Singaporean Jazz vocalist Joanna Dong is back with her latest single '等睡醒以后', produced and arranged by local singer-songwriter Charlie Lim.
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Translating to 'It can wait 'til after you wake', the comforting song paints a picture of a chimerical escape during tumultuous times.
"I believe we've all had those moments of indecision between leaving or staying. Often, our struggle isn't with facing the consequences of our decisions, but having to make the decision itself," Dong says.
"In those moments, perhaps we’re not in need of answers, but instead a warm gentle voice to reassure us that there’s no need to rush to any conclusions - everything can wait till after we've had a good night's sleep."
'等睡醒以后' is a shift from Dong's usual pop-jazz releases, with soft synth and electronic sounds featured on the track. It is also the Sing! China finalist's first time co-writing music on a professional level.
“Joanna doesn’t really see herself as a songwriter, which I completely disagree [with] — she’s creative, articulate, and has a great imagination," shared producer and co-writer Charlie Lim. "I think it was just about creating the right environment for her to express herself, to try different things and enjoy the process."
While the cross-genre collaboration may appear unexpected, Dong and Lim have actually been friends for more than a decade when the latter was with the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company. Since then, they've both looked up to each other as inspirations in the local music scene. What started as a casual writing session in 2019 eventually resulted in the creation of '等睡醒以后'.
According to Lim, they "just went for what felt the most natural at the time" when working on the track.
"There was a natural ease about it all," added Dong.
To celebrate the release of the track, a special episode of Joanna Dong's 'Jie Jie Time' livestream show will be held on 29 July at 10 PM SGT on her Facebook page, with Charlie Lim as a guest.
Earlier this year, Dong released '快乐乐乐', an upbeat track to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Lim last collaborated with Australian producer Katz for 'Forgetting', a song about the fickleness of human nature.
'等睡醒以后' will be available on all digital platforms on 29 July.
