Beloved Singaporean singer-songwriter Charlie Lim returns for an extraordinary collaborative EP with acclaimed Hong Kong-Australian musician sarah su.
Their joint release, entitled Starting Line, is a 4-track beaut that documents "their real-life conversations and commiserations around relationships - and a healing sequence that encourages everyone to get back to their own starting line."
When announcing their team-up, Charlie shared on Instagram that he was "so grateful to have crossed paths with sarah while in London. They are one of the most gifted singer-songwriters I’ve met and glad we got to make some tunes together during my time there."
sarah expressed similar sentiments about their fruitful partnership saying, "It's such a joy to work with someone you can trust to hold your vulnerability, and who gives you that same trust in return."
We spoke to both musicians to learn more about the creative process behind each track on their their exceptional joint EP.
'Made Up Your Mind'
Charlie: “We were at a studio in London and tinkering on the piano; the song poured out quite naturally after some commiseration. The stripped version is pretty close to what came about after that session. But halfway through we had a brainwave to change it up with a garage beat. We still kept the piano, and I thought it was cool to write a bassline on it and have the song revolve around that.”
Sarah: “We were talking about some of the relationships in our lives and how frustrating it can be when it feels like you’re not being given a chance to find common ground or explain yourself. So I guess the song grew out of that desire to fight against the resignation to "agree to disagree" - like if relationships are meant to be collaborative, what does it mean to "win"?”
'My Own Imagination'
Charlie: “We started this on guitar and worked on the production over a few months and finished it while we were both in Melbourne. I like the lyrics a lot for this one, for me it’s about yearning for something that could possibly disappoint, but being able to let that go regardless.”
Sarah: “I tend to take a lot control over my relationships and then end up getting tired or feel resentful of holding the responsibility. So 'My Own Imagination' is really a daydream about learning to surrender to someone or something else, and allowing myself to be taught.”
'Starting Line'
Sarah: “This song was definitely the hardest to write. I have a tendency to go through short phases of deep infatuation and obsession, and I had this week where I could just feel myself really falling very quickly. So the lyrics act as a bit of a reminder to myself to slow down and take my time with my own emotions.”
Charlie: “This began as a drum and bass inspired track with LOUIS, a producer based in London’s Soho and I sat on it for a while. The track was already quite fleshed out so it was about finding the path of least resistance when it came to the topline melody. There’s also a lot of vocal layers in this one that I love.”
