SINGAPORE : Singapore singer-songwriter Ling Kai became an overnight sensation after a video of her performing her original song “Larkin Step” garnered over a million hits on video sharing site, Youtube.
Interestingly, Ling wasn’t completely satisfied with the poetry-inspired song when she put up the video to share her song with her friends. On her blog, she called it “a work in progress” which she intended to “change, modify and polish further”.
But more than a million views from around the world and 13,000 comments later, that did not seem possible or even necessary anymore.
“The amount of people who actually said they liked what I wrote, that is a huge surprise for me, I never thought it would happen,” she said in an interview on Primetime Morning.
Despite her initial success, the self-taught guitarist said on her blog she was determined not to end up as “the ‘Larkin Step’ girl for all eternity” and focused on putting together her EP, “Honestly”, after accepting an offer from Australian indie label Lempicka Records.
The 23-year-old said she had met with representatives from a few major record labels but picked Lempicka because she “just felt like they were more interested in the music”.
Her EP was released in November 2008 and features “Larkin Step” along with five other original songs based on Ling’s experiences as well as her observations. Ling told Primetime Morning that she wants to tell a story with her songs and reach out to people.
“I really like songs that tell a story so that’s what I try to do,” she said.
“I think it’s important to have something to say. Because, I’m not sure, when I listen to music I am looking out for how it speaks to me, so when I write, I want people who listen to my songs to kind of relate to it.”
Ling has had a bit of good luck, carving a career out of her hit video on Youtube, but she believes it is hard work that will bring about breakout opportunities for aspiring musicians.
“The only thing you can do is to just put out your music as much as possible in every single medium you can find,” she said. “Make sure you work on your craft, do it every day, do it well, practice.”
- CNA/ha
Channel News Asia