Singapore, 3 Feb 2023 – Singapore alternative-rock band Coming Up Roses, known for its shoegaze-influenced style, have been commissioned to write a song that takes its inspiration from UTOPIA, a 47-minute-long choral symphony.
This combination of contrasting music genres by the band kicks off the second edition of the UTOPIA Reimagined initiative, which continues to build on the success of the first edition by enabling collaboration and experimentation to nurture their growth as artists.
The band members, comprising singer/bassist Emily Sera, guitarist Darius Oon, and guitarist Lorenzo Mailum, first connected with The Foundation after sparking a conversation about music export following the band’s tour to Canada in 2022.
They have been fans of the inaugural UTOPIA Reimagined series launched in 2021 that commissioned Aisyah Aziz, Joanna Dong, Charlie Lim, and ShiGGa Shay.
Coming Up Roses is the first among the four artists commissioned for the second edition, which includes OHMYMEITING, weish and Dru Chen. In line with its mission to promote local creative talents, The Foundation has also commissioned Dr Yanyun Chen, recipient of the Young Artist Award in 2020, to design the cover art for all four singles.
“More than to define what ‘utopia’ is, the song seeks out the very possibility of utopia and whether such a state or place exists. And if so, what would people be willing to give up for it – especially if it’s at the expense of others. It also ponders whether people would be truly happy if they found ‘utopia’,” explains lead singer Emily Sera.
Guitarist Darius Oon states: “For the recording of this song, we focused on a lot of textural elements and spent quite a bit of time honing in synth sounds in the studio. It was important for us to capture the essence of the song through the timbre of the instruments to encapsulate rumination. We also spent quite some time on the guitar and the solo section – we wanted the music to build into a crescendo – a sonic catharsis in a way.”
Coming Up Roses is working with Grammy-award winning, London-based Singaporean mixing engineer, Caesar Edmunds, for the song. The group has emerged as one of the most promising acts out of Southeast Asia owing to their dynamic live shows and heartfelt lyrical themes. In addition to tours in Taiwan and Indonesia, the band have played festivals such as Canadian Music Week, Fred Perry Subculture and The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions. To date, the band has released 2 EPs, debut effort Waters (2018) and sophomore EP Everything Is (2022).
“The band had the opportunity to meet with folks at The Foundation after the release of our ‘Everything is’ album and discuss possibilities on how we could grow further in our journey together. It is pretty cool that each artist gets the freedom to express the same theme in their own unique way and we’re really excited to see how all the songs from the different artists will converge and reflect their perspectives of utopia. Our fans will hear a different aspect of the band’s creativity and philosophy. We are excited to see how this platform will complement our efforts to grow and expand on the world stage,” says Lorenzo Mailum.
Founder and director of The Foundation, Michael Tay, noted that the collaboration with Coming Up Roses was an example of how The Foundation has used the UTOPIA Reimagined platform to open doors and connect creative talents across borders and genres, to produce music that resonates with listeners across different backgrounds.
“Coming Up Roses is young, directed and focused, and they showed their ambition with their move to the UK to pursue their aspiration on a bigger stage. It was good that we connected with them early and we are excited to be part of their journey. This is not about giving them money and wishing them good luck. We see ourselves as an early disruptor that can help boost their musical development,” Michael said.
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Yaim Chia, Programme Manager, The Foundation
[email protected]
About Coming Up Roses
Hailing from the island nation of Singapore, London-based alternative rock band Coming Up Roses forge a sound that is distinctively familiar – yet you can’t quite put your finger on.
Having relocated from Singapore to the UK in late 2022, their move is footnoted by the release of new single “Utopia Reimagined: These Corners”. Produced by Joshua Rumble (Florence Welch, Black Country New Road) and mixed by Caesar Edmunds (Foals, Beach House), the sprawling track showcases a band in its ascendancy.
Led by singer-bassist Emily Sera, the group has emerged as one of the most promising acts out of Southeast Asia owing to their dynamic live shows and heartfelt lyrical themes. In addition to tours in Taiwan and Indonesia, the band have played festivals such as Canadian Music Week, Fred Perry Subculture and The Alex Blake Charlie Sessions. To date, the band has released 2 EPs, debut effort Waters (2018) and sophomore EP Everything Is (2022).
Despite the bittersweet nature of leaving their lives behind in Singapore, Coming Up Roses are ready to embark on their new adventure.
“Vocals that tug at heartstrings and sounds that paint wondrous worlds” – Hear65
“Pummelling guitar-driven crescendo” – NME
“A breath of fresh air” – SG Magazine
Website: https://www.cominguprosesband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cominguprosessg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cominguprosessg/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cominguprosessg/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cominguprosessg
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/coming-up-roses-514636006
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6pfmrPAgSkSRCZXAkbkGyb?si=lDrAzoXRQkqf8Lc1iD8iig
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/cominguprosessg
