Going The Distance: The Illustrious Inch Chua And Her Pursuit Of Betterment

The creativity of Inch never stays in one place (Courtesy of Inch Chua)

Some might say that music scenes are like bubbles, encapsulated within an insular environment that remains obscure and shut off from the uninitiated mainstream. This isn’t the creed of Inch Chua.

Everyone familiar with the local music scene knows Inch; performers, promoters and seasoned gig-goers are fully aware of the countless contributions of the industry figure. But the impact of Inch is felt far beyond the confines of music, to the point where she’s become a household name amongst Singaporeans. Not unlike other prominent musicians like Vanessa Fernandez and Tim De Cotta, Inch has been one of the scene’s most devoted advocates, elevating it to become a credible culture that cannot be ignored. With Inch, the scene goes the extra mile.

Inch has come a long way, evolving from a teen rocker to an out-of-the-box performer (Courtesy of Inch Chua)

No one can question her steely passion, unwavering since her teens as the frontwoman of Allura in the mid-noughties. She’s racked up a trailblazing list of accolades since then as a solo artiste, from performing at mega stages like the F1 Singapore Grand Prix and South by Southwest in Texas, to releasing multiple albums that are adventurously conceptual and delightfully eccentric in their quirky, indie-pop ways. The Singapore Youth Award recipient has also come a long way since returning from her stint in the States, and on home ground, she’s evolved to become truly comfortable in her own skin while courageously pushing past her ambit as a performer. 

Inch performing her self-written musical (Credit: Crispian Chan)

Off stage, Inch has helped to inspire aspiring youngbloods through music, whether as a mentor for musicians with the Noise Music Mentorship or a co-founder for Invasion Singapore that introduced kids in educational institutions to the music scene. As a multi-disciplinary visionary, Inch is also a book author, an environmental activist, and even a theatre practitioner with a critically acclaimed musical performance titled ’Til The End Of The World, We’ll Meet In No Man’s Land. These various endeavours have given Inch more than just an edge, but eclectic appeal that’s allowed her to win the hearts of Singaporeans beyond the music sphere. Her voice carries weight, and people want to hear what she has to say.

Likewise, I’m all ears in this interview as Inch reveals why she’s always stepping out of her comfort zone as a performer, the relationship between surreal landscapes and her oeuvre, and how she fuels her explorative spirit while bettering herself. Stretch your imagination, and get to know the illustrious Inch.

Inch Chua is not one to rest on her laurels (Credit: Henzy David)

It seems like you've been staying busy and productive during this volatile period. How packed do you fill your schedule, and do you still find time for reflection?

I make a really conscious effort to not pack my schedule these days. I realised I was setting myself up to be overstretched. As much I’m excited to always work on projects, stillness is something very vital for my being, and I’m pretty proud of myself that I’ve been quite successful in curating it more in my life. I also recognise that being able to do so has been a privilege.

With so much on your plate, how do you harness the energy as a songwriter and get into that headspace?

I believe there are many roads to creation. It’s hard for me to create when my being is drained and uncentred; and on hindsight, being in that state, I don’t think the priority should be creating work, but on healing. Sometimes it involves music, sometimes it’s just journalling, or just switching off. Whatever it might be, my creativity or natural inclination to create returns when I’m focused on healing and self-care.

Speaking of songs, you recently released “flags” with Evanturetime and ShiGGa Shay. Can you tell us more about the crafting of this composition, and what it means to you?

The first version of “flags” was written on a trip I took to hike up Everest base camp where I encountered nothingness for the first time. At such high altitude, nothing lives and the deadness in the air that comes with it was something quite unusual. I revisited the song again after my expedition to Antarctica in 2018, when I had another encounter with nothingness. It was a different kind of nothingness; though familiar, this was nothingness visited by no winds, no life lived anywhere near it and the loudest thing was my own blood pumping in my eardrums. It felt like I travelled to the end of the world to confront myself, my humanity. It felt like nothingness, and yet a universe of everything.

The single is the first release off an upcoming album. Can you reveal anything about the album at this point?

At the moment, I’m still making sense of all that’s going on within me and the idea for the album has been oscillating on a myriad of things. So it would be hard to share while I wrestle with what I’d like to say.

“I’d like to explore inequality, heartbreak, and the human condition." (Credit: Crispian Chan)

Through the years, your artistry has been inspired by the locations you’ve visited, from tropical Pulau Ubin to frozen Antarctica. Is that a vital part of your process, to put on your explorer’s cap and immerse yourself in new territories?

Yes and no. Although it seems to be a running theme, I don’t think it’s vital to put myself in far-flung places. My team jokes about how they expect my next project to be in outer space. This exploration and immersion of oneself in a new territory can exist in a liminal space, or figurative space too. I believe it’s extremely important for me to react and respond to something as an artist, and that exploration is vital. I’d like to explore inequality, heartbreak, and the human condition – all things that seem figurative, but important landscapes to explore.

Is there a part of you that wonders how your life would’ve turned out if you stayed in Los Angeles? Would you say you’re firmly rooted in Singapore for good?

Nope, I don’t think I’ll ever be firmly rooted anywhere. I love being in Singapore. They say home is where your heart is, and I fall in love easily. It’s been clear to me for some time that mine’s left in many places.

Always curious, always creating (Courtesy of Inch Chua)

A multi-hyphenate is one way to describe your career now, given that you’ve had your hands in several cookie jars. How important is it for you to pursue this diversification beyond music?

I don’t enjoy being pigeonholed. I do believe humans are more dynamic people than their vocation. I believe we’re allowed to change our minds, about what we would like to do with our interest and explore them as long as it informs us more about ourselves, others or the world around us. All the people I respect and admire happen to be polymaths, and although I don’t think I’m anywhere near that level, learning to deepen and diversify my skillset is something I would like to keep doing till the day I die.

With all that you’ve accomplished in other disciplines, have you ever considered taking a break from the music industry?

I felt like I did take a break from music for a while, or at least stepped away from certain aspects of it. Sometimes, it’s important to step away from something you love. Because love does come with pain, and when too much of it is normalised, it does affect your relationship with it. Sometimes, disconnecting is the best way to reconnect.

Inch has immersed herself in nature for her craft (Courtesy of Inch Chua)

Environmental sustainability has also been a firm belief of yours. Is this something you’ve held onto your whole life, or was it a new leaf that you turned over fairly recently?

It’s been something I hold quite dear. I grew up being pretty well-inducted into the world of green practices, conservation and boycotting environmental causes thanks to my family. It’s something I refrained from advocating in my music till later in my career, only because I struggled with presenting it. It’s tough talking about these social causes without being didactic or coming across as virtue signalling.

Not long ago, you released Rhythm of The Brave, a captivating piece where you captured the efforts of medical frontliners in sound. How was that experience for you?

It was such an honour to be able to work with Tan Tock Seng Hospital again for their Founder’s Day. Sound plays such an important psychological part of our experience. Just by capturing the soundscapes of the room, you can gather so much emotional information. Being able to walk the halls of a place that’s fighting a pandemic, and bear witness to the good work of its people and aura was just a privilege. The most memorable sound was the respirator in the coronary unit, a sharp slow wheezing that haunts me. Think about it: that’s the sound of a machine breathing on behalf of a human being, who can’t do it for themselves. My heart broke.

A press shot for Inch’s Bumfuzzle album in 2013 (Courtesy of Inch Chua)

This COVID period has truly shaken the music industry to its core. What advice would you give to other creatives who might feel helpless or lost in this time?

Take stock of what’s important to you, and don’t be afraid to deconstruct your life. As much as it’s been challenging, we are really sitting on an opportunity to reassess and question how we were running our lives and re-curate it into something new.

You’ve supported the industry with so many initiatives over the years. As someone with so much knowledge and intimacy with the industry, do you think it can survive this ordeal?

I see it as natural selection, not all will survive. Adaptation is crucial for survival and because of that, the industry will transform from this ordeal; for better or worse, that’s relative. What will it become and how will it be? Who the pot of petunias knows? I just know that we can’t see change or reform without some deconstruction. Don’t hold on to hope, hold on to possibility.

“The hardest thing to do is being yourself.” (Credit: Jacqueline Chang)

And lastly, would you say you’ve evolved immensely from the time you burst into the industry with Allura, all those years ago?

Absolutely. I believe my artistry was really at its infancy then. I was still learning by imitating and observing what others do, to inform how I should present my artistry and myself. The hardest thing to do is being yourself. So much learning and unlearning has happened over the years to get closer to what I believe is me.

(Courtesy of Inch Chua)

You can listen to Inch Chua’s latest single “flags” now on Spotify, as well as the rest of her repertoire. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with all the wonderful things she does.