The Kedah-born singer-songwriter tells Loong Wai Ting of his intention to jumpstart his singing career
STARS come and go. Some rise and some fall. And then there are some whom you will never hear of again. But among the fallen stars, there are those who persevere and work at making a comeback.
One such star is Daniel Lee Chee Hun. The former champion of Malaysia Idol (Season 2) somewhat “disappeared” from the local music scene after releasing his third album, Sincerely Yours, Daniel, in 2011. After that, he did try making music for himself and other artistes’ including Dr Soo Wincci’s last year’s hit Merai Perpisahan, while at the same time performing at private shows locally and in China.
Currently, Lee is helping his father manage the family’s frozen seafood business. But managing a family business is not as easy as it may seem. With fame out of the way, he had to start from the bottom. His job included taking orders from customers, closing deals and delivering the goods, on his own.
“It feels surreal,” says the 34-year-old when met at TV3’s Nona Chinese New Year Special shoot at Hotel InterContinental Kuala Lumpur, recently.
Appearing slightly thinner than during his Idol days, Lee is planning a music comeback soon. “I’ve been toying with the idea of returning to the music industry for some time now. But when you’re gone for a period of time, it makes it harder to get back the momentum,” he says, adding that he was living on his savings for at least two years before deciding to work for his dad.
Lee remains optimistic about his decision and hopes to seek a manager to help manage his career.
“I do miss singing a lot. I hope to bounce back soon, hopefully with a new Malay song. I am also working with a Korean YouTube artiste to assist me with a song,” says the Kedah-born, but is tight-lipped on the identity of the YouTube star who is based here.
Besides helping out his dad, Lee also works part-time as a barista at a coffee outlet. For coffee lovers out there, if you pop by JC Espresso Coffee in Bandar Sri Damansara, you might see Lee in action, pulling that perfect cup of joe for you.
He also holds occasional ukulele workshops there. “Art and music must come from the heart and it is not all about monetary gain or popularity,” he says.
TOO SOON AND TOO FAST
Looking back, Lee says when his name was announced as the winner of Malaysian Idol (Season 2), he was surprised more than anything else. Saying that popularity came too soon and too fast for him, he admits the fame got to his head.
“I enjoyed all the attention I received at the time. Everything was arranged for me and all I had to do was to simply follow. And then everything was gone and I was left with nothing. I was in a limbo when the record label I was signed to decided not to renew my contract. And that got me thinking ‘what now?’,” he says.
Lee also admits that in the past, he had walked around with a sense of pompousness. And this may be one of the reasons why some people started to shy away from him. “People were turned off by my arrogance. I let my so-called popularity dictate who I was then. Some of my friends even noticed the change in the way I carried myself around them,” he says.
These days, he appreciates the little things in life. “I feel happier. I enjoy my life better and love being in the company of family and friends. I feel more comfortable this way,” says the Mimpi hitmaker.
“Whatever experience I had in the past, I treat it as part of my learning process. Life is all about endless learning,” he says, smiling.
A music student at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Lee is an multi-instrumentalist and plays the piano, guitar and the violin. Post-Malaysian Idol, Lee performed in his first live concert On Daniel Live Concert in 2009. He once stood in for 8TV E-News host Gary Yap, when the latter was busy preparing for another hosting job.
EXCITING SEGMENTS
The Nona Chinese New Year Special will feature various local artistes, designers and personalities including Elvina Chua, Norman Hakim, Memey Suhaiza, Atikah Suhaime, Syaa Nasir, Carven Ong, Calvin Thoo and Hideaki.
Hosted by Nona Manis 2015 winner Saidatul Naseha Uyaina Arshad, some of the exciting segments to look out for are shopping tips from Olympic silver medallist and national diver Cheong Jun Hoong, fashion tips from designer Carven Ong and feng shui tips from Lillian Too.
Nona Chinese New Year special airs Sunday at 2pm on TV3