Honestly, It’s Marian Carmel: What You See Is What You Get With The R&B Vocalist

Marian Carmel finds remedies in the tragedies through her music (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

Consider the bittersweet, momentary high from a romantic pursuit that fizzles out once the destination is reached. Or the self-imposed illusion of viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses, enduring the lies of blind optimism. These are tragedies that could very well happen to anyone of us, but it’s uncommon to muster the courage to acknowledge these harsh truths, let alone compose a piece about it. For blooming singer-songwriter, Marian Carmel, she pursues these uneasy realities with a confidence that swells with each release. The swirl of uncomfortable emotions is her fuel, and she expels the revisited tension with beautiful expeditions through soul and r&b.

As a solo act, Marian put out her debut single, “Might Never Get Better”, in 2019. Without dispute, the quality that first stops you in your tracks is the clean, dulcet tone of her vocals; the mark of a musical professional in the making. With her flawless execution of sprawling intonation and gelled harmonies, she lets her voice steer the poignant narrative of each composition. She possesses one of those voices that you can just leave on loop; always euphonious, always captivating, always with a message that might make you ponder over your own skeletons in the closet. At least, you’re not alone with your drama – that’s what Marian wants you to feel with her intimate works.

Marian has been active in the singer-songwriter circuit for years (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

The Philippines-born, Singapore-raised vocalist extends this approachable persona online. With the lack of exposure from gigs, Marian has been tactfully savvy with her social media presence to remain connected to her fans. She openly shares intimate details and songwriting quirks in an uplifting, sometimes self-deprecating way. You might catch her coming up with an arts-focused ditty about crying and crafting, or a made-up song that you can send to a crush, or even TikTok challenges where she turns her personal songs into public memes. It’s this transparent methodology that helps her stand out from the singer-songwriter pool as an engaging entertainer, and it’s something musicians of the modern age could learn a thing or two about publicity.

With her debut concept album set to come out in the tail end of 2021, the spotlight on Marian Carmel is only going to get brighter. Talking more about her growth as an artiste and how it melds with her personal life, she shares it all in this interview.

“In terms of songwriting, I wish I had a cooler backstory.” (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

Going back to the beginning, was being a music performer always something that felt natural to you? How did your journey start?

I’ve always wanted to be a performer ever since I was a kid! I remember when I first moved to Singapore, I saw Forbidden City at the Esplanade and it was the best thing five-year-old me had ever laid their eyes on. I told my mom I wanted to “be like that” and she got me the CD of the soundtrack on our way out. I was hooked on singing since then, and as a Filipino family, we had a lot of karaoke sessions with the classic setlist – Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion – of really amazing and powerful singers! I still don’t know why I grew up to have such a mellow voice even though I sang their songs religiously.

In terms of songwriting, I wish I had a cooler backstory. But the reason I picked up a pen and paper was because I saw Demi Lovato do it in Camp Rock. I was so inspired by the movie that I made my own little songwriting notebook with “Marian’s Songs” on the cover (Demi’s notebook had “Mitchie’s Songs”). And I remember that year, I volunteered to write a song for my batch’s Grade 6 graduation! We had to sing it as a batch, and that was the first time I had written and performed an original song. :)

You can’t ignore the pristine quality of Marian’s vocals (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

Your vocals are palpably the MVP of your tracks, demonstrating an emotive rawness that commands the spotlight. Did you train a lot to get your voice in such tip-top condition?

Thank you! That’s so nice of you to say. I do try to serve the message of the song as much as I can! I knew I wanted to sing since I was a little kid, so I asked my parents if I could go for vocal lessons, and they said yes! It was a brief moment as a child, but I remember having loads of fun. I took lessons again as an adult with Ginny Bloop from The Steve McQueens. I really love her voice and what she can do with it, so when I signed up to be taught by her, I was high-key fangirling.

“Maybe it also comes with the nature of the concepts I write about (usually growth, reflection, mental health), that steers my music towards a more melancholic angle.” (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

Your songs tend to simmer in melancholia as opposed to more upbeat dispositions. Do you not fancy writing songs that sound, for lack of a better word, happy?

Oh don’t get me wrong, I love writing upbeat songs! I just haven’t released them yet, haha. I think the melancholia partly comes from my teenage emo phase. I was a part of a post-hardcore band (I know right, I can’t believe it either), and I wrote really sad emo stuff back then. You’ll never hear it, haha.

I think growing up, I found a more neutral tone when it comes to writing about my experiences. A lot of my songs nowadays follow a narrative that starts with “oh this is something I’m dealing with” but usually ends with “but that’s okay, I’m learning”. There’s always that growth aspect to it. Like for my song “Rose” which took like two years to write, it started with a verse about feeling stifled, but ends with acceptance and patience towards myself. I talk about it in my YouTube video!

Maybe it also comes with the nature of the concepts I write about (usually growth, reflection, mental health), that steers it towards a more melancholic angle. I’m really excited for you to hear my upcoming music though!

“Apart from music-making I also have 1638478272 hobbies, and love merging them with my music.” (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

There is an abundance of singer-songwriters out there, but how would you say you stand out from the pool? Do you make conscious decisions to be different?

Nah, I don’t think I make a conscious decision to stand out. I just kinda do what feels right for me. Though I do challenge myself sometimes to write differently and expand my repertoire, I remind myself to look at my progress within the context of my own growth.

I do get inspired by a lot of singer-songwriters however, especially my friends lewloh, aeriqah and RENE. I think there’s so much to learn from each other!

Apart from music-making I also have 1638478272 hobbies, and love merging them with my music. I think the little intersections of our identities and hobbies is what makes us unique from each other. So even though there are plenty of singer-songwriters, no two are ever the same!

Let’s talk about your latest single, “You Like The Chase”, which pulls from a first-hand anecdote of romance. Do you prefer writing from personal experience or the scenarios you come across?

Naturally I write more songs based on my personal experiences, but putting myself in a scenario that isn’t necessarily happening to me is also a good skill to have. I haven’t mastered it, and I find it waayyyyy more challenging. I’ve always admired songwriters who are able to do that. I think it’s an incredible talent to be able to verbalise a feeling that you aren’t directly experiencing.

The song portrays a sarcastic side of you as well. Is this more aligned with your personality when you’re not in musician mode?

HAHAHAHA! I don’t think I’m THAT sarcastic in real life… playful, sure, but “You Like The Chase” has so much sass and grit to it that I don’t possess on a daily basis. Whenever I write a song, I always tend to sit with the emotion I want to portray in order to really get that message out. And sometimes, you have to play different roles!

For me, once I get the song out of my system, it’s like a concentrated form of whatever it is I’m feeling, and then I immediately feel much lighter. It’s like taking an emotional dump.

“I’m a glass-half-full gal, but I’m learning how to make better decisions knowing my tendencies.” (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

When you’re chasing after something in life – and this could be anything, really – do you sprint all the way, or tip-toe towards it at your own pace?

Oh boy… kind of both, I think? A calculated sprint is what I would call it. I’m a very excitable person, so my tendency is to go all out and 100% for something I want. But I always have to ground myself and remember that I’m not in a rush, or that I need rest, or that I need to step back to see the bigger picture.

“You Like The Chase” follows up from your previous single, “Rose”, which talked about perceiving things through rose-tinted glasses. Is this also how you tend to observe the world?

I think I will always be an optimist, but whether or not that is to my detriment is a whole ’nother thing. “Rose” was about being TOO optimistic, to the point that I don’t learn from my mistakes because I (used to) put myself in the same situation, hoping that this time it would be better than the last.

I’ve learnt from that, I hope. So I see the world, still in rose-tinted glasses, but maybe now not so saturated, hahaha. I’m a glass-half-full gal, but I’m learning how to make better decisions knowing my tendencies.

These two tracks are going to be part of your debut album. How long have you been planning this debut, and what will its eventual release mean for you?

For about a year and a half now! This album was written after a big break up. So there goes the melancholia again, haha. I’m really proud of this one because you can really see where my mind was at, and at which point of healing I was when I wrote them.

One look at your social media activity reveals your knack for writing songs spontaneously, whether it’s about asking your crush out or your crafting activities. Is it, indeed, easy for you to come up with songs just like that?

Yes! But it never used to be. I had the longest writer’s block when I was writing “Rose”, but I slowly found my way back to music during The Great Singapore Replay.

The catalyst for my knack for songwriting didn’t come until the circuit breaker last year, when my friend, aeriqah, set up a songwriting circle. We met up on Zoom almost every night during CB and we’d write to the same prompt. It was so interesting to see everyone interpret the same thing so differently, and I learnt a lot during that period. It also showed me that songwriting wasn’t as daunting as I thought, and demystified it for me. I really owe aeriqah a big one for setting up this little group. Without him, I don’t think any of us would be writing as much as we do now!

“I used to hate having to do social media, but when I realised I can do whatever I wanted and promote my music in my own way, I started enjoying it much more.” (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

You’ve also expanded your presence into TikTok, to the point where you even have a skit-based TikTok campaign for “YLTC”. As an artiste, do you think it’s important to branch yourself out into new areas like this? And has it been a struggle for you?

Music and the landscape it occupies is always changing! We collected CDs and now it’s streaming; who knows what else we can do in the future! I think it’s important to adapt in order to promote your music, as long as you’re doing something that resonates with who you are.

I used to hate having to do social media, but when I realised I can do whatever I wanted, and promote my music in my own way, I started enjoying it much more. It became another way for me to share my art!

Marian’s debut concept album comes out in Q4 of 2021 (Credit: Khairul Ameer)

To end things off, how would you say you’ve coped during these complicated times in the music scene?

Honestly, it’s been really tough without gigs. But that’s also given me a lot of time to reflect and practise. I’ve learnt new things like Bahasa Indonesia (tapi aku lupa banyak katakata), illustration and animation! I think it’s important for my happiness to continue learning new things, because then it gives me another avenue to express myself.

Though I’ve been incredibly privileged to have these opportunities, I know it’s not the same for a lot of the musicians out there during the pandemic. We still have a long way to go when it comes to supporting artistes, and this season has revealed a lot of holes that hopefully we can fix in the future.

You can listen to Marian Carmel’s material on Spotify. Follow her Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated with her activities.