- An Exploration of Love, Loss and the Metaverse.
About one year ago, my friend Joanne Teh aka Supa Mojo, released a three-song Mandarin EP titled “Home Will Dream” 《家想梦》with Kuala Lumpur based Fudo Records. I didn’t understand the songs at first, as the EP is recorded in Mandarin. I soon realized Mojo had meticulously re-written the songs in a poetic English translation. Each song title corresponds to a word in the project’s name, 1.Home — 2.Will — 3.Dream. This isn’t your typical pop record with TikTok ready bass drops. On the other end of that spectrum is poetry which encapsulates a ten year journey in 3 songs. In each song, Mojo induces a different tone of speech, sharing honest musings where she revisits home as the core of life pursuits, dealing with the grief of losing her brother, and moving forward in the process of healing.
The context from which Home Will Dream is written is not an easy one. Unknown to many, Supa Mojo’s brother, Champ Teh, better known by his artist name Jeng, suffered from Bipolar disorder. He had been taking steps to get better. Unfortunately, he hit rock bottom.
Jeng took his own life in December of 2010.
Supa Mojo’s world stopped. Her brother, her idol, her teacher was no longer there. He was gone in an instant. For a year, Mojo was on autopilot, going through the motions yet never feeling like she was present. Emotions of anger, sadness and confusion set in. As creatives, sometimes all we can do when we are lost, is to find ways to express through our art.
《家》Home
“家，是初心发起之地。“
“Home is where the heart blooms.”
The opening song ‘Home’ is done in a spoken word style that punctuates every word with meaning. Korean producer Dae Kim creates an other worldly soundtrack in an electro-acoustic styles. Quirky plucks and video game-like sounds help to tell this story of Home with a vibe that anticipates adventure, travel and movement. Skimming the English translation, I resonate with the imagery evoked by the words, relating my own experiences of leaving home and traveling the world for many years, before returning to the place of my birth to put down roots.
“I’m heading home
Bidding farewell to the travels alone
Weighing emotions like a bag of stones
Keeps me grounded through changing time zones”
The musical transitions with warm notes from a Rhodes toward a softer pace as Mojo’s words meander through the memories of home. The humidity of a SE Asian afternoon, or the way the ceiling fan turns as we day dream. Thoughts wander to different places and times exploring the city with friends and family, catching the rhythm of the world outside.
I find it curious that descriptions of a turning ceiling fan bring back my own memories of my brother and I, and the many times we laughed, fought or embarked on escapades together. As the song ends, I find myself longing to just share one more adventure with him. The artistry of Supa Mojo’s lyrics inspire emotions and recollections captured in this moment of music.
“Here I am, I would love to see you my dear
Exploring the city’s rhythm
Navigating steps with tempo in motion
Spending some time to find direction
Putting myself out there in action
On a journey that takes commitment”
I love that the audio mix makes me feel very intimate - as if I’m in the private space of the artist listening to her thoughts being shared in a rhyme book or diary. Often when we process loss and grief, it’s not the condolences or sympathetic stares from friends and family that we remember. It is the most nuanced memories; those catch phrases they used to say, the passing of a familiar scents on holidays or the first time you have to take a family portrait without that person.
It wasn’t until traveling to Supa Mojo’s hometown that I could appreciate the spirit of the lyrics to a deeper level. Exploring rice paddy fields in the same grid as suburban neighbourhoods, with a calm breeze that sets the pace of life in a small town. The scarlet sunsets of this city in Kedah Malaysia are unforgettable, and I head out to Supa Mojo’s old haunts with some new adventures in store.
“On the way home, window views of the paddy fields
Sunset in the village tops the best view
Pink, orange, yellow, purple, blue hues
When was the last time I had these perfect feels
Flowers in the garden coming to life
Swaying softly as the winds hypnotise
Bird on the tree singing my lines
It’s telling me this is paradise”
Many people can relate to sentiments of HOME, whether this evokes memories of nostalgia, trauma, loss or comfort. Just as Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist, where the protagonist returns home to discover everything he had searched for was in front of him all along. Without leaving the familiar places and embarking on the journey, we may never shaped our perspective to see the simple beauty in this place we call home.
MULTIVERSE LAUNCH
Anticipating the upcoming drop of the HOME NFT release with DAOrecords, I chatted with Supa Mojo about the dichotomy between such a personal project, and entering into the Web3 space. How does a message like this translate on Blockchain empowered channels? She shared something very interesting: “If you say the EP title backwards in Chinese, essentially “Dream Will Home”, it is also the Chinese term for “dreamers”. Whether you’re an artist, serial entrepreneur, NFT collector or crypto fanatic we are all dreamers, that dare to step into these new worlds and mediums as a way express even the most human of emotions.
Experience the depth and beauty of this project by joining us Wednesday June 15. 2022 in person at Dou Houz KL or online in the metaverse at 8pm KL and SG(8am EST).
PURCHASE ONLINE:
HOME NFT: DAOrecords launch on 06/15. Pre-purchase this NFT by picking up a Splash Pass available HERE. (NFT purchase includes Home Will Dream EP CD and Graffiti KL book, free shipping in Malaysia only.)
Home Will Dream EP CD and Graffiti KL book:
Price:RM59.90 (Free Shipping within Malaysia) https://supamojo.bigcartel.com
Home Will Dream EP commemorates the life of Supa Mojo’s elder brother Champ Teh aka Jeng! Jeng was a talented street artist who collaborated with the National Visual Arts Gallery in Malaysia, to compile an anthology of KL Graffiti, left incomplete due to his untimely passing. In a gesture of love and respect for her late brother, Mojo completed this book and made it available together with her EP with partial proceeds from each sale going to Life Line Association. The artist hopes to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention through this release. Find out more about the project HERE or scroll below to follow artist Supa Mojo.
Supa Mojo Links:
