Heard but not seen, this is the status of songwriters and producers in the music industry.
Although they are the masterminds behind many of our favourite songs, their talent is completely overshadowed by the popularity of the featured artiste.
Despite the lack of recognition, many producers like local pop hitmakers MFMF. still find great fulfilment in helping create impactful art.
Established in 2018, the pop group is made up of three members – Brendan Lim, Justin Seow and Zen.
The Music For My Friends (MFMF.) trio produces, writes and composes music for local artistes. Their portfolio consists of some of the biggest acts in the country – Yuna, Hael Husaini and Nabila Razali.
But before making music for a living, the members were working regular white-collar jobs.
“I was working long hours at a corporate job that sucked the life out of me. I grew tired of helping the rich stay rich. So, music became my escape,” said Justin.
The sentiment was echoed by Zen, who said: “I felt the same too. I worked in construction for five years and my job was all about designing buildings and concrete structures.”
A shared passion for music inspired them to pursue music full-time as a group.
As Zen enthusiastically puts it: “We were making music part-time for three years before realising that if we continue to not leap, we would never have the guts to. Since we did not find fulfilment with our day jobs, we were willing to take the risks!”
How has your journey in the industry been?
Brendan: We remember the times when we struggled to barely make ends meet. For instance, we once worked without a salary for a whole year. Everything we earned, went straight back into the company. We ate “economy” rice every day. The harsh truth about the industry is that you can only start earning after two years of your career. So, the real struggle is to survive (without burning out) until then. That is our constant struggle.
It has been a rollercoaster ride in the last two years in the industry. Maybe a bullet train is more exact. Although we never know where it will take us, we are ready for whatever comes our way!
What is one achievement that you are most proud of?
Justin: For me, it was seeing my dad acknowledge my music career via a simple Facebook post (about our music) that he shared with his friends. It was his way of saying how proud he was of me and that meant a lot because my parents doubted many of my early career choices.
Brendan: I think the success of our single, Cute, was a strong testimony that hard work and dedication truly pays off. Cute was 100% an independent release and we still managed to dethrone other A-list songs that were heavily funded by major labels at the time.
Zen: I am just glad that all the late and very long nights we spent making music with Hael Husaini resulted in so many amazing songs that I am proud of. One of them being Peluang Kedua, which may be the biggest ballad of 2020.
As producers, do you take inspiration from the past or current hits and trends?
Brendan: Everything! We enjoy listening to old songs, be it folk, blues or rock and roll. Even music in different languages! But at the same time, we religiously .study any new music every Friday so that we always know what’s in trend. We also take inspiration from movies and shows that we watch and even the video games we play!
How did your collaboration with Talitha Tan and RESORT on your latest single, Tonight happen?
Brendan: We wrote this song with Talitha’s voice in mind. But we already knew we wanted her to break away from her comfort zone by introducing more dynamics to her vocal range. We originally had another male artiste to sing on the track but after he recorded his demo, both parties realised that his vocals were just not best suited for the song. We already had plans to work with RESORT, but we did not have the right song for them until Tonight came along. RESORT’s velvety vocals were just perfect on the song, and we knew we could guide and push RESORT to sing high notes and to deliver the song excitingly. So, we are honestly so glad that the song turned out this way.
Do you have plans to sing on your tracks in the future?
Brendan: If you listen closely to all of our tracks, we have been singing on them. Just that our voices are tucked into the background. As for us taking on the role of the lead singer, this is something that we have been seriously considering for the past couple of months, so yes! There is a big possibility that you would hear our voices more in our future songs!
