It's The Ship, Asia's largest festival at sea, is going deeper, darker, and dirtier as it sets sail once again this November.

It's time to get spooky as the three-day, two-night cruise sets off for its very first Halloween-themed charter on The Genting Dream from Singapore this 1-3 November 2023. Right from the moment you get onboard, it will be difficult to get bored. Shipmates will quickly get caught up in It's The Ship's massive themed parties—Full Moon: Creatures of the Night, G.O.A.T Bloc Party, Día de los Muertos, and a Mardi Gras foam party—on its 18 decks. Other recreational activities overlooking the sea will certainly get shipmates rushing to the cruise's 35 restaurant and bar concepts. 

Bandwagon caught up with Barong Family's SKY SKY and MADGRRL, who'll be performing at It's The Ship Singapore, to talk about their Singapore debut performances on It's The Ship, dance music, the scariest horror movies, and more.

As you make your Singapore debut performances on It's The Ship, what exciting experiences do you have in store for the shipmates?

MADGRRL: I'm super excited for my first show in Singapore! Lately I've been fine-tuning my brand and putting a lot of effort
into making my sets more 'me'. All my recent sets have this cool underground feel, and I can't wait to bring this new vibe to the ship!

SKY SKY: If a lit AF Traphouse was strapped onto a rocket and blasted off into a dubstep wormhole, that’s what’s going down. I made edits and remixes to all of my favorite songs/ throwback songs, so it’s gonna be me having too much and going crazy with everyone. I’ll be performing all my songs live plus a bunch of unreleased stuff too. Expect a lot of head-banging, twerking, and screaming from me (haha), all done in my cute little cosplay that I’ll be wearing.

Barong Family has consistently featured artists with highly varied cultural backgrounds. How have your individual cultures shaped and impacted your music?

MADGRRL: 100%! Growing up with a DJ dad from Brooklyn and having Puerto Rican roots really got me into a whole mix of music from early on, especially dance music. This really influenced me and helped me be open to different vibes and genres. Being part of the Barong Family feels right at home since they're all about mixing up different musical backgrounds, and I’m stoked to add my flavor to the mix!

SKY SKY: Since I am half Japanese, I grew up listening to a lot of Japanese rock and was super into visual-kei bands. I still am a huge fan, so I have been incorporating a lot of rock/metal elements into my music. My brother, ek0, is an insane guitarist, so I like to record him and use those metal guitar sounds, since it complements the dubstep drops that I make very well.

As a leading woman in the hard dance and bass producer communities, what hurdles have you encountered in the industry to date? Additionally, how have things evolved or remained consistent over the years?

MADGRRL: Oh man, the scene can be a tough playground, especially with being a minority. At first, it felt like I had to hustle double to get half the nod the guys did. But I just kept doing my thing as well as doing my best to help other females/minorities in the scene - being a collab, throwing shows together etc. It's cool to see the scene slowly changing though. There’s a growing awareness about the need for diversity and inclusivity in the scene, which is encouraging. More platforms and communities are popping up that support and spotlight female producers and DJs, which wasn't as prevalent when I first started out. Some old attitudes still hang around, but I just keep my head in the game and focus on my craft. Each gig, each track, it's all about pushing forward, you know? And if I can help pry the door open a bit wider for other women to break through, that's a win!

SKY SKY: Overall speaking, this industry is so oversaturated with producers that it’s become very difficult to get your music heard. Especially since my music is weird and not for everybody, it’s even harder with such a niche genre. Also, with the growth of social media, you have to be more than just a producer; you have to be a content creator who posts on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc everyday, and you have to be your own PR and marketer. The expectations and level is so high, and only getting higher, that it becomes so overwhelming and discouraging. I don’t like to be on social media as much as the younger kids do, so this has become a major obstacle for me.

Recently, house music has taken over the industry and has made it opportunities for bass artists challenging. On top of that, the bass community themselves has made their circle very tight and a little unwelcoming for upcoming bass artists to break in. If you
notice, the same artists are always on festival lineups and stuff. But this is not me complaining about the politics of the industry. These are all hurdles that can be jumped over because things are always changing and evolving, so I’m not letting anything stop
me. You only fail if you stop trying!

Being a selector that covers a wide range of dance music, what sub-genre do you anticipate will gain prominence and dominate the scene in 2024?

MADGRRL: I'm actually going back to my roots with the MADGRRL project, diving into the world of hard dance and hardstyle music again. I'm super stoked about the rise of hard techno—it's like hardstyle and techno had a baby, and I'm all about it so you’ll be hearing a lot more of that from me. For 2024, I think this hard techno vibe is going to catch even more fire. It’s a dope blend, and I can’t wait to see where it takes the dance scene.

SKY SKY: I think EDM mixed with emo vibes like screamo, emo-rap, and hyper-pop are going to get bigger. I was surprised to already hear so many more artists incorporating metal/rock and emo vocals into their music when I thought I was the only one doing it. It’s because every sound has its wave. Everyone who is my age was listening to that kind of music back then, and now since we here in 2023 making music, it only makes sense that some of our background is going to trickle in into our music. You can even see it in our pop-culture with anime blowing up into the mainstream-light. When you go to Target now, they’re selling Naruto shirts. That was never like that a few years ago. I bring anime into this because it’s in the same scene as the emo/scene kid era.

In the theme of Halloween, which horror movie has left you thoroughly shaken?

MADGRRL: Oh man, scary movies aren’t really my thing! But if I had to pick one, it's gotta be "The Babadook." That movie creeped me out lol!

SKY SKY: The Grudge and The Ring are forever going to be the scariest movies for me. I watched it first when it came out, and have never watched it since then because I can’t handle it haha. Also, physiological horror movies scare me the most like Smile, Us, Mother, Get Out, etc. In general, I can’t watch scary movies because I’m super sensitive and have such a crazy imagination that it would affect my negatively the rest of my day after watching something.

What is the most intricate Halloween costume you've ever worn?

MADGRRL: Last Halloween was epic—I went as Avril Lavigne lol. Got a wig, skateboard, and that classic tie. Even popped in blue contacts and did the whole black eye makeup thing. People kept saying I looked just like her, which was hilarious and made the whole getup a total hit!

SKY SKY: It would have to be my cosplay last Halloween. I dressed up as a Survey Corps member from the anime Attack on Titan. It took forever trying to figure out how to put on those Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. But it came out looking sickkkkk, so it was worth it.

What is your final pitch and advice for first-timers on It’s The Ship?

MADGRRL: Ah it’s my first time on It’s The Ship too, and I honestly don’t know what to expect either! From what I hear, it's gonna be a massive party on the sea with endless tunes! My advice I guess would be to just jump in, enjoy the music, and make some new homies! Def don’t miss out on all the different sets, including mine—it’s gonna be a blast mixing some hard dance and techno vibes. Super stoked to create memories on the ship!

SKY SKY: That’s so funny because I was actually asking for advice from RayRay on this festival haha. I have never played on a ship like this before, so I honestly have no idea what to expect. So I guess for first-timers like me, what I’m going to do is just get my cute outfits together, hop in, and have fun! Easy.

Cabin sales for It's The Ship Singapore are closed. Shipmates interested in its next international sailing for It's The Ship Korea, happening in May 2024, may sign up for the newsletter here. Cabins for It's The Ship Korea go on sale at 30% off for the Early Duck 1 offer, starting 6 November here.