kotoji Explores the Depth of Human Emotion with ‘Scribbles Of The First’

I feel privileged to have had the chance to interview and get to know a little about kotoji and her album release, ‘Scribbles Of The First’.

26 year old Singaporean indie rock singer/songwriter, Anjila Lim, is the mastermind behind the musical project kotoji.

She is not afraid to dive into the heaviest of topics and has a passion for exploring the experience of human emotion throughout her music, whilst still maintaining a bright, indie rock/power pop feel.

Having had music running through her veins, surrounded with a very musical family, Anjila, began her musical journey at age 4 through learning the piano from her classically trained mother, however it wasn’t long before she cast her gaze towards the rock and pop style music that you hear from kotoji today.

kotoji’s debut album release, ‘Scribbles Of The First’, is what she calls a ‘time capsule’ for her early twenties, reflecting on the youthful vulnerability and the process of her healing.

The album blends styles of indie rock, power pop and jangle pop to wind you through the range of emotions experienced within a relationship.

Inspired by artists such as Car Seat Headrest, Mitski, NICO Touches The Walls and Spitz, all the music on the album has been written, composed, arranged by Anjila, the addition of drums by brother singer-songwriter, Theron Lim and co-produced by Asmat T.

“I hope I am able to be there for you on your respective journeys, and this body of work can be your companion as you go through these moments of being human” 

You can listen to ‘Scribbles Of The First’ below:

Tell us a little about your background

I grew up in a rather musical environment.

My mom was a piano teacher and I have a younger brother who shares a similar taste in and passion for music as me.

Growing up, she tried to teach us how to play the piano but it was never really our thing.

We were more interested in band-based instruments like guitar and drums.

From there, we started learning those instruments at a school called Academy of Rock, where I started at around 11 years old and continue to be with them till now.

Through the school, we have had a myriad of opportunities to perform on stage with the resident band called the AOR Band.

I was the bassist and backup vocalist while he was the drummer for many years.

Through our growing years, my brother and I would always discover new music and share ideas with each other, and that continues till today.

I guess you can say we both really made each other (hahaha)!

What does having a life in music mean to you?

Having a life in music means agency, it means freedom, it means honest expression and it means being able to be unapologetically me.

This is going to sound a little sad and I won’t give too many personal details away, but truth be told, most of my life has been sort of “decided” for me.

And I never really had the courage to go against that grain and stand up for my own desires and goals out of fear and my own self-esteem issues.

Music is the one facet of my life that is truly, wholly mine and a conscious journey I wanted to embark on, without any sort of external influences or factors.

In fact, I think it has pushed me to have a better hold of my life and to have the strength to live my life the way I want to.

What is it that makes you, you when you’re not in the public eye?

I’m quite a transparent person, so there’s no big difference between who I am publicly and who I am behind it all.

What you see is what you get!

I guess I’m a lot more “professional” and “diplomatic” in the public eye, but that’s still me, y’know?

If I had to pick something, it would be my friends and close circles, who I can be unfiltered and fun around (for lack of better words hahaha).

How would you describe the feel of your music?

My music has a rather nostalgic feel to it, and a sense of sonic brightness amongst heavier lyrics.

I coined the term “indie uwu” to encapsulate that, along with my pastel visual presentation.

I’m not trying to do anything new or revolutionary – I’m just being me, and majority of my influences come from the 90’s and 00’s.

Combine that with more modern mixing and mastering practices, and you get nostalgia.

You have released your Album ‘Scribbles of the First’. Tell us about what inspired you to create this Album.

This album was about my first significant romantic relationship, which is also the only one I’ve had till now.

A lot of these songs were my way of processing everything that happened and how I coped with the aftermath.

I wrote a lot of songs, lyrics and snippets as a result of that and I tried to organise it all into a cohesive narrative just for the heck of it.

I took a lot of inspiration from some of my favourites such as Car Seat Headrest’s Twin Fantasy and Weezer’s Pinkerton in terms of the tracklist’s story flow and the emotional impact of those works.

Honestly, I never intended for this album to be released as I thought music would always be a pipe dream of mine.

But life finds a way, and I think I had been thinking a lot about how my life was going and what I wanted it to be.

I now live by the saying, “Better to have done than to never have tried at all”, and I guess that’s what really inspired me to actually create this album and make it real.

What do the songs on the Album mean to you?

I call this album a time capsule of my early twenties, because each song is really a time capsule in itself.

The songs represent a time in my life where I was so willing and ready to be completely vulnerable, and in a way, they serve as reminders to myself that it’s ok to have feelings and to allow myself the space to do so.

The songs are also tangible proof that I have the ability to create, which I had doubted myself for the longest time.

So all in all they mean the absolute world to me.

Within your songs, there is a lot of reflection about the ups and downs of human experience and emotion. What does it mean to you, to reflect on these ranges of emotion?

To me, it means growth.

I think the recognition those emotions and their complexities instead of lumping them into more simplistic, definitive categories are a part of being human and developing as a person.

Sometimes, emotions are complicated, and that’s ok.

There are many layers to our feelings, and I think that depth is beautiful and something that we should give ourselves the time and space to learn and accept.

What is your creative process like when you are creating your music?

It really depends!

My works are usually the result of personal experiences or shower thoughts even (hahaha).  

I will usually jot down lyrics or record chord progressions and melody ideas on my phone and find a time (usually late at night) to piece it all together into a more solidified structure.

When it comes to the arrangement of those songs, I usually have a rough picture on what I would like them to be.

I then listen to my inspirations to get a clearer idea on how to design them all sonically.

Sometimes I like to do stylistics challenges, which then end up with me doing my own spin on them anyway.

If all the stars aligned, where would you ultimately like to get to with your music?

I mean getting an international record deal would be nice (hahaha)!

Having more global reach would be great, and getting to perform my own material more would be amazing too.

I think I would also like to write songs for others or collaborate with other writers as well, both melodically and lyrically.

From your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Have faith and play the long game.

Have the willingness to learn and keep that curiosity alive.

Remember to have gratitude to the people around you.

Everything is a team effort, no matter how big or small your group is.

We are where we are not just by our own effort alone, but also because of the people who believe in us and support us in whatever way, shape or form they can.

I also think it’s important for people to fully understand and prepare themselves for the road ahead.

Chasing after your dreams and having that determination is admirable, however blindly going after it without knowing the nuances and day-to-day hard work and sacrifices can burn out a passionate flame very quickly.

Be open to learning about it all. Your dreams are possible and within reach, so long as you are wholly committed and ready to take on what’s coming.

It’s not going to be an easy or smooth ride, but it will be worth it.

Where can people find your music?

You can find me on all digital streaming platforms under the name “kotoji”.

My music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and more!