Charlie Lim
Also known asCharlie Lim
BornSingapore, Singapore
GenresPop, Singer-Songwriter, Folk-Rock, Neo-soul, Electronic, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, Bass, Drums
Years active2011–present
LabelsHouse Of Riot!, Universal Music
Websitehttp://charlielim.net/

Charles Lim, better known as Charlie Lim, is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, musician, producer and artist.[1]

Musical career

Charlie broke into the Southeast Asian music scene in 2011 with his self-titled debut EP. Signing with management label House of Riot in 2012, he continued to tour the region, playing major festivals such as Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore, Singapore International Jazz Festival, Wonderland Festival in Manila, Jarasum International Jazz Festival in Korea, Urbanscapes in Kuala Lumpur, Clockenflap in Hong Kong, Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia, Bigsound and Brisbane Festival in Australia, supporting acts such as Kimbra, BADBADNOTGOOD, Émilie Simon, Hiatus Kaiyote, Lucy Rose, Sigur Ros, Lenka, Ta-Ku and Snarky Puppy.[2]

Lim released TIME/SPACE in 2015, an introspective and melancholic double EP that explores "different polarities" of his musical interests,[3] with TIME reflecting his folkier, singer-songwriter sensibilities and SPACE a manifestation of his DIY approach to experimental pop production.[4] The album went to #1 on Singapore's iTunes charts within an hour of its release.[5] Singapore's leading newspaper The Straits Times gave it a glowing review of 4.5/5 stars,[6] and was also awarded Best Pop Album of 2015.[7] Popular media outlets such as TODAY, Bandwagon, Popspoken, Vulcan Post, Beehype, Buro 24/7, Honeycombers, Native Entertainment, and JUICE also considered the record as one of the best music releases of the year.[8]

Following two landmark, sold-out shows at the 10th edition of the Mosaic Music Festival – an achievement never claimed by a Singaporean artist – Charlie premiered TIME/SPACE to another sold-out crowd at Singapore's premier concert venue, the 1600-seater Esplanade Concert Hall,[9] as part of a triple bill with Inch Chua and The Great Spy Experiment.[10]

In 2015, Lim was commissioned to write two theme songs for the 28th Southeast Asian Games and was asked to perform his song "Still" at the Singapore National Stadium for the Games' closing ceremony.[8]

In late 2016, Lim signed his first major record deal with Universal Music Singapore[11] and released his sophomore album CHECK-HOOK in 2018,[12] which was heavily influenced by UK garage and electronic dance music. The album also clinched a #1 spot on the iTunes chart and was awarded Best Song of The Year by Apple Music.[13]

For the 2018 Singapore National Day Parade, Lim updated the classic 1987 National Day song, We Are Singapore, which it was performed during the parade.[14][15] His prelude was then turned into a full song, Room at the Table –which was the opening song for 2020's National Day Parade, with proceeds from the song donated to charities supporting migrant workers during the pandemic.[16]

In 2021, Charlie won the Young Artist Award conferred by the National Arts Council,[17] Singapore's highest award for young arts practitioners aged 35 and below.[18] He is currently music director of Indiego, a local internet radio station and platform supporting local and independent music.[19]

Personal life

Lim was exposed to music from a young age, especially since his mother taught the piano.[4] He started singing and playing the piano in church and in school bands, learning how to play by ear. He was educated at Victoria School where he was with the school choir which came in second at the Singapore Youth Festival. At 14, he moved to Melbourne, Australia and wanted to pursue medicine or journalism, but "music got the better of him".[20] In 2005, he topped the state of Victoria for music performance and was selected by VCE's Season of Excellence to perform at Melbourne's Hamer Hall.[21][22] He later returned to Singapore to serve National Service, during which he joined the Singapore Armed Forces Music & Drama Company as their frontman for the combo band, which involved performing for foreign dignitaries, army recruits, black tie events, as well as goodwill tours in Australia and Brunei.[23] Lim continued his studies at Monash University in 2008 to complete his Bachelor's degree in Music. He currently shuttles between Singapore, Melbourne and London.[4][22]

Discography

  • Charlie Lim EP (2011)
  • TIME/SPACE (2015)
  • CHECK-HOOK (2018)
  • Hollow (2018) with Katz
  • CHECK-HOOK: Remixes - Wave 1 (2019)
  • CHECK-HOOK: Remixes - Wave 2 (2020)
  • Welcome Home [Swimful Remix] (2020) with BIBI
  • Hummingbird (2020) with Linying
  • Two Sides (2020) with Gentle Bones
  • Room at the Table (2020)
  • Live at the Star Theatre (2020)
  • Ashes (2020) with Miho Fukuhara
  • Won't You Come Around (2021) with Aisyah Aziz
  • Forgetting (2021) with Katz
  • So I Say What's Up (2022) with Sheikh Haikel
  • Boyhood (2022) with ABANGSAPAU
  • Into Dreams (2022) with Ng Pei-Sian
  • Definitely (2023) with Linying and Katz

Music videos

Year Song Director(s)
2015 "I Only Tell The Truth" Felipe P. Soares
2016 "Bitter" Anita Lester
2016 "Conspiracy" Lenne Chai
2017 "Light Breaks In" Jonathan Choo
2018 "Welcome Home" Jonathan Choo
2018 "Circles" GX Khoo
2018 "Zero-Sum" Jasper Tan

References

  1. ↑ "The Story So far | Charlie Lim". Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  2. ↑ "The Story So far | Charlie Lim". Charlie Lim. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  3. ↑ "Charlie Lim: Master of melancholy". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  4. 1 2 3 hermesauto (2016-07-19). "That's Life with singer-songwriter Charlie Lim". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Charlie Lim - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  6. ↑ "Charlie Lim - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  7. ↑ hermes (2015-12-26). "Best and worst 2015: Albums". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  8. 1 2 "Interview: Sharing space and time with Singapore's Charlie Lim - Music Weekly Asia". 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  9. ↑ "Supporting Local: The role of the fan in Singapore's music scene". 27 August 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  10. ↑ migration (2015-05-28). "Charlie Lim, Inch Chua and The Great Spy Experiment are first local indie acts to take centre stage at Esplanade Concert Hall". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  11. ↑ Auto, Hermes (2016-08-11). "Local singer-songwriter Charlie Lim signs on with Universal | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  12. ↑ "Charlie Lim talks new sound on CHECK-HOOK, his songwriting approach, and possible collaborations with Filipino artists". Charlie Lim talks new sound on CHECK-HOOK, his songwriting approach, and possible collaborations with Filipino artists | Bandwagon | Music media championing and spotlighting music in Asia. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  13. ↑ "Ben&Ben, NIKI, Charlie Lim, Phum Viphurit break into Apple Music's Best of 2018: Editors' Picks". Ben&Ben, NIKI, Charlie Lim, Phum Viphurit break into Apple Music's Best of 2018: Editors' Picks | Bandwagon | Music media championing and spotlighting music in Asia. 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  14. ↑ "New NDP song is updated version of 1987's We Are Singapore". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Charlie Lim on Not Believing His Own Hype And Making It Outside of the System". Popspoken. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "'More graciousness, more forgiveness': Charlie Lim's new song for NDP 2020 calls for kinder S'pore". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  17. ↑ Auto, Hermes (2021-11-24). "Young Artist Award goes to musician Charlie Lim, dancer Norhaizad Adam, and more | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  18. ↑ "Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award". NAC. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  19. ↑ "Mediacorp Goes Indie with indiego – the Latest Offering from Singapore's Largest Digital Radio Network". Mediacorp. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  20. ↑ Box, WP. "The Pop Perfectionist - The UrbanWire". theurbanwire.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  21. ↑ "From the military to musician: Charlie Lim's path to music faced challenging internships and heartbreak". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  22. 1 2 migration (2015-05-28). "Singer-songwriter Charlie Lim travels for creative growth, but will always call Singapore home". Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  23. ↑ "Charlie Lim: Strumming the Soul". The UrbanWire. 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
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