Sylvester Sim's back... with K-pop songs
The last time we saw Sylvester Sim, the local singer was a contestant on the spin-off of the hit reality singing competition show The Voice, China edition, which was shown on TV here last year.
Since he left the show after not making it past the top 5, he has been preparing for the release of his second album.
The Singapore Idol Season 1 runner-up is eager to pay tribute to the K-pop genre in his latest offering.
Most of the 11 tracks on the album will be in Mandarin, some will be in English and a few will be K-pop songs.
He is not sure yet if he will be singing the K-pop songs in Korean or whether he will be doing Mandarin versions of them.
His favourite Korean song at the moment?
Noel's In Order To Live from the soundtrack of Korean drama Padam Padam...The Sound Of His And Her Heartbeats (2011).
Sim, 32, told The New Paper: "I've sung in Korean before and I like it.
"I was taught all the nuances of the language and the song by people I know who can speak Korean well.
"I hope to experiment with lots of different types of songs on my new album as I'm one of those singer-song writers who believes that the more songs I write, they will eventually start to sound the same."
The entertainment manager of restaurant Unplugged at Dempsey Hill for the past year organises music nights for local newbie singers to showcase their talent with acoustic music, claimed that he is not releasing an album for the fame or the money.
He intends to release the 11 tracks on his album online, 2 songs at a time, for people to download at a "minimal price".
The funding of the production of the songs will be sponsored by a producer from entertainment company, Unusual Productions.
Only after all 11 tracks are released, will he then consider making the physical albums.
Sim said that he makes little from his music and simply wants to share his passion with others.
"Everyone who knows me since my Singapore Idol days back in 2004, knows what I am about.
"I like music much more than fame.
"But you need some fame for your music to be heard."
Sim was recently signed to new management agency Big Boss Entertainment (BBE), a cooperation among a few entertainment companies such as iGlobal Star, Unusual Productions and JT Corea Entertainment.
BBE intends to groom and manage veteran artistes who will also have the opportunity to impart their skills to the newbies in the company.
Sim said that one of his biggest goals is to help other local talent flourish.
For example, at Unplugged, he has organised door gifts for patrons in the form of songs that the newbie singers had written and recorded.
This, he said, went down well with the customers and was also a good platform for the rookies to get their music out.
Sim, who got married in 2012, said he is looking forward to being a father one day as he loves kids.
For now, one of his favourite past-times is spending time with his two nephews, one's a toddler and the other, just a baby (pictured below).
HAZE
Recording for his new album will begin soon and he hopes to be fully recovered by then so that his voice will be in tip-top shape.
Sim, who has had asthma since he was a baby, is currently suffering from the haze.
He recalled: "The other day, when I was walking in Little India, the PSI was at around 300.
"I only tugged a little at my mask to adjust it and I began to have breathing difficulties.
"The haze has caused my sinus, throat infection and congested lungs so I can't go anywhere without my inhaler these days."
Sim has tried "almost everything" to cure himself of asthma.
When he was young, his grandmother and grandfather would go out and buy strange concoctions for him once they heard from someone else that it was an asthma cure.
So Sim has eaten food like crocodile meat, bat soup and even black bird soup.
He said: "I love my grandma and grandpa because they have even gone out into the forested areas in Singapore to catch the black birds for me.
"While crocodile meat tastes awesome, I can't say the same for the rest.
"There must be a cure for asthma out there, I will keep trying."
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