in Singapore, they still believe in themselves and what they do which is to create music for the masses.
These musicians all have the same goal in mind. To do what they love. It does not matter how much they earn or how difficult it can be. The musicians do these jobs because it is their passion. And their day jobs have shaped them into more experienced, more capable and more versatile individuals where they apply their encounters of the work-life to inspire their musical career.
These jobs that the musicians undertake have provided them with the much-needed opportunities to pursue their dreams. A job that they enjoy in the day, and a passion they indulge at night, these musicians are doing what they love as both of their professions complement one another, which proves advantageous in the working world.
From broadening their network to transferring their skills from work to music, these benefits they got from moonlighting helped them in their working life and played a huge role in shaping their musical careers while they enjoy doing what they truly desire.
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