Since its inception in a riverside warehouse on Jiak Kim Street, Zouk has been the epicentre of Singapore’s nightlife. Founded by Lincoln Cheng, the 35,000-square-foot club thrived in an ever-evolving industry. Its success can be attributed to key figures like general manager Benny Heng, marketing manager Tracy Phillips, and later Sofie Chandra.
Also instrumental to Zouk’s legacy was Wayne Lee, who oversaw music and entertainment. Today, Lee is the general manager of HighHouse and NOVA, two dining concepts under OUE Restaurants. On a cloudy afternoon, we talk with Lee at HighHouse.
How is HighHouse different from Zouk?
Wayne Lee (WL): There’s the dining element, which is quite a big thing and that extends to the rooftop when we open up in July. The whole venue is OUE Sky: there’s HighHouse and NOVA—two concepts in one venue. What I used to deal with back at Zouk was more music-based. Here, there are four pillars, which are music, food, beverage and art.
We are into our fifth month and our dining has been quite stable; most of our meal services are filled out nicely; the menu direction is quite clear. We’ve been quite successful at stabilising that.
A lot more can be done about pushing out house and techno music that we believe in and getting it out there. Which is if you look at our programming, we have a couple of international DJs coming in. They are aligned to the kind of sounds that we’re doing and we want to do more collaborations with local music collectives. Building the local scene is quite important.
Back at Jiak Kim Street, the art was a little more intense, right? Lincoln [Cheng, founder of Zouk] had all these wild pieces like Keith Haring’s “Healing Hand” but when the club moved to Clarke Quay, there were space constraints so art wasn’t the main focus. But at HighHouse, my bosses are quite keen to get some relevant pieces on the ample wall space.
Are you art savvy?
WL: I go to art fairs, I visit museums overseas. I wouldn’t say that I’m an art connoisseur but I do enjoy the medium.
So, what’s the idea behind NOVA?
WL: We were inspired by festivals, right? Not just music festivals but festivals in general. That was a big inspiration for the space. Coachella, for example, some of the stages themselves are built around large installations. Burning Man (culminates in setting fire to a giant effigy). Which explains the (10-metre) star structure at NOVA. We commissioned this artist Jun Ong from Penang—we saw his work at ART SG about two years ago. He’s great at installations, basically lighting installations.
We heard the opening of NOVA was delayed.
WL: We are reworking the interior design to make it more futuristic. We were done but felt that it didn’t really measure up to the branding yet. I feel that once NOVA opens up, everything will fall into place; there’d be more opportunities for activities like yoga, and your fitness stuff.
You had started at the magazine, Juice.
WL: Back then the (Juice) office was at Scotts Road and that was one of the reasons why I wanted to work there. I was freelancing for them. Being quite keen to continue working for Juice, I took up a full-time position after I graduated.
I was very into electronic music, which helped. I was studying journalism in Melbourne and their rave culture was quite strong and that inspired me. So, when I returned to Singapore and there was quite an interesting underground electronic music scene between 2001 and 2004. This was the period where the government was more lax on people using venues and the neighbours weren’t complaining so much about the noise. I’d write about the scene. The process was so old school that I’d take pictures with this crappy DSLR and develop the photos.
You had to shoot as well?
WL: Yeah, I took photos and wrote the reviews when I first started. I had to develop the film at Lucky Plaza. I remember that I had to pick five photos out of the 26.
That was what got me into Juice, the love of electronic music. Not so much the clubbing and partying—those were a byproduct. Juice started to change at that point because we needed the ad revenue, right? We were a free magazine and we needed to attract more advertisers. So we moved into the fashion space but we were not fashion people. The one thing that we could tap on was that the rave culture was connected to streetwear. We brought that element in. Me and the team were inspired by Japanese men’s magazines like Popeye. We had to go to Kinokuniya and buy it along with i-D and Dazed and Confused. That was quite a good time.
How did you get to work at Zouk?
WL: It’s really a combination of circumstances. Because I worked at Juice, I was in close contact with Zouk’s marketing team and Lincoln as well. When they opened up a head of entertainment role, sort of a music director gig, in 2011, I was the first person they thought of and they approached me for it. I had been nine years in music publishing at the time, so I thought, since I’m already doing the theory portion of it, I might as well do the practical. That’s how I got to work for Zouk.
What’s an average day for you at HighHouse?
WL: The office starts early. And meetings take up a large part of my afternoon all the way to about dinnertime. Then, from dinnertime onwards, I try to be on the ground [at HighHouse] just to make sure service is in order; to make sure our guests are settling in nicely. On certain nights—obviously, we do some late-night programming on Wednesday, Friday or Saturdays—I try to stay late. Again, just to see how things are going. Letting my presence be felt, I guess [laughs].
This goes beyond your typical nine-to-five. Are the hours something that you took to easily?
WL: I came on board with OUE Restaurants in 2022 so I spent a good year-and-a-half being in a regular office working regular office hours; I enjoyed it. So now I’m back to those long, weird hours, but I’m used to it, because back at Zouk, it was the same thing, right? Daytime, I’d handle the corporate stuff and at night, I’d handle the nightlife.
But is it easier now or harder?
WL: Harder. Back at Zouk, in my 30s, it was easier. It was also different because that environment had more high energy. We had a club that hosted 1,500, 2,000 people at any one time. That was intense. But now at HighHouse, the product is quite focused so we don’t have to bring in so many different demographics. We have a certain target audience and the music direction is clearer. The total capacity at HighHouse is about 400.
Is social media important to what you do?
WL: I think it’s super important now, man. We’re always talking about Gen-Zs relating to TikTok and stuff. I was in Shanghai two months ago and… You know 小红书 (“Little Red Book” in Mandarin)? It’s big over there. I signed up for an account because I wanted to look for vintage shops in Shanghai but suddenly, I’m fed with other content like techwear, cycling…
So, yeah. social media is important. Especially when you’re running a business establishment, right? But, it’s important that you’re tapping onto the right platform. 小红 书started out as a place where people came to discover places of interest to go to but now it’s the equivalent of Instagram in China.
China is ahead when it comes to connectivity.
WL: I’m really impressed by Shanghai. Everything is online for them. Lose your phone in China and you’re screwed.
Do you think Singapore can get to that stage?
WL: It’s tough because we are not a super-huge city. We won’t get to where China is but what we have right now isn’t bad. Hopefully, Singapore will get there one day.
What was your childhood like?
WL: It was good. I was quite blessed. Parents are mostly supportive. My dad was an engineer and my mom was a school English teacher. My dad was always urging me to take up mathematics, which I hated. And then I screwed up my A-Levels so badly that he gave up. But they gave me a very comfortable childhood, a good environment to grow up in.
Are they still on your back about your life choices?
WL: My dad passed last year but he was ok with where I am today. My mom has, well, a lot to say, you know, because I’m still single so there’s that. If it happens, it happens, right?
How was the pandemic for you?
WL: I don’t know about you guys but it was the worst. I mean, minus the pay cuts (at Zouk and the deaths) I think it was a reset button for a lot of people that I knew and a lot of efforts were taken to sustain the business.
The pivots.
WL: Yeah. Back then, we put 50 bikes in the main room at Zouk and converted it into a spin cycle class. Capital (a whisky bar and cigar room) was turned into a restaurant. We even worked with Lazada to convert Phuture into a live-streaming studio… that lasted for a good three or four months before they decided to do their own studio. So that was challenging but it was nice. There was a sort of team spirit going on during the pivots. And I also enjoyed some normal hours, ending at 10:30pm instead of 4am, so that was quite nice.
Was it worrying? Because, at the time, nobody knew when they could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
WL: It was frustrating because the first year when we pivoted, we thought by December 2020 it should be over, right? Everyone believed that myth that this was like SARS and the pandemic would soon be over. But it didn’t get better and then it got worse with the (COVID) variants popping up. We had to downsize the team quite a bit. It was painful to do but it had to be done.
That gave us a new thought process in how we run the business. If you look at Zouk, you see it is trying to expand overseas to Vegas, to Japan, by working towards F&B projects combined with nightlife concepts like fine dining with ultra lounges. Since COVID, operating solely on nightlife has shown its risks, hence diversification.
What kind of manager are you?
WL: I think… I genuinely think I operate with empathy. I’m not the sort who goes like, “it’s my way or the highway”. I try to give the team a lot of room to run and grow in… but then again I am very blessed that to have quite an experienced team, both for the front and back of the house. Occasionally there will come a time to bring down the hammer, so I’ll do it. But as much as I can, I will try not to. I usually tell everyone that we are all adults, right?
You also get to wear a suit and tie at HighHouse.
WL: (Looks at his short-sleeved shirt and jeans) Yeah, sorry to let you down. [laughs]
You don’t dress like that at Zouk.
WL: Because we operate a dining space, so out of respect for Steven, my manager, who is already in a blazer, I try to be in a suit and tie. It was a huge change from the Zouk days. Now I’m dressed up so that people can take me more seriously. [laughs]
Any pet peeves?
WL: Sometimes people are not willing to change. It takes a while, of course. But, in our industry, change is the only constant; we always have to adapt and flip. When you are working with an older generation of managers and workers, it takes a while for them to be flexible. It’s frustrating but you still need to be patient to explain to them and get them on the same course.
What’s your biggest fear?
WL: My biggest fear? That’s a really good one. So far all my work in Singapore has touched on culture, right? My fear is Singapore becoming stagnant culturally instead of moving forward. I’m talking about soft culture and things like that. Generally, things have been getting better. Singapore has always been a nation that’s built on finance, manufacturing and stuff like that. And obviously, what we call soft culture is super sub, right? Our generation did well but there are still purveyors pushing the scene in music, art, design, and stuff like that, and of course, aided by the government. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t but I’m hoping the next generation can continue.
It has to be a generational effort. This generation sets the path and the next gen will come in and take it forward. Let’s talk about culture, right? Obviously, there are your Edison Chens, Shawn Yues, John Mayers, the Pharrells even. They have gone from being musicians to extend themselves into fashion, designing watches even. They have done their part. So the next generation has to take over. Tyler, the Creator, he’ll be the next wave, right? He’s going to be the next Pharrell.
Going back to your earlier question about what I’m afraid of is that: I know there are a lot of very good content creators on TikToks who are in their 20s. But can we name that many? Can we find another, for example, Tracy Phillips? I feel that it’s tough to find someone of that calibre. Maybe it’s because the scene is quite diluted as everybody is doing it so it’s hard to stand out.
You struck me as someone who prefers to be behind the scenes.
WL: You’re right. I don’t go to events, I stay at the back of the room. Eleven years of the club scene and my social battery is at its lowest. But now with the OUE Sky project, HighHouse and NOVA, I do have to be at the forefront of things to help push the brand.
Along with Lincoln and Tracy, your name pops up as one of the few architects of the way the club scene is.
WL: Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. It’s nice that in the course of what I’ve done, at least, my efforts have amounted to something.
What do you like to do in your free time?
WL: I used to skateboard when I was younger but I’ve stopped. I’m trying to get back to the board again. I [laughs] can’t do the ollies and stuff. Actually, I cleared one but these days, my risk appetite is a lot less. So I just cruise along East Coast Park. It’s that or running.
Do you fear getting old?
WL: Definitely. I think it is on everyone’s mind but—and this is going to sound corny—it kind of pushes you to do more each day because you know time is limited.
Was this a recent realisation?
WL: I’m 43 going 44 and I think when you hit your 40s, you tend to think a lot more about the time that’s left and how much more you can achieve. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m middle aged, but it is what it is so you have to make the best of it. [points to his tattoo] “Memento mori”. Remember that you’ll die so you’ll appreciate life. [laughs] This all sounds dark.
What’s that one book you always go back to?
WL: One of my favourite authors is Paul Auster, who died recently…
I love Auster’s metafiction.
WL: Power, right? He passed away a few days ago. Very sad. Lung cancer. [thinks for a while]. [Haruki] Murakami is another. I’d usually return to Kafka by the Shore.
Was that an introduction to the rest of Murakami’s work?
WL: That would be Norwegian Wood. Another book would be JD Salinger, (The) Catcher in the Rye. These are the few books that I’d reread if I had the time.
Do you have enough time to do so though?
WL: The funny thing is that if the book is on a Kindle, you don’t read it as much as when it was a paperback. But I still buy books on Kindle due to space constraints, right? And my concentration on a Kindle is so limited. Ten pages and I put the device down. When it comes to the tactility of it, paperbacks can’t be beat.
I usually borrow from the library so the due date forces me to finish it.
WL: That’s amazing. And that brings me to this one habit that I feel all of us should adopt, and that is, before sleeping, instead of going through Instagram, we should read. It’s tempting to pick up the phone and scroll through our social media but I’m trying to return to flipping the pages in books.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Photography: Jaya Khidir
Art Direction: Joan Tai
Photography Assistants: Nowo Kasturi and Ng Kai Ming
This article was first seen on Esquire.sg
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