Music and mental health seem to go hand-in-hand seamlessly. The saying (although a misquote), “music soothes the savage beast” was written by an English playwright and first said in 1697, still rings true today over 300 years later. Wanting to show that music has that healing power are the guys behind Therapy Room whose own tagline is, “it’s not just music, it’s therapy.”
"It's not just music, it's therapy."
Therapy Room is a platform for DJs to share their music journeys, play some tunes and chat about how music is their therapy on YouTube. Not wanting to be boxed into an only-meant-for-parties category, Therapy Room – created by two long-standing members in Singapore’s entertainment industry, Deepak Prashad, 38, and Shaun Nocturnals, 41 – aims to create an approach to DJs and entertainers where they can be used as advocates and collaborators to create sensory experiences that benefit mental health.
“I started Therapy Room to give a platform to out-of-work DJs, like myself, to share their skills and use it as a unique opportunity to directly improve their mental health. A safe space. Even now after Singapore has opened its entertainment industry again, we still want to advocate for better mental health and overall wellness by collaborations and partnerships with others who share a like-mindedness to this vision,” shares Deepak.
Therapy Room started out in Deepak’s bedroom during Covid lockdowns to, now, recording live sessions in a studio with state-of-the-art equipment in an industrial estate in the Tai Seng area. Outside of the video time, both Deepak and Shaun are still active members of Singapore’s DJ community headlining corporate and special events, club nights, such as at Potato Head, Dirty Blonde and Ikigai, and private parties. Being all-rounders, they also provide, for hire, the entertainment specifications, such as the sound, lighting and visuals, for some venues and events.
“We want to be known as something different from the run-of-the-mill underground parties that Singapore has a lot of nowadays. We want to be collaborators and friends with everyone. If there’s any way we can help each other, let’s do it. As much as we love and have evolved with music, we want to push for more experiences for those in the industry as well as audiences where music and therapy can come together to benefit everyone,” says Deepak.
"We want to be known as something different from the run-of-the-mill underground parties that Singapore has a lot of nowadays."
One such collaboration is a wellness one with Sphere, a performance and recovery facility in Cecil Street, where the two groups got together for a workout programme during the Wellness Festival, and a party for Sphere's opening last year. Tapping into creating a sensorial experience, Therapy Room did just that during their DJ slot at The Last Mile, a farewell festival party held at Golden Mile Complex in March 2023. One of the venues there was decked out in colourful overhead lights, greenery decor and a scentful smoky atmosphere that complemented the music dished out by Therapy Room.
For those wanting to expand their music knowledge and get acquainted with the many DJs in Singapore who do more than commercial music, Therapy Room’s YouTube is a great place to sink your teeth into the underground scene in Singapore. “If you’re a bedroom DJ or even a veteran in the industry and want a space to showcase your skills as well as talk about what inspires you, hit us up. We’re always looking for talent to video, doesn’t matter the music style,” shares Deepak.
