Singapore’s next wave of musicians is not just playing the game, they’re rewriting the score. Bold, genre-blurring and unapologetically themselves, this year’s Bright Young Things are changing the way we hear—and feel—music. Together, these six musicians represent the pulse of a generation: Regina Song, Joyy, Layyi, Estelle Fly, Jasmine Sokko, and Jean Seizure.
With her signature fusion of R&B and pop, Layyi is fast becoming one of Singapore’s most compelling new voices. The independent singer-songwriter debuted in 2021 with Hey Love—a quiet anthem of empowerment and solace. Just four years later, the now 29-year-old has amassed nearly 2 million Spotify streams with her raw, unfiltered sound. In 2024, Layyi’s reach grew even wider when her emotive track I’ll Be Blue found viral success on TikTok, thanks to a series of self-shot “guerrilla performances” that struck a chord with audiences online.
GRAZIA Singapore (GS): Growing up in Singapore, how did your environment shape your relationship with music?
Layyi (LY): Growing up and living mostly alone in Singapore really shaped how I hold onto music. I didn’t always have someone to share the hidden parts of myself with, so music became that someone.
It’s where I could be loud, messy, honest—all the things I didn’t always feel safe enough to be outside my own head. Singapore is such a mix of cultures and sounds; I think that patchwork lives in my songs too. I like bending genres and pulling stories from different life experiences because that feels more real to how I grew up: a little bit in-between, a little bit on my own, but always searching for connection.
GS: Your music blends stories in such a unique and personal way. What inspires you to break the mould?
LY: I never really knew what the mould was supposed to be—so breaking it was never the goal. Telling the truth was. I’ve always been more interested in the cracks than the surface. I write to make sense of what I’m too afraid to say in conversation. If it feels raw or messy, that’s good. That means it’s alive. It’s less about trying to be different and more about not lying to myself, even when it’s uncomfortable.
GS: Who do you make music for—and who are you speaking to?
LY: I make music for the ones who overthink in crowded rooms, who feel misunderstood but crave connection, who rehearse hard truths in the mirror before saying them out loud. Maybe I’m speaking to the quiet rebels—the ones caught between wanting to belong and wanting to break free. The listeners who carry their contradictions like badges: soft but sharp, tender but unyielding.
GS: What does being ‘young’ mean to you right now—is it freedom, pressure, a proving ground?
LY: Being young, to me, is preserving a sense of childlike purity—in my art, my passion, and how I see people and the world. We forget how much we can learn from children. The way they throw their whole soul into what they love, feel everything fully, and show it without shame.
I hope to carry that same wonder into my work—to hold onto that raw focus, that deep feeling, that honest way of being. Youth isn’t about age; it’s about guarding that softness and wonder from all the noise that tries to wear it down.
GS: You went viral on TikTok for playing your music for strangers in public spaces. What inspired this, and what kind of impact did you hope it would have?
LY: While brainstorming my next campaign for I’ll Be Blue, I came across an Instagram Reel of someone performing in public—it was beautiful but staged. I didn’t have a DSLR camera or a crew, so I just did it organically and saw what would happen. And the rest is history.
I wanted to give people something unique and intimate, a safe space to open up however they needed. I’ve always wondered what my songs actually do for people. This gave me the chance to stop waiting for discovery and instead bring the music to them. It’s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done.
GS: As an emerging singer-songwriter, have you faced challenges navigating the music scene as a woman—and how have you pushed through?
LY: Unfortunately, yes. Women navigate this industry differently. You’re told to network, but it’s riskier if you’re a single woman with no management. It’s easier to be taken advantage of—or overlooked. And you’re expected to fight for your work, your rights, your worth—but still be likeable. Navigating that with wisdom, grace and self-respect is no small task.
It’s crucial for women to have each other’s backs. We need to build our tribes—our communities—both in and outside the industry. I lean on close friends outside the scene, and I’m always looking for people I can trust within it. I hope to find my tribe soon.
GS: What are your thoughts on the visibility of Southeast Asian voices in global music—and where are we headed?
LY: Southeast Asian voices have always been here—it’s just that the world is finally starting to listen. For so long, we were told to take up less space, to water ourselves down to fit someone else’s idea of what music “should” sound like. But that’s changing. More of us are showing up as we are, accents and all, telling stories that don’t apologise for where we come from.
TikTok has been a game changer. It’s opened up global stages to artists everywhere. I think we’re heading towards a true “global village” for music—where underdogs and icons share the same ground. I just hope we don’t stop at being seen. I hope we own our narratives, build our own stages, and inspire the next wave to be even louder. Not as a niche. But as a voice that deserves to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest.
PHOTOGRAPHY ZANTZ HAN
CREATIVE DIRECTION KELLY HSU
PRODUCER CHERYL LAI-LIM
STYLING TOK WEI LUN
HAIR & MAKEUP KAT ZHANG / THE SUBURBS STUDIO
VIDEOGRAPHERS JAYA KHIDIR AND SHERMAN SEE-THO
STYLING ASSISTANT CRYSTAL LIM
HAIR & MAKEUP ASSISTANTS NICOLE ANG AND SVETA KLYN / THE SUBURBS STUDIO
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS MICHELLE YAP AND PENG SHENG
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