2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Haven's songwriting secret: A phone full of midnight voice memos and raw emotion
BRANDED CONTENT Haven's songwriting secret: A phone full of midnight voice memos and raw emotion The 21-year-old musician opens up about her music, self-expression and how the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge helps her bring spontaneous ideas to life
Rising R&B singer-songwriter Haven is known for baring her soul through music – and in person, she is just as candid.
Catching her reflection in the mirror, the 21-year-old local artist behind the chart-topping 2025 eponymous album Haven fiddles with her hair mid-conversation and laughs about her latest impromptu trim.
'I had enough changes in my life, so I was like, you know what? New chapter, new me!' she says.
That sense of change runs deep. While Haven's career continues its upward climb, her songs often reflect a more introspective side – one that does not shy away from uncertainty, heartbreak or healing.
'It's actually kind of nice when someone like me just takes it easy. I feel like I'm not anyone at all, and I don't like it when people say I'm being humble,' she adds. 'Realistically, I'm not famous. The world doesn't know who I am. If I stop doing music, nothing changes!'
The young artist, whose real name is Ms Teo Cher Win, is both a performer who commands the stage and a 20-something still navigating what it means to grow up in the public eye.
But Haven has always been down-to-earth about love, mining its messiness with a precision that has made her music feel disarmingly relatable. The song Ride Or Die confronts the tension of a situation, while Find My Way maps the uncertain path back to someone, regardless of how or why.
Here, she shares more about songwriting and why music will always be her most honest form of expression.
Whether on stage or off-duty, Haven brings the same energy: unfiltered, grounded and ready to create.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Q: What inspires your songwriting the most?
I would have to say the experiences that I grew up with, as I have never been good at expressing my emotions growing up. I always found that writing music helps me because I tend to psychoanalyse how I am feeling through my writing. That gives me clarification as I slowly figure out what and how I felt during a moment, which becomes both an inspiration and an epiphany that I use in my music.
Q: Which one of your songs do you think has an edge over your other songs?
I would have to say Future Somebody which came straight from the heart and became the starting point for everything I have written since. I wrote it about three years ago, and it was my first time co-producing a song with one of my best friends in the world.
I had no idea what I was doing. We spent a month going back and forth, playing with sample beats, horror-movie screams, whale sounds and even trumpets. It felt like a science experiment, and then, bam, it became a song.
It was also the first time I connected with the artist side of myself, figuring out what I wanted or did not want in a track. It meant so much to me that I even got the title tattooed on the back of my neck, to remind myself that no matter what, it is about staying true to who you are, even if it means experimenting and failing.
Q: Have you ever written a song based on a voice memo?
All my songs came to life that way, I will hum a tune in the middle of the night when I am feeling inspired out of nowhere. I pick up my phone, press record and that is it.
I end up with a whole library of melodies, hums or even random lyrics, which I will jot down in my Notes app. When I am creating a song, I will go through those voice memos to see what fits. When you first hear them, it is all super raw, just mumbo-jumbo, but once you start writing lyrics and building the production around it, it turns into a real song. So, honestly, do not underestimate a voice recording.
Q: What does showing your edge mean for you?
Showing my edge means being completely, unapologetically myself even when it's uncomfortable or scary.
Being a singer means everything to me, and I truly believe it is my life's purpose. Without it, my world would feel dark. I've never been good at expressing emotions, and I used to lash out a lot growing up.
Songwriting became my therapy, and eventually, my whole world. More than anything, it also gives me the chance to help others. If someone relates to my music or finds inspiration in it, that means everything.
It's also where I get to be the most authentic version of myself. Back when I was a student, I always had to follow rules like what teachers or my parents expected. But in a recording room, writing music, I'm just me. No one can take that away. There are no rules. I'm limitless. And that can be terrifying, because if I fail, it's on me. But it also gave me a sense of power and with that, the responsibility to care for it, like nurturing a baby. That is what music is for me. It's where I'm most myself.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge serves as a portable studio for Haven, helping her capture inspiration as it comes.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Q: Do you have any upcoming projects or goals you are excited about?
I just released an album in February and have three more features coming up soon, all of which I worked on in just two weeks while also fixing up my home. I told myself: 'You've got this!'
I recorded two of them in two days, and the third is a feature of a song I've already released. I'm especially excited for these collabs because it's my first time working with a local artist, and it sounds good.
As for my own future projects, I am excited too. My last album took two years, and it felt like it came from the old me. Now, I want to show that I am a whole different person. This new album will reflect more on my 20s and everything that has changed since then.
Not to toot my own horn, but I do think I have matured, especially in how I think. I am much calmer now, which makes songwriting a lot easier. Back then, my lyrics were all over the place because that is how I was emotionally. It is really interesting to write again. I still crash out sometimes, but now there is a sense of peace that balances the chaos, and it does not feel like the chaos is in control anymore.
Q: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a musician?
I think that answer has changed for me over the years. Right now, my biggest accomplishment is simply being able to do music. I am truly grateful to be in this position where I can share my songs and have amazing listeners who genuinely love and relate to them.
That, to me, is my greatest achievement. Sometimes it leaves me speechless. I still cannot believe there are so many people who love what I do and continue to support me. As an artist, that is really all I could ever ask for.
Q: How do you connect with your audience during a show?
My songs mean everything to me as they are a part of who I am, inside and out. Performing is one of the main ways I connect with my audience, because you really get to know me through my singing. I am fully myself on stage; it feels like home. When I perform, it is like opening a door and inviting people into my world to just enjoy and relax.
I also love hearing my listeners' stories, like how they found a song or connected with it. A lot of them tell me they had just gone through a break-up and that the song helped them. I always feel so lucky and grateful because I wrote it when I was heartbroken, too. To know it is part of someone else's healing, or that they feel my anger when they are angry, that is all I could ever ask for.
Q: You've spoken about embracing your edge through music and self-expression – how does a tool like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge support that creative freedom in your life?
There are many features I personally love, but here are my top three.
First is, of course, its super slim feature. I have actually compared its thickness to a piece of linguine and a French fry, and it is the same width, which honestly blows my mind. I have always had thicker phones and would usually leave them on a table, and thus, would tend to lose them often. The Galaxy S25 Edge is so slim and lightweight that sometimes I forget it is even there, but trust me, it is. That is one of my favourite features.
Another favourite? The Audio Eraser, powered by Galaxy AI (artificial intelligence). What it does is that it filters out background noise and fine-tunes audio by balancing voices, music, wind and more, so your videos sound as good as they look.
Last but definitely not least, is the Galaxy S25 Edge's advanced camera system. It features a powerful 200MP rear lens, with AI fine-tuning colour and detail even in low light. Close-ups are sharper and more refined with the AI Zoom feature. It is, hands down, the most treasured feature in my phone.
This article first appeared on Her World.
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