<p>Identifying himself as &ldquo;someone who meets you where you are,&rdquo; Alyph emerges as the shapeshifting rapper for head-spinning times.</p>

<p>Two sunsets removed from Alyph&rsquo;s exclusive album-listening rendezvous with his crew, the maverick from Singapore unveils a musical creation that boldly defies expectations, teasing fans with the tantalising revelation that it&rsquo;s &ldquo;nothing what people think it would be.&rdquo; Just enough detail to leave aficionados perched on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the impending release of his latest musical venture. Rewind the clock by a mere 60 days, and you&rsquo;ll find the artiste sensation dropping the bombastic single <em>Heat</em> &mdash; a head-throbbing anthem exploring the realms of rebound, draped in a concoction of &ldquo;ignorance and self-confidence.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I wanted to showcase a bit of bravado. I aimed to inject a dose of self-respect and confidence into my listeners, urging them to tackle challenges without second-guessing themselves. Picture the high-octane adrenaline surge before requesting a raise from your boss. The build-up is downright insane. You&rsquo;ve got to embody boldness, exude that swagger and trust yourself to the absolute max,&rdquo; Alyph passionately explicates the essence of <em>Heat</em>. While he admits that he&rsquo;s not out to subject his listeners to this rollercoaster of emotions all the time, he views the song as a sonic booster shot, empowering his audience to seize the reins and get things done.</p>
<p>Delving deeper into the lyrical fabric of the song, one discovers layers of meaning being intricately woven. Among them is a resounding call for authenticity, urging everyone to embody what they preach. &ldquo;I feel it&rsquo;s crucial to walk your talk. Don&rsquo;t merely profess your intentions without putting in the effort to actualise them,&rdquo; the singer asserts. &ldquo;Seize the moment, act now, and cut the noise about what you&rsquo;re getting yourself into. Take action first, attain the results you desire, and then, with substance, speak about your achievements. People will take you more seriously when you have tangible accomplishments to showcase, rather than just throwing around empty words,&rdquo; he adds.</p>

<p>Alyph&rsquo;s musical creations possess an uncanny knack for hitting the sweet spot, almost as if he holds the secret formula for crafting tunes that resonate across generations. The 34-year-old composer and producer, however, doesn&rsquo;t believe in gatekeeping. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a specific formula. Instead, I&rsquo;d say the mindset for creating music is to let yourself be like a child. You can never be too mature when it comes to being creative. Loosen up, have fun, focus on yourself and don&rsquo;t dwell on the <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">consequences,&rdquo; he advises. This approach has manifested in </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">numerous chart-topping tracks, including the likes of </span><em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Buat Selamanya</span></em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>Check</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">and the widely celebrated </span><em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Swipe</span></em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">, boasting over 11 million streams on Spotify alone. &ldquo;I got the idea for </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Swipe </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">during a moment of solitude in the shower. Maybe it&rsquo;s just me, but I often find inspiration when I&rsquo;m spending time alone &mdash; be it on a long drive, a flight or even when I&rsquo;m in the bathroom,&rdquo; he discloses, shedding light on his unique creative- thinking process.</span></p>
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      <p><span>In the tapestry of his upbringing, becoming a performer, let alone receiving accolades for his talent, was a distant notion. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t pinpoint the exact moment when I decided to dive into the music business, but I vividly recall a Teachers&rsquo; Day concert at my school. A few guys were spitting rhymes, and for some reason, I felt like I could outdo them, even though I had zero knowledge about rap back then. So, I started jotting down words in my rhyme book &mdash; which I still have to this day &mdash; and shared them with a few friends. They liked it and I began to entertain the idea that maybe this is something I&rsquo;m actually good at,&rdquo; he reflects.</span></p>
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      <p><span>The genesis of Alyph&rsquo;s musical journey can be traced back to the first two lines he ever penned: &ldquo;One thing to understand, just why&rdquo;, crafted in the cadence of Linkin Park&rsquo;s </span><span>In the End</span><span>. Without a technical grasp of music or the intricacies of music software, he resorted to creating symbols for rhythm and melody, using a circle for lower pitch and a short line for higher pitch. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know how to write in musical notes or navigate music software, so I improvised with these symbols,&rdquo; he shares. J.R.R. Tolkien&rsquo;s wisdom: &ldquo;The burned hand teaches best. After that, advice about fire goes to the heart.&rdquo; &mdash; this resonates with Alyph&rsquo;s early foray into the music industry. He acknowledges the challenges he faced as a blessing as they propelled him to relentlessly seek every possible opportunity to pursue his passion for making music.</span></p>
      <p><span>Tupac Shakur, Eminem, Michael Jackson, NSYNC and Britney Spears stand as towering influences in his life and journey, embodying values he aspires to bring to the entertainment world. &ldquo;I aim to embody Tupac&rsquo;s creative narration, Eminem&rsquo;s rebellious spirit, Britney&rsquo;s immense energy, NSYNC&rsquo;s love language and Michael Jackson&rsquo;s iconography,&rdquo; he notes. These five luminaries have significantly shaped Alyph&rsquo;s musical trajectory. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve left an indelible mark on my music to this day,&rdquo; he emphasises.</span></p>
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<p>"Seize the moment, act now, and cut the noise about what you&rsquo;re getting yourself into. Take action first, attain the results you desire, and then, with substance, speak about your achievements..."</p>

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      <p><span>As you immerse yourself in his catalogue, starting from his inaugural EP in 2016 titled </span><em>6560 Pt.1</em><span>, representing the country codes for Singapore (65) and Malaysia (60), you&rsquo;ll find a fusion of emotions. His sonic landscape invites listeners to both vibe to the beats and introspectively gaze at the walls, delving into the profound messages embedded in the lyrics. Despite his futuristic hip-hop </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">style and &ldquo;like a boss&rdquo; attitude prevalent in his music, Alyph fearlessly bares his emotions to his audience. When asked about the one song that can bring tears to his eyes, he responds with enthusiasm, &ldquo;Oh my God. There are a lot!&rdquo; He proceeds to list a poignant selection, including </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>Man in the Mirror</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">by Michael Jackson, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>Sailing</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">by NSYNC, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>Mockingbird</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">by Eminem and </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>Family Business</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">by Kanye West, showcasing the depth and diversity of emotional resonance in his musical spectrum.</span></p>
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            <p><span>Much like his musical evolution, Alyph&rsquo;s fashion journey has transformed. Acknowledging his initial foray into the music industry, he candidly admits to adopting a style reminiscent of the underground scene &mdash; baggy jeans, oversized tops, Nike Air Jordans, a flat cap and a touch of bling. However, recognising that fashion has no strict rules, he soon discerned what worked for him and what didn&rsquo;t, especially when it came to traditional hip-hop attire, which didn&rsquo;t quite align with his personal aesthetic. As he navigated through the music industry, Alyph experimented with his style, searching for the look that gelled most authentically with him. He shares amusing anecdotes about fellow artists like Joe Flizzow and SonaOne poking fun at his fashion choices, creating light-hearted moments of laughter. Despite his early struggles to conform to the stereotypical </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">hip-hop fashion, he realised that attempting to mimic others only left him feeling off-kilter on stage.</span></p>
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      <p><span>&ldquo;I did try to dress more like them, and I looked awful. So, instead, I just dress the way that I wanted, and now that hip- hop fashion has become more progressive, I can tell that my </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">sense of style is more relevant,&rdquo; he reveals. These days, his signature look encompasses slim black sunglasses, chunky Dr. Martens and loose-fitting trousers paired with a sleeveless top, occasionally paired with a comfortable outerwear piece. It&rsquo;s a style that exudes confidence, and as he attests, he&rsquo;s never looked sharper than he does now.</span></p>
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            <p><span>Alyph openly acknowledges the contemporary conundrum of sustaining creativity and relevance amidst the relentless march of technology. When probed about his current existence, he candidly responds, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a perplexing landscape.&rdquo; The challenge lies in maintaining focus amidst the myriad distractions vying for attention in our tech-driven milieu. The digital realm empowers us with the ability to curate our entertainment, presenting both</span>a boon and a bane. As an artist navigating this intricate web, he expresses a desire to delve deeper into self-discovery. He aims to channel his fascination into a resonant connection with his audience. The genesis of his songs emerges from authentic life experiences, embellished with allure and poetic finesse to captivate. Yet, the incessant exposure to diverse life philosophies poses a constant dilemma, tugging him away from his core and muddling the clarity of his artistic expression. In candid reflection, he shares, &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t speak for other artists, but this confusion is my current battleground.&rdquo;</p>
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      <p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>Photography</strong> Weeyang<br /><strong>Creative Direction &amp; Words</strong> Syazil Abd Rahim<br /><strong>Grooming</strong> Joey Yap<br /><strong>Hair</strong> Nicole Ng<br /><strong>Photography Assistant</strong> Adren Wong</span></p>
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Interview: The magic of Alyph

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