By Jocelle Koh

Chinese singer-songwriter Wang Yiling 王忆灵 and her eclectic, international band The Flame Bearers were the last act of 2025 I saw perform. Tucked away in a small hole-in-the-wall venue called Wire Entertainment in the eastern suburbs of Singapore, I truly did not know what to expect.

Known for her mournful vocals and deep, poetic lyrics, Yiling’s 2024 album ‘Ode To Wither 枯萎颂’ enamoured music critics with its range of topics presented against a largely acoustic, mellow backdrop such as the duality between life and death, spiritual violence of change and transformation and general existentialism to create a transcendent impact that extended beyond Wang’s young years. 

I had a sneaking suspicion, however, that I was in for a treat as I saw the stage packed with a motley crew of musicians, such as a clarinetist from Iran, a guitarist/flautist from Sweden, violinist, guitarist and many band members performing multiple instruments. It must have been something very special that brought them together, much less to Singapore’s densely packed shores, I thought.

Indeed, I was not wrong. Featuring completely new arrangements that, for lack of better words shook us to our core, the show was an experience none of the audiences-turned-performers would soon forget. Twisting and turning from swelling, orchestral arrangements to alternative rock meets jazz improvisation and each band member bringing elements of their own heritage to flesh out the show, for those two hours, it was truly Wang Yiling and The Flamebearers’ universe – we were just living in it.

As the performance progressed, fluid and ever-changing in its textures as it ebbed, flowed, built and regressed, I grew more and more in awe of the presence that Wang stood steadfast in as a young woman of 24 years holding her own amongst such richness and textural extravagance. 

In conversation with Yiling afterwards, I asked about the confidence that she exuded on stage despite having her own issues with confidence as a child. She shared:

”To me, ‘confidence’ is a state that organically presents itself after you unendingly hone your skills, fail, and experience building your own world. What will emerge is an attitude of ‘ain’t nothing but a thing’ after experiencing the bad and the good of life.”

Indeed, many of Wang’s songs talk about the duality of grief and hope in the face of unrelenting change, presenting a depth of experience that can only come from feeling deeply present in one’s experiences. Just like the unforeseeable yet beautiful, shifting nature of Yiling and The Flamebearers’ performance, we quizzed Wang on her fascination with grappling with Change in her works.

”To say that change inspires my creations, it might be better to say that all creation is birthed from change. If there is no change there will be no music, because music can only be established through the movements of time.”

Indeed, being present in the live space with Yiling and her band, there was a sense of ephemerality that exuded from the performance. As Yiling made her way into the crowd for her song “Calling to a Lover 呼喚愛人”, her charisma was unstoppable as she solicited even the most shy of audience members to dance and take part in the creation of new art together. Each moment feeling so fragile in its raw beauty, I believe that audiences did not participate out of candour; but out of  a pure, childlike excitement to experience this moment which everyone somehow knew would perhaps never happen again. 

And in fact, this was an extremely intentional message Wang intended to convey through each of her exquisite performances which merged live music with performance art.

“Audiences are part of our live team, and a part of live art that cannot be repeated.”

One of my favourite moments was when the intrepid young performer left the stage and joined her audience, turning to face the stage to perform her song “Making Humour a Job is Dangerous 把幽默當成工作是危險的”. I will never forget that moment of pure art that crystallised in that moment, as Wang sang words of exquisite poetry that reverberated through the stage speakers back towards her physical self. 

掌声鲜花 Fresh flowers and applause

掩盖伤疤 Drown scars

黑话白话 Black and white conversations

都变成假话 All become fake ones

这时我才知道 This is when I knew

把幽默当作工作 Making humour a job 

是危险的 Is dangerous

-“Making Humour a Job is Dangerous 把幽默當成工作是危險的”

In that moment I sensed a deep accountability that Wang was taking for her words and actions; so much so that she was willing to leave the stage, breaking the fourth wall with her audience to experience her voice and her performance alongside them. 

When asked what she hopes audiences can receive from her performance, Yiling showed a deep understanding of both audience and performer perspectives, which is one of the things that makes watching her perform a delightful work of art.

”Of course I hope audiences can open their heart and feel more love after watching (my performance). Because when I finish watching a good performance, I feel like I’ve been healed/released, and am full of energy, with renewed power towards life. But I didn’t try to send a particular message or answer, how audiences understand a performance depends on their mindset that day, and doesn’t just depend on the people on stage.”

In her performance and her works, Yiling brings a deep empathy with the human experience at its core, which has led many a music critic to praise her for her brevity despite her young years. As such, ‘survival’ is a core topic she waxes lyrical on, in songs such as “Lucky Apple” which was inspired by a loose apple rolling across a Beijing highway. 

“As a person, a life, if I didn’t have my own thoughts on survival, then perhaps I should be thinking why is that.”

But what struck me is not just the topic of survival, but how Yiling paints it as often violent, on songs such as “你的武器是什麼？What Is Your Weapon?”. Yiling shares about the duality she sees in every moment, and how perhaps it could be construed as 

“When we talk about violence, perhaps we are talking about growth in life. In the middle there will definitely be progress – when you want something new you will have to break the old, when you want new flowers to bloom you need to witness blooms withering, if you want to breakthrough an impasse you need to accept the presence of cracks, if you want a good harvest you need to break out of the ground. I think violence is also a kind of life energy, but this is not the only kind of life energy. It’s up to how you read things, as there are more than two sides to everything.”

Vietnamese-American poet and author Ocean Vuong is famous for his analysis on violence as something ingrained in American use of language and hence embedded in their culture. In Yiling’s work, I sense a similar vein postulating her own perspectives on how it could also be embedded into life, be it from her own experiences growing up in China, or in general.

我们捏碎了 We pinched and broke

泥土做的总角 came from the earth

我们生活在 we live in 

风扫的焦糖 wind swept caramel 

华丽的寺庙 luxurious temples

摇摇晃晃的 swaying here and there

不知道是我还是这世界 unsure if it’s me or this world 

沉没的速度 the speed of silence 

像是在发泄 like ranting 

-你的武器是什麼？What Is Your Weapon?

Noticing everything from Persian elements to jazz improvisation as well as folk and alternative rock in Yiling’s music, it is clear that her creation comes from a place of unbridled flow, and a deep thirst for seeking out what it means and could feel like to be human. 

During our chat, Yiling mentioned that her creation has always been driven both by outwards and inwards forces including fate and her experiences, however she has only always wanted to write good songs.

In an evening that will stay etched in my memory for some time to come, Yiling reminded us of the preciousness and fragility of our experiences, and how to find renewal in the depths of despair. Leaving us with some choice parting words, she shared what she hoped her music could bring to people:

“The ability to forgive everything, and also to tell yourself ‘how great it is to be alive’”.

Yiling is an artist that has the ability to stand with her audience in absolute solidarity with their experiences, no matter which part of the world they come from. From blooming to withering, death and renewal, we are endlessly looking forward to the next time we may see her live or hear from her through the airwaves.

Follow Yiling on Instagram or listen to her music on Spotify or Apple Music.