Best known for her sultry timbre and charming stage personality, Singaporean vocalist Alemay Fernandez has made a name for herself in the region and across international waters.
During her eventful 20-year career, Alemay has appeared at an impressive line-up of notable venues overseas, including Birdland Jazz Club in New York and The Black Cat Jazz Supper Club in San Francisco. She has also had the honour of gracing stages alongside three acclaimed jazz orchestras worldwide – Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, and The Duke Ellington Orchestra.
An active figure in the jazz music landscape, Alemay feels responsible for bearing the seeds in the industry and ensuring the growth of the jazz community. Now filling the shoes of her mentors, the ‘Being You’ singer is guiding the jazz community through her roles as a vocal coach for the National University of Singapore Jazz Band and a vocal lecturer at the Laselle College Of The Arts Singapore, where she has conducted vocal and performance workshops for students.
Come 10 December this year, Alemay will fire up Sentosa Cove with a night of soulful jazz and blues as she graces the stage at Jazz by the Cove. Alongside fellow vocal powerhouses Miss Lou and Michelle SgP, she will perform against a picturesque beachfront panorama as part of the event's Ladies of Jazz night.
Ahead of her performance at Jazz by the Cove – Ladies of Jazz, Alemay spoke to Hear65 about what she’s looking forward to this Christmas, the importance of the jazz community in Singapore, what she’s learnt as a jazz singer, and more.
Hi, Alemay! With Christmas coming again, what are some things that you’re looking forward to the most about this year’s holiday season?
Hello Hear65, thank you for having me. It is so nice to get to chat with you again :)
My favourite thing about the holiday season is that all my family and friends who live overseas come back to Singapore and I get to catch up with everyone I care about in short succession. I love how the holiday season is about celebrating relationships and spending quality time together around good food from my childhood and, of course, none of it means anything without the signature cheerful music. That’s why it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
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This December, you will be performing at Jazz by the Cove’s Ladies of Jazz night, which will also feature Miss Lou and Michelle SgP. How does it feel to have the opportunity to showcase jazz music at an event like this?
Any opportunity to showcase jazz is a celebration and I’m really glad that Sentosa is bringing jazz to Sentosa Cove via Jazz by the Cove. Six themed nights devoted to jazz makes me smile and I am grateful to Jazz by the Cove for having me in the Ladies of Jazz line-up with my talented friends. The more people are exposed to this great genre, the hope is that the more this wonderful music will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. Which means I’m doing my job!
“Any opportunity to showcase jazz is a celebration.”
What do you have in store for your audience at Jazz by the Cove’s Ladies of Jazz?
I’m really excited to be doing mostly original music spanning a cross-section of my collaborations with musician friends I’ve made throughout the world over the last 10 years and will of course end with my favourite Christmas song.
In the many years that you have spent as a jazz singer, what are some things you’ve learnt that have helped you to improve your craft?
Wow, that’s a great question but how much time do you have?? Hahaha. Being a jazz singer has truly been a blessing. I feel grateful every day to get to do what I love. But like most things in life, it’s about people.
Choosing the right musicians for the gig, not just with the right music skills and knowledge, but also the ones that have great chemistry. Putting good musicians together that have no chemistry doesn’t guarantee they’ll sound good together. Chemistry is everything.
Planning a set that doesn’t just include songs you want to play, but also songs the audience will be receptive to. A little something so everyone’s happy.
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Engaging your audience by making sure you periodically check in on how they are feeling and giving them as much background about the songs you are doing as possible, without boring them. Giving the audience context gives them a reason to be engaged and really pay attention to the song, which means they’ll be able to relate, which means they’ll become invested and makes it more likely they’ll want to come back and watch you again, and that’s how you create a following.
Do what you need to, to make sure you know your music well. That means making sure you rehearse enough that you don’t need to worry about anything except enjoying your performance. If you’re not enjoying your performance, how will your audience?
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“Being a jazz singer has truly been a blessing. I feel grateful every day to get to do what I love. But like most things in life, it’s about people.”
Despite experiencing success internationally, you remain a very active member of the jazz community here in Singapore, both as a performer and a mentor figure. How important is this community to you?
Oh my goodness, this music community is my family! I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of a music scene that I have grown up in, learned from, and created strong bonds with. And I am glad I get to pay it forward with the next generation and be there for them. I would not be here without my mentors, so I understand the importance of keeping up that tradition. Without mentorship, it is very difficult for the community to grow and flourish, so I take this responsibility seriously.
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“This music community is my family! I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of a music scene that I have grown up in, learned from, and created strong bonds with.”
While jazz may not receive as much attention as mainstream music, we do see Singaporeans supporting local jazz acts at events such as Jazz’in @ Capitol and Jazz Association (Singapore)’s Swing!Swing!Swing! at the Botanic Gardens. As a jazz artist yourself, how encouraging is this?
It’s extremely encouraging! As I said earlier, giving people any exposure to this genre is a win. How we grow our audience is largely dependent on the support we get from events such as these, so I am always grateful for any organisation that promotes a jazz-based event. Without them, we would not have platforms to perform and share our favourite genre.
What’s one thing about Singapore’s jazz music that not many people know about?
We actually have a really thriving scene amongst the millennial and Z generations. They are making a name for themselves both in Singapore and internationally. Musicians like flautist Rit Xu, winning international jazz competitions, drummer Aaron James Lee, singer Eugenia Yip, and bassist Jase Sng, part of local band The Steve McQueens that had an album produced by Incognito’s Bluey and opened for them in the O2 Arena in London, and saxophonist Sean Hong Wei, currently making waves in the New York jazz scene while he’s studying at the prestigious New School. We have a small but mighty scene. There’s so much talent and passion for the genre, [and] it’s truly encouraging and very exciting! Singapore jazz is alive and well, which I couldn’t be happier about!
“We have a small but mighty scene. There’s so much talent and passion for the genre, it’s truly encouraging and very exciting! Singapore jazz is alive and well which I couldn’t be happier about!”
Finally, are there any songs or artists that you would recommend to someone who’s curious to know more about Singaporean jazz music?
Well, definitely the bands and artistes I’ve mentioned already, my fellow performers in Jazz by the Cove, Chok Kerong, The Litmus Jazz Ensemble, The Sugar Bees, NUS Jazz Band, and Ragha Jazz. They should also head out to the four jazz clubs we have to experience local bands play live – Simply Jazz by Tinbox, Cool Cats, The Jazz Loft at BluJaz, and Maduro. There’s nothing like experiencing live jazz!
Alemay Fernandez will perform at the Jazz by the Cove – Ladies of Jazz on 10 December at 8 PM. Admission is free. For more information on the event, visit Sentosa’s official website.
Check out Alemay Fernandez’s Hard to Imagine here.
