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Friday, November 27, 2009
Lyrics On Life: KC Gan This is part of the Spotlight article, City Harvest Church : The Cultural Mandate & the Arts.Within this article : A. Seeking the Holy City by Rev Dr Kong Hee B. A brief description of the Cultural Mandate and its impact on the arts C. An interview with Sandy Yeo, Drama Director of City Harvest Church D. An interview with KC Gan, songwriter and Creative Director of City Harvest Church E. A link to a past interview with Ryan, Director of O School ********* Writer : Dawn Fung KC Gan is the creative director of City Harvest Church and resident composer for many of their music albums and events.  KC Gan"Though the inertia was great, I always had a desire to compose. I began making melodies as a child, never think much of it then. Incidentally, some of these tunes surface in my songs today and thankfully they are well received!" KC's musical portfolio includes worship music, chinese pop, musicals, TV show and films. As his musical influence grows, his songwriting has help shaped CHC worship into a spiritual experience that weaves together with the message of the house. KC recalled his passion for writing as a maturing process- one that began from childhood in the Sunday School, his time with the indie band MYST during the 90s and eventually his full time service in CHC and a composer in the industry. "It used to be that when I wrote, I would be obsessed with infectious tunes and melodic hooks. While that is important on the craft level, my focus have shifted to capturing the emotions that I want to evoke in the listeners' hearts and working these emotions into the songs." As his work evolves to creative conceptualizing for musicals and shows, KC sees his role more as a person that looks for "creative ways in delivering messages".  bassist during CHC services"As you serve and flow with the vision of the house, you will eventually find His voice speaking through you. To me, songwriting for worship is like soundtracking, and our church worship in the earlier days were centered around Australian worship tunes. While the songs were wonderful, something felt amiss. Lyrically, it was hard to find songs that flow with the themes of the sermons coming forth from the pulpit. We desperately needed music that soundtrack the seasons in our church. That personally provoked me to dig into the craft and write. Through the years, I've understood the sound of the house and the delicate balance between being creative and keeping the songs simple enough for our members to sing. Music is a language we learn to adapt for the context. At work, I put aside my musical preferences by looking at the bigger picture - who I serve and how should the music sound." A hilarious episode of the private and public spheres overlapping is when I browsed through the CD collection in the studio, KC was quick to inject, "Hm, what you see on the shelves is not indicative of what I like in my collection at home." This kind of tussle is not the kind of frustration you get out of musos who don't get their metal fix in church, rather, it's a tacit acceptance between what is work and what is preference. The God I Know by KC Gan I push KC for a story behind his songs. "My understanding of my songs change over time. For example, in 'The God I Know' (Light of the City, 2008), I wrote with a thought in mind, which was to strip all the sophistication away from worship and to keep the devotion simple. You can see that in the first verse. When 'The God I Know' was sung in CHC, and other churches, I see different interpretations of the song that I didn't see before. You don't understand the full significance of what you've written but God will show you. One church in NY did it in gospel style, and in terms of sound, it juxtaposes a different meaning. I'm glad that music/songs can transcend church (small c) differences, and I'm honoured when my songs are used for worship anywhere else." Did the cultural mandate message affect KC in terms of creative output? "The Cultural Mandate message is a God-given revelation to Pastor Kong for City Harvest Church. On my part, I see it as doing what I'm called and gifted to do and through my craft, and communicate a message that is relevant and real to the masses. So whether it is writing musicals for churches, writing tunes for local films such as 881, 12 Lotus and The Little Note, which may seemingly carry Buddhist themes, I look beyond the religious layers to common grounds such as love, hope and filial piety." KC believes the arts come with a spiritual dimension and whether the artistes are aware or not, they touch on that realm when they are expressing their art forms. In the former days, parachurch organizations were formed to reach out to this community because the churches did not know how to do so. However, more and more contemporary churches today are beginning to understand the need to engage the creative arts and receive the community into the house of God. "When the saving grace of the gospel is preached and creative artists are release to move in their God-given talents with no religious inhibitions, there is no holding back of what God can do through His people." KC Gan can be contacted at gankc@chc.org.sg
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