Living The Hallyu Dream

The road to fame is never an easy one, especially in the cutthroat world of k-pop. We speak to four young singaporean hopefuls who took a shot at stardom and are here to tell the tale.

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Akif Halqi, 23

Best known as: singer, dancer, contestant on kbs k-pop world festival

Fun fact: He performed a vocal cover of taeyang’s 2014 hit ‘eyes, nose, lips’ during the kbs k-pop world festival. the bigbang member must be proud!

Not only did he get to share the stage with global sensation BTS, Akif was also the first Singaporean to be featured at the KBS K-pop World Festival 2017 in Changwon, where he walked away with the Best Vocal Award. In addition to his vocal prowess, the talented charmer – who’s also part of local dance crew STARREseconds – possesses equally solid dance moves that has made him the all-rounded performer he is today.

On his childhood aspirations: “I started listening to K-pop when I was around eight years old and fell in love with TVXQ and Fly To The Sky. As I grew up in a musically inclined household where family time meant karaoke nights every weekend, I’ve always dreamt of becoming a performer since I was young.”

On his brief training stint in Korea: “I know it sounds cliché, but I actually enjoyed every second of the training period because I got to improve on my singing and dancing skills. One of the most memorable moments was when I received feedback from Koo Taeryong, a renowned YG Entertainment vocal coach who has taught many idols. He specifically highlighted my weak points – which may have seemed a little harsh, but it was definitely the push I needed which got me the award [during the competition].”

On the lessons learnt throughout his journey: “To believe in myself and make sure that I keep working hard no matter how much I’ve progressed. To not compare myself to others and always focus on my end goal. And lastly, to never forget my humble beginnings.”