WHEN the going gets tough, the tough keep going and the music must play on. Like everyone else in the entertainment industry struggling through hard times, Zoe Alicia Tan is keeping her chin up above the gloom.
Speaking to theSun, the singer-songwriter reveals that she had plans to release her debut single, but as Covid-19 made landfall in the country, the plan was effectively totalled.
“Covid-19 made it harder to produce anything,” Zoe said, adding that her goal for 2021 is to release something for people to listen to.
“If not, you know, it will be okay. I genuinely believe everything happens for a reason and I’m on the right track.”
Yesteryears
Zoe, 20, has been involved in music for well over a decade.
Before her extensive background in musical theatre, Zoe was training to be a figure skater.
At the age of seven, Zoe wanted to be part of a school play, which would have required even more time obligations due to rehearsals.
“My dad gave me an ultimatum and said: ‘Both of these things will take a huge chunk of your time’. It was so strange having a conversation like that at seven years old, like I didn’t even know what I wanted for dinner yet,” she said, laughing.
“To have to choose between the two that I really enjoyed doing was really hard. But of course, I ended up pursuing the arts and went on to the school play that year. It was Red Riding Hood or something like that”.
Growing up with musical theatre gave her a lot of confidence when it came to performing and being on stage in front of so many people, which Zoe revealed she misses doing as live performances are currently dead in the water.
“(Musical theatre) forced me to express myself in ways I could not before, and to be brave, which are things I carry with me every day,” she said.
Exploration and purpose
Songwriting for Zoe came between her junior and senior years in school, as she began experimenting with her original music.
“I wrote a song when I was 14 or 15 years old, and I performed it for a show at my school. I was opening for Yuna at the time,” Zoe revealed.
“Looking back at my songwriting then, it was not reflective of who I am as an artiste as I grew up”.
Available to listen on Soundcloud, Zoe’s music currently hearkens to the sounds of Phoebe Bridgers mixed with some Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and other inspirations such as Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler the Creator.
“I try to draw from really different places. It gives my music a more whole feeling,” she said.
Not the end
On how 2021 has been hard on her creatively, Zoe said with a deep sigh that it has been getting better.
It has been really hard to stay consistent making music and anything creatively because of the pandemic and not being able to go outside and experience new things,” she said.
Ultimately, Zoe has learned that it is important to take her time and not rush anything.
She has made the mistake so many times whenever a burst of creativity arrives, as she would go at it with full force to make the best of it.
“I’ve learned that’s not sustainable in the long run”.
As much as she uses her social media platforms for her music, Zoe also uses it for social, gender and racial causes that she feels are important.
“In high school, I created a feminism/women empowerment club. At the time, I thought it was super important in school, because I never saw anything like that before. I thought it was a cool way to advocate something that we should constantly talk about,” she explained on the genesis of her outspoken nature.
“I always think it’s really important to champion causes we’re proud of and passionate about”.
