Boston Music Award Nominee Bitty, previously known as bittymacbeth, first turned heads as an Indie R&B/Soul artist in the Singapore music scene delivering jazzy vocal runs and funky bass riffs - simultaneously - on stage. Her Beauty For Ashes debut album launch sold out with zero paid marketing.
All the while independent, Bitty has amassed more than 600k Spotify streams, two Spotify Viral 50 chart entries (Trace (Comfortable Sympathy), #4 and fly., #26) and a sleeper hit that has 2.4mil views on Youtube and growing (beautiful, in my skin).
After holding her own on stages as far as Boston and New York, Singapore's national performing arts centre, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, invited Bitty to be a headliner artist as part of their iconic Mosaic Music Series. She sold out the show - twice. Off the successful Mosaic Music Series debut, Bitty signed an exclusive publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. She's since written and co-produced award-winning music for Coca Cola, and Foodpanda and also worked with international brands Vogue, Garnier and Maybelline.
Her artistic ethos has always been grounded in the quote: “Such is the role of the prophetic artist: to provide a critique of the status quo, and an inspiration to change it.”
If Anderson Paak and Fujii Kaze had a baby, fostered by Lianne La Havas
Describe the moment you knew that you wanted to pursue music:
Slightly embarrassing, but I'd say when I watched Kelly Clarkson's Beautiful Disaster performed by another contestant on a later season of American Idol, back in 2006. It was like a switch flipped in my brain. I was so moved by that rendition, I knew I wanted to do the same as a performer too.
How does your heritage impact your art?
I've incorporated Bahasa Indonesia into a couple of my songs. It's similar, albeit more complicated, than my mother tongue (technically Peranakan AKA Baba Melayu, although I learnt Mandarin in school). I really like it especially in mango, where in the bridge, there's an ongoing rhyme with both the English and Bahasa: Love is simple but loving ain't easy // Love is tough cinta bukan mimpi // Banyak hujan untuk sedikit pelangi" The Bahasa words mean "Love is not a dream, it's a lot of rain for a few rainbows". Language is a powerful thing: I feel really moved and empowered knowing audiences who don't even understand the language vibe with the song and that it's not an obstacle to them. A radio DJ from London told me it was my best song :')
What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
Finding out I was nominated for a Boston Music Award while on the way to play my first show in NYC.
Your next music goal:
Play a music festival outside of Singapore
If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
So many people! But, I'll say Galdive. Reason: see my community shout-out!
Your favourite song/lyrics:
"The beauty of grace is that it makes life unfair" - Relient K
This one might seem very out of pocket given my soul/funk/R&B sound, but basically the bands that got me into songwriting were these pop-punk/rock/alternative bands of the 00s. They showed me that songwriting can be much more than just love and break-up songs: they can also be ways to communicate really heavy, existential and meaningful messages. This line, in particular, I find to be so powerful, alluding to the counter-culture radical nature of transformative grace - which I define as giving/being given what you don't deserve - it is inherently illogical to be gracious in a dog-eat-dog world. But it's acts of grace that make life and society so much better.
3 songs you're listening to right now:
2SIDED - Arlo Parks
Appetite - Great Good Fine Ok, Danielle Bradbery
Those Good Times - Kokoroko
Your community shout out:
I love everything about @galdive from Indonesia: the music, the seamless blend of nostalgic jazz + funk + R&B + modern electronic music, the visuals, the universe... ahhhhh. Memang bagus!
And shout out to all the people who've collaborated with me on the Lost & Found album: @sesamiiofficial, @thecolorfractl, @soundslikevan and @garethwong
Anything else you'd like to share:
Lost & Found album is out now on all platforms! I'm also on my first international tour ever, the Lost & Found tour, in support of the album, playing:
Tue 10 Feb - London, Signature Brew Haggerston with Oktae and Kinami
Fri 13 Feb - Brighton, The Brunswick with FARI
Sat 14 Feb - Bristol, Sofar Sounds with Jacob Coley
CHAMPIONING ASIAN HERITAGE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Across West to East Asian heritages - We aim to shatter stereotypes and help build bridge between genres, languages and sub regions. Evolving the definition of what being an Asian in the Western music scene entails.
We also have a strong focus on supporting and developing our community in the UK grassroots live scene. With 30 shows to date with 100+ artists on our stages.
