Meet the Malaysian grad bringing Korean edge to local music scene

Music is one of the few things that can transcend language and backgrounds. Silver Lim, who learnt a new language in six months so she could study music in South Korea, knows that.  

Lim majored in composition of contemporary music in Dankook University, South Korea, and later completed a graduate-level course in music marketing at Berklee online.  

When she’s not using her expertise on stage, she’s teaching it in classrooms. Today, Lim is an adjunct professor at University College Sedaya International (UCSI) teaching music marketing.  

An active educator and performer, this is how she is playing a hand in shaping the music industry in Malaysia.   

Not your traditional music teacher  

Studying in Korea, Lim was used to strict professors whom students often felt like they needed to seek approval from.  

“You got to kind of chase for their favour, which I didn’t really like,” she says. “Why do I have to do that? I’m a student, you know?” 

She didn’t understand or enjoy the culture of needing to make her professors happy so she could get good marks.  

“Now, when my students try to do that with me, I’ll say I won’t give you extra marks for doing that, just letting you now,” she laughs.  

Although Lim is more laid back as a teacher, she’s taken inspiration from other aspects of her Korean education. Having found Malaysian teachers to overly “spoon feed” their students, Lim emphasises experiences, even her students end up failing. Instead of forcing strict rubrics, she gives pointers that let students apply the knowledge in their own way.  

Lim’s music can be found on Spotify. Source: Silver Lim

Leaving hyper-competitive Korea for a more tight-knit community in Malaysia 

Studying in Dankook’s Jukjeon campus in Yongin, Lim was just 30 minutes from Seoul, the birthplace of the juggernaut industry that’s K-pop.  

Though wildly successful – four-member BLACKPINK has a reported combined fortune of US$62m according to a 2022 article – the industry is marred by claims of “punishing training, intense competition, [and] unrelenting scrutiny.”  

Compared to this, Malaysia’s is considerably more nascent.  

While a mature landscape may be exciting for musicians, it also means it’s a very saturated field to break into.  

“Competition is very high there, all the time, with everything,” Lim says. “Even with the entrance of our university, which isn’t even the top music university.”  

While some people enjoy and strive in those environments, Lim much prefers the tight-knit community found in Malaysia.  

“Malaysians are a lot nicer, and they’re very encouraging towards each other,” she says. It doesn’t really feel like a competition, which is what I like. Whereas in Korea, it’s always like, who’s better? Who does it better?”  

While living abroad, Lim used to write music with Korean producers. It was only when she returned home that she realised, in hindsight, how strict those producers were. 

For the music industry in Malaysia, the typical process of writing would start with a producer sending a track and explaining which artist it may be for. From there, they’ll brainstorm and analyse references. Lim will start writing, maybe completing it in half an hour, before sending it back to the producer.  

“I like to send three or four versions, which the producers will ‘Frankenstein’ together. And then they’re like, okay, this version sounds good. And we’ll go with it,” Lim explains.  

In Korea, it’s that process, but 20 times over. The producers would be displeased, but won’t specify what they didn’t like. By the end of the day, Lim would feel defeated, because there would’ve been no words of encouragement throughout the whole journey.  

“So it really made me believe that I’m a really bad writer because of that,” Lim says. 

Lim and her friends in Korea. Source: Silver Lim

Setting the bar, in her own way  

Still, the standards in Korea taught Lim how to work under pressure and write really fast.  

But other locals may lack exposure to such approaches. Malaysian culture is very laidback, which has its pros, but certainly its cons.  

“I would love to see more musicians strive for more quality, which is something I think they lack a little bit for, especially for those starting out,” she said. “In Korea, if you’re not even at that level, you won’t be able to start. That’s what they’ve cultivated.”  

She recommends aspiring musicians to work on getting their basics right first.  

She didn’t use to think exams from institutions like Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) or Yamaha were important, but she gets it now.  

Without the proper foundation, you won’t be able to construct anything stable. Lim likens it to putting on a really pretty wrapping paper over something less presentable inside.  

If you cannot take the stressors of music exams, it might be very challenging to pursue a career in the music industry.  

“There’ll be a lot more rejections that come up in the real world, aside from your exams,” Lim reminds.