“IT'S A SIMPLER LIFE”: SINGAPOREAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS NEGOTIATING TRANSITIONS TO ADULTHOOD THROUGH USE OF MUSIC

Abstract

With the rising consumption of music among young people, this study aims to explore the role of music in young Singaporeans as they transit to adulthood amidst the neoliberalised institutions and meritocratic culture that they live in. Music was chosen for this study as it is known to be important in the lives of young people; especially in the aspects of identity formation and in cultivating a sense of agency and place. Coupled with the potentials of liminal agency in young people, this study looks at music usage as a liminal activity of these young Singaporeans wherein they negotiate the contestations of their everyday lives while undergoing the transition to adulthood. A total of 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted on university students aged between 21 and 26. The findings show that participants often used music as: (i) a distraction in suboptimal life circumstances; (ii) an ambition in which they evaluate themselves; (iii) an important part of their self-identity; and (iv) an effective medium for socialisation. The study concludes with music as a useful medium that can enable the cultivation of a healthy sense of individual agency in young Singaporeans, which opens up the possibilities of how music can play a key role in the future of student voice and student activism.