'Entertainment' nominees
Alvin Khoo, 33
Guitarist, singer/songwriter
Alvin of 53A, a multi-faceted jazz, rock, contemporary guitarist and singer/songwriter, is well established in the local music scene. This talented and well sought after musician is a regular fixture at various local live music venues.
In addition to his repertoire in the local scene, Alvin has performed on multiple occasions in Melbourne with the Ain't Misbehavin Jazz Group.
As 1 of the 3 singer/songwriters featured on 53A's debut album, "Settle The Kettle", Alvin played to a sold out crowd at the Esplanade Recital studio at the launch of the album. “Settle The Kettle” has sold more than a thousand copies since its launch in September 2010 and has been featured on numerous publications and websites including a worldwide feature on TIME magazine.
Alvin performs regularly in the band 53A, both as a duo and as a full band. He has also had collaborations with other bands such as Jack & Rai and Melissa Tham (a popular jazz crooner). He also works closely with producer/singer/songwriter Don Richmond and in doing so has been featured on records of several acts such as Budak Pantai, Singapore Idols Sezairi Sezali and Sylvia Retonal.
'Magic Babe' Ning, 29
Magician
Proclaimed "The sexiest woman in magic" by magicseen (Europe's largest magic magazine) and FHM Singapore cover girl (Oct 2009), 'Magic Babe' Ning is Asia's new star in magic.
Ning is hugely popular with the media & public and has been recognized and called "Singapore's only professional female magician" by all major national newspapers and magazines.
In 2012, Ning was awarded the "Patrons of Magic" by the International Brotherhood of Magicians Ring 115 for her contributions to the Singapore magic scene.
In 2009, Ning was the first Singapore female magician in history to be awarded the coveted Merlin Award for "Most Original Female Illusionist of the Year" by the International Magicians Society. Past Merlin Award winners include David Copperfield and Criss Angel.
Elegantly defying all traditional stereotypes in the male-dominated art, Ning has elevated the status of females in magic through her breakthrough escapes & illusions. Her eye-catching and mesmerizing performances have yet to be equaled by any other female magician in Asia.
Le Messie, 31
Creative director/Artist/Musician
This born and bred Singaporean of Eurasian decent dropped out of school at the early age of 13 with a below average PSLE education, leading a life with youth street gangs and returning home to a struggling family in money woes. Through a testament of his pure will, determination and dedication, he turned it all around to become an international self made and self taught success.
From creative brand entrepreneur, screen printing artist, to celebrity confidante and music producer, Le Messie has made his mark globally through his own style of multi-disciplinary art forms.
Le Messie has written and produced on Lupe Fiasco’s critically acclaimed 3 time Grammy Nominated RIAA Gold album 'The Cool' in 2008 released by Atlantic Records. At present sharing a higher profile relationship with the rapper, Le Messie is a founding member in Lupe Fiasco’s post punk band "Japanese Cartoon" having already released their 1st album in 2010 with their 2nd presently in the works. Le Messie continues to work with the Grammy Artist on a number of other creative projects.
Through his vigilante work ethic Le Messie has put Singapore on the map many times with his works from art to fashion & music being featured in a large number of magazines, press articles, music videos internationally, from MTV, GQ, Vogue to Complex and countless others.
Bevlyn Khoo, 33
Singer-songwriter
In 2008, Bevlyn released a 6-track EP album which won the 'Best Independent Album' award at Singapore Press Holding's Singapore E-Awards. The album featured 5 original songs and a gypsy-jazz arranged cover of the French classic ‘La Vie En Rose’. Her ability to sing in English, Mandarin, French and Japanese gains resonance with listeners of various ethnicities in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, China, Japan, France, America.
Notably, Bevlyn's passionate spearheading of the French album “Bistro Affair” sees her as possibly the only Singaporean singer to have released a full album of French jazz chansons , cementing her status as a versatile singer-songwriter in the music scene. The popular album charted top 3 (HMV) in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
In March 2012, Bevlyn was chosen to represent Singapore in the HK Pop-Asian Music Festival in Hong Kong.
Now back to her indie roots, she is flexing her entrepreneur and creative qualities by tying up with Pledgemusic to raise funds for her second indie album of self-penned originals scheduled to be released end of September. A method rarely used in this region of the world, Bevlyn is delighted to have reached 40% of the funds required in 10 days. A portion of the funds raised must go to “Food from the heart”, a charity she's passionate about.
Bevlyn is also the founder of popular wedding-singing group A Little Dream since 2005.
Ray Pang, 27
Writer/Director
A Singapore purebred, Ray Pang’s passion for filmmaking has never wavered since 18. He has produced eight films to date, garnering five official international film festival selections with two “Best Film” accolades.
Grateful for receiving “The Shooting Gallery Prize” in his course of study, Ray obtained grants while serving national service to spearhead an incubator program with his alma mater, Temasek Polytechnic; paving the way for aspiring filmmaking students. Under his tutelage, they were given a chance to produce a short film, “ONE”. The short film was later invited to screen in London at the "PLUSSIXFIVE" festival.
"BREAK", his thesis film received a Gold Remi Award at the 44th WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, the prestigious Orson Welles Award at California Film Awards and also the Award of Excellence from Los Angeles Movie Awards.
Last year, his local film "THE TEAM" won various accolades and was screened in Japan’s Short Shorts Film Festival Asia 2012.
Ray is one of 14 artists chosen to represent Singapore in the first World Event Young Artists this year. For his due effort in filmmaking, he was given the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World" 2012 Merit Award from JCI TOYP.
His most recent film, "Closer To Me" has been shortlisted for Louis Vuitton’s Journey Awards contest. The only Singaporean nominated, Ray will compete alongside international entries to put Singapore Art on the world map.
Riduan Zalani, 26
Percussionist
As one of Singapore’s most prominent young artists, Riduan Zalani constantly chooses responds and changes, through his musical practices and involvement, to contribute towards the development of society and the enhancement of the local, regional and international arts scene.
Riduan has conquered difficult and testing circumstances and built his reputation to become one of the most brilliant young Singapore percussionists who excels in talent and triumphs with effort.
The La Salle graduate started his involvement in traditional Malay art forms at seven years old, and developed a strong drive to pick up various drums from all over the world. Highlights in his career include performing at WOMAD Sri Lanka Festival of Drums and collaborating with internationally acclaimed jazz pianists Jeremy Monteiro and Michael Veerapan for Jazz@The Arts House (2008).
This inspiring young artist has also been awarded the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award (2006) and named as one of Singapore’s top 25 youths under 25 by local newspaper The Straits Times (2005). He also has had the opportunity to work with some of the finest local music directors, as well as being recording sessionist for some of the biggest events in Singapore, such as the International Olympic Conference and Chingay Parade of Dreams.
Skilled in a variety of drums from various cultures, from traditional to contemporary, he embraces challenges with the courage to follow his talent to where it leads.
Clarence Yeo, 27
Musician-songwriter
Clarence Yeo is a virtuoso guitarist whose artistry spans the realms of pop, jazz and RnB. As a musician and songwriter, he is a dynamic sound innovator with a passion for pushing creative frontiers and exploring spirited movement.
Besides his sleek and funky finger-picking guitar grooves, he is known for infusing nuances and colours in his unique music arrangements. It is for this reason that drew recording artistes such as Tay Kewei, Bevlyn Khoo, Juliet Pang, Ling Kai, The Freshman and Dawn Wong to collaborate with him.
After picking up the guitar at the age of 10 without any formal training, Clarence did not allow the lack of funds hinder his journey in developing his technique. Performing for the SAF MDC in Australia and Brunei opened his eyes to playing for thousands, and he has gone on to inspire an international audience through his bold renditions on social media like YouTube and his artiste blog.
He has also opened for Soler's concert, played for Taiwanese singer Ying-ying Shih’s concert and held originals showcases on the radio, television, The Esplanade and Backstage, Hong Kong.
Going forward, Clarence hopes to continue injecting creativity and soul in the local music scene. His strong belief that music ought to be imparted spurs him to teach budding musicians of all ages.
Eli T., 30
Musician/Producer
Eli T. is Singapore's premier electro-pop artiste, touted as Asia's breakout electro-pop act of 2012. Proud to be the only Singaporean artist signed by a distribution company in Korea, Eli also has distribution deals across the USA, Canada, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
Previously a producer for E.M.I Southeast Asia and his own enterprise Zai Studios, Eli marries his expertise in music production and arrangement with his soulful vocals. His debut album, Revolt, was produced in 2012, causing Eli's fanbase to soar to 33,000, with fans all over the world.
Revolt has garnered Eli two nominations (Best Solo Artist and Best Singer / Songwriter) in Hollywood's Artists in Music Awards 2012, and a nomination (Best Electronic Artist) at the New Music Awards 2012 (Canada).
During his Revolt World Tour in July, he and his team performed at many prestigious international events and festivals including the Mosaic Music Festival (SG), City Showcase (NZ) and Men's Fashion Week Asia (SG). They will head to Toronto in October to perform for Indie Week 2012.
He has put Singapore on the music and fashion world map through coverage on international mass media platforms like Fashion TV (Worldwide), Hawkes Bay Today (NZ) and the Napier Mail (NZ).
Eli might be a fresh face in the local music scene, but the worldwide infiltration of his music, performance and style proves that he's not just a new kid on the block.
Fakkah Fuzz, 26
Stand-up Comedian
Fakkah Fuzz is one of the fastest rising talents in the local stand up comedy scene. Performing stand up comedy for almost 3 years, Fuzz has performed in local open mics and feature shows, receiving positive reviews from local media such as The Straits Times Life, Berita Harian, The New Paper, 8 days magazine and Channel NewsAsia.
In August 2011, Fuzz was chosen as the headlining comedian to represent Singapore in “Laugh Off Asia 2011”, a new concept comedy show that pitched Singaporean comics against their Malaysian counterparts. In addition, after performing for Wild Rice Annual Ball and the Singapore leg of “Laugh of Asia” (Singapore Vs Philippines), Fuzz has also ventured into Malaysia and performed alongside international headliners like JJ Whitehead (Canada) and Anil Desai (UK) with The Comedy Club KL. He has even opened for the likes of Malaysian comedy heavyweight Harith Iskander.
In 2012, Fuzz made his debut in Hong Kong with TakeOut Comedy, featured as one of the headline acts for a monthly show in Kuala Lumpur called “Comedy Kao Kao”. He has also hosted a Malaysian live comedy show called “The Goodflers”. He is also one of the finalists for a local stand up competition, “Stand Up for Singapore”.
ShiGGa Shay, 20
Musician/producer
Not just the youngest hip-hop artist to have made it on the Singapore radio charts, ShiGGa Shay is a music producer, songwriter and entrepreneur.
Laced with witty punchlines, his lyrics are heavy-hitting and tell intricate and personal stories. His melodies are infectious and bury an earworm within your head. Commanding amazing stage presence, his live sets abound with energy and electricity.
In 2010, ShiGGa Shay wrote and recorded his acclaimed debut mixtape, "ShiGGa Shay's in the Building!", entirely in his bedroom.
With the success of his mixtape, he performed at the prestigious National Day Parade 2010 with a song he wrote and co-produced with famed producers Sydney Tan and Don Richmond.
He was featured on Singapore Idol finalist Sylvia Ratonel's debut album on a track called "Fly", and has also collaborated with MTV Asia Awards nominated band Electrico and Singaporean acapella group Budak Pantai.
ShiGGa Shay became the first Singaporean to be featured on the world's most popular hip-hop site, WorldStarHipHop.com in 2011. He was recognised as the "Unsigned Talent of the Week" for his "On My Grind" music video, which garnered over 100,000 views.
Living by the motto of "If I die making history, it'll be all worth it", the driven young man is currently preparing the release of his debut EP "They Call Me ShiGGa", which was released in May 2012.
Brandon Lee, 23
Singer-songwriter
Just over a year after their EP launch, Brandon and Band recently released their first full length album titled - Back Against The World, in which his latest single, “Young Once” was mixed by five-time Grammy Award winner Kevin Killen. All tracks were also mastered by Peter Mew from Abbey Roads Studios (UK), who has worked with the likes of Deep Purple and Bob Marley.
Having started writing and composing from the 12 with no formal musical training, Brandon's self-funded music "campaign" started last year when he decided to use his National Service savings to record and produce an EP.
Relentlessly discouraged by family and friends from becoming a singer-songwriter, Brandon believes that "to do something great in life means having to turn your back against the world sometimes", and continues to pursue his passion fiercely.
Recently featured on various local media, Brandon also shared that besides fulling his dream, the Back Against The World album was also dedicated to encourage others to pursue their passion, for at the very least, once in their life.
Early this year, Brandon was selected by Canadian quintet, Simple Plan, to open for their concert at Fort Canning Park.
Promoted islandwide at all Starbucks outlet last August, his EP is currently available at all Gramophone stores, Esplanade, Itunes, CDbaby and more.
Judee Tan, 31
Actress
Judee Tan has performed professionally in theatre and TV since 2006, after a 3-year stint with the SAF Music and Drama Company. Since then, she has appeared in major theatre productions including “December Rains” (Toy Factory), “Beauty World” (W!LD RICE) and “Shanghai Blues” (Toy Factory).
She is known for her breakout comedy roles in "Broadway Beng" (Dream Academy) as one of the Chiobus, “The Hossan Leong Show” (Dream Academy) as Dr Teo Chew Moi and in the "Chestnuts" series (STAGES) as Ris Low and the fictitious Ivory Low Ai Kew. She scored her first lead in Toy Factory's 2011 production of "881 The Musical", a theatrical adaptation of Royston Tan's movie "881". Judee played the role of Big Papaya, one half of the Getai Papaya Sisters.
The all-rounded entertainer represented Singapore in 6 categories at WCOPA (World Championship of Performing Arts) in 2008, and was awarded 4 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals, an Industry Award and a talent-based scholarship to New York Conservatory worth more than S$12,000.
Judee recently appeared in "Chestnuts i15" (2012, STAGES), and “Happy Ever Laughter” (2012, Dream Academy). Her next appearance will be “La Cage Aux Folles” (2012, W!LD RICE). On TV, Judee is best known as Kim Bong Cha in “The Noose”.
Judee is represented by FLY Entertainment.
Stylist/art director - Zachary Go
Photographer - Alvin Tang
Hair and makeup - Vive Hair and Beauty Salon
Alaric Tay, 33
Actor
Alaric Tay is best known as the endearing nasal newscaster Andre Chichak, in Mediacorp Channel 5’s popular parody show “The Noose”. His performance has earned him continuous recognition at the Asian Television Awards, receiving a nomination for “Best Comedy Actor”two years in a row in 2010 and 2011.
Since his beginnings in the entertainment industry at 17, Alaric has taken on diverse roles, including leads in tele-movies like “Ang Tao Mui”, “The Adventures of Holden Heng”, and a well-received comic turn in the dramedy, “Money”.
With various performance credits to his name, Alaric is an active participant in the film and entertainment community. He has produced, written and directed several short films that have received critical acclaim at international film festivals around the world.
Alaric was given the Diamond Award for Best NSF Artiste by the SAF Music & Drama Company in 2003. His film “When We Were Bengs” clinched multiple awards at the ReelHeART International Film Festival in Canada. “18 Grams of Love”,a project in which Alaric was the lead actor was also given multiple awards at the 13th Lyon Asian Film Festival.
Alaric is represented by FLY Entertainment.
(Joel Low)
Clarence Liew, 20
Singer-songwriter
Singer and guitarist Clarence Liew learnt to play the guitar independently by watching “how-to” videos on YouTube, and has never gotten any form of professional training.
Clarence's singing talent surfaced after a Teacher's Day performance at 16, where he received an overwhelming amount of positive responses. Clarence has since been approached by popular YouTube artistes, Gabe Bondoc and Jeremy Passion, to collaborate on potential gigs in the region.
Clarence is inspired by musicians who play for a charitable cause, one of whom is Jeremy Passion, a renowned YouTube artiste who expresses his part fo charity by collecting stationery and donations in a suitcase while performing - all of which are given to children during his trips to poverty-stricken countries. Clarence wishes to follow his footsteps and contribute to the community by doing what he loves to do - singing from the heart.
Some of the highlights in Clarence's music career are “The YouTube Stars Concert”, where he performed together with internationally renowned YouTube artistes such as David Choi, Jason Chen, Ana Free and Tiffany Alvord. He has also performed alongside reputable artists such as the YouTube-famed duo, Jayesslee.
Clarence is slowly carving his name on the local music industry and has plans to release a single later this year. He is also in talks to produce a full-length album in the near future.
Tay Kewei, 29
Singer-songwriter
Tay Kewei, sassy Singaporean singer-songwriter, used to be known as the “Back-up Diva”, supporting singer of superstars like David Tao, Ah–mei, Wang Lee-Hom and JJ Lin.
Prior to releasing her debut album in coutries in the region like Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, she was a Youtube singing sensation and plays multiple instruments, including the er-hu, guitar, violin, ukulele and piano.
2011 was an extremely busy year for Kewei, as she represented Singapore for the Hong Kong Asian Music Festival. She was one of the top 4 finalists and was the runner-up for Best Vocalist, beating top artists from countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia. She was also nominated for Best Local Artiste and Best Newcomer in the Singapore Hit Awards the same year.
She was the sole Singaporean representative in 311 Love Without Borders, joining 100 Hong Kong celebrities including superstars such as Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, and Bosco in a song for fundraising on behalf of the 2011 Japan earthquake.
In 2012. Kewei was specially selected by the Media Development Authority of Singapore to perform in Cannes, France, for the Singapore MIDEM Music Showcase.
Drawing inspiration from her idol, singer-environmentalist Jason Mraz, Kewei hopes not only to mature musically, but also to spread the environmental message to her listeners.
Nat Ho, 27
Singer-songwriter
Nat Ho is a familiar face in Singapore’s Entertainment industry, having cut his teeth as Model as well as Actor in Mediacorp for four years before finally leaving to pursue his First Love: Music.
Classically-trained in Piano since the age of 3, Music was a constant companion throughout his life.
He honed his craft as a performer in school and also in the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company, where he was awarded the “Most Promising Artiste” Award.
Nat’s official initiation into the Industry earned him a “Best Newcomer” nomination in Mediacorp’s Star Awards 2007 as well as a “Favourite Male TV Character” Award in Mediacorp’s Star Awards 2010.
2012 marks the year of Nat Ho as a Singer and Songwriter, having released his self-composed debut EP, “Unleashed” to much industry buzz.
Apart from his own career aspirations, Nat is also a strong champion of local creative talents, and hopes that Singapore's creative industry can one day make its mark on the world map.
Stylist/art director - Zachary Goh
Photographer - Alvin Tang
Inch Chua, 23
Singer-songwriter
Singaporean singer-songwriter Inch Chua is an art school graduate and multi-instrumentalist. She was invited to appear at SXSW (2010) in Austin, Texas where the industry buzz about her music initially began.
Her talents have been recognized when she was invited to perform at the inaugural Youth Olympics Games (YOG) in August 2010. October 2010 also saw Inch open for highly popular indie rock act, Vampire Weekend, to great reception. She also opened for Katy Perry when the American singer performed in Singapore.
In 2010, she was invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to be part of the music entourage for the closing ceremony for the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, China.
In 2011, Inch participated in a creative lab incubated by Ashton Kutcher and Intel - IdeaJam. Later that year, Inch was invited to be a part of Kollaboration LA at the LA Live Nokia Theatre.
2012 saw Inch return to SXSW, as well as her debut at the Canadian Music Festival. In April, Inch played alongside Grammy Award winner Macy Gray at YouTube Star's MIchelle Phan's launch of her new beauty network, Fawn.
To date, Inch has released 2 EPs online: The Bedroom (August 2009) and Peace, Love & Mistletoe (December 2009). In July 2010, she released her debut full-length album, Wallflower, and is now working on her sophmore album.
Nicholas Chim, 28
Singer-songwriter
In what began as a hobby at age 12, Nicholas ended up playing with his first band, Vertical Rush, for eight years. He is now the frontman for the band, “Nicholas Chim & The Middle of Nowhere”.
Touted as a promising artiste to watch for by renowned music producer Bob Ezrin, Nicholas now has two albums and numerous awards under his belt.
In 2009, he finished second runner up in the Junksounds Awards for the Best Acoustic Act. His popular hit song “Midnight” made it to the semi-finals for a United Kingdom Songwriting Contest.
He subsequently went on to write scores for commercials such as Tiger Beer’s cross-cultural creative platform, “Tiger Translate”, and French apparel company Lacoste. Nicholas also served as an artist-in-residence at the Lasalle School of Contemporary Music.
Some of his performance highlights include the Japan Music Week in Tokyo and Chiba in 2011, and opening for Kina Grannis and David Choi during their Asian Tour.
Despite his glowing success in recent years, songwriting to him has never been more personal.
Coming from a single-parent family, he finds himself “more often than not led to write about the struggles to find an ideal way of living for myself”.
Tim De Cotta, 26
Musician/Vocalist
A bassist and vocalist for SIXX, Tim has had a wealth of experience in the local music industry, having played and recorded with other local acts such as Ling Kai, Inch Chua, Kevin Lester and Jessica Irawan on both bass and vocals.
His nine-piece band, SIXX, was given a grant by MDA to go up to France to play at MIDEM 2012, the world's largest music industry trade fair last January. They were also invited to KL's Sunburst Festival within their 5th gig ever playing as a band.
Gigging aside, Tim was also the jam band mentor at Hwa Chong Institution, and recently started writing freelance for Sleekverse , an online magazine.
Tim has got a solo record coming out next year, and is also currently working on the production of a SIXX album.
Through their contributions to Singapore’s artistic, cultural and entertainment landscape, these nominees are making Singapore a better place to live.