When Fashion And Jazz Collide

Taiwanese musician 9m88 shares how her eclectic style is a combo of her education in fashion and music, and her time in New York City.

- Valerie Wong

WHAT DOES 9M88 MEAN?

Pronouncing 9m88’s name requires some Mandarin knowledge.

The numerals are verbalized in Chinese as “jiu m baba”, which sounds like a combination of her English first name, Joanne, and her nickname “Baba”, which she earned in middle school.

You’ve probably seen her cover of Mariya Takeuchi’s viral hit Plastic Love, which has garnered over 1.5 million views on Youtube to date, or her latest live set on Loewe En Casa in May 2020, where she performed tracks from her debut album Beyond Mediocrity. And if you’re really a fan, you might have caught her in Singapore last November, when she held a solo concert at The Esplanade.

Buttery vocals aside, Taiwanese musician 9m88 is also making waves with her unconventional fashion style. “It’s a mix of streetwear, outdoor wear, and high-end labels,” says the 29-year-old.