Local Musician Opens Up About How Sudden Overnight Fame Affected Him Mentally

It’s often thought that with the arrival of fame, great satisfaction would naturally come.

“If I become famous, I’ll be the happiest person alive!” screamed one Tan Ah Kow. “Like Brad Pitt! Leonardo DiCaprio! Ash Ketchum!”

And well, that’s pretty much how we’re conditioned to think. Just look at all the big stars out there. Famous. Living life. Happy.

But of course, like everything else, there’s really more than meets the eye. Because while fame undoubtedly has its pros…

It definitely has its cons as well. In fact, if you know the truth behind Chris Evans’ confident exterior, you’ll definitely know what I’m talking about.

And really, one doesn’t have to look further than the case of local musician Dominic Chin, to really see how fame isn’t necessarily a shining moment in one’s life…

But potentially an aspect that could cause you a multitude of sleepless nights.

Viral

Meet local musician Dominic Chin.

If you find him familiar, well, you probably saw him in his song, You First Believed, a tribute to Singapore founding father Lee Kuan Yew back in 2014 that went crazily viral.

If you haven’t watched it, however, you can catch the heartfelt tribute down below:

Sobbing? Yeah, those ninjas are cutting the damn emotions again. Damn.

Mental Health

But here’s the thing.

While most people would have been delighted when their songs are praised, Chin’s overnight propulsion into the spotlight back in 2014 actually took a toll on his mental health.

In an interview with The New Paper, the 23-year-old expressed how stressed he got because he felt like he was the country’s biggest fraud.

“I got stressed from all the attention as I felt like I was the country’s biggest fraud.

“I did not deserve any love from anybody because if they knew who I was, or how untalented I was, they would be gravely disappointed in me.”

It was also around this time that Chin began having trouble sleeping. Or insomnia, as the medically correct professionals, would wish to interject.

Help

Despite going through the turmoils of fame back in 2014, Chin only sought help three years later in 2017 upon the suggestion of friends. And it was there he discovered that he had developed imposter syndrome, as well as the diagnosis that he had insomnia.

“Wait, imposter syndrome? What’s that… he goes around impersonating people in the middle of Orchard Road or something?” you ask.

Well, not quite. According to Dr Jacob Rajesh, senior consultant psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, imposter syndrome actually causes an individual to feel intensely undeserving of his achievements and worried that he will be revealed as a fraud.

And while it’s not a mental disorder, the syndrome could actually lead to increased anxiety and depressive symptoms.

All in all, not quite traits you would want to develop in this stress-filled society.

Shy

Mental Health has been a provocative issue for Chin in recent years, and according to The New Paper, he wished to start a conversation about mental health through his new single…

Shy.

According to the media, Chin’s latest single actually originated as a poem he wrote during his lowest point in 2014 when “his days felt pointless and nights were plagued by irrational fears”.

Reconstructed to fit into an energetic, indie pop sound, Shy explores the feeling of “being haunted by intense fears into the wee hours”.

“Shy is just my candid take of what I am going through, knowing that many other individuals suffer from this too,” said the full-time performing artist with the Music and Drama Company.

“My wish is for the song to spark a conversation of why we are ‘not okay’. Let’s all stop hiding behind the ‘I’m fine’, and let’s talk about it and grow as a community.”

Additionally, Chin, who is involved in this year’s National Day Parade 2019 theme song Our Singapore, also learnt that “speaking openly about his difficulties with friends and family, as well as “taking care of himself mentally and physically” ultimately serves to defeat one harsh aspect of his life:

His struggles.

And while I might be no meister on the controversial aspect of mental health, I would just like to end off the article with one sentence.

Well put, Chin, and thank you for shining a light on all those who are affected and suffering, and showing them that they’re not alone and that despite all the adversity they’re facing…

There’s still a way out from that dark cavern they’re stuck in.