NME x Baybeats: Trust the process | Esplanade Offstage

Featuring NADA, Intriguant and Forests
Every artist’s journey is different—not least the paths trod by each of these Singaporean musicians. NADA, the duo of Rizman Putra and Safuan Johari, began nearly a decade ago as a project interrogating nostalgia by turning old Malay music into new forms. Intriguant is the producer and DJ Louis Quek, who has gone from hip-hop and turntablist roots into ambient, downtempo and breakbeat directions. Darell Laser is the vocalist and bassist of Forests, who play a blend of emo and math rock that has been described as ‘party emo’.

As NME speaks to these musicians, each loved and respected in Singapore’s music scene for different reasons, we find a shared emphasis on process—and a deep gratitude for the journey, and for those who help them embark on it.

This series is produced by NME and commissioned by Esplanade Offstage for Baybeats 2023, presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

Production credits

Production Manager & Interviewer: Karen Gwee
Artist Liaison: Surej Singh
Producer: Liting Ng
Agency: Island Boys
Director: Christopher Thein
DOP & Editor: Mohammad Izzadely
Grip: Brian Loh
Production Assistant: Haikal Affendy
Audio: Mohammad Izzraimy

Videos of performances at Baybeats and Mosaic Music Series courtesy of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. Performance and music video footage courtesy of NADA, Intriguant, Forests, Little Ong and Thaïs C.M Breton. Photos of Forests courtesy of Eng Ngee and Arielle Gonzalez.

Special thanks to The Analog Vault.