We had the good fortune of connecting with NyaLi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi NyaLi, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Choosing to freelance full time -and moreover being in the music/ arts industry- means that no one is going to kick your butt if you don’t. Freelancers get more schedule autonomy and flexibility yes, more mobility yes. But even if you’re the more disciplined sort, it can be hard to start. And then it’s harder to stop… it’s honestly way easier to have work life imbalance!

Of course with Covid, there’s a whole other dimension to this conversation what with the prevalence of remote Work From Home situations and essentially not being able to (literally) leave your job at the office… work life balance has morphed into work life blending for so many of us, really-music industry or otherwise. As a portfolio musician in 2022 my work alternates between virtual hosting and performing, teaching online, and teaching in person-I’m lucky to say that with virtual entertainment, the livestream studio is a nice accessible space outside of home, so at least that gets me out the house.

Covid helped highlight how important it is to separate our work space from our living space: back in 2020 before work in the virtual gig realm started picking up, cabin fever angst was quite real. It was also the initial stage of acquainting with Zoom call culture-audio lag (during music teaching) angst definitely added to it as well. 2 years of WFH later I think we’re all much better with implementing certain boundaries and rules within the home space to contain work, without having it affect our leisure and recreation… at least, not too much. Me for example, the laptop is not allowed in the bedroom. My bed is strictly off=limits for work related activity. Other lifestyle practices I started adopting during the pandemic—daily yoga, longer walks in nature, meditation— keep me more mindful than before Covid, which helps with addressing work life balancing and blending.

All that said, work life balance is such a delicate equilibrium and the work it needs is never-ending… no rest for the weary! Having buddies or a group to check in with is always a good thing, for when you feel slightly off-center, or burnt out from it all. 1000 percent recommend human community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I sing songs to tell stories – having stories worth sharing matters more to me than sharing trendy pretty sounding things. Attending music college was probably my best but also most loaded decision – it led to songwriting, and the full time career in music that today is so much of my life. Prior, I was intent on becoming a journalist… not as though that would have made a much more stable or executive pay grade! No regrets- in a world where money didn’t matter, I would still choose music. Finding my voice and preserving authenticity in a world drenched in capitalism, stats and fads, are still very real challenges encountered on a day to day basis… especially living in an era where the lines between reality and virtual reality have begun blurring.
Currently, I am excited about exploring and developing distinct new sounds with the two bands that I sing with – the duo Roseville, whose vibe is a little more tropical indie pop, is one of them. The other band is a tight instrumental synergy oozing funk, soul, and jazz grooves where my voice can be a textural layer, or a centre narrator.

As a musician and more importantly human, two things I am still learning and find worthy sharing are 1) the importance of listening before speaking and that 2) less really more. It really always is. Complicating is much easier a task than simplifying… but the best and most memorable things aren’t the most complicated.

Branding wise, I think being imperfect and a little rough round the edges is real and I like to go with that. Some rawness keeps it relatable to the everyman. If you can’t relate, you can’t share, connect, or serve… what are you doing?

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A tourist week might be a week too long for my city… it’s that small :p I would definitely include all the so called cultural enclaves of Singapore – Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam (the Malay quarter sort of). Historical and or gentrified neighbourhoods such as Tiong Bahru, Dempsey-Holland village, Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer. Checking out the Heartland Housing Development Board (HDB) flat hubs (our version of social housing) is also a non-negotiable. As is trying out ALL the street food and drink!

From east coast to west coast… at some point I would take them to the Singapore Zoo, maybe the Bird Park, and Sentosa, a little off shore part of the island housing attractions like Universal Studios Singapore and Seaworld Aquarium. We’d explore a huge shopping mall called Vivocity just across the water only because of its proximity. All a little more commercial but why not. A hop to the city centre’s main shopping stretch (Orchard all the way to Cityhall) would probably occur eventually as well. I would absolutely set aside a day for ambling the Botanic Gardens, now an UNESCO World Heritage Site (the only tropical garden to hold this title apparently!) and also my favourite green space growing up; and another day would be dedicated to exploring Marina Gardens by the Bay and its neighbouring Marina Bay Sands- that world famous feat of architecture we are known for.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents. Singapore homies. Rest-of-the-world homies. Music homies – for collabs that gave me some purpose, and something to do… looking back it was projects like that which kept me going.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyalimusic/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/enya-lim-nyalimusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nyali_music

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nyaLiMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NyaLiMusic/

Image Credits
Chris Dias

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