Before the term “label services” or “music consulting and partnerships” became an emblem of Instagram-profile-cool or LinkedIn-humble- bragging, Esmond Wee and Sameer Sadhu tapped into the zeitgeist in 2012 by forming Secret Signals as partners. Simply put, it is an agency that represents music talents in the area of business development, promotions and public relations in Asia. While they might talk the corporate talk (“There are plenty of failures, pivots and learnings, and as a company we go in with the mentality of constant growth and evolution,” says Sadhu), their nine-year longevity and success lies in how they address the top three tiers of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs — self-actualisation, esteem and friendship.
From top down: Rene Ann Wong, Associate Sameer Sadhu, Partner Esmond Wee, Partner Audrey Ong, Manager, Client Relations and Business Development Edwin Waliman, Partner & General Manager Kevin Wiyarnanda, PR associate in Indonesia.
However, this trifecta of traits seems to have been lost on most businesses in recent years — akin to a global scarcity of human compassion. While this problem seems to runs rife in Singapore, perhaps it can be said that it is magnified under the spotlight of the music industry — the $300 million fight between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun, the clash between Allen Klein and The Beatles and the #FreeBritney movement.
“KEYANA had only released one song prior to us working with her so she was pretty much a blank canvas. When she shared her background with us, we felt that she’s had experiences beyond her years (only 18 to be exact) and so we wanted to help her find her voice and highlight the stories she had to tell.”
In the local context, the secret to the Secret Signal sauce lies in one succinct sentence by Wee. “One of the key things I felt that has remained constant from day one of business and with no discount on, is our company values. I’d like to think we’re driven by people, purposeful mentorship and servant leadership — and that really stands out in the world of constant hustle and flexing.”
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Therein lies two question: is the act of soothing and servitude enough for an artiste’s success and what about the Internet? The latter has stoked a new kind of fire; akin to a new form of social currency where relevance is no longer reflected on charts and billboards. Instead, “hearts”, “likes” and “reshares” are the new billing dollar. Sadhu however, believes that “we are several phases into the cycle” and he believes that it is a positive thing.
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“Our clients have a tangible understanding of their Asian fans from not just streaming data, followers, but also repeatedly investing time in the market. Seeing that tangible connection is very different from the model of the past. A decade ago (or even less), Asia was continuously the last stop in the album cycle and in many cases, 18 months after an album. Now, markets like Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines are trigger markets that play a crucial part much earlier in their career and in some cases, are building their foundation.”
“Shye represents the new-wave of Singapore DIY musicians/producers who are creating everything in their bedroom with just a laptop and headphones. Her debut album ‘days to morning glory’ is a testament to her raw potential so she’s definitely someone to look out for!”
All good and dandy then. Data is key, time is a tangible factor and sometimes, fresh socks (“We wanna see our artistes succeed in Asia even if it means going beyond our supposed “job scope” or doing the dirty work to help in every way we can! I remembered we were chatting with a band from the US in their dressing room and one of the members said they ran out of fresh socks so we immediately ran to Uniqlo to get a few pairs,” shares Edwin Waliman, partner and general manager).
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Speaking of socks, while such an innocuously simple piece of fabric has potential as a cultural signifier of what makes a musician themselves (Metallica does merchandise and Serge Gainsbourg was frequently pictured sans with), how far does an outfit go in terms of forming an artiste’s brand? The answer is that frankly, it does whether we are nine-to-fivers or stadium sell-outs.
What are we revealing about ourselves with our outfits? What are our cultural influences? What are we displaying or concealing? According to Audrey Ong — manager of client relations and business development — it is a matter of flair and the fluff.
“We’ve known the M1LDL1FE guys ever since they started in 2012 under a different band name and have always liked their music and them as people. The opportunity to work together came when they were rebranding to M1LDL1FE and were about to release their 2nd EP so we jumped at the opportunity. They have the ability to pair catchy pop sensibilities with more-intricate musicalities and techniques to achieve just the right balance of complex-simplicity!”
“What seems to be more and more important now is how artistes present themselves on social media. More than just good looks and a killer stylist, they also need to have personality. This is important across all genres as artistes need to come across as relatable to turn passive listeners into engaged fans. As for the artistes we represent, they come from all genres and stages of their career — from fledgling singer-songwriters to Grammy-winning artists. The most important thing to us is that the music’s got to be good and relevant, with a sound that resonates or has potential in our key markets.”
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Secret Signals is not in the business of boxing their artistes up into a famously labelled one — the way an artiste manager might declare their prodigies as the next “so-and-so”.
“It is a double-edged sword that stems from how human beings tend to lump similar things together and make them easier to digest,” says Waliman. “At the same time, no one artiste is the same. Blanket labelling doesn’t do the artiste justice especially when it is born out of something so personal to them. That’s where we come in to help shake off those tags and shed light on the artistes for who they really are.”
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However according to Wee, it could be beneficial or detrimental — leaning towards the latter. “You either set expectations high or help the potential audience relate and discover the said artiste easier. I’m a huge basketball fan. There were many the media dubbed as “The Next Michael Jordan” to fill the void of when he retired, but a good lot of them didn’t really live up to expectations.”
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Lastly, comes the loaded question. What does Secret Signals see in Singapore artistes that perhaps others do not? Unsurprisingly, it is the same characteristics that form the foundation of their own work — the hustle, ingenuity and the willingness to collaborate. “These kids are digital natives and are able to fully harness the power of connectivity with their creative peers, not just locally but across borders too. We’re seeing more artistes here who are proud of their own culture and authentically representing that in their craft instead of trying to recreate what’s popular in the West.” says Ong. Or as Sadhu puts it — “Authenticity, vision and confidence”.
This story about Secret Signals first appeared in our March 2021 issue!
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