DIARY: All you need to know about ... The Creatives' Song

<p>When you're short of inspiration, only one thing can get the </p><p>creative juices going: some stirring sounds. We asked Asia's top </p><p>creatives what music inspired them to come up with their best work. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Singapore: Undoubtedly the trendiest of the bunch, our friends in the </p><p>Lion City came up with the abrasive sounds of Rage Against the Machine </p><p>and Radiohead's scrambled miserablism as their ideal soundtrack to help </p><p>the ideas percolate. Certain creatives also seem to find that the </p><p>soundtrack at the local pool halls helps to concentrate their minds even </p><p>further, apparently. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Kuala Lumpur: Singapore's neighbours in Malaysia, on the other hand, are </p><p>far more mainstream, with the lightweight charms of Jennifer Lopez </p><p>mentioned as a favourite. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hong Kong: A soulful bunch, these, with the thought-provoking strains of </p><p>John Lennon's Imagine named by one agency boss as his top choice. </p><p>Clearly, beneath the commercial exterior of the city lurks a sensitive </p><p>soul. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Manila: Filipino creatives' tastes are pretty wide-ranging, but in the </p><p>end it comes as no surprise to find that the </p><p>stand-on-a-clifftop-with-the-wind-in-your-hair pomposity of Irish </p><p>rockers U2 gets the thumbs-up for inspiring new work. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Beijing: Of all the big Asian cities, it seems that creatives in Beijing </p><p>are enthuastic about the greatest range of music. Jazz, classical, </p><p>cantopop - you name it, they like it. Western pop music was the only </p><p>genre that didn't meet with much enthusiasm. "I don't pretend to </p><p>understand Western culture as well as Chinese," says one agency bod. </p><p>"Singing Western songs doesn't really rouse my emotions." To be honest, </p><p>we'd be surprised if Jennifer Lopez and U2 roused many people's </p><p>emotions. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>