ROCKING ON

Singer-songwriter Brandon Lee reflects on his foray into the local music scene, and tells PIONEER about some of his memorable National Service (NS) moments.

On stage, he gets his audience pumped up with his high-octane performance, and has them raising their hands and jumping to the beat. But during this interview, the 24-year-old singer was every bit the shy boy-next-door.

In his low and slightly raspy voice, he talked about how he discovered a flair for songwriting at the age of 12. Through his band Brandon Lee Official, he produced an Extended Play (EP, which is a compilation of about five songs) titled My Life in 2011, and a full-length album Back Against The World last year.

His list of accomplishments include performing the opening act for Simple Plan's 2012 concert at Fort Canning Hill and having his music video aired on MTV Asia.

He wrote three out of the five tracks in his EP during his time in NS from 2009 to 2011, and the inspiration for one song Out There came when he was doing night guard duty in camp.

When asked about his NS experience as a Platoon Sergeant in 6th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, 2nd Sergeant (2SG) (NS) Lee, laughed and said: "We really got tekan-ed (punished) during BMT (Basic Military Training), and kept having to do push-ups and crunches."

Despite the tough training, he was determined to make the most out of his NS. Having dropped out of junior college as he felt the A level curriculum did not suit him, he was eager to excel during NS. His efforts paid off when he was awarded the Golden Bayonet for being the top cadet of his batch at the Specialist Cadet School.

He said: "During NS, I wanted to prove to myself that if I set my heart on something, I can achieve it. And I did. So when I got the Golden Bayonet, it felt really good."

These days, the freelance personal trainer is busy managing a lifestyle classifieds website after obtaining a grant from Spring Singapore. This website allows people to book personal trainers, sports and lifestyle coaches.

Does that mean he's putting his music on hold? "No," he replied. "I still want to write some good songs with my band. In fact, we have a new song. Hopefully, we can release a single or another EP soon."