Homegrown heroes: Veronica Young

SINGAPORE – “A simple person” is how Veronica Young describes herself.

And it’s true. During our chat, Young keeps her statements simple. She’ll speak her mind - or she won’t say a thing at all if she deems the question inappropriate.

“Take me for what I am. Take it or leave it. I’m still very samseng (dialect for ‘uncouth’),” she said.

That said, 65-year-old’s isn’t quite your average senior citizen. She has done some rather remarkable things in her time, not least being one of Singapore’s most popular singers in the ’60s, and being a member of the bowling team that won a bronze medal in the 1983 SEA Games.

These days, she lives in France with her family, but returns to Singapore “at least once a year” to perform at charity shows for various organisations.

“It’s simply because I still can sing – I still have my voice – and if it can be used for a good cause, to raise money for charity, then why not?” she said. “I don’t use it for a career any more. So whatever I can do to help, I’ll do it.”

Last Friday, Young and her former bandmates Audie Ng and Andy Young got together for a reunion concert of sorts (“it’s 50 years since The Silver Strings was formed”). And Singapore’s answer to Millie Small - the singer who sang the hit, My Boy Lollipop showed that she still had it in her, as she took centrestage for the second half of the show - the first featured the band and Andy - to perform to a packed house of cheering fans. “I’m Veronica Old and these are The Rusty Strings,” she joked as she kicked off her set.

Her strident vocals cut across as she sang My Boy Lollipop, Connie Francis’ Stupid Cupid and Where The Boys Are. Young also dedicated some songs to Singapore singers of the past, including Susan Lim of The Crescendos (Frankie, Silver Threads And Golden Needles); Shirley Nair (Too Late For Tears) and Naomi Suriya of Naomi And The Boys fame (Happy Happy Birthday Baby).

The adulation generated at the club was probably a fraction of what it was like for her back in the early ’60s, when the kampong girl from Pulau Brani first got her taste for singing.

“I was living on the island, and life was so simple - there was nothing much to do. It was beautiful. You had to use your imagination and your hands to make your own games and toys to play,” said Young. “Music wasn’t a very big thing when I was young. I discovered it later. All I heard was what was on my neighbour’s radio.”

She was “discovered” by Siva Choy (of The Cyclones) when she went to a tea dance at the South East Asia Hotel in Waterloo Street, who suggested that she perform with The Silver Strings the following week. The teenager did not take his invitation seriously and forgot about it until the next weekend when she and her classmates visited the joint again.

Siva recognised her instantly and promptly invited her on stage. In the following months, the combined talents of The Silver Strings, The Cyclones and Young brought in the crowds and demands for their shows kept them busy. “During the time, the music scene was very simple. Everybody looked forward for a weekend function, whether it was a company function, we would play in all the naval bases and the air force base.”

But she was still schooling at that time, and had to strike a fine balance between her studies and singing. Her mother was obviously concerned, although Young persuaded her to let her continue singing during the weekends. “My mum and dad were real kampong people in the old days; they didn’t know what the music scene was like – they only know qiong kor (Cantonese for “singing”),” she said. “When I started singing I was very naïve. I was a pulau girl, and this is the big city.”

Then came her big break: Audie suggested that they participate in the Millie Small Singing Competition. The band won with flying colours. “When I won the Millie Small competition, I brought home a black & white television. To the family, it was heaven sent. They didn’t expect such a thing. We had our neighbours all coming over to watch TV shows in the evenings. I still can’t forget that feeling of excitement and happiness,” she said, tearing slightly.

With more gigs coming their way, Young soon had to make a tough decision. “While I was still schooling, I had to concentrate on my school. But I talked with my mum and she consented to allow me to quit school to do music. I had the chance to sing and then a career came my way. And I thought, ‘If this could help the family, then why not?’ I went all out for it.”

Young left school in Secondary Four, and went full-time with her music. “The rest of the band was working, so they could only do music outside of work, but I was more flexible. I was with them until Shirley Nair came into the picture and joined the band, and then I went solo.”

With the band, she had already made a name for herself, performing at popular entertainment spots like the Golden Venus, the Singapore Badminton Hall, the National Theatre and various British army bases. She was also invited to perform in Malaysia with Keith Locke & The Quests, Ronnie See & The Burns, The Sunny Low Dancers, and others.

After leaving the band, she had her first overseas contract in Kuching with a Singapore band called The Echo-Jets. “I went to Kuching to sing in a club there. The boss there was very nice. He treated me like his daughter. Knowing that I was a beginner, they made costumes and dresses for me to wear. I was very blessed.” And the offers continued rolling in, including a couple of stints in Vietnam performing for the American forces, and one at the Paya Lebar International Airport. “It was the only place that would open until 4am – the other places in town would close earlier, maybe midnight or 1am, so people would go there after that.” She also made several TV appearances and recorded an EP with The Moonglows, featuring four original compositions by The Echo-Jets’ Patrick Seet: Lollipop, Dreams Of Love, The Thrill To Love You and Thank You For Your Kindness. “There were times when it was tough, really tough. But I made it through. I was quite lucky - I didn’t really have to look for jobs; the jobs came to me.”

It was during her stint at the Country Club in East Coast - where Matthew & The Mandarins were also performing – that she discovered her next love: Bowling.

“The Katong bowling alley was nearby, so my boss would invite me over to bowl. Then one day, I managed to see a competition in Jackie’s Bowl Orchard. And they said you could represent your country, so from then on, I took it seriously.”

Young started bowling in the leagues, and eventually qualified to represent Singapore in various competitions, including the FIQ (Federation International de Quillers) World Tenpin Bowling Championships in 1975 in London and 1987 in Helsinki. Her successes included a bronze at the 1985 SEA Games in the women’s Team-of-Five event.

After a couple more singing stints – at Plaza Hotel’s Club 5 and Mandarin Hotel’s Act 1 – she migrated to France. “But that doesn’t mean my heart doesn’t belong to Singapore. I’ll still come back, as long as the people here aren’t fed up with me.”

Does she miss being in the limelight? “No. Well, I miss singing English songs and the oldies!”

But Young said she wouldn’t change a thing in her life. “I’m so glad that I’m a strong character. That I have made myself what I am today. I chose family life instead of a career. I am what I am and I’m happy. We all learn from our mistakes and nobody is perfect. No, there’s nothing to change. Like Edith Piaf sang, Non, je ne regrette rien – no regrets.”