1. What motivated you to join both seasons of The Final One?
I would have to say that it was my passion for singing. Prior to joining the competition, I’ve always been in choirs and performing troupes so I felt like I never really had the opportunity or stage to be myself as a performer. I felt like the competition would be a great platform to gain exposure and to have an insight on the industry in Singapore. As for why I joined the second season, it was a combination of having graduated from JC (as compared to season 1 where I was stressed out trying to balance JC and the competition) as well as having a taste of a singing competition; I knew that the second time around, I wanted to get further and “beat” myself.
2. Other than singing, what else interests you?
I love to take videos and string them together to create vlogs. I’ve always loved capturing memories and only started getting into vlogging about 2-3 years ago. I love to travel as well, so it was great to merge my 2 interests together. Other than that, I love to exercise – it used to be mainly for stress-relief when I was in school but then i came to realise the other benefits and so I kept exercising after graduating. I usually run around where I live and end my run at the stadium where I do different sets of exercises. At home, I love to watch horror movies with my family and play PlayStation with my brother and father hahaha.
3. Have you tried song-writing?
I have, actually! I’ve a few songs but they haven’t been completed with music. I’m teaching myself basic chords on the piano and on the guitar in my free time so that I can finally put the 2 together (but it’s quite challenging, I must admit).
4. Do you think your experience in reality competition shows changed you?
I think they have. I’ve learned to be more thick-skinned in a way and I mean this is the most positive sense haha. I’ve learned to trust in myself and in my decisions, not letting what others say sway me. Being in the public eye, criticism was something I had to expect and something that I had to learn to deal with. Strangers online always had something to say and I think that though sometimes hurtful, I learned to take everything with a pinch of salt and just be myself – whether people liked it or not, was not my concern (as long as I wasn’t hurting someone, of course).
Having said all this, I also became a more confident person given all the experience opportunities. It also gave me plenty of chances to “find” myself musically and this also made me more determined to keep pursuing music even after the competition was over.
5. How was it like meeting Nathan and Tabitha? Did they inspire you to further pursue singing as a full time career?
It was such a good opportunity to meet Nathan and Tabitha. I think what’s super cool is that they both have singing competition experiences like me. Just having a chat with them about their careers, what sort of music they’re into, their experiences on singing competitions and even how much their lives have changed, was probably something I would not have had a chance to do anywhere else. They definitely inspired me to pursue singing as a full time career because they’re living proof that it isn’t impossible to achieve something like that. They’ve both put in years of hard work and to see them succeed is very encouraging. I’ve had people in my life tell me that a singing career is too unrealistic to chase down (in Singapore), that it’s better for me to take the path always taken. So just knowing their stories showed me that my dreams can be a reality if I worked for it.
6. Pick one: Crop tops or off-shoulder tops?
Tough one but it’s got to be off-shoulder tops!!
