Steph Teh (2024), Photography by Liam Tang
Steph Teh is a Chinese-Malaysian artist based on Kaurna Yerta. She is a multi-instrumentalist trained in voice, guitar, piano, and cello. Steph was recently selected to participate in the 2024 CAAP x Artist Lab during OzAsia. Her music is influenced by pop, jazz, classical, RnB, and soul, and she is working on creating an EP.
Your artistic practice is quite interdisciplinary. Can you describe some collaborations you’ve done with artists across art forms, and why you’re drawn to this way of working?
Yes, I collaborated with my friend, Truc Truong, who is a visual artist in a couple of performance art exhibition openings at the Adelaide Contemporary Experimental gallery, and Post Office Projects gallery last year. I provided some musical expression exploring the meaning of love in the context of race and faith. I’ve also been experimenting and working with my friend Mimi Yoshii who is a dance artist trained in classical ballet, and Zhao Liang who is an amazing guzheng player and one of my mentors as a part of this wonderful program. I’ve always loved playing music with others. In the past it’s been with other musicians but I’ve really enjoyed exploring what it looks like to intertwine music with other art forms collaboratively.
You’ve met a range of guest presenters and mentors through the Interplay program so far. Can you name one who has had an impact on you and your creative process, and why?
Only one? Very hard to pick as they have all given so many gold nuggets, but Michèle Saint-Yves stands out to me. She helped me think about every part of the creative process leading up to the show and even from the minute you start writing a musical piece and how that can impact the experience of the listener from a neuroscience perspective. She blew my mind! One thing she said was, “Listening is a creative act. The listeners are creating a song just as much as you are.”
You list a variety of music genres (pop, jazz, classical, RnB, soul) that have influenced you in your bio. What kind of sound can listeners expect from the EP you are developing?
You will hear a mix of all of those genres, but overall dreamy and hopefully something that transports you away from the business of life! The cello is the heart and soul of my love of music so you will hear it weaved throughout all that I create.
Does your Chinese-Malaysian heritage have a direct influence on your artistic practice?
I think it will always influence it in some way as it is a part of who I am, and who I am comes through in the way I express myself through music. I am still exploring how my cultural heritage impacts me as a person, so how it influences my music will ebb and flow as I continue to discover my identity as a second generation Chinese-Malaysian living on Kaurna land.
What can we expect from your live show on 16 November?
You will experience a mix of collaborations with other musicians and also a bit of dance. You’ll see some experimentation and improvisation on cello and guzheng and also a few songs sung and played on guitar that might make it to the EP!