Tommy Page: 10 things to know about the 1990s teen idol who’s in S’pore for Retrolicious 2015

1. The one thing Tommy Page misses most about Singapore is you, his fan!

“Singapore was one of the first countries in the world that embraced my music. My music actually became popular here, before it became popular in the United States. So there is always a special place in my heart for this area of the world. And it’s been too long. I cannot believe it’s been 20 years since I’ve been here!” said Page.

2. His big hit I’ll be Your Everything, which went right up to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1990, featured insanely popular 1990s boyband New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) on backing vocals. The song was co-written by Page with NKOTB’s Jordan Knight and Danny Wood. He told TODAY that he’ll gladly tour with the boys again. “Just maybe not on a cruise ship!” he quipped.

3. Now Head of Industry Relations at Pandora, an internet music radio site, Page has been a big-time music industry executive for the past two decades.

After his teen pop idol success, he took a break from the industry in 1995 to attend NYU’s Stern School of Business, before returning in 1997 to work as Vice-President of Promotions at Warner Bros Records for eight years, before switching to become Vice-President of A&R (Artists and Repertoire).

4. During that time, he launched the careers of many great artistes like Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Josh Groban amongst others.

“I am especially proud of Josh Groban. He was someone I related to when he was just a young insecure teenager with his very first record. I took him under my wing, took him around and taught him everything I knew…” he shared. “I even remixed some of this songs. He’s like a kid brother and to see him become the big star that he became, was really rewarding.”

5. He has a sense of humour about his songs being massive karaoke favourites, not just in Singapore but also in the United States.

“I have friends who go out drinking and it’ll be four in the morning and a text will blink on my phone. And I’m like, ‘Who would be calling me at four o’clock in the morning?’ And it’ll be my friends at a karaoke bar telling me they are singing “A Shoulder To Cry On” or “I’ll Be Your Everything. And I’ll be like, “Yes! I still exist everybody! In karaoke bars!”

6. He doesn’t let it get under his skin when critics call him a two-hit wonder

“I’ll say to them how many hit wonders are you?” he said with a smile. “If I were a one hit wonder, I’d be happy with that. If I were a two-hit wonder, I’d be more happy. If I were a three-hit wonder, I’d be even happier. I’m just happy that I had a hit.”

7. He dropped the phone and cried when he first heard that I’ll Be Your Everything went to number one on the Billboard Chart.

“I’d cry for you a thousand more times if you gave me a thousand more number ones,” he shared with a laugh. “I used to say, at that time, back in 1990, ‘This is my moment. This is so important. This is one of the greatest things that happened to me in my life!’ And now, 25 years later, I was right. As far as my music career goes, hitting number 1, it’s something that nobody can ever take away. I did it. I climbed the top of the mountain. After that I didn’t feel the need to have done that again, although I would have liked another Number 1. I’m just really proud that I did what I did.”

8. He has a “Tommy” page (pun fully intended) in “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits”

9. One of the craziest thing a fan did for him was to move to New Jersey to go to his school. The crazy part? She was from Korea.

10. He can sing and speak in pretty fluent Mandarin without any help from us.

Catch Tommy Page, All-4-One and Color Me Badd at Retrolicious 2015 on tonight Feb 7 (Sat), 8pm at the Fort Canning Park. Tickets priced at S$125 are available for sale at all SISTIC counters.