How did you come up with the idea?
Publishizer began as an ebook publishing platform I built on Squarespace. Authors could post chapters and get feedback on their book before publishing it. Over time, I saw the potential of crowd-funding for the industry, so Publishizer became a pre-order platform for books.

Why did you decide to start the business here?
Singapore is a dynamic, innovative and creative city, and the start-up hub of Asia. There is a lot of support here for start-ups,and I know many people working on exciting book projects.

What do you think of local Singapore writers?
There is a huge amount of talent among local Singaporean writers. I was fortunate to work with Yen Yen Woo and Colin Goh on Dim Sum Warriors—an innovative comic book app in English and Chinese. Currently, I’m working with Suffian Hakim on a Singaporean-flavored Harry Potter parody called Harris bin Potter, and local illustrator Joshua Chiang and storyteller Jeffrey Lawrence Omar on The Chronicles of Oujo. The talent exists here in Singapore—the next step is to bring that talent to international publishing markets.

How do you hook up with the authors who use the service?
The authors I’m working with have come mostly through colleagues, contacts and friends. We haven’t even started marketing yet, but authors are finding us. They are increasingly looking to crowd-fund their books, so we are a natural fit.

What kinds of topics usually pique the most interest?
Books which are unique and original—especially in non-fiction categories—pique our interest.

How do you hope to grow the business in the next few years?
Starting in December, I’ll be running Startup Writer Workshop, teaching a hands-on approach for authors to use start-up techniques to publish their book. Topics include lean publishing, beta readers, crowd-sourcing covers, DIY press, offset vs. POD and ebooks.

Congratulations on your appointment at T.H.E. What are your plans (both “big picture” and otherwise)?
Thank you! In terms of working with T.H.E, one of my goals is to create a full-length work. There are a few themes I’m interested in exploring, and one of these was triggered by a recent trip to Jakarta, Indonesia. Simply being in that environment was a huge inspiration—the culture, smells, sounds; everything was so different from Singapore’s clean environment. The gritty pollution and vibrant chaos appealed to me, it revealed the most genuine, human aspects of society.

What was even more amazing was that I met an Indonesian student dancer who had just returned from a trip to Singapore, and he spoke about how the culture and environment in Singapore left a deep impression on him. That struck a chord with me, how we were on such similar wavelengths. So I started speaking to more Indonesian artists on the possibility of working together and we’ve definitely sown the seeds for future collaborations.

Another point of inspiration was an old Charlie Chaplin video I’d watched on Youtube, which addressed concerns on humanity and racism; subjects that speak to me powerfully. I thought it would be interesting to create a solo out of that composition and extend it to a longer creation through collaborating with one of the T.H.E dancers, Lee Mun Wai. These are all possibilities that I’m exploring, so hopefully they’ll come to fruition soon!

What inspires you?
Music inspires me to create. I can listen to a piece of music and visualize how the choreography would look like in my head. Hence as a choreographer my works are much more movement-centered than they are narrative; it’s not as interesting to me if I have to stick to a story-driven arc because I believe there’s a storyline inherent in the music. Some choreographers are able to draw inspiration from their environs and translate the stories and situations they see, hear, or experience, into movement. I really admire and respect that, but it’s also why I can’t understand some contemporary dance works!

People inspire me as well. The people I work with, especially dancers, are a constant source of inspiration when they move in their own unique style, with their own understanding of my choreography. Dance for me isn’t static and solely dictated by the choreographer. It requires a constant dialog between the choreographer and the dancers.

What’s the process like for transforming inspiration into a solid work of art?
Choreographically, I like to explore with the dancers in a collaborative process. As I mentioned earlier, movement often appears in a more abstract form to me, so how this translates into actual performance depends hugely on the dancers interpreting and making tangible what I communicate to them.

Apart from this, there are numerous other elements that need to be aligned in the entire creative process, such as the sound, lighting, etc. I create the frame, and the lighting designer, sound artist, set designer fill in different portions and shades to enhance the choreography. We have to work closely so that everyone shares the same creative vision. Audiences often credit the success of a production to the choreographer, but they overlook the fact that it requires a skillful blend of these different elements. Without the professional and artistic understanding that our collaborators bring to the table, many productions would certainly fall short.

What do you think of the dance scene in Singapore? What do you like about it, and where can we do better?
I’m happy to see that there are many contemporary dance groups emerging in Singapore. But it’s a double-edged sword—will they be able to make it, financially? Is this merely a trend that everyone is jumping on? Currently there’s a lot of support from the National Arts Council in terms of funding. They are very much willing to aid dance groups financially, but with a growing number of companies there comes not just the plus point of greater diversity and vibrancy, but also a real stretch on the resources available. That’s why we urgently need alternative sources of funding, and one under-tapped source is corporate sponsorship.

It’s common to see large corporations funding theatre companies because of their commercial appeal and high profile productions. Hence I think there’s an added challenge for dance companies to have corporations recognize the value of our work—we need to be more active in seeking out opportunities but at the same time these corporations must be open and receptive to us.

What do you do to wind down when you need a break from work?
I like to go away to resorts and have long relaxing massages. That’s my downtime, stepping into the calming surrounds of a resort and getting away from the stress of daily life. When it’s sun, sand and sea around you everyday, you really get to thinking about the basics; what you want out of life, how much you want to sacrifice for work, and whether it’s worth it. I’ve also been thinking of going on overseas volunteer trips to developing countries, and helping the children by teaching them dance, or buying books for them.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I wanted to be an actor even before I became a dancer! It’s not exactly a hidden talent, more like an unrealised dream. And I wanted to be a TV actor, not a theatre actor—if I were to be a theatre actor I’d want to learn how to sing. But my singing is horrible. I’ll sing in the car when I’m with friends, and they’ll always tell me to stick to my day job!

See Jeffrey Tan's latest work at T.H.E 5th Anniversary Celebrations: New Vision from Sep 13-15.

How did you first get into 3D trompe l’oeils?
I worked as a 2D street painter for 10 years. I was becoming popular so I decided to try 3D. It was very rewarding because it was a challenge to learn a new technique and people loved the effect. It is very rewarding.

The piece will be the world’s longest trompe l’oeil painting. How does it feel to be a world record holder?
It’s very exciting. We didn’t realize when we first accepted the project. To have the record proposed to us was a very exciting twist.

What was the inspiration behind the piece?
Diving into a new and exciting world where you will meet the unexpected.

Where there any difficulties with the project?
One issue was that we were not able to see the location until after much of the painting was complete. We had to begin working in our studio and ship our work overseas and continue on-site. A lot of planning went into it. I think the special moment will be the second it is all complete.

How long do you typically spend on each project?
It really depends, most take 2-7 days. This project took us two weeks in total.

What is it about 3D anamorphic art that you find most appealing?
Anamorphic art is like a surprise for the audience. You look at it from one angle and it looks completely strange, then all of a sudden you step in the right spot and a cool image comes to life.

My father is a Lao Prince, my mum a Bunnag, a descendant of the regent, Sri Suriyawongse. I was born in Bangkok where I lived for four years, but after the Lao coup of 1975 we fled to Paris.

In Paris, my mother remarried a gentleman who worked for Benedictine [a liqueur]. He launched Jet 27 [also a liqueur], which proved very popular. So you could say I got a taste for this stuff very early on. My father, too, would constantly host parties, both in Vientiane and Bangkok.

I went to the very posh Janson de Sailly high school. Then I followed my friends into business school, but I was miserable there. I dropped out, started living a bohemian life, hanging out in museums—the whole Baudelaire thing.

I’d go back to Bangkok once a year, either for summer break, or Christmas. And to me the city was all nightclubs. That’s all I did here.

Narcissus, Tapas, NASA, Palace, Q Bar—the years from 1994 to 1997 were definitely golden years. Narcissus was iconic, epic. Balloons being dropped from the ceiling, DJ Mikey Mike at the decks. The partying was wild. I loved the sense of freedom. You aspire to that, all day, all week. You wait for it.

I finally moved back to Bangkok in 1997, and the economic crisis hit. I tried to be a photographer, but I was mediocre. I consulted for a coyote bar in Soi 24, doing posters, coming up with themes. Soon I realized I wanted to organize parties.

I dated a waitress at Q Bar. And her best friend was dating Paris [Batra, who became Bed Supperclub’s managing director]. So we talked about starting a club and that’s how Bed happened.

I remember the moment before opening and we’re standing there on this immaculate white resin floor, and there are immaculate white bed sheets. And the feeling was, “What the hell is this place?” It was like a piece of modern art.

We’d trained for weeks without a sound system. When it was turned on, that was very powerful. It was like a dragon coming to life.

There are so many best moments. One year after the 2006 coup, in 2007, it was our fifth anniversary. We built a tank, and painted it in flowers. And we’d never tell anyone anything for our birthdays. We would just unveil it on the night of the party.

Bed Supperclub was this perfect platform to create art. It had sound, and scenography, and lights and culinary arts. And none of it ever picked up dust. It’s all gone, destroyed. Well, except the tank. That’s at Jim Thompson’s offices now.

The place looked small at first. But it was just right. We brought in the best DJs and some nights it was just 100-200 people. There was this intimacy, this connection. It was definitely not like hearing Deadmau5 in a hangar.

When we started the hip-hop nights, I’d bring people in through the kitchen, because we’d hugely exceeded the maximum capacity. People could have suffocated in there. But they were incredible moments.

Bed Supperclub tried to go upscale after three years and it alienated the arty crowd it first attracted. Then came the police raid. Five hundred people being made to pee in cups. That was a watershed moment. After that, half our customers never came back. It was never the same.

My Instagram profile says “mid-life crisis.” Yeah, I just can’t get out of it. It feels like I’ve done everything too early, or too late, like having a kid. But actually, I don’t think having a daughter, a girlfriend, and my job, is incompatible. It’s just a job. But sometimes I dream of a corporate life, of a desk job and a chauffeur.

What I do is share experiences. Whether it’s a sound or a lamb shank, at the end of the day, it’s an experience. But I do hate that my job makes me drink and smoke so much. If I could get rid of that, it would be a dream job.

Ashley Sutton [Maggie Choo’s designer and managing partner] doesn’t believe in partying hard, hands in the air and all that. He wants Maggie Choo’s to be this beautiful cabaret. He wants to get people in from 7pm-midnight. That’s it.

I think there’s still room for a good nightclub in Bangkok. I guess it’s my dream to do something with the people from Bed, one day. But I don’t wake up looking to change the world. I just take things as they come. And I try to do them with love and passion.

BK: How did you two meet each other?
Mit: Back in 2007, we met at a pub where I was invited to perform as a beatbox artist. Two years later, we worked and performed together doing beatbox at different events and pubs that were into underground music. It was an opportunity to practice and improve our skills, make new sounds and rap.

BK: What took you so long to release this single?
Mit: We took two years to produce the song “Forget,” which we released a few months ago, but people didn’t really know who we were at the time. We’ve been Doubletap since we lost in the semi-finals of Thailand’s Got Talent, and our performance on [TV show] Big Za Sa Bad Chor but we did not make our own music back then. I think it’s only when we won the Pepsi Big Five Man Hunt that people started to recognize us as musicians. We’ve done everything from winning the Beatbox Championship and DJ battles to being on TV shows. Last year, we performed at so many different shows we didn’t have time to focus on the album. Now is the right time: we know what we want and have been very focused on our music.  

BK: Who are your inspirations?
Van: DJ Rock Ridar taught me that DJing can be entertaining. I also like Limp Bizkit, Sek Loso, Silly Fools and Suraphol Sombatcharoen.
Mit: I love Michael Jackson back from when I went to study in the States at the age of 13. I also like Silly Fools, Fucking Hero, Kanye West, P Khan Thaitanium, and Marilyn Manson.

BK: How did the awards change your lives?
Van: I’m less scared on stage. But the most obvious change is that more people know about us. We used to be known only by the hip hop underground scene, who are our friends. Now we’ve got eight-year-old and 50-year-old fans.

BK: Why choose “Nae Gae” as your latest release?
Mit: Our first single, “Forget,” didn’t really represent our identity as underground beatbox artists. It’s too slow. But “Nae Gae” is fun and full of beatboxing. It’s a song that everyone can listen to and we put our soul in it. We did everything on our own, the lyrics, the beats and the sound. Tab Tim sings on the song, too. She is a superstar that we really wanted to work with. She is a great dancer and a confident girl.

BK: What about your day jobs?
Van: As a policeman, even while I am on duty arresting drug dealers, I’m thinking about the perfect beatbox track to go with what I’m doing.
Mit: I plan on going back to teaching beatbox later this year, both at Superstar Academy and at my place.

BK: What’s next?
Mit: People are hungry for underground music though social media. But you can’t make money from it, so we also have to survive through interacting with mainstream culture at the same time. Our next single which is coming soon is going to be electronic and full of fun beats—that’s all I can say.
 

My activities start from my faith. I wear two hats as I am both a pastor and an LGBT activist. I feel challenged when people cannot separate one from the other.

The Christian right wing sees me a gay man masquerading as a pastor. The don’t see me as a real pastor. I don’t see the difference.

Everybody has an agenda. My agenda with IndigNation is simply to find ways for the LGBT community to live their lives to the fullest. We’re not here to convert anyone or shut anyone out. Everyone has a right to embrace, love and be loved.

If laws are signifiers, why aren’t there laws against gambling?

What I struggle with is this city’s desire to be politically correct all the time, to the point of fetishizing our local cultures and religions.

Beyond just wearing each other’s costumes or eating each other’s food, there needs to be a more organic integration among our multi-racial society, rather than just putting everyone into their rightful places.

Creating categories will only break things down. We fail to see everyone as human beings.

Even by disagreeing, we are actually offering alternatives.

Another struggle that I find here is that we don’t have enough dialogues or conversations. Everything usually gets turned into a debate. So often I get conversations shot down before I could even get started.

It’s not a matter of who wins. It should be about being able to listen and see deep down inside a person, regardless of their sexual orientation.

When people are being humanized, it is harder to oppress them.

Social media only allows us to talk to one another and not with one another. Those who engage in it can choose to hide behind the screens. It can become a war of words and people get hurt.

I think we would have been in a different place today if we weren’t so caught up with such a consumerist culture. I was just at the Bukit Timah cemetery the other day at 7am and, for a moment, I felt totally at peace.

We get so enchanted by material things that we lose sight of what really matters. So it looks like we’re going to build an expressway across the cemetery and soon enough, there might just be malls built around it.

Is that what defines our soul? Shopping? All our cultural heritage has been translated into tourism currency.

The pastel color scheme found in many of our HDB flats or conserved buildings also looks fake, almost like a metaphor for who we are. Why can’t we just go for something simple like white or beige?

The only reasons people are still rooted here are relationships and memories.
Nothing here looks the same anymore.

I really like local comic artist Troy Chin’s The Resident Tourist. I feel like a resident tourist when I’m here, too.

The late playwright Kuo Pao Kun once asked about when is Singapore going to “Pop”? We have J Pop and K Pop, but we will never “Pop” if we continue to make art or films that are so caught up with the Singaporean identity. “Pop” cannot be engineered!

But of course I may be wrong with a lot of things and that keeps me going. I don’t feel the need to justify myself. If we are capable to say that we are wrong, then perhaps we’re listening for once.

We cannot be number one in everything.

I took Iggy Azalea as my stage name because… both words are special to me.

The favorite part of my body is… my long hair.

Being a female rapper is… fun.

I like wearing… platform shoes.

It would be a dream come true to… have my own house.

I’m ashamed to admit that… I'm a mess.

I write about… my life.

People think that I am… a goofball.

In another life I would have been… a baker.

Iggy Azalea performs on Sep 20 at 1 World Music Festival. Tickets at $98-188 from the website.

#1WorldFest has been cancelled. Much regrets, but many thanks for believing in us. For tix refunds, pls contact your tix agent from 25 sept.

— 1 World Music Fest (@1WorldFest) September 18, 2013

Is lunch a good forum to discuss jobs?
Lunch is an excellent platform to find out what possible openings or potential there may be in your organization or in the industry. It is also a convenient platform to subtly “sell” yourself as an ideal candidate or to show interest in a position that you are vying for.

Is it appropriate to contact industry professionals to meet for lunch?
Yes, as long as they are willing parties and you foot the bill.

What kinds of questions should you ask at networking lunches?
Always ask intelligent questions that will put you in a good light. Never ask sensitive questions such as the other person’s salary or personal life.

Do you think brunch is a trend in Singapore?
Raj Datwani: Singaporeans seem to love going for brunch and it’s a great way to unwind after a big night out or just a great unhurried time to catch up with family and friends. That was the premise we had in mind when we started planning our weekly Sunday brunch menu at Bacchanalia. The Bacchanalia kitchen team prides itself on making most of their brunch dish components entirely in-house, with breads, cheese, jams and a variety of condiments freshly made from scratch.  

Why are people becoming more interested in partying at brunch? Why is it better than dinner?
Alex Chew: I think people enjoy it because they like having an alternative to the traditional night time party scene. Our Bacchanalia Brunch parties take place one Saturday a month from 1pm, starting with a "boozy brunch" before we draw the curtains and transform the restaurant into a more clublike environment.  Though you feel as if you've been out for the evening, there's still time to have dinner and get a good night's sleep without affecting your Sunday. Also, brunch is a tremendously social environment where you can actually speak to people before the party starts.

Why did you first decide to do brunch parties instead of just a regular restaurant with a brunch menu?
RD: We felt that the brunches were needed in Singapore and didn't want to wait. Creating a restaurant and having all the elements come together takes time and this allowed us to grow the brand so that we could hit the ground running in an ultra competitive F&B environment.

How is it different hosting a brunch party from a dinner party?
AC: Our Bacchanalia Brunch Series has been modelled after the boozy brunches in New York where people enjoy a great afternoon of partying. These parties have really taken off there and we felt that the concept would do great in Singapore too. Our dinners on the other hand, have two types of guests: Those who are here to eat drink and be merry, and gourmands looking to enjoy a quiet meal. In order to cater to both kinds of diners, we have two dining rooms—one attached to the bar and lounge area and an adjacent room that is quieter. It’s a fine balance as we want to make sure that the atmosphere in the restaurant is fun, vibrant and energetic whilst keeping all our guests happy at the same time. 

What are the components of a great brunch party?
AC: Great brunch food and music are integral to the experience, but the guests are the ones who have the biggest part to play. They've got to be open-minded, ready to loosen up and party. 

What the best thing about daytime drinking?
RD: I think the best part would be starting earlier, going to bed earlier and then waking up early on a Sunday morning without having a hangover or wasting your day because you've gotten a good night’s sleep, but still having as much (or more!) fun then you'd have at night.  

When’s the next Bacchanalia brunch party?
RD: The next brunch party will be held on Saturday, September 21st at the Pan Pacific Hotel for our F1 brunch featuring DJ Jesse Marco from New York.  Last F1 our brunch was our biggest with 450 people and according to some guests the party of the weekend.  We'll be looking to somehow top that this year, and we're really excited to be bringing Jesse Marco in because he can really rock a crowd.  We have a lot of guests from last year already confirming their spots for this year, so we know people are going to be coming ready to party.

What are your growth plans?
AC: We’re in the midst of finalizing our plans to take the series to Hong Kong very soon. We'll continue to grow in the region after that.

Raj Datwani and Alex Chew are the directors of Bacchanalia.

What inspired you to organize an event like this?
We wanted to present a unique outdoor yoga experience that brings people together in a trendy and cool setting: a drop-in yoga session where people can, dance, be immersed in the music, be uplifted and have a great time. Yoga raves are popular in the US, where participants practice yoga in groups of 100 to 400 in large warehouse spaces, in a club setting—but one without drugs, smoking or alcohol. Yoga is the party.

How did you go about organizing it?
We organize monthly outdoor yoga events and partner with yoga and pilates studios, and met our music partners at the Yoga for Water, Yoga for Life event, where they played live music to accompany the yoga session. It was amazing to have 1,500 people up on the roof of the Marina Barrage with us—the Prime Minister was there too! We wanted to try something along those lines, incorporating a more fun, young and trendy aspect to it. Since we also hang out at Tanjong Beach Club we thought, "why not?" and it kicked off from there.

What kind of crowd are you hoping to attract?
Yogis, clubbers, weekend wariors and people interested in trying something new. Bring your coolest yoga pants and singlets!

What other events do you have up your sleeve?
We have a few more smaller monthly events planned this year, but next year there will be some big ones. We like working with other local businesses and partners and will be dishing out new lifestyle and fitness events. Find out more on the In The Loop website.

Yoga Rave Party—a vinyasa yoga session set to electronic music, complete with an afterparty—is on Sep 7, 6:30pm.