Masia One: The Rising Singaporean Hip Hop and Dancehall Artist To Watch
The catchphrase “one in a million” may be overused, but in the case of Masia One, it rings true.
Masia One, whose real name is May Sian Lim, strikes an interesting chord in Singapore’s music scene, much less so her trajectory which brought her back to Singapore today. The self professed “Far East Empress” is a full time local hip hop and dancehall artist who had previously lived in the music scenes of Toronto, Canada, Hollywood, and Jamaica.
She left Singapore at the tender age of eight for Canada and graduated from the University of Toronto with an architecture degree before embarking on a music career in the United States. This culminated to where she was offered a contract by Universal Music Group's Interscope Records in the hopes of turning her into an “Asian Nicki Minaj”.
But Masia turned all such promises of fame and fortune down, and instead, moved to Jamaica to rediscover her love for music. Today, she has returned to her hometown, Singapore, an interesting choice for an Asian female rapper to grow her career in -- Singapore remains a relatively conservative city despite being often depicted as a cosmopolitan utopia.
Yet, Masia sees this as an opportunity to address the lack of representation in the music industry. “It is definitely a blessing that I was able to live this incredible life and have such a long career against all odds, and even now, as I see a lack of female representation in Southeast Asia’s Hip hop, I’m grateful to have had the experience to address this,” she says.
Her antithetical journey has paved the way for her work with top artists and eminent producers.
She has worked with Pharrell, John Frusciante, Che Vicious (G.O.O.D. Music, Kanye West, Jay-Z) to Hong Kong Actor and pop star, Edison Chen, with her music even featured on Netflix series such as Snowpiercer and Altered Carbon. Most recently, the artist was commissioned to write the TV theme song for Mediacorp show Ti Tou Dao.
Ahead, we speak to Masia on her latest single, her love for hip hop, representation, and life under the circuit breaker, where even shares the playlists she has been listening to lately to get through these current times.
How did your love for hip hop begin, and what spurred you to become a hip hop artist?
I had bought a bootleg “Public Enemy” cassette tape from Bedok wet market when I was 8 years old with some Chinese New Year Ang Pow money. My family moved to Canada shortly after and Hip hop became a way of expression that helped me deal with the alienation of a new place, from writing rap songs and hiding them under my bed, to drawing graffiti characters on everything!
You’ve moved around frequently since your youth, and have even gone through different genres - hip hop, canadian punk bands, and afrobeat bands to the US pop industry. How has that influenced your work?
After moving to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto, I lived in a music rehearsal studio at one point and had roommates and friends that played all kinds of music including punk outfit Death From Above 1979 (we made a song called “The Hazing” together), House & Soul divas like Isis Salam and Zaki Ibrahim and at one point fronted a 20-piece Afrobeats orchestra. Toronto had an incredibly diverse and multicultural scene at the time, and we would start the night at a punk concert and end it at a Reggae club playing lover’s rock. This has definitely influenced my work as I have never let categories or genres of music define me. You can hear most of these artists on my album collaborations.
Please share with us more about your latest single.
I was commissioned to write the TV theme song for Mediacorp show Ti Tou Dao which tells the journey of a Singaporean Wayang actress Madam Oon Ah Chiam. This resulting single “You’ll Only Love Me, When I’m Gone”, is inspired by meeting Madam Oon, and I wanted to convey a sense of the world only missing her, and the culture she represents, when it’s gone. I imagined a diva stepping out on her stage to sing one last encore, before her final curtain call.
It’s a departure from my usual Hiphop bravado, but I think it still shows my style of songwriting which aims to inspire people to feel brave. I challenged myself by also delivering a Chinese version of the song, that will be released with the Chinese dubbed version of the show. The first drafts of this body of work however, were Hiphop-Wayang songs (Hip hop songs with Wayang samples) so I hope to release these culture clash tunes soon as a “Street Opera” themed EP. I love experimenting with traditional sound, revisited with a more contemporary urban vibe.
There are not that many female asian rappers in the industry - both in Singapore and globally. Do you see that as a setback or a blessing?
When I started rapping in Canada, I was the only Asian and one of the only female emcees in the charts. I faced a lot of racist and sexist backlash, which often comes with looking and doing something different. At the time I had just gotten my degree in Architecture, but decided to pursue music since there were already a lot of Asian architects, but less Asian female representation in mainstream media of North America.
It is definitely a blessing that I was able to live this incredible life and have such a long career against all odds, and even now, as I see a lack of female representation in Southeast Asia’s Hip hop, I’m grateful to have had the experience to address this. As Hiphop becomes a global phenomenon there are definitely many great female emcees making a name here in Asia including Hullera (Malaysia), Suboi (Vietnam), Awich (Japan) and General Ling here in Singapore.
Music artists that you look up to?
I looked up to Lauryn Hill growing up (and still can’t believe I got to open her show at Singapore International Jazz Festival). Today I admire this new breed of female artists that are so unapologetic about who they are from Lizzo, to Princess Nokia and Leikeli47. As a female that has worked in the music industry and as an independent, I was constantly fighting A&Rs and managers that wanted me to fit into some yellow fever size 0 stereotype, and it brings me joy to see women that are owning their craft and image. I also look up to Rihanna, of course...she’s Queen...slayed the music and slayed the business - she’s her own 360 deal.
You've dabbled in reggae music ("Hot Lit Fyah"). Can we expect to see more reggae from you?
I would say I am incredibly passionate in Reggae music, having been the first Singaporean to work out of Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong studio, released singles signed to VP records and penned songs like Selah, and Number One. I moved to Kingston Jamaica after L.A. to cleanse my palette from Hollywood life, and fell in love with the music culture there. Upon returning to the Lion City, I found there was a prejudice against Reggae music here where I was told “Reggae can never work in Singapore '' or “Reggae is for poor people, don’t let anyone know you make Reggae music Masia. You are Hip hop''. I felt it was odd since I could hear Reggae backbeats on top 40 songs here in Asia like Maroon 5, Rihanna, Ellie Golding or EDM groups like Major Lazer. I realized it was all a matter of branding, and founded an events company called Singapura Dubclub and launched a Jamaican Jerk Sauce called Suka Suka Sauce to try to break stereotypes through different mediums.
Music that you have been listening to lately?
This time indoors has been hard on many people and many have shared that music has been what got them through. I’ve made three playlists with three different vibes:
Empress Gang: A selection of the fiercest most fabulous felines from female emcees to goddess vocalists: bit.ly/empressgang
Kingdom Kalm: Chill vibes for meditative and reflective moods, ore just something to keep the at home space calm but full of melodic nuances: bit.ly/kingdomkalm
Royal Booty: I’ve always been told my songs are great to workout to, so I created this mix for people working their royal booties in the gym or on the dance floor: bit.ly/royalbooty
How have you been fuelling your creativity given our current circuit breaker measures?
I have been online with producers and artists around the world to create a mixtape style project reflective of these times. I’m not one to make literal or slapstick “Corona Virus songs” but rather exploring sounds and themes that would allow music to be a form of therapy for these times. I’ve also been exploring how creative approaches can help businesses during these unprecedented times - for example I helped a restaurant start a Tik Tok account owned by a “burrito” and wrote some jingles for a sushi roll spot. My sauce company, Suka Suka Sauce, has also been doing better than ever during Circuit Breaker because suddenly everyone is cooking at home and much more health conscious. I’ve done a handful of live streams both cooking and rapping in the last week - maybe this leads to a Hiphop cooking show! Who knows, creatively speaking anything is possible.
Favourite local haunts or music events you can’t wait to get back to once the COVID measures have been lifted?
I throw “Singapura Dub Club” events every first Sunday of the month at the rooftop of Potato Head that attracts a really unique and diverse crowd so I’ve been missing that mingle. Also Vatos Cantina in Holland with its al fresco dining in the park - we used to gather there to enjoy oversized margaritas and Jamaican Jerk chicken tacos. My producer DJ ALX lives in Tiong Bahru, and I miss aimlessly wandering the alleyways in this area after long studio sessions - walks that inspire poetry (not to mention great book stores along the way).
What’s next for Masia One?
I have a mixtape of socially distant music written during this time, followed by a Hip hop driven “Street Opera” EP. Toward the end of the year I have a Reggae influenced release with some songs I really love coming out. Beyond the music, I feel that I’m reaching a juncture in my life where all my cultural connections, love for music, architectural education and new culinary adventures are coming together. Maybe I’ll embark on building a physical creative hub, or maybe it’s developing artist exchanges between West and East? I’ve been blessed with the freedom that comes with creating, so it’s a Kingdom that can never rest.
