Two Songs and a Story

This pandemic has shaken us and shaped us. Caught in a never-ending present, what arises when we confront ourselves and each other?

Birthed from times of isolation, Two Songs and a Story blends music with storytelling in this online video series of five solo performances. Watch and hear the stirring original monologues and music of ants chua, Inch Chua, Jo Tan, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai, and weish, as they weave a multifaceted portrait of strength and fragility, peace and disruption. Directed and dramaturged by Huzir Sulaiman in collaboration with Joel Lim, Two Songs and a Story is a moving and life-affirming exploration of vulnerability, loneliness, and the power of human connection.

1. at least I have words now by ants chua
In a culture that values romantic narratives, what happens to stories of friendship? With penetrating insight and delicately beautiful vocals, ants chua gives us a unique and generous glimpse into friendship’s rich complexities.

2. Super Q by Inch Chua
Inspired by her time volunteering in migrant worker dormitories at the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, Inch Chua captures visceral fragments of what happens when public health is threatened and private worlds are upended. Who can truly be safe and sound?

3. A Bit by Jo Tan
At her nine-to-five job, Bit Wah gets by doing the bare minimum. Trapped by the mundanity of her life, escape comes in the form of an anime series where the colours are just a bit brighter, and where the atmosphere is just a bit more joyful and warm, offering a welcome break from reality, and the promise of a life truly lived.

4. And Then I Am Light by Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai
Told with grace, precision, and powerful vocals, Sangeetha’s story is one of overcoming the messy remnants of self-doubt and childhood trauma, to find healing, acceptance, and new possibilities of love.

5. Be Here, With Me by weish
Known for her layered soundscapes and hauntingly affecting vocals, weish brings her trademark hypnotic loops and literary sensibility to this evocative piece, portraying the vulnerabilities of companionship when one has been irreversibly changed and explanations no longer suffice.