Malaysian “Sadboi” AlexTBH is happy to stay sad

The term “sadboi” is part aesthetic, part music genre – it refers to R&B and rap music by male musicians with a decidedly sad but romantic streak. Some of the better known acts of the genre include mopey American rapper Drake and Swedish rapper Yung Lean.

Malaysian artiste AlexTBH (TBH stands for “to be honest”) is also gaining popularity as a sadboi musician, but he is probably finding it harder and harder to stay sad these days.

He is currently enjoying a string of recent success – his single Stoop So Low was recently featured on Spotify’s massively popular Alternative R&B playlist, he played at the Good Vibes Festival 2017 last August alongside acts like Duo Lipa and Phoenix, and next week, AlexTBH (whose real name is Alex Bong) will be playing at an even bigger stage: Laneway Festival Singapore. Originally an Australian festival, Laneway has made it a point to feature more regional acts, with this years’ line up also including Indonesian shoegaze band Heals, Filipino indie folk group The Ransom Collective and five of Singapores own: rapper TheLionCityBoy, prog-rock band Amateur Takes Control, hip-hop artist MAS1A, indie rock quintet Obedient Wives Club and singer-songwriter Tim De Cotta.

Last year’s Laneway was attended by 10,000 music fans, with similar numbers likely at the eighth edition taking place at Gardens by the Bay on Jan 27.

Admitting to being a little intimidated by the thought of playing at Laneway, the 21-year-old AlexTBH also confesses he used to be quite stiff at shows.

“I dance a lot more now. Originally I was pretty reserved just standing singing on stage, but these days I can go down from stage, wrap cables around my neck, I don’t mind,” he says.

AlexTBH credits being featured on Spotify for pushing his songs to a broader audience. Stoop So Low now has nearly five million plays, with listeners from the United States making up more than half of the plays, followed by the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan, with Malaysia around seventh place.

“I came from a Soundcloud background, it wasn’t until 2016 when I realised I should put my stuff on Spotify to capitalise the market,” says the former engineering student and bedroom producer.

Despite the boom in his popularity, AlexTBH reveals that as a full-time musician, he still has to depend on live shows to make ends meet.

“Revenue from streaming is not getting much better compared to a couple of years ago. In fact, streaming revenues are declining. There’s this debate on whether streaming is a sustainable way of keeping musicians paid,” he adds, shrugging.

Despite his Sadboi stylings, AlexTBH isn’t worried that being happy will affect his music.

“I’m a hopeless romantic. The music I’ve churned out … either I write it or spend weeks wallowing,” he says earnestly. “If I’m happier, I’d say that’s progress, that’s part of what makes you human. I write sad songs, but I won’t be sad forever.

“That’s the beauty of writing music and releasing it in a short time frame, you get to see little remnants of trails you walk on the path of life.”

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