Siva Choy

Sivanandan Choy (22 May 1947 – 4 March 2018), better known as Siva Choy, was a Singaporean musician, comedian and writer, known for his Singlish rap classic "Why U So Like Dat?", released in 1991.

Early life and education

Choy was born to an Indian family in Gillman Barracks, in Alexandra. His father, was from Kerala, India, and moved to Singapore to work as a civilian foreman for the British Army, managing a British military power station located in Gillman Baracks. His mother, was born in Singapore to M K Chathukutty, a migrant from Kerala and founder of the Singapore Malayalee Hindu Samajam (SMHS), and Ammalu Amma, a migrant from Tamil Nadu. As a migrant, his father went to SMHS to look for jobs, and was introduced to Chathukutty's daughter and eventually got married.

Choy was the youngest of three brothers.

Choy was supposed to be Choyi, likehis father's; a clerk at the registry issuing his father's identity card spelt it as Choi. When Choy was born, a clerk at the hospital made another mistake by spelling his surname as Choy instead of Choi, making him the only person in his family with the surname Choy.

Living in Gillman Barracks in his early childhood, Choy listed to music in different languages, including as English, Malay, Tamil, Mandarin and Hindustani. Choy attended Pasir Panjang Primary School, where he learnt how to play a recorder and a guitar, and together with his brother, James, they were known as the Cyclones, and pioneered the local R&B scene. While attending Bartley Secondary School, Choy often performed in plays and took part in singing competitions.

In 1969, Choy graduated from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in philosophy, political science and English.

Career

In 1964, the Cyclones joined the Checkmates to be their lead vocalists, performing regularly at tea dances organised by the Golden Venus club located along Orange Grove Road in Tanglin. After being offered a contract by Philips Records, the Cyclones released two EPs, one in 1965 and another in 1967. Later, Vernon Cornelius joined the band, and the band was renamed as Unit 4+2+1, inspired by popular British group Unit 4+2.

In 1967, Unit 4+2+1 disbanded as the members began working regular jobs, and Cornelius left the band to join The Quests. Together with members of the Comancheros, Choy formed the X-periments and released two singles and two LPs under RCA Records.

Upon graduation from university, Choy worked as a journalist for Fanfare, an entertainment magazine published by Straits Times Press. In 1971, Choy also worked briefly as a correspondent for New Nation.

Thereafter, Choy spent five years busking in Europe and another year cycling from Holland to Singapore, before starting a job in the advertising industry in 1976. Choy also authored the popular ''Kitchi Boy'' stories, which told the story of a group of local boys in Singlish and colloquial humour. Eventually, the stories were compiled as books ''Oh No, It's The Kitchi Boy Gang'' and ''I'm Sorry, It's Kitchi Boy Again'', published in 1985 and 1986 respectively.

In 1990, Choy moved to Perth for retirement, while occasionally returning to Singapore to perform. Choy also played in two blues bands, performing in gigs and shows across Australia.

In 1991, together with comedy group Kopi Kat Klan, Choy released an album titled ''Why U So Like Dat?'', consisting of Singlish songs and sketches. The album sold more than 50,000 copies, and its title song enjoyed frequent radio airplays. In 1998, the album was issued as a CD, containing 11 tracks from the original cassette version and seven new tracks.

From 1999 to 2012, Choy wrote a column for ''The New Paper''.

Personal life

In 1986 Choy married Ilsa Sharp, a freelance writer based in Singapore.

After two strokes, Choy was hospitalised at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and was in a coma for two days. He died on 4 March 2018.

Discography

* ''The Cyclones'' (1965)

* ''The Cyclones'' (1967)

* ''Why U So Like Dat?'' (1991)''''

Filmography

Film

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choy, Siva
1947 births
2018 deaths
20th-century Singaporean male singers
20th-century Singaporean musicians
University of Singapore alumni
21st-century Singaporean actors
Singaporean people of Indian descent