Rae Lim is the multi-talent of 2020 to be reckoned with, she is set to release her latest powerhouse track called “Fortune Cookie” at the end of this month. This single is amazingly unapologetic just like Rae herself; a fun-filled mix of RnB, pop with a military war-like tone. “Fortune Cookie” is the gently zestful, hypnotizingly melodic track of this year, it offers Rae’s uniquely entertaining punchy and fiery vocals. This track also follows her song writing themes of thought-provoking messages, as highlights the issues of Asian stereotyping. The inspiration behind this track was pulled from her own personal experiences and how Rae constantly feels that no one needs to match any stereotype regardless of who they are. But Rae Lim isn't only a musician, this upcoming year we will be seeing a lot of her as she has secured roles in the highly anticipated “James Bond” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral” movies. She describes her music and acting as two different personas of who Rae is, the comedic, bubbly actress has an unapologetic powerful alter ego which is Rae’s music.
“Fortune Cookie” is another viewpoint from the eyes of Rae Lim as her last track “Waiting” released in August portrays the life of a creative specifically as an actor. Rae Lim says “the track 'Waiting' was about trying to reassure freelancers that all our journeys are different and sometimes you might feel like its endless waiting but at the end of the day as long as you are putting in the work, you’re doing a good job.” Speaking on the empowering track "Fortune Cookie", Rae explains “I think there are a lot of Asian girls who will probably experience the exact same issues as what I talk about in my song so I know it will be 100% relatable to them. The song really is just about not having to live up to unrealistic expectations that someone tries to force you into even if that’s not you at all.”
In an interview with Rae below, we uncover the meaning behind "Fortune Cookie" as well as glimpse into Rae Lim's promising future from her ongoing acting career.

Describe what it's like being an artist from Singaporean descent in the UK?

It's pretty cool! There's not a lot of us out there. Or at least, if there are, I don't know many of them. Please hook me up?

Your upcoming single “Fortune Cookie” challenges the Asian stereotyping, what made you decide to pick up on this message?

For 2 main reasons: Firstly, when COVID hit, I was in LA and a lot of Asian people were being called a virus; writing about the pandemic was super sensitive for me, because both my parents got it and luckily recovered, but I did want to address stereotyping and really tried to do it in a fun, but also relatable way. And secondly, I was getting back on the dating wagon and using a bunch of apps, mostly Hinge, and I found a lot of guys were into East Asian women and would open with something like "You look like good sushi" or I find out later they've only ever been with East Asian women, and I was just sick of being painted with the same brush.

What music genres do you most listen to? Do they influence your music?

I listen to absolutely EVERYTHING, but weirdly I mostly lean towards Reggaeton/Salsa because I used to teach it, but now I'm hugely into K Pop/R&B and some Indie stuff. My best friend is the lead singer in a Swing/Vintage type band and I love her sound so much even though it's not the type of music I generally listen to. I guess what I'm saying is every genre influences me positively in some way, but I do find some genres of music harder to write than others.

Did the global pandemic affect the single release?

Yes, absolutely! When we went into lockdown, my producer and I had to start doing Zoom sessions, which were great because at least I still felt like I was creating, but there are loads of things you can accomplish quicker when you're in a studio.

What inspired the name 'Fortune Cookie'?

Well, I was eating at a Chinese restaurant one day, and my fortune said "CONFUCIUS SAY YOU WILL WRITE GREAT SONG"... JUST KIDDING. No, I was given this nickname and I think it very accurately describes how it feels to be someone's trophy or lucky charm. I definitely think it's also a really cute term of affection, but at least when I use it in my song, I'm trying to say that I'm more than the label you give me.

Which out of all of your tracks in your favourite & why?

Oh, definitely Fortune Cookie. The amount of work that went into that song... I think I drove my producer crazy - "No, I don't like that chord, can we do ba ba ba ba ba as the drum pattern?" "The gong is too weak" Or "I'm going for like a battle cry vibe, not like elevator music?" But he's the coolest, most talented guy ever and he took my insane idea and ran with it and helped me come up with a sound that I love. However, we are working on an Afrobeats/Dance type song right now, and that's sort of also gunning for the top spot ;)

What is the best advice you've ever given anybody?

Well, the quotes I live by are "Carpe diem or YOLO, I guess, depending on the generation we're talking to" and "Be yourself because everyone else is taken." I try to pass that advice along to as many people as I can because the most special gift you can give someone is your uniqueness.

You describe your music and acting careers as two different personas, will you expand on this?

Totally! In acting, I'm the quirky, comedic best friend type. Basically Disney-friendly. And I think my artist persona is absolutely unapologetic. I'm trying to write a song in every genre (or at least cross-genre them) to fit different moods and different messages. Hopefully, anyone listening will be able to relate, or better yet, feel empowered or comforted. Being an actor means there's a lot of last-minute auditions and jobs and the lack of control or structure can be very frustrating, but making music means I can put out the exact message I want, and nobody can take that away from you.

In the lead up to the highly anticipated James Bond movie 'No Time to Die', what does this role mean to you?

I'm still in shock, to be honest. Not only is it one of the most iconic book and film series, but also, I auditioned whilst I was in a neon pink cast. I think it was about 2 weeks from the audition to the shoot and I hadn't really learned to put all my weight on the foot yet so I basically felt like a huge inconvenience to everyone but I was so grateful to be working, more so because I'm a huge fan. The entire cast and crew were also a total dream to work with, which made the job even better, which I didn't think were possible.

What's next for Rae Lim, what should we look out for?

Well, I play a Sergeant on Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse" with Michael B Jordan, so hopefully, my puffy face makes it to the final cut, heh. Also, I'm voicing a lead in a TV animation, and several episodes in another, as well as narrating a game, and all of that comes out next year so I'm super excited! I'm also working on a top-secret motion capture job, but that might come out in 2022. Sorry, I can't give more info I don't want to break my NDA *nervous laugh*...
I'm excited about the music video because I'll be shooting in a motion capture studio so that the final cut will be a mix of real-life and animation. I had my avatar designed by someone in Indonesia and obviously, my digital self is about a million times hotter so to make sure the album cover doesn't spontaneously combust I added my real self as well.