Linying: 'I Think Most Of My Songs Are About My Inability To Let Go'

Linying, singer-songwriter who co-wrote the NDP 2021 song the road ahead, shares her introspective musings on her growth as a musical with her debut album there could be wreckage here. Storyteller and person

- Chelsia Tan

“I THINK MOST OF MY SONGS ARE ABOUT MY INABILITY TO LET GO, BUT IT REACHES THIS APEX IN GOOD BEHAVIOUR WHERE I’M FINALLY LIKE, MAYBE IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, BUT WHATEVER COMES, COMES, AND YOU SHOULDN’T LIVE IN FEAR.”

If there was one surprising thing that Linying has discovered about herself recently, it’s that she can be very obsessive about her hobbies.

This quirk, brought about by a tart-making bender that has produced experimental flavours like lavender chocolate with Angostura bitters, reveals a tenacity that the 28-year-old singer-songwriter never thought she had.

“I remember seeing a picture of a grapefruit tart on Instagram [during the circuit breaker in 2020], and intensely craving it. At the time, all of the F&B outlets were closed, and that was what sparked my whole spiral into researching and baking.

“I would look up different protein content in flour to compare what could get me the best possible product, and I would be very exact and uncompromising. As it turns out, I have some discipline and some level of meticulousness, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect an artist to have, I think,” she says with a laugh.

For someone who confesses that she has never really cooked – or baked – before, Linying dove head first into one of the most intensely difficult pastries to make at home. This impassioned approach is obvious in her music as well.

Since stepping into the local scene in 2016, Linying has garnered a loyal following for her emotive and lyrical music, which often documents the roller coaster of love and heartbreak.