At 10 years old, Chua had been bitten on her face by a dog, necessitating 135 stitches and leaving some permanent scarring, which increased her sense of social isolation at the conformist all-girls' school she attended.
'"[1] Chua grew up without any musical training and became involved in the rock scene during a period of transition in Singapore, when eclectic artists were beginning to rise from the margins to challenge the conservative status quo.
Chua also became an early adopter in Singapore of DIY digital distribution methods, making her own songs and dozens of covers and collaborations available to fans worldwide through intimate performances posted to YouTube.
However, when songs from The Bedroom were featured on Hype Machine and other international blogs, she gained wider recognition, becoming the first Singaporean solo artist ever invited to play at a major US festival, South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
"[3] The title song, as Chua noted in a TEDxSingapore talk,[1] was inspired by her sense of loneliness as a child, a time when she pursued her art privately before opening up to others.
After releasing Wallflower to international attention, Chua collaborated with several local pop and hip hop artists, such as singer Nathan Hartono and rapper Shigga Shay, as well as Los Angeles-based YouTube sensation David Choi.
In December 2012, she was invited to perform at global TEDxWomen Conference in Washington D.C.[8] Chua had also recently gone through a romantic break-up, and she began writing rawer songs, with a harsher rock sound than the softer style that marked her solo debut.
Chua wrote many of the songs for her second studio album, Bumfuzzle, during her time away from home, living in Los Angeles and playing small gigs throughout North America.
Inch Chua, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, has recorded cover versions of work by artists including Shiina Ringo, Britney Spears, Radiohead, Bruno Mars, David Bowie, Nat King Cole, Ming Bridges, Death Cab for Cutie, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys, Paul McCartney, Air, Beck, David Choi, Bright Eyes and Leonard Cohen.