There’s something that just clicks between Shye and 9m88. Perhaps it’s the fact that both musicians are equally uncompromising in how they tell their stories. Or maybe it’s simpler than that: When you’re an artist who refuses to fit the mould, you recognise your own kind.
They met once briefly in the US, performing at the same festival but barely exchanged more than a hello. “We follow each other [on Instagram], but didn’t get to talk properly then,” says Shye, or Trinity Shye-Anne Brown, as she’s known offstage. “Still, every time I see a post from her, you can tell it’s genuine. Like, her music embodies her.”
Now, months later, they’re on set together in Singapore for an ELLE Singapore cover shoot, styled in Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2025 collection. Despite hailing from different cities and generations, there is an undeniable connection between these two individuals who both stand unwavering in their artistic visions.
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At 22, Shye is already an artist performing on international stages, having built her music career quite literally from her bedroom. “I started with an old keyboard which no one in my family knew how to play,” she recalls. “I had GarageBand on my MacBook, used my earpiece as a mic, and recorded songs during lunch breaks in my school’s quiet theatre studio.”
What began as a side project on SoundCloud and an anonymous Instagram account soon snowballed into an unexpected win, resulting in a Vans showcase, her first EP, and the realisation that people were listening. “Honestly, I didn’t think anything would happen,” she says. “But then I had to put together a 30-minute set in three weeks. I was learning everything as I went along.”
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Today, the Singaporean producer-artist, who is chatty and disarmingly sincere, has played across Asia, released multiple bodies of work, and gained a devoted fan base drawn to her lush indie-pop soundscapes and diaristic lyrics. Plus, she has a new EP that is slated to be released this August. “I don’t try to write too deep or ‘clever’,” she says. “Music is meant to connect. If it’s natural, it’ll be genuine.”
On the other side of the set is Taiwanese artist Joanne Tang—as she is popularly known, 9m88—whose sound defies easy categorisation. Think jazz, Mando-pop, R&B and soul, filtered through a lens that’s both nostalgic and entirely current. “There’s no clear point when a song feels done,” reflects the 34-year-old. “But once I feel there’s something honest in it, something worth sharing, then I know it’s ready.”
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That sense of intentionality is what connects them, not just to each other, but to the Chanel Métiers d’Art ethos. “This collection is about honouring tradition through innovation,” says Shye. “I think that’s something I’ve always done, too, because my method isn’t conventional but the emotion and care behind it are very real.”
Both women have worn Chanel before, but this shoot—in Singapore, featuring a collection rooted in intricate detail and cross-cultural inspiration—feels like they have come full circle. “I’m always happy to work with Chanel because they’ve been with me since the very beginning,” says Shye. “It’s really nice to be part of a duo on a cover with another female artist.”
For 9m88, who studied fashion design before music, dressing up and performing have always gone hand in hand. “When I wear Chanel on stage, I feel more... composed. The silhouette kind of controls how you move, but in a good way. It makes you walk differently, hold yourself differently,” she says. “It’s emotional. You don’t even have to speak because your look speaks for you.”
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And that same sense of emotional poise defines her relationship with her audience. “They’re so emotional, and I mean that in the best way,” she laughs. “Sometimes they message me these long personal stories about how a song helped them through something. I think it creates this really warm cycle, like I’m here for them, and they’re here for me, too.”
She has just announced a one-night-only show in Singapore this June as part of her 2025 “I Just Wanna Sing for You” tour. Set to take place at the Esplanade Annexe Studio, the performance promises an intimate and soulful evening, true to her signature blend of vintage soul, urban pop and quiet emotional clarity. “I want it to be soft and small,” says 9m88. “I think that kind of concert is good for people who really want to be there.” As an independent artist in Taiwan, she’s learned to build her own creative space and protect it fiercely. “It’s not always easy,” she admits. “People don’t always understand where we’re from or what we’re trying to say. But maybe that’s the beauty of it. Since we’re not tied to a system, we can explore freely.”
That freedom, ostensibly of sound, of self, of spirit, is something Shye also fights to preserve. “In Singapore, everyone kind of knows everyone. It’s a small scene. That can make it easier to be heard but harder to keep evolving without feeling boxed in,” she says. “But I’ve always done things in my own way. It’s not the norm but I think it works because I get to put out what I want into the world since I have full creative freedom and control.”
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She’s also actively creating spaces for others, founding an initiative called Hear Me Up to support emerging musicians. “There are so many great acts here that people just don’t know about. I remember what it was like to feel like an outsider. So I started putting together these shows where new voices could be heard.”
Both artists speak openly about emotional labour, vulnerability and the cost of visibility, especially as women in music. “When I first started, I was fearless,” 9m88 says. “But over time, you get caught in this trap of how a ‘female artist’ should act, should look, should perform. I had to unlearn all of that.”
Shye nods in recognition. “People don’t expect me to do everything myself, but I do. I’ve never felt like I had to prove it, though. I always believed the work would speak for itself.”
So, has softness become a form of rebellion for her? Shye smiles. “I think it’s actually the strongest thing you can be. Being vulnerable takes real courage, especially when the world tells you not to be.”
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It’s a sentiment that quietly threads through both artists’ work and finds a striking visual metaphor in this shoot. There’s something poetic about seeing these two women, with entirely different musical aesthetics, styled in a collection that celebrates precisely that delicate tension: The harmony of contrasts.
For 9m88, that’s where she feels most at home. “I’m still figuring out where my next album is going,” she admits. “But I recently reworked a few older songs into jazz versions, which opened up something new for me. It’s like Chanel taking the same code and flipping it. That process of revisiting and reimagining is where the magic is.”
Shye agrees. “I’ve never done things the ‘right’ way. But who decides what ‘right’ is? My process might not be conventional, but the intention is always to connect. That’s the thread, right? Whether it’s fashion, music, or the way you walk into a room. It’s all about the expression.”
As the shoot wraps, there’s a quiet pride in what this cover collaboration represents. Indeed, they’re not just two women in beautiful clothes, but two stories that deserve to be seen, heard, and felt. “I think this generation needs artists who don’t fit the mould but still show up, still take up space,” 9m88 says.
Shye nods in agreement. “We’re not trying to be anyone else. We’re just doing it our way, and that should be more than enough.”
Styled by JEFFREY YAN
Photographed by JOEL LOW
Make-up Artist for Shye CLARENCE LEE using Chanel Beauty
Hairstylist for Shye PETER LEE/35A
Make-up Artist for 9m88 NASH CHEN using Chanel Beauty
Hairstylist for 9m88 ODYE WENG
Photographer’s Assistant EDDIE TEO