Since 2004, Lush 99.5FM has helped give countless artists a national platform to be heard and recognised. It pushed local names to the forefront and given indie, electronic and alternative music a chance to be in the spotlight.

Last weekend, after thirteen rollercoaster years Lush 99.5FM had its final broadcast, ‘Lush Out’, which featured live DJ mixes as it said goodbye to devoted listeners.

Lush had a loyal following yet it remained a niche radio station. So, it was little surprise for some when the announcement came in July this year, although many remained heartbroken.

But why was Lush so important to local music and arts?

In 2015 when Lush was almost shut down (but managed to thankfully stay around for two more years thanks to the #iListenToLush campaign), Vanessa Fernandez wrote an amazing note on Facebook on the importance of Lush that remains true til’ today that you can read here.

Lush was one of the biggest promoters of local talent, from its segment ‘The Lushloveslocal Show’ to initiatives such as Lush’s Artist of the Month.

Having said that, in an interview with sub:shaman (@subshaman), Artist of the Month in May this year, they reminded us that Lush was so much more than just a platform to showcase their work.

Lush was an advocate for good music and “didn’t support local for local’s sake”. While they had a distinct sound, there was no discrimination towards other genres and if they liked it, they played it.

To musicians and Lush listeners, Lush was about “what they stood for, the community they’ve grown over the years, the people they’ve connected, the parties they’ve thrown, the collaborations they set up, the artists they’ve discovered and nurtured.”

Luckily, the concept behind Lush will not completely disappear. 

While we won’t be getting a single new radio station to replace Lush any time soon (as far as we can tell), Mediacorp intends to incorporate aspects of the Lush brand to the other remaining English-speaking radio stations.

Under the Singapore Sounds initiative, home-grown artists will have to chance to have their music featured on 987FM while 938LIVE will focus on independent music.

Although it won’t quite be the same for Lush followers, we can still help to promote local and regional talent by requesting local songs and attending gigs and festivals like student-run ‘IGNITE! Music Festival’.

Artists like sub:shaman hope that finding more physical creative spaces will help people spread the love, connecting with one another and slowly cultivate the “all-too-small art scene” we have in Singapore.

These might seem like little things but it will keep discussion and interest in the local music and arts scene alive.

So where to from here?

Before they ceased transmission, Lush told us to keep our eyes and ears peeled so we can only hope that something exciting is on the horizon. While the discontinuation of Lush marks the end of an era, it’s hopefully also the start of an even greater one.

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