Looking Glass

Introduce yourself and tell us a fun fact about yourself, or a hot take that you have!
I’m Cheryl. I currently work as an Account Executive, and I freelance as a writer for a fashion magazine on the side. A fun fact: people don’t usually associate me with watching teen dramas and reality TV, but I genuinely enjoy indulging in them.

How did you discover your love for writing? Have you always wanted to pursue a creative career?
I’m not sure I’d say I love it. I thought writing was a useful skill to have, so I looked for opportunities to do it, and eventually found joy in being able to turn my convoluted thoughts and opinions into sentences with clarity. Writing still doesn’t come super easily or naturally to me all the time, because it can be tough choosing the right words and phrases, which can either build the world you’re trying to express, or be a total miss.

As for a creative career, I’ve always wanted to be around creative work, not necessarily as the one making or executing things, but more like the one contributing to and managing the bigger picture.

If you had to do anything else in the world, what would it be and why?
If we’re talking careers, I’ve always been curious about what it’s like to help set up a music festival. The physical labour, the backstage planning—all of it. I love helping things come together, especially when it’s collaborative and hands-on. Alternatively, I’d love to do some kind of visual or creative research as an artistic practice. I don’t fully know what that looks like yet, but something abstract and intuitive in that direction really appeals to me.

When and how did you first become interested in music?
So pretentious of me, but I was on Tumblr at an age where I should’ve been supervised, but it led me it to a world of music that I still listen to today. Have you ever stumbled upon a song or a band and thought to yourself “Where has this been all my life?” It’s dramatic, but that was the tipping point for me and I fell into a rabbit hole of discovering more music after.

Before the pandemic, there were also handful of affordable gigs that I used to go often, which were quite formative for me.

What’s been on repeat in your playlist recently?
Two very different sounds, but My October Symphony by Pet Shop Boys, and Carita de Ángel by María Daniela y su Sonido Lasser. It’s a mouthful, but they’re a Mexican electronic group with a super fun sound. And lots of Moodymann recently!

What’s one band you’d love to catch live?
I wonder if anyone has ever answered this question without hesitation, but the first names that came to mind were Ulrika Spacek and The Cardigans. The Cardigans actually played in Malaysia last year—if I’d known, I would’ve gone!

What’s the fondest memory you have in recent memory? Likewise, what’s your biggest regret in life?
Fondest: A friend deadlifted me without even trying and we were also laughing at a joke that got misheard as misogynistic. It was so absurd!

Regret: Holding myself back. I doubted myself too much and was always stressed as a kid because I didn’t know better, but I’d like to think I’m a lot more unfazed and more of a go-getter now.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of the year?
It’d be great to run 5km effortlessly and hit the gym, but that’s a stretch for me. I also want to figure out what my own personal rituals look like and stick to my routines better. And slowly work on my own creative ideas bit by bit.