Goodbye Lush 99.5FM

In a Facebook announcement dated Monday 17 July 2017.

13 years of great music and supporting local bands. Lush 99.5FM has ceased transmission after August 2017. Musicians and music lovers alike have come to embrace this radio station. Lush 99.5FM was really relevant in those early years when it began and billed itself as an indie music station. But now, while I still tune in, I don't do so as much. I get my music from Spotify and AppleMusic. When I could still stay out till 3am, those LUSH parties were quite the thing to look forward to!

Lush 99.5FM has always faced the danger of being shut down. They came close to it a few years back. But they made it through. Now, it is time. Many of us feel the loss keenly. We really hope Mediacorp's 'Singapore Sounds' initiative spread over a few radio stations will support our local music scene just as vigorously. But I guess we know what that means when Mediacorp and its corporate KPIs are involved.

What do you hear at most bars and nightclubs with live music? Cover bands. And if we're lucky, some sort of singer-songwriter doing their originals. As it is, we're getting a higher number of gigs and shows happening through the year. That's a much better percentage than say, 15 years ago.

The local independent music scene doesn't always produce 'easy-listening' tunes the Singapore mainstream audiences will like. We've managed to create a fairly vibrant independent English music scene, but not cultivate the necessary numbers of audiences to support the bands and musicians. That's the perennial challenge of keeping afloat an indie music radio station tied to commercial obligations and KPIs. From today onwards, there's no point in tuning in to local radio anymore since no stations play the songs of my heart.

Goodbye Lush 99.5FM. Your team has been awesome, and I'm not just saying that because we're friends. Thank you so much for the music.