Quan Yao Lim was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and grew up in a household where music was played all the time – his father loved jazz, his mother loved classical music, and his brother was a guitarist. Quan Yao picked up the piano at the age of six, and has since never looked back. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Quan Yao has gone on to form his own band and tour major cities in his country, as well as becoming a professional engineer at Cybersound Recording Studios, alongside studio owner Perry Geyer, an internationally acclaimed producer accredited with two multi-platinum albums, and six number one singles.
A recipient of Summa Cum Laude honors and the Music Preparation Award from Berklee college of Music, Quan Yao has worked on projects for music, radio, television, video games, and film, as a composer, producer, and audio engineer. He is currently working on music projects with artists in a variety of genres, including jazz, hip hop, rock, R&B, pop, and musical theatre.
Quan Yao Lim has recently released the single “Falling For You” featuring Angela Rodriguez on vocals, Andrew Cheng on guitars, Nicholas Wong on piano, Luke Sairattanyu on bass, and Ian Ho on drums. Quan Yao wrote, arranged and produced the song.
Running through his catalog, it is evident that Quan Yao is not tied to genres, as his compositions stride between Pop, EDM, Jazz and instrumental soundtrack-styled soundscapes. There are music fans who pine for those stripped down acoustically driven and intimate performances, and listening to “Falling For You”, it’s easy to see why. Angela Rodriguez’s youthful yet sensually dusky vocals drives a record that contains elements that reaches the public’s pop sensibilities while remaining quintessentially easy listening.
Quan Yao uses the track as a springboard to explore a myriad of musical elements that keep him shimmering with pop pixie dust while remaining true to his musical roots. Stooped in a confident melody, a warm acoustic arrangement and an engaging chord progression, the song builds steadily and elegantly, always maintaining a snug and confidential production. It sounds as if Angela Rodriguez is performing the song exclusively for you.
The track opens with a pensive guitar, joined by an organ, before Angela’s vocal begins a tale of a person who has awakened to something inside her soul, but has reservations. Angela fully explores the song’s melodic progressions and luxuriates in its expansive vocal phrasing. She does so with confidence and skill, aided by Quan Yao’s sparing arrangement which allows her voice plenty of room to breathe.
It’s the relationship between Angela Rodriguez’s voice, Andrew Cheng’s guitar and Quan Yao Lim’s production that impresses most. The entrancing interplay between these elements will keep you engaged all the way through the song.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – SOUNDCLOUD
