Music that provides a soundtrack to life

In the fleeting world of pop music, there are few pop groups that last
beyond a decade, whose music still resonate decades on. Aside from The Beatles, one such rare contender is Swing Out Sister.

The former trio (formed in 1985), is now a duo made up of Andy Connell and Corinne Drewery, are responsible for the timeless songs such as Break Out, Twilight World, and (my personal favourite) Waiting Game.
 
The Brit jazz-pop group, who also have two Grammy awards under their belt, will be in Singapore for the very first time for a one-night only concert on Dec 16. Fifo gets the honour of interviewing them.
 
1. We've always wondered about the group name, Swing Out Sister. Is it true it was the only name the three of you could agree on, in that you all hated it as much?
 
Yes it's true. We took so long to decide on a name that we all liked that our record company threatened to drop us, so we had to make a snap decision. We picked up a film directory and Swing Out Sister was the first name we saw. None of us liked it so we thought at least we have a unanimous decision....so Swing Out Sister it was!
 
2. Your music transcends the fixed, traditional boundaries of music genres, and everything from cinematic jazz pop to sophisticated pop has been used to describe you. What, or how exactly would you describe Swing Out Sister's music?
 

I think your descriptions are pretty good! Timeless would be a good start.... we always try to make music that excites us as much as the music that inspired us to make music.We like to create music that provides a soundtrack to life....you can let your imagination run wild as you live out your very own movie.
 
3. 1985 to 2009, that's a good  20 years or so. What is it about Swing Out Sister that is so timeless?
 
We don't really fit in with any current trends. Sometimes that can be difficult, especially for getting your music across to people as it usually helps if you can fit in with programming genres, but in the long term I think it can help you to define yourself.

4. Finally, what lies ahead for Swing Out Sister?

Who knows...hopefully another 20 years of doing what we love-making music!

Swing Out Sister - The Breakout Concert is on at the Beachfront Area at 1 Twenty-Six, Playground @ Big Splash Dec 16, tickets from Sistic.