Hady Mirza is now a property agent

The singer and artiste manager took two years and four tries to get his licence

- Eddino Abdul Hadi

Since winning the second season of local reality singing competition Singapore Idol in 2006, home-grown singer-songwriter Hady Mirza has juggled many side hustles.

On June 27, the 45-year-old announced his latest venture on Instagram: He is now a licensed property agent.

It took him two years and four tries before he finally passed his Real Estate Salesperson examination on April 17. The licence was issued on June 19.

"It's a big achievement for me," Hady, who is with real estate company ERA Singapore, tells The Straits Times in an interview on July 7.

"It marks another chapter in my life. I'm already 45, and I believe that I must always challenge myself, even though I had a lot of doubts about whether I could study again," he says, adding that he used all his SkillsFuture credits to finance part of his real estate courses and examination fees.

And while his predecessor Taufik Batisah, winner of the inaugural Singapore Idol in 2004, made a similar move to real estate back in 2019 and is now a top agent at PropNex Singapore, Hady says he was inspired by his other friends who are long-time property agents.

Still, when Hady announced his entry into real estate on Instagram, one of the most-liked comments was a congratulatory note from Taufik, who suggested they "co-broke", a term used when property agents work together to facilitate a transaction.