Huayi 2013: in::music – The Freshman: Sophomore's Dream
Esplanade Recital Studio, Last Friday
Over the course of an 85-minute-long set, home-grown duo The Freshman took the audience along on their seven-year journey together.
Chen Diya and Carrie Yeo became firm friends through singing contest Project Superstar 2 (2007) and made their debut with the album Life Experiment 101 in 2010. Last year, they released a follow-up EP, The Dazy Eyes, and also toured Taiwan.
Musically, they have grown from the power-pop offerings of the first record to a more confident acoustic sound on the EP. Their friendship, though, was put to the test after a period of non-stop work.
Appropriately enough, the set began with the ballad Strong Front. Yeo’s rawer vocals joined with Chen’s brighter smoother tones as they sang about putting on a brave face when confronted with difficulties.
It took a little while for Yeo’s voice to warm up and she sounded more secure only after a few songs. Chen was nervous at the start as well, knocking over the microphone at one point. Perhaps because this was the “grandest intimate” venue that they have performed in.
They loosened up after a few up-tempo numbers such as the playful Rotten People Club and Chen proved to be pretty good at bantering with the crowd between numbers.
She shared that they had started out with the dream of making music and discovered along the way that things were not always so simple.
It was clear though that they still enjoy making music as a duo and that is what has kept them together.
Backed by six musicians, including two violinists, The Freshman presented tweaked versions of their material. The ballad 1924 sounded sparer and more haunting live, while Spectacle Friend underwent a change of tempo midway and turned into a rollicking rocker.
Yeo later revealed that the song was actually about their big fight. The good thing, though, is that they are able to laugh and joke about it now.
The strongest sign that they have moved forward is the fact that they premiered a new song, Sophomore’s Dream. It was a lively track about self-acceptance and the duo cleverly worked in lyrics asking the crowd to get on their feet.
The catchy pop of Life Experiment 101 brought the evening to a close. Its joyousness was infectious and sounded a note of cheery optimism for whatever comes next for the duo.
(ST)