Vibing

Introduce yourself!
My name is Moira, and I’m in a local shoegaze band called Roxie.

How did you get into music?
Music has always been a big part of my life. I grew up in a Filipino household where karaoke was a regular thing, and my maternal grandfather was especially passionate about bands. Many of my uncles had their own bands too, so I was surrounded by music from a young age. Even my cousins started playing instruments like bass and drums, and singing around the age of five.

Growing up in that environment, combined with my exposure to Western pop culture, inspired me to pick up the guitar when I was 10. Since then, I’ve kept playing, learning covers, and listening to a lot of music. As I got older, my interest only grew stronger—I love discovering new artists and songs.

That’s precious! How did Roxie eventually come about?
It’s funny because I wasn’t even part of the band at first! The other members were about to form the band when we all met at a gig. We got to talking about shoegaze artists—especially Asian shoegaze—which felt especially rare in Singapore, because it’s not often you meet people who listen to that kind of music, so when we realised we shared a love for a bunch of niche artists from Korea and Japan, we just clicked. After that first meeting, I told them that if they ever needed a vocalist or an extra guitarist, they could hit me up. They were like, “Okay,” and added me into the group chat. From there, we started meeting up, playing together, doing covers, and writing our own songs.

Love how casually you guys just came together! So what would say has kept Roxie together as a band?
What really keeps us together as a band is that we share the same set of values and sense of humour. That chemistry is so important—it’s not just about making music, but also being friends outside of the band. Basically, on top of having similar music tastes and vibes, we also don’t hate each other (laughs).

That’s definitely a key component! How would you say you’ve grown as a musician since joining the band?
I’d say I’ve grown a lot as a musician since joining the band. Being surrounded by such talented bandmates really pushes me to work harder and improve.

Honestly, when I first joined, I felt like my skill level was barely enough to keep up, but I didn’t just want to hang on. I wanted to get better at improvisation and songwriting. I’ve been playing for a few years, so I do have some foundation, but being around people who are so passionate and skilled really motivates me to step up my game even more. Their energy is super inspiring.

It’s true, being around passionate folks can really inspire us to be better. Just a couple more questions: what are some bands or artists you’d recommend?
One artist that comes to mind (because they played quite an important role in forming the connections I have today) is Uchuu Nekoko. They were the band that really connected my current bassist, Larry and I while we were in Polytechnic! They just have an awesome vibe so we became really close because of them.

I’m really into Japanese artists in general. There’s one called synker and their song Lady Moon is amazing. I also love a Korean band called Say Sue Me. They came to Singapore once, but I couldn’t afford the concert ticket back then. Their latest album Time is Not Yours is one of my all-time favourite discoveries.

And finally, what’s your go-to karaoke song?
Crazy for You by Madonna, it’s hard to sing but it’s fun (laughs)!