Stella Seah: Meet Ocean Butterflies’ newest signing

SINGAPORE — At first glance, it’s very easy to dismiss Stella Seah as just another teenybopper with unrealistic aspirations of making it big in the entertainment industry.

Just look at her. The petite singer may be young, adorable, and probably only one of a very small group of people who can wear an enormous bow on her head and not look like a giant Christmas present. But then again, how many of these singers have we already seen come and go over the last few years?

So we were understandably curious to find out why Ocean Butterflies — whose illustrious alumni include Kit Chan, JJ Lin and A-Do — chose to sign her on as an artiste. And we found our answer when we caught Seah’s show last week at Nanyang Technological University.

Not only was Seah as steady and confident as a seasoned performer, a row of students behind me also began exclaiming “so cute!” when the Singaporean artiste appeared on stage. Not bad, especially for a singer who has only just released her first Mandopop EP, Wings Of Dreams.

“I wasn’t a very confident person in school. I didn’t say very much, and I was often bullied,” the 22-year-old confided. “When I was 15, I took part in (reality singing competition) Campus Superstar and I became the focal point of the entire school. But not everyone supported me because some of them thought I took part in the contest because I was vain and wanted to be famous. They said very nasty things about me and gossiped about me in the restrooms. My good friend also ganged up with other people who bad-mouthed me and said my clothes and bags were cheap. So there was a lot of pressure. But then I also learned how to take criticism. And now, I have learnt to let go!”

In fact, her fierce independence is the reason why she is in the entertainment business in the first place. Despite her age, Seah has worked in a variety of part-time jobs, including waitressing, customer service, singing at weddings and telemarketing, and has spent at least a year in each position. She was also in her final year at Singapore Polytechnic when she decided to pursue her love for music full-time at LASALLE College Of The Arts.

“My parents were very shocked because they didn’t even know that I found studying Interior Design very tiring,” she said, adding that her parents were supportive of her career, but have left her to make her own decisions about her future. “Even my teacher asked me if I had gone mad because my grades were quite good!”

Seah believes she has a pretty good shot at her singing career, even though she cheekily admitted that she has to work on her tendency to let her mind wander during the most inopportune moments — when she is being interviewed in a room full of people, for example.

“My biggest strength is the fact that I don’t look my age,” the cheery singer mused. “Many people have told me that I look 16 and that it’s a good thing because I can look cute for many more years before I start maturing.”

She added: “I am also not worried about having to change because I am a very bold person. I am not against trying different looks and music styles. As long as I don’t have to be nude!”

Wings Of Dreams is out now.