Written by Amal Murni
In collaboration with Chlorine
At the peak of teenage-hood; about 15 - 16, Chlorine wrote, played and recorded 6 EPs and continues to do so while evolving to be one of the Bruneian indie/ alternative rock prodigy. Deemed as the alternative scene’s son, Chlorine has so much to offer and we are always pumped with anticipation and support. In this spotlight segment, we’re getting to know more about this up and coming artist and find out about his inspirations, and goals.
Hello Chlorine, for those who are not familiar with your work, would you be so kind to describe to our readers and let them know who your inspirations are/ were?
HI, I do have a lot of inspirations and influences under my sleeve. Moreover, I'm a huge fan of Twenty One Pilots and basically the genre that is similar to theirs, like Panic At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and they were the first few artists I listened to which also sparked my desire to pick up an instrument. Other than that, I find anything as my inspirations. Some other influences I took were Clairo, Surfvampires and Oasis.
What were the albums/ songs/ artists that made you want to write and create music?
There's a lot, I mean there's a lot to be taken into consideration. But most notably, in terms of albums and artists, Twenty One Pilots's Trench and My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade. I just can't get over how complex their albums are, especially The Black Parade,13 year old chlorine was bedazzled. These albums were the first albums I've listened to in full length and probably the same albums my parents were sick off every-time I had a chance to connect to the car's Bluetooth. Other albums are, Weezer's Blue, Coldplay's Parachutes and Surf Vampires's Cohabitation.
Since you’re still an emerging artist and under 18, what’s your perception of the music scene/ community? Explain.
At first, I thought judging by my equipment also enormous age gap, I thought I wouldn't fit in well and I had doubts that I would never be able to contribute to it. But surprisingly this community is really open. I am happy to say that it is truly a safe place for artists to grow.
"Even though you lack the equipment or expensive high tech music-making tools, you're still accepted in a way because of your efforts and talent and not because of the gear. It's more to utilisation rather than how expensive your tools are."
I guess that was my biggest misconception of this community.
We are aware that you’re evolving day by day with your music; from bedroom lo-fi, to indie pop/ rock to alternative to shoegaze. What genre or subgenre speaks to you more?
I would say Emo. It was the first music genre that really affected me and also the first genre I've ever came across to myself, I haven't tried making Emo music to be certain, but I do take it under consideration. But other than that I am still experimenting on different kinds of genres so it might change sooner or never.
You were born in the digital age, so it’s understandable that you would gain easy access to tutorials online. Tell us, how did you first learn an instrument and recording?
My first instrument was the ukulele. I used to watch a lot of tutorial videos on YouTube which gave me foundation towards my song writing and also chord progressions. I only started picking up guitar the year after though. It was easier to learn guitar after knowing the basic chords on the ukulele 'cause you could apply all that to the guitar.
In terms of recording, I learned everything from trial and error, with the help from my friends. I'm still learning till today, and finding out tons of new things along the way.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why? (Local and international).
If it was local, it's non-other than Surf Vampires. They got me into shoegaze and dream pop (which I am still relatively new to haha).
If it was International, I would like to collab with either No Buses or Pastel Lite. They seem to be really cool people.
If you were to be an opening act for a local band, who would you hope it would be?
I would be honoured to open for anyone but I hope to open for Bluemoongirl anytime soon HAHA.
Chlorine, what are your quirks and pet peeves?
I know some of my friends would know this (or probably anyone who knows me well) but, I am really quiet when it comes to meeting new people and socialising in general. It usually takes me awhile (specifically, 2 weeks of non-stop meeting each other) to get a hang around new people. I'm also really awkward so don't mind me tipping over cds and cables or probably spilling coffee all over your favourite shirt.
The 9th question is reserved for sprinkles of positivity -- what are you grateful for this year?
I am really grateful for the amount of support I've been given from my friends and family, especially my parents, I am grateful for their support towards this hobby/ ambition/ somewhat-of-a-valid-career-path (as long as I study for O-levels hehe).
Also taken to account; my classmates - they were actually the first few people to know about my music, and I couldn't express how happy I was when they liked it.
"Being open to their criticisms and also opinions really gave me reasons to make and be more of what and who I am now."
Furthermore, I am grateful for Kepala Seni for giving me this opportunity to grow as an artist, and making it a safe place for local artists to grow and create together!!!
The floor is all yours: let our readers know about your recent/ upcoming project(s), where to find you (social media), and feel free to express yourself here!
Hi, here's a 16 year old's advice on starting out music:
If you want to start music then there's no one stopping you! You don't need anyone's approval to do something you want to pursue. It doesn't have to ring or cling to anyone's ear (yeah it could also literally cause ringing to someone's ear). Music is meant to be subjective and open to anyone.
"Don't let the lack of streams or views effect you in anyway, they're just numbers, and most importantly, have fun, and release your music when you're ready. Don't pressure yourself with a deadline - it's art, not work, but it is a work of art."
Besides that...
I'm currently working on a solo full-length album and it's a really cool project (although production is really slow right now HAHA). I hope I could finish it before O-levels (probably not).
You can find me on Instagram (@protonseventeen), Youtube (The Chlorine), and Soundcloud (Chlorine). I also have a band called Heartbreak Hotel. (@heartbreakh0te1 on Instagram)
Heartbreakhotel
Lastly, I would like to thank my peers, friends and family for supporting me till this day. No words could ever describe how grateful I am to have your support.
Here's to Gerard Way and also my Dad who introduced me to tons of cool music. I love you dad.
- chlorine :)
P.S. I have a Tyler Joseph grammy sticker on my hydro-flask
