Reported by:
Jr3Z(6) Khoo Xin Yi
On the 11th of September, the Music Composing Society held an Online Pop Music Sharing Session, showcasing different types of music to those passionate about such forms of art. In total, there were 9 segments, each catering to different genres of music and each hosted by different emcees.
The session kicked off with Taiwanese pop music, first explaining how the culture and trend had started back in 1984 due to the popularity of songs by artist Jonathan Lee (李宗盛). Along with many famous artists such as Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Eric Chou, A-Mei, Hebe Tien, G.E.M. and Jolin Tsai, Taiwanese pop music gained traction fairly quickly in the music industry.
Artist Jay Chou and Recommended Songs
The second segment spoke on a specific song by a Korean singer, producer and DJ, Dept (뎁트), titled ‘Secret Love’. The artist collaborated with singers Ashley Alisha and Jae Luna in the making of both ‘Secret Love’ and ‘Be Okay’. Afterwards, another emcee talked about game OSTs (Official Soundtrack), melodies that help bring out the feelings and world building of the game, enhancing gameplay. Some games mentioned were ‘Little Nightmares II’, ‘Undertale’ and ‘Life is Strange’. The main game the emcee spoke on was ‘Cuphead’, a classic run-and-gun indie game with catchy OSTs created by Kristofer Maddigan. After a short introduction to the game, the emcee stated that the OSTs carry a jazzy and Lydian-dominant style, even suggesting ‘King Dice’, a boss theme from ‘Cuphead’.
Introduction to ‘Cuphead’
Next up, the fourth emcee shared thoughts on Scottish artist and singer Nina Nesbitt. She started her career in music after listening to Taylor Swift and getting good feedback on YouTube for her first songs. Though the artist was criticized for not having her own composition style, that didn’t stop her. She went on to write more songs, creating albums like ‘The Apple Tree (EP)’, ‘Peroxide (2014)’ and ‘The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change (2019)’, most of which are light and addictive tunes.
BTS (Bangtan Boys), the world-renowned K-pop group that everyone has heard of. In the fifth segment, the emcee introduced the 7 charming members of the group, Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook. With songs like ‘Epiphany’, ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Butter’, the group has gained a mass following all over the world and even released albums such as ‘Love Yourself: Answer’ and ‘BE’.
Following the popular K-pop group, western pop from the 50s and 60s were then shared by the sixth emcee. Back then, artists like Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, Chubby Checker and Edith Piaf were all at their prime, writing out groovy hits that, to this day, are still quite popular. The 50s and 60s were the pinnacle of rock and roll, especially with songs like ‘All Shook Up’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Let’s Twist Again’ and more. The emcee also shared more soothing songs, for example ‘Moon River’ by British singer and actress Audrey Hepburn, along with ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ (No, I do not regret anything) by French singer, songwriter, cabaret performer and film actress Edith Piaf.
Up next was original film scores which are soundtracks written specifically for films or movies. The emcee conducted an interactive activity where participants were encouraged to guess the movie title based on the soundtrack played. Hollywood original film scores from movies like Avengers, Jurassic World, Star Wars and more were immediately recognized. The emcee also played soundtracks from movies originating from China and Hong Kong such as soundtracks ‘In the Mood For Love’ and ‘The Battle of the Red Cliff’. Tracks from Studio Ghibli were also brought up, including ‘Merry-Go-Round of Life’ from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’, ‘The Path of Wind’ from ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ and ‘A Town With An Ocean View’ from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service ‘, all composed by Japanese artist Joe Hisaishi.
Hollywood Original Film Score Composers