Nathan Hartono: Songs That Got Me Through 2020

Apple Music
Nathan Hartono: Songs That Got Me Through 2020

“I struggled with maintaining a level of creativity that I deemed satisfactory,” Nathan Hartono tells Apple Music of how 2020 affected him. “I hadn’t realized that over the years, I had started to depend on traveling for work to keep me inspired. So I had to find new ways.” The Singaporean found fame as a teenage actor in 2005 and began his singing career in 2016, when he appeared on the talent show Sing! China. In late 2020, he released an EP, Do Nothing Day, which he describes as an attempt to “find my own place in the world of Chinese music” during the pandemic. “It was born from wanting songs to accompany people through the lockdown,” he says. “The main theme was ‘do nothing,’ which mostly just meant being kind to yourself amidst a crazy period.” Hartono also found solace throughout 2020 by constantly searching for new music—and his favorites are found here in this playlist. “I love listening through a new artist’s music and discovering a whole new world that can inspire me,” he says. “It’s one of the activities that made 2020 a little easier.” Singer-songwriter Jacob Collier is his top find—he describes him as “one of this generation’s greatest musicians—people need to recognize that.” Looking ahead at 2021, Hartono hopes to tour and release more new music. First, though, he plans to celebrate the new year like a true Singaporean: “Visiting the same few houses together with my family, and eating my way through them all.”

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