With his minimalist approach to songwriting, augmented by multiple fuzz pedals, Lim’s music is tasteful, catchy, and full of grit.

As a child, he used to listen to his father’s record collection, which ranged from the classical music of Tchaikovsky and Chopin to pop hits like “Bobby’s Girl” and “Wooden Heart”.

“He used to give my siblings and me money to buy records of our choosing,” says the 62-year-old, whose youthful appearance belies his age.

“We would then go to the pirate record stores in Petaling Jaya and get a variety of music.”

Lim first toyed with the guitar when his sister’s then-suitor brought his instrument over to serenade her.

“He used to teach us chords and also gave my sister cassettes to listen to,” Lim recalls, adding that he was particularly drawn to a tape that had John Lennon and Yoko Ono on one side and Deep Purple on the other.

“I listened to both sides, but I liked Lennon and Ono more as I was more accustomed to that type of music.”

But it wasn’t long before he realised the riffs of Deep Purple wouldn’t stop playing in his mind, and from then on, he was hooked on rock music.

“It’s always the things that take a bit of time to digest that plant themselves deeper in my system,” he reflects. “In contrast, things that are more accessible tend to disappear just as quickly.”

In his late teens, Lim used to watch open-air gigs held at local universities and was particularly drawn to the guitars and drums.

“I eventually bought an electric guitar. My friends and I started a band, and our first show was at my school’s annual concert,” he says, citing King Crimson and Led Zeppelin among the bands that inspired him at the time.

In those days, it was not uncommon for house parties to feature live music, and Lim soon joined another group, Delta, which went on to play at weddings around the Klang Valley.

Lim was born in Brighton in the United Kingdom, and came over to Malaysia with his parents when he was six months old.

He decided to return to England when he was 21 and, after a brief stint as a cake decorator, joined a friend’s band.

“It’s very natural to write and play your own music there. I used to go to a lot of open-mic sessions and watch bands in pubs, and they mostly played their own songs,” he says.

Lim would busk to make a living while residing in England. “I played my original songs, and when I was first tipped, it was a big deal to me.

“People were actually giving me money for something I composed,” he says, adding that this gave him the confidence to keep writing more songs.

Lim eventually took vocal lessons and, in 2005, released his self-titled first album, which he self-engineered. This was followed by an EP in 2015, “The Red Room”, and singles in 2017 and 2018.

“I was especially inspired by (American singer-songwriter) Gillian Welch,” Lim says of his debut album. “My earlier songs were heavily influenced by folk and country music.

“In the near future, I plan to release another album or an EP that is more experimental,” he teases.

‘Maximum impact’

Missing the heat and sunshine, among other things, Lim decided to return to Malaysia after 30 years. He lived in Penang for a while before moving to Hanoi, Vietnam, earlier this year, where he is currently based.

Lim actively livestreams his performances on Twitch, besides creating content for his “Guitars, Pedals and Things” YouTube channel. He also conducts guitar lessons online.

When it comes to music, he employs a minimalist approach to create “maximum impact”. He’s “big on tone and pedals” to ensure each note is articulated, and when it comes to lyrics, “just one word can stop me from finishing a song for months”, he laughs.

Without a doubt, music is at the very core of Lim’s being. “I need to do it. If I don’t, I’m not being faithful to myself and I’m no good to anybody,” he says.

“There are also times when I’m playing and I get in the zone and it’s a completely different place; I feel that is what it means to connect to the universe.

“I try to communicate that to my listeners. As they say, what comes from the heart, talks to the heart.”

Catch Kien Lim’s livestream performances on Twitch. You can also check out his website, Spotify page, as well as his music and guitar channels on YouTube.