For the 10th edition of our 'Dawn to Dusk' music playlist, we have a diverse selection from home-grown singer-songwriter, Theodora. The lush-voiced alternative artist, whose full name is Theodora Lau, broke into the Singapore music scene through National Arts Council's youth initiative Noise Singapore in 2014, which she was mentored by local music veterans.
Currently 21, Theodora has performed at Singapore’s alternative music festival Baybeats at the Esplanade and opened for American singer-songwriter Joshua Radin. After a brief hiatus, the songstress came back in mid-2017 with a dreamy yet melancholic single, 'July'. This song found its way into my 'Discover Weekly' playlist on Spotify and I was hooked ever since. Soul and smooth, the track reveals the struggles Theodora had faced in the interim. “After working on numerous tracks that were eventually shelved, I decided that I couldn’t put something out until I was certain it was an accurate snapshot of what I’ve envisioned”.
Good news for Theodora fans—after the release of R&B-tinged indie electropop 'Fault Lines' and 'Way Out' early this year, a debut five-track EP, letsnotcallitlove, is scheduled to drop on October 5. For the time being, occupy your ears with 'War In My Brain', a three-way collaborative track with fellow local singer-songwriter LEW and Indonesian producer Abram.
Morning:
1. ‘Miss You’—Mura Masa
"There was a solid month where I'd wake up to this song every morning; the way the lines moved to ease me out of sleep—something I need 'cause I can't move from zero to a hundred in the mornings."
2. ‘OTW’—Khalid
"I can honestly just have this song on loop because of how sick the hook is. It's perfect for when I'm doing my makeup and just need something to keep going in the background."
3. ‘Best I Ever Had’—Drake
"This is my feel-good song. There's no way I can stay angry or upset if this song is on so it's perfect on my daily morning commutes to put me a good vibe in me before whatever I have set up for the day."
Day:
4. ‘Anybody’—Young Thug (feat. Nicki Minaj)
"My work mood is anything with a beat and mildly aggressive lyrics."
5. ‘Tequila’—G.Soul (feat. Hoody)
By mid-afternoon, I'm realising how little time I have left to clear my work and frantically need to eliminate distractions (like music that I sing along to) so I put on something foreign that I'm incapable of singing to help focus.
6. ‘Cruzin'’—Snakehips & St. Rulez
"I've completely (and prematurely) checked out of work mode by this point."
Night:
7. ‘Cigarettes & Cush’—Stormzy (feat. Kehlani & Lily Allen)
"Frankly, I don't know why I'd even have to justify this track, I mean, c'mon."
8. ‘Body Talk’—Majid Jordan
"Majid Jordan is a forever sun-down favourite."
9. ‘I Miss You More’—Ta-ku (feat. Atu)
"This track is perfect to decompress to no matter the mood you're in—I've heard this stressed, grateful, sad (et al.) and somehow it works with me to process whatever "that" is at the end of the day."
Enjoyed the tracks? Check out our other 'Dawn to Dusk' playlists curated by guest artists each week.
