SINGAPORE, Aug 25 — Modern pop music sometimes demands conformity, especially from female artistes. This constraint is occasionally compounded if one is doing creative work in Singapore. So it’s a good thing that quirky singer-songwriter The Little Giant did not bother to read the memo.

Petite artiste Hilary Yeo first turned up on YouTube about three years ago, before appearing sporadically at songwriter events across the island. She adopted her ironic stage moniker upon being selected for the National Arts Council’s Noise Music Mentorship programme last year. A year later, The Little Giant has released a new single, “You Got Some” (with an accompanying lyric video). It’s the lead track off the EP Let’s Just Be Honest, which will be launched on September 4.

Apart from being dubbed “the Peter Dinklage of the Singapore music scene”, the songwriter is well-known for her strange, unusual lyrical concepts. You Got Some, for example, explores the male obsession with sex or, as The Little Giant puts it, “in economic terms, it is technically about the law of diminishing returns”.

“The law refers to a point in which benefits gained are reduced as more energy (profit) is invested,” she explained. “In the case of You Got Some, energy (profit) refers to sex being overly ‘invested’ in.” Cue: Googling.

The rest of her new EP showcases more of The Little Giant’s artistic intimations. There is I Do, a song that “speaks of the complex relationship between women and marriage”; “We’re All Gonna Die”, which “highlights our inevitable mortality on this earth”; and “Murder of John”, “a tale that teeters on the edge of misery and happiness”. So, just your typical pop fare then.

This fascination with offbeat — perhaps morbid — subjects seems to come naturally to The Little Giant and reflects the theme behind Let’s Just Be Honest. “People find it taboo to speak or write songs about issues such as death and sex,” she said. “But they’re such a big part of humanity. On the list of things I think about daily, it would be death at the top, followed by sex, followed by some art and music and then, finally, love. It isn’t so much about being honest with others as it is about being honest with yourself.”

Of course, some may ask if these lyrics truly reflect the way she feels or are mere artifice. “I don’t exactly consider my lyrical concepts to be strange or unusual,” she said. “I’m merely projecting the honesty within the human experience. But yes, the songs I write, especially the ones I chose to put in the EP do reflect how I feel about life and its tragic yet sometimes wonderful moments. I wish I was so crafty as to think up something of mere artifice.”

Like other artists and musicians, The Little Giant takes inspiration from the observations she makes in her life. “I think I have been extremely lucky to be surrounded by a tonne of creatives — nearly all my friends are in the creative field, not just in music but also in art, design, fashion, writing, photography, film and so on. Every single one of them possesses incredibly unique perspectives on different subjects. That has immensely influenced how I write my songs.

“I am always trying to look for ways to lyrically present a subject or topic that will cause listeners to readjust or even question their original points of view.” — TODAY

*The Little Giant’s EP launch will be held on September 4, 7pm at BluJaz Cafe, 3rd Floor. Opening acts: The Mad Hatter Project and Anise. Tickets available at http://thelittlegiantep.peatix.com