We got real with badass artivist/singer-songwriter Pyra about her art, activism, feminism and balancing it all over coconut shakes! Based now between London and Thailand, we discussed the artivist's colourful musical history, how she got to her current brand of dystopian pop, her brand spanking new album 'PYRADISE' and how she manages themes of activism and feminism within her work. Pyra starts by sharing about her move to London and the motivations behind her vocal stance on activism,...

We had the pleasure of attending the Freshmusic awards LIVE for the first time ever last month, and I came away with so much more than I bargained for. Attending the ceremony and many discussions I've had recently around the topic of community inspired me to invite Yuneng, the founder of Freshmusic Awards to join us for this very special conversation where we talked about some of the understated values of community building, and the origins of grassroots platforms like Freshmusic Awards who...

On this bonus episode, we invited Asian-Australian singer-songwriter and Tiktok creator Keenan Te onto the Level Up Podcast to answer all our burning questions about Tiktok, social media, and most importantly - how to navigate social media as a musician. Amassing over 4 million followers currently across Tiktok, Spotify and various social media platforms, Te broke through the clutter during Covid while stuck at home during Melbourne's lengthy lockdowns with his soulful covers and...

On this episode of the Level Up podcast, we're going to talk about how to craft that perfect email to media platforms. In such a way that you'll be maximising your time spent, getting a higher rate of reply, and potentially getting your foot in the door with the right people. As a self-professed email nerd, and someone who runs a media platform and receives such emails from artists everyday, I'm going to share my best tips for writing effective emails and how to ask nicely but effectively for...

This week, we're talking about sourcing for media platforms to reach out to to collaborate with, and what's the best way to really be effective in your approach.  I know that there's a lot of independent artists out there who feel like this is very daunting for them. They feel like they need a publicist to help them, like they need someone to help them to negotiate those deals or get those features. But when push comes to shove, sometimes you just don't have the resources at that point in...

Boundaries are a tricky thing for artists. They're subjective, contested, and directly responsible for many an independent artists' mental health.  Yet as tricky as they may be, it's a conversation that HAS to be had in order to create a sustainable career as an artist. In this bite-sized episode, we share three tips for how you can create your own roadmap to establishing boundaries with audiences and stakeholders within the industry. Remember always that you too are human-so boundaries apply...

On the first episode of our Level Up podcast in 2022, we've invited Marcus Lee, a promising Singaporean artist, songwriter, and mental health advocate, to join us as we dive deeper into the topic of artists' mental health. We've been a fan of his work ethic and how he's managed to keep the ball rolling as an independent musician for a while now, but we especially wanted to pick his brain on the importance of mental health for artists at every stage of the game. On the outside, Marcus seems...

Mental Health has increasingly become an important topic to me, especially in recent years as I grow more aware of what’s happening in the music industry. I believe that building a good approach to mental health is one of the most important things independent artists can do for themselves. I’ve called on the help of Asian-Australian music therapist Asami, who runs a platform called Shapes and Sounds to share her valuable advice with indie artists everywhere.

In lieu of the season finale for the first ever season of the Level Up podcast, I wanted to talk about a topic that’s close to my heart – Independence. As someone who has built their career on taking the unconventional route, it’s safe to say I’m a big fan of independence in general. I believe that anything can be achieved through a good work ethic and a whole lot of passion, and I wouldn’t change anything about my journey for the world. Here's why I think independence is so important for...

On our latest episode, we’re wrapping up our digital distribution topic with a deep dive into a lesser explored music industry, the Southeast Asian music scene! SEA is one of the most vibrant and diverse regions worldwide, so we invited Believe SEA distribution’s head of Editorial and Marketing Partnerships Tim Tsen to share his insights about the landscape, the best ways to communicate with platforms and tips for organic digital growth.  

This week, we’re honoured to have Believe Distribution’s head of Taiwan and my good friend Jim Tseng on the Level Up podcast to school us all on how the Greater China music streaming industry works, and the landscape of today.

I was honoured to be invited by SINGPOP to share about my experience working as a label manager with Believe Digital, and also about my understanding of the streaming market in Asia as well. Over the last few years, I’ve serviced and come in touch with hundreds of artists who come in all different shapes and sizes. On this podcast episode, I break down all the myths about the world of digital distribution.

A self-managed artist who has gone from strength to strength with her uniquely sensual and vulnerable alt-rock sound and striking east-meets-west visuals, Deena is one of few artists who has truly pivoted the pandemic to her advantage in 2020. We sat down with Deena to pick her brain on her mindset surrounding social media, her relationship with it throughout her career, and the logic behind some of her stellar online content.

We can talk all we want about social media, but what better way to put it in context than with some case studies deep diving into some artists we love? With Instagram as our medium of choice, we’ve chosen three artists who we believe embody all the foundations for a healthy and creative social media persona as per talked about in our last episode: Taiwanese-Australian singer-songwriter Jaguar Jonze, Asian-American singer-songwriter Karencici, and British artist Joy Crookes (of Irish/Indian...

Here's the thing about social media. It's an ESSENTIAL part to your role as an artist. Even your lack thereof of social media use (when done correctly) can establish your branding and your positioning as an artist. On this episode of the Level Up podcast, let's talk about changing your perspective and taking control of your presence on social media.

We've talked about defining yourself, your branding and positioning as an artist. But after all that work's been put into planning, you might be thinking, what now? How do I implement this new positioning and start branding myself in a more consistent and authentic way? Let's dive in!

Malaysian singer-songwriter Evangeline Wong joins us on today’s show to share about her journey through the world of positioning, and the various ways a good positioning strategy can inform your journey as an artist.

So you wrote a song. Now what? Let's discuss what kind of artist you want to be, and how simple branding and positioning principles can get you there.

An intro to the 'Level Up' podcast and your host Jocelle Koh. A creative who has had the pleasure of working in the Asian music scene from a variety of perspectives, Jocelle is here to show you how to level up your music business as an independent artist in the Asian music industry.