moreofthem on Agust D and ‘unrealistic societal norms’

Following the release of their irresistible debut track, moreofthem chats with Cherry Chu Magazine about being non-binary, and their songwriting process.

moreofthem. Image: Latch Media.

Putting their own blissful spin on hyper-pop, moreofthem is making waves in London’s music scene thanks to their debut single “capture the moment”. The Malaysian non-binary artist steps outside the boxes of both gender and genre, taking inspiration from various K-pop and J-rock stars to create unconventionally cathartic songs.

With more music incoming, Cherry Chu Magazine chatted to moreofthem about their identity, their creative processes, and what’s next.

Cherry Qs: 10 questions with moreofthem

'moreofthem' is a unique stage name — what is the meaning behind it? 

There’s many ways to look at it. I came up with it when I came out as non-binary and started going by they/them pronouns. To me, I saw it as a way of saying that the plan would be to build a community/utilise a platform for other non-binary creatives, LGBTQ+, creatives that might not have a voice.

Also personally, being a non-binary individual and associating with they/them pronouns, it reaffirmed my statement of wanting to be a driving force in the industry. At the same time, I found the tongue-in-cheek aspect of it, having someone announce my name as ‘it’s moreofthem’ or ‘here’s moreofthem’, I like the wordplay and the small mystique behind it. 

Your debut track, "capture the moment" is a song that you've said is for those who feel lost — what do you mean by this? 

I wrote it during a time where I was feeling lost and I was fixated on the things you see on social media. I feel that it’s relatable to everyone to feel alone and especially for someone like me, feel unsure about your identity and I want to hammer it home with the message of ‘it’s okay to be unsure of yourself, it’s okay to not be okay and most importantly, never change who you are to accommodate to others’. 

moreofthem. Image: Latch Media.

Could you explain your approach to creating a song? What steps do you take? 

It changes every time but in the case of “capture the moment” and the rest of the singles you’ll hear this year, all of them were sample-based and DIY. I wrote and produced all of them in my bedroom and my studio desk is set up in a way where everything is turned on.

I have my computer/hub in the middle, my keys and microphone on my left and my guitars and drum machines on my right, with everything plugged in and turned on, so if I think of an idea, I can just grab an instrument and start playing/recording. It allows me to have an ever-flowing process without any distractions and eases any potential stresses that I may have. 

How much were you involved in the creation of the "capture the moment" music video? Were there any other MVs in particular that influenced the direction and artistic vision? 

Hands on, pretty much. As it was performance based, there weren’t any scripts or storyboards but I was always in discussion with the director, Andrew Tan, with the visual ideas I wanted to bring to life. The main inspiration for the video was the “Frail State of Mind” video from The 1975. I knew that I always wanted to create a video with a camera connected to a projector and base my movements and performance off those tools. The colour palette and fashion choices were based on late ‘90s-Y2K era fashion, and that’s really where the music took me. 

What inspiration (musically, conceptually, or even fashion-wise) do you take from artists you've cited like GFRIEND, TXT, and ONE OK ROCK, especially as they sit in such differing genres as K-pop and J-rock stars? 

I always grew up with K-pop and J-rock and the inspiration always came from the songwriting and production aspects of a song. With K-pop artists in particular, I’ve always been obsessed with the complexity of their production choices.

The vocal production is always insane and these songs would always have these little instances of ear candy where it could be another melody or even weird sounds that you wouldn’t think works in a pop song and yet it fills up the spaces perfectly and that was always something that I feel would be principal towards my sound.

With J-rock, it was always the melodies and chord progressions that they use; it’s unconventional and unique and that was always inspiring to me. It always made me think outside the box. The plan one day is to start incorporating visual concepts in photoshoots and videos, similar to how you see in modern K-pop groups. Fashion-wise, what can I say? It’s always on point. 

The lyricism in "capture the moment" is almost sociological. It puts a lens to social media consumption and digital lives with an emphasis on addiction (‘chasing for a notice… your daily dosage… fixated on dances’) — is there a reason you were inspired to write about this topic? 

Going off what I mentioned earlier, I was fixated on a lot of distractions that you get online and started to obsess with unrealistic societal norms. I always felt that I had to live up to a lot of expectations growing up and accommodate my life to how people would want you to present it.

Unfortunately, that is the reality that you see nowadays. Individuals who might be struggling might look at someone’s life online and compare it to theirs and to me that’s really dangerous and I wrote just as a form of catharsis, just to get it off my chest. A lot of the songs I’ve written for this project touch on various aspects of that, so “capture the moment” isn’t going to be the last for sure. 

You're a member of and vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community; do you have a particular message you aim to send? 

Honestly, I think the message I aim to send is for more individuals to realise their worth and put themselves out there. I wanted this project to be a safe space for everyone to listen and relate, regardless of how they identify. Especially coming from Malaysia, where it’s illegal to be a part of this community, I never had anyone I could open up to or express myself to while growing up. So, it just felt important to me to champion other artists and help towards giving them a voice. 

moreofthem. Image: Latch Media.

You've also named Agust D as an influence for your work. His tracks are often quite honest about his past and opinions about the music industry; is this something that we can expect from your music in the future? 

He’s one of my favourite artists of all time right now. I was late to the BTS game and hearing the D-2 project was what actually got me into their work and solidified him as one of my biggest influences (and my bias). I’ve always been inspired by his work ethic and his honesty with the topics that he writes about. He’s always had this energy of not caring about what people think about him and he gets to create the way he wants to create, and that’s something that plays a massive part with the way I write.

I’m at a point where I’m starting to feel more comfortable with who I am and not scared about the stories I want to tell anymore, so that’s something to definitely expect with the songs to come. 

What is your goal for the end of the year, both artistically and personally? 

Get this project out there. I’ve got four more singles lined up over the course of 2023, with supporting music videos, live performances, merchandise, social events, anything to get the ‘moreofthem’ name out there. This year is all about solidifying the name and building a small community of supporters, to spread the message that ‘moreofthem are coming’. I’ve got the next few years pretty much laid out for this project.

As a person, I think it’s more about getting through this year and balancing my life personally and artistically. As important as it is to work hard and chase your dream, it is as important to take breaks and look after yourself. I’m just trying to find that balance and keep doing what I’m doing. 

How and when would you recommend listening to your debut track? Is it best suited to a car ride, a party, mid-cry, or just with headphones late at night?

I wrote this purely in the mindset of it being a solid introduction to the project and what it’s all about. Honestly, however the track makes you feel, whether you’re in a car ride with your friends, on a train by yourself, mid-cry, late at night, walking, dancing, jumping, it doesn’t matter! However the song makes you feel and the emotions that you get from it, everything is valid! 

You can check out moreofthem via Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Instagram.

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.