The 33-year-old’s heartfelt and intense delivery, coupled with his insightful lyrics, often touches the soul, revealing truths that resonate with listeners from all walks of life.

On March 12, de Cruz held his maiden concert, “Love Life Music”, at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre in 1Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya.

Lasting two hours and 15 minutes, the show featured 13 other artists, including a dancer, tabla player, trumpeter, and string quartet.

“My partner and I caught Damien Rice’s concert in Singapore in 2016, and I knew I wanted to have my own concert someday,” de Cruz told FMT.

Upon coming across the availability of the venue late last year, he decided to act on his dream.

“The rent was doable, and I immediately agreed to it without knowing what I was going to do. I thought I’d figure it out along the way,” he said.

In all, de Cruz only had two months to plan the show.

“My siblings, Christopher, Kathleen and Kimberley, were instrumental in the production of this concert,” he said, adding that their goal was to keep the audience engaged and entertained.

“We had a visual-effects professional who curated the imagery for each song, a lighting team, as well as a music director.”

Not surprisingly, the show was a success and de Cruz received really good feedback from peers, as well as from old and new fans alike.

“Very rarely in life do things happen as planned, but the concert turned out exactly as I imagined it to be,” he said excitedly. “I felt like I achieved a dream, and I can’t believe we pulled it off.”

Parental influence

Growing up, he was inspired by his late father, Errol, who was a journalist and editor by day, and musician by night.

He said even though music was something he had wanted to do since he was a child, it was only after coming across Merdekarya, a local live arts venue, that he decided to write his own music.

“The owner encouraged me to write my own songs. Everyone I met there was very supportive, and a lot of them were releasing music independently.

“I really fell in love with the idea and it opened my eyes to a new world,” said de Cruz, who has since gone on to release four EPs.

According to him, while there is no shortage of gifted musicians in the local music scene, there needs to be more opportunities for them to showcase their talent.

“There won’t be a demand for them if they’re not heard much. The scene needs better gatekeepers. It’s still rather cliquish, and it largely depends on who you know.

“Things could be so much better if everyone came together a bit more,” he said, adding that there are various types of shows and festivals that could, and should, be put together.

He further pointed out that local editorial playlists on Spotify tend to be rather exclusive.

“Sometimes you see two, three tracks from the same artist. Then there are artists who get on the list every time they release a single. But there are many other acts putting out music who could be featured as well.”

At the end of the day, de Cruz feels blessed to be able to do what he loves. In the same spirit, he encourages people to trust their gut and pursue their passions.

“If you told me six years ago that I would have my own concert, I would have laughed it off,” he said. “I didn’t think I could do music full-time, but I’ve been doing it for most of the last six years.”

He believes that besides being persistent and diligent, artists need to put their hearts into their work.

“Ultimately, you don’t know what’s going to happen; you just have to try. If I hadn’t taken certain risks, I wouldn’t have known I could do it.”

Check out Brendan de Cruz’s music on Spotify and iTunes. You can also follow him via Instagram.