Homegrown music retailer Swee Lee’s new space in Clarke Quay is a haven for artists, performers, and fans alike

The recent influx of major international music acts in Singapore highlights the country’s growing appreciation for music. But while there was overwhelming support for acts like Coldplay and Taylor Swift, there were calls from the local music community to promote and support homegrown talent. In an ideal world, local musicians would have more airtime on the radio, more live music venues, and more opportunities to collaborate and perform. 

One purveyor shifting the needle is music and lifestyle stalwart Swee Lee, which opened its flagship store at Clarke Quay in April. Having served the local music community for almost 80 years, the retailer is entering its immersive, experiential era with Swee Lee Clarke Quay.

The 506 sqm (5,500 sq ft) store boasts a vinyl library, recording studio/DJ booth, cafe, performance space, retail and servicing areas, and a guitar vault that showcases premium and collector’s items.

Entering the space — a former warehouse with a natural skylight — feels like stepping into an independent record store in London, Melbourne, New York, or Seattle. You’re greeted by an explosion of colour, pattern, textures, and influences as eclectic as the entire spectrum of music itself. It’s a bit of a sensory overload but in a good way.

The interior is the brainchild of Ken Yuktasevi, founding partner and creative director of Parable Studio, who was determined to steer clear of the minimalist aesthetic that characterises many retail venues these days. “So many music retailers try to be minimal. In some stores, everything is really pristine,” says Yuktasevi. 

Yuktasevi founded the studio in 2016 and has since worked with clients like Crystal Jade (Crystal Jade Palace in Takashimaya) and JJ Lin (JFJ Sanctuary, his music production studio). “For us, we were inspired by the love of music. The whole idea of this space is that it draws on music influences, whether it’s jazz, classical or rock music. So that’s why you’ve got this eclectic, friendly, warm palette.”

A musical homecoming

Black-and-white tiles reference piano keys, burl wood surfaces recall handmade guitars and checkerboard carpeting alludes to punk’s affinity for tartan prints. Pillars are dressed in wood veneers and made to look like floor-standing speaker boxes. Yuktasevi’s team even custom-made wall lights to resemble tube amplifiers. 

Banquette seats line the periphery of the central performance area, while a pair of crescent-shaped sofas anchor the centre. Throw in coffee tables and vintage-looking armchairs, and the setup is almost residential in feel. “When you go to stores in Australia, Europe, or the US — you know, where music is so embedded in the culture — it feels very homely.”

Home is exactly what Swee Lee’s owner, Caldecott Music Group founder Kuok Meng Ru, had in mind. At least a home for musicians and music lovers of all breeds. “Meng said he wished that Singapore had more places where the music community could come together,” says Yuktasevi, lamenting the loss of mega-retailers like HMV and Tower Records, communal spaces where music fans once flocked. 

“But now there’s another place where music lovers can come to enjoy culture. Interviews, product launches, and album launches can happen here. Local artists can stage intimate performances. You can come in alone, try out a guitar and not feel like you’re bothering anybody. 

“We have a space that caters to the new generation of music content-making — things like streaming. People can bring a date and listen to records in our vinyl library. It’s something different than your typical dinner-and-movie date. It’s a place where people can slow down and enjoy music.”

A meeting of minds

Yuktasevi and his team had just finished putting the finishing touches on another project — Trapeze Rec. Club, a holistic wellness centre in Tanjong Pagar — when Kuok, scion of palm oil tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong, came knocking on his door.

The latter was looking to rebrand Swee Lee and introduce its customers to new experiences. He was impressed with what Parable Studio had done with Trapeze and asked if they would lend their expertise to his new venture. 

For a music lover like Yuktasevi — he was part of a metal band in his teens, plays the drums at home, and has influenced two of his four children to drum as well — the prospect was too tantalising to resist. “Parable Studio has always been blessed to work with local brands that want to take things to the next level. To do it with a brand like Swee Lee is awesome. I immediately knew I wanted to do this,” he says.

Since its founding in 2016, the studio has been known for its storytelling approach to design. With Swee Lee, Yuktasevi considered the endless narratives that could be woven about music. “Music is for everybody,” he surmises. “It can be used for romance, catharsis, worship, and connecting. It’s just such a full narrative.” 

The studio had a blank slate to work with, and the warehouse was an empty shell waiting to be filled. A labour of love, Yuktasevi and his team went through “10 different iterations” of the floor plan. Consideration had to be given to balancing the various components — retail, lifestyle concepts, and performance spaces. Eventually, they found the sweet spot where more than half of the space was given to culture while only one-third went to retail. 

“Swee Lee had an opportunity to do something different in Singapore, and they took that opportunity to do it,” Yuktasevi declares. “They had the means, they had the vision, and they had the right team. And so they went ahead and created something wonderful.”