Masia One has spent a lot of her life feeling like a “3rd culture kid” and, now as an established and successful independent musician, she has learned to embrace all aspects of her heritage and celebrate her culture through her passion and lyricism. She discusses what it has been like for her making music over decades of her life, the feeling of collaborating on musical pursuits and how women in this industry can and should learn to advocate for themselves and their needs.

Where are you from?
Born in Singapore, raised in Canada.

How has your hometown influenced yourself and your art?
The place that most influenced my art I would say was Toronto, where I was going to the University of Toronto to pursue an Architecture degree. The hiphop community had every flavor of artist and although there’s an element of Toronto “screw face” where you had to show and prove your talent, there was always a crew that you could turn toward to fine tune your skills and grow your abilities and ideas.

Beyond hiphop, Toronto was such a bustling hub of diversity at the time and in any given night we would hit a punk gig, a house music dancer’s ball, a hiphop live show, and end the night with some Reggae Lover’s Rock at a late night spot. This was deeply enriching for me to learn about so many different sub-cultures and also widen my boundaries for what is possible.

What inspired you to get into music?
I found a bootleg Public Enemy cassette tape when I was eight years old in a wet market in Singapore. From that point onward I would just seek hiphop culture as a kid. Years later, I had written many raps but hid them under my bed and was too shy to perform.

One day my roommate had an opportunity at an all female’s hiphop showcase and I decided to prove to myself I was brave enough to rap in front of people one time … and it just didn’t stop from there.

How would you describe your sound/genre of music?
The lyricism of hiphop, the spirituality of reggae and the bass bump of dancehall and dub, with a frequency to make people feel brave in life.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations for your sound and storytelling?
Heartbreak is a hell of a story teller, and often this can evoke fear and shrinking of the self. I think about the songs I would sing to myself to soothe my own dark nights or the lyrics that would push me to keep moving forward — and this dives inspiration for many of the songs I write. This and the ocean … many trips to the ocean.

Tell us a little bit about how your contribution to “Neighborhood” came to be. What did that experience mean to you?
A friend Qisthina at Giglife Pro had told me about a New Zealand artist looking for a female emcee collaborator, and she felt I would be the perfect fit. I connected with Emma Dilemma, and we hit it off as friends and women in the music industry instantly.

My first write for the song was a generic verse about partying and the summer time, and her manager Scott Maclachlan said he wasn’t feeling it and he needed to get more of a feel of MY neighborhood - from the local slang to the flavors of Singapore. I understood the assignment and re-wrote the song in tribute to the quirky things I love about the Lion City.

What was your creative process like when writing your verse?
I first thought of the various songs written about Singapore, which are often super wholesome, with C chords that resolve in G Major. Then I thought about what I REALLY loved about Singapore — and it’s the beautiful imperfections and juxtapositions.

From a futuristic city with underwear still hanging out of window sills, to an Ah Beng blasting Cantonese techno alongside aunties trying to play mahjong. This hodge bodge is what creates something unique and song worthy.

What do you hope audiences’ biggest takeaway from this collaboration will be?
I hope people can enjoy that the song takes them to three different neighborhood from Singapore to New Zealand and Saint Louis, with a very catchy hook to sing along to. The best outcome would be that the audience feels inspired to write their own verse on “Neighborhood” championing their own hoods.

Does this track feel different from your typical releases, and in what ways?
In Singapore, I’m often known as a Reggae artist having founded the Singapura Dub Club, with a lot of my history as a hiphop artist being in North America. This song is a departure from both with its indie rock elements, but somehow this one flowed nicely and fit together.

Lyrically it’s not typical for me to rap about Singapore as for a very long time I felt like a lost 3rd culture kid, not quite Canadian but not quite Singaporean. This verse marks a coming of age for me, that I finally feel confident enough to bust some Singapore slang in the lyrics, and represent my birth place with pride.

Do you prefer to collaborate on musical projects, or is it easier for you to work independently and why?
I think both have their advantages. I’m a very community spirited artist, so collaborations are always amazing opportunity’s to have someone else’s style bring out something in you as an artist that you may not have thought of before. That said, when I’m in the right mood, I love to bunker down, close all doors, dim the lights and go into my own world writing and expressing something from the deepest part of my heart.

Do you have more solo music in the works?
I do. I have a drum and bass release collaboration coming out with Bass Music Culture Hong Kong in December. This is tying me over, as I finish up two projects — East Gate, a Hiphop LP with Vancouver producer CNFMS lining up for release Spring 2027, with hard hitting lyricism, boom-bap beats, inspirations of Kung Fu cult movies and bringing me back to my Hiphop roots.

The second one is a Reggae album with Brazilian producer Jah Wise that is taking a little longer all the instrumentals are built with live musicians from around the world. After all these years of performing Reggae, I’ll finally be releasing my first Reggae album by the end of next year!

You have been releasing music for over a decade. How has your career evolved and changed in all that time?
We have watched how the music industry has evolved as well, and I moved with it in the era of the burned CD, mini disc, My Space, AOL, Napster and now online streaming. As an indie musician I shaped my hustle around maximizing each new technology that dropped. Today I am running a publishing label Nusantara Records, that specializes in sync & licensing opportunities because I see this as the next necessary evolution for musicians to be able to make enough payment to sustain careers in this business, and grow their works into new forms of media.

As an artist, my sound has evolved from hiphop to becoming more worldly which was heavily influenced by a lot of time spent in Jamaica. Returning to Asia, I now draw from the every days street sounds and people in the streets of Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta, KL and Bangkok. One thing that hasn’t changed is that I’m still an independent artist, living off my works and touring the world on my terms. I’m very grateful for this and that I stuck to this path.

Check Your Levels is a fun song, what inspired this song?
When I had first moved back to Singapore, I heard many naysayers share a lot of negative comments about me, no knowing where I came from and how I just popped up on the scene (having not been brought up in Singapore). Check Yo Levels was my song for them in true Emcee style, to remind them that they can they can say a lot about me, but they better just check the level from which they are speaking from.

What advice do you have for other women in your position who want to keep pursuing their passions in that same way?
I think if this is a question for women in particular, I would tell my sisters to always trust their instinct and not be afraid to voice what they feel. There are a lot of safety concerns for women in the entertainment business, and sometimes when we are invited into private rooms to take that meeting but our gut instinct is telling us this does NOT feel right, believe yourself and make other arrangements that protect yourself and artistry.

Don’t be afraid of offending people that had not intention of having your best interests at heart. There are so many female forward platforms now looking to champion women in the music industry, so connect with one and find support in the rooms that you are entering where you might still be the only woman in the cipher.

Tell us a little bit about your work with the DARE Festival. Why is this a project that is close to your heart?
D.A.R.E. Festival is an annual concert that happens in Singapore that provides a stage for performers with and without disabilities. Through song, dance and storytelling, artists share their unique perspectives in life. In the first year I was a performer and collaborator, working with a blind Guzheng (Chinese instrument) player, who beautifully played a rendition of my song “You’ll Only Love Me When I’m Gone”.

This year I’m looking toward a more advisory position, as well as writing some lyrics and arranging the theme song for the performers to take to the stage.

It has been a crazy last few years, and we expect at least three more. How do you stay positive in general about the unknown and motivated as an artist?
When the world is knocked down, we turn toward music, art and culture to soothe the soul and open a path to healing or restoration of energy. With every advent of crazy, music has been the medicine for so many to feel seen, to have a means of expression, and to sooth. This is so essential and brings fulfill to me as an artist, that we have such an honorable task in life.

What can we expect next from you short term in your career?
I’ve been working recently as a Music Director in Taipei, while running my music publishing company Nusantara Records. These have been fulfilling pursuits as I’m always excited to provide opportunity for other artists looking for a way to get their feet wet in the business.

Artistically I am wrapping up the loose end on my next Hiphop release EastGate and will be creating the visuals and media around this release beyond the music. Other than that I’m still performing and touring, with my next major gig being December 5 Tiger Mountain Bramble where I get to rock the sound system at a Dragon Temple in Taipei City!

What is your motto in life?
Merdeka Atau Mati (Indonesian) — Freedom and independence or Death.

To learn more about Masia One, please check out the links below:

Instagram: @masiaone
@nusantararecords
@singapuradubclub
@sukasukasauce

Youtube: @masiaone

Photo Credits: Rototom Sunsplash, Raja Mokhzairi, Amy Asyraf