Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza is now a property agent
On June 27, the 45-year-old announced his latest venture on Instagram: He is now a licenced 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.
"We are friends, and we always support each other," says Hady, who performed with Taufik and Sezairi, winner of Singapore Idol 3 in 2009, at Malay-language television awards show Pesta Perdana in May. The trio were also judges on Suria's reality singing competition Kaki Nyanyi (2024 to 2025).
Hady has not sold any homes yet, but has been receiving calls from potential clients and has done several home viewings with the senior agents mentoring him.
He admits that being a public figure can be an advantage in his new line of work, but insists that being a celebrity can get him only so far when it comes to sealing deals. "It's still early days, and there are still a lot of things that my mentors need to show and teach me."
Being an agent also means his personal phone number is public, but he has no issues receiving calls and texts from strangers.
"Because of my other businesses, it has been public knowledge for about 10 years," says the entrepreneur, whose previous ventures include food and beverage, as well as motor vehicle sales.
In recent months, he has also taken on several other roles, including an ambassadorship for cancer support charity Ain Society, and started his own talent management company, NHM Entertainment.
He has not turned his back on his music career, though.
In May, he released his first new single in three years, Jika Masih Ada (If It's Still There), a duet with popular Malaysian actress-singer Erra Fazira.
It is also the theme song for Nikmat Hanya Sesaat (Just A Moment Of Pleasure), a Malay-language drama series on Malaysian broadcaster TV3 that premiered in May.
While he also won region-wide reality singing show Asian Idol in 2007, it was only in 2019 that Hady made a major mark in Malaysia after being crowned co-winner of Season 6 of Malaysian television singing show Gegar Vaganza, sharing the prize with Malaysian singer Naqiu.
It was his artiste management agency in Malaysia that offered him Jika Masih Ada in late 2024. When he recorded his vocal parts, he had no idea who his duet partner would be.
"I was shocked when I found out that they later got Erra to record the female vocals, someone who is so well-known and has been in the entertainment industry much longer than me," says Hady, who has been married to Malaysian homemaker Nurjannah Nur Wahid, 33, for the past 11 years. The couple have no children but are hoping to start a family.
Hady, who staged a solo gig at The Theatre at Mediacorp in 2024, has several performances lined up in coming months, including an Ain Society concert at the same venue on Aug 23 that features regional acts like Indonesian veteran Hetty Koes Endang.
He will also perform at the 2025 edition of the annual Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert at The Meadow on Aug 3. He composed and will sing the show's theme song, Ties That Bloom.
Hady has also set the next challenge for himself: to get a diploma in music and teach singing. Despite having decades of experience as a professional performer, he is also working on improving his vocal abilities and has been taking lessons at local music school Academy Of Rock.
"I'm always thinking: What other things can I do to better myself? In Singapore, there are always avenues for you to improve yourself. It's such a waste if you don't make use of the opportunities that are out there."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Straits Times
Actor Chen Bo-lin to wed girlfriend after dating for 13 years
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The relationship between Chen Bo-lin (left) and Chen Ting-hsuan first came to light in late 2012. Taiwanese actor Chen Bo-lin is reportedly planning to tie the knot in 2025 with singer-actress Chen Ting-hsuan, his girlfriend of almost 13 years. According to a report by Taiwanese magazine Mirror Media on July 9, th e date and location have been finalised, with their good friends in the entertainment industry likely to attend the wedding in New Zealand. Mirror Media quoted sources as saying that Chen Bo-lin, 41, had travelled to Queenstown, New Zealand, in May and proposed to Chen Ting-hsuan, 35, during a helicopter ride in the mountains. He chose the destination for both his proposal and wedding, as he was recently in the country filming the upcoming travel variety show What A Trip and was impressed by its scenery. The programme was shot over two months entirely in New Zealan d. In June, Chen Ting-hsuan also posted videos and photos of herself in Glenorchy, New Zealand, where she rode a horse at one of the filming locations for The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003). Mirror Media said Chen Bo-lin has no budget restrictions for the wedding. The number of guests is still being decided on, but the wedding is likely to be an intimate affair of about 30 people, in cluding close friends and relatives. Chen Bo-lin's manager neither confirmed nor denied the news when approached by the media on July 9, only saying: 'Thank you for your good wishes. We will let you know when we have any good news.' The couple's relationship first came to light in late 2012 after she was spotted going to his house after work. He acknowledged on social media later that the y had begun dating after meeting on the set of Taiwanese film Machi Action (2013). The actor has been discreet about the relationship, unlike his previous high-profile romance with Malaysian-American model Mandy Lieu, 40, between 2007 and 2010. Chen Ting-hsuan was a member of Taiwanese girl group Popu Lady, which debuted in 2012 and have been on hiatus since 2020. She has not been active in the entertainment industry since then, making only a guest appearance in Taiwanese idol drama Dear Adam (2022).
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
F1 the sport should be more like F1 the movie
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton waves to fans during the drivers parade before the British Grand Prix. NEW YORK – When the filmmakers behind the movie F1 decided to make the most authentic motor racing film ever seen, they reached out to Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time Formula One world champion signed on as a producer, and – with his input – the breathtaking, hyper-realistic racing has made the film a hit. However, F1's commitment to authenticity isn't absolute. For years, Hamilton has been critical of Formula One over its lack of diversity and gender equality. Rather than depict that reality, he pushed the producers to hire a cast that reflects 'how F1 should be in the future, or should be now', he explained in 2023, when the film was still in production. He got his wish. APX GP, the fictional team at the heart of F1, features prominent roles for women and under-represented groups (alongside Brad Pitt). By any measure, it's far more diverse than any actual team racing in 2025. So, what about the real-life sport? What's stopping it from reflecting the vision audiences are seeing in theaters – and how fast can it catch up? Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Why Japan and South Korea are on different paths in the latest US trade salvo World Trump says steep copper tariffs in store as he broadens his trade war Opinion Is Donald Trump unstoppable? Opinion Hyper-competitive classrooms feed the corporate world's narcissist pipeline Singapore Man charged after he allegedly threw glass bottle at bus window, injuring passenger Business 'It's our grandfather's company, we won't sell', says Wong family as shareholders reject GE delisting bid Singapore Police officer taken to hospital after motorcycle accident on PIE Asia Ex-Malaysian PM Najib's wife Rosmah awarded $30,000 in suit against TikToker The current lack of diversity is quantifiable. In the history of Formula One, there has been only one Black driver: Hamilton. And the chances that a Black person is working in a different role on a racing team are similarly dismal. According to a 2021 report, less than 1 per cent of the Formula One workforce came from Black or other ethnic minority backgrounds. Women have faced their own struggles in the sport. As recently as 2022, women who worked in the series were paid, on average, 20 per cent less than their male counterparts, and comprised only around a third of the workforce. Meanwhile, the last female driver to score points in a Formula One race, Lella Lombardi, did so in 1975. The causes of Formula One's disparities are complex and varied. But like other motorsports, much of the problem comes down to the cost of participation. Go-karting is the starting point for most racing careers, and it isn't cheap. Last year, the Washington Post reported that parents can pay as much as US$10,000 to participate in elite-level karting competitions scouted by Formula One. The children who show talent and – this part is key – can afford it, advance to the next rung of competition, F4, which might cost as much as US$325,000 for a year of racing. The next two steps – F2 and F3 – require millions. In theory, an aspiring teenager can hustle for sponsors to pay these costs. In reality, though, family wealth and pre-existing connections to Formula One are all but necessary pre-requisites to getting on the ladder. Those who battle the financial odds often find themselves running up against other institutional barriers. For example, a 2023 report on women in motor sports found that sponsors are reluctant to invest in promising female drivers because there hasn't been a record of other women succeeding behind the wheel. In earlier decades, Formula One could prosper on the basis of exciting races and an atmosphere of (mostly) European exclusivity. But in recent years, fans – especially new fans – want deeper insights into the personalities and storylines that define a season. Social media provides that content, as do documentaries like Netflix's hit series Drive to Survive. But to really engage fans and make the sport more relatable, Formula One needs a cast as diverse as the F1 movie it helped make. To its credit, the sport is steering in the right direction. Last year, it adopted a new diversity and inclusion charter. It's also making a concerted effort to fund the development of women drivers, and to raise their visibility. Perhaps most importantly, it's established engineering scholarships to help students from under-represented backgrounds establish careers in the sport. None of these efforts will, on their own, diversify a sport rooted in European wealth and an image of exclusivity. Doing so will require that Formula One view diversity as a long-term commitment, not just a PR gesture as it has in the past. But if the series sticks with it, it can make one of the world's most elite sports more welcoming and – if the success of F1 is any indication – even more popular. BLOOMBERG
New Paper
a day ago
- New Paper
National Day: Kit Chan, Taufik Batisah to perform at free Gardens by the Bay concert
The SG60 edition of the annual Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert (NDC) will feature performances by a line-up of home-grown acts including Mandopop star Kit Chan, first Singapore Idol winner Taufik Batisah, rapper Yung Raja and singer-songwriter Charlie Lim. The seventh edition of the free gig will take place at The Meadow at Gardens by the Bay on Aug 3 from 4.30pm. Hosted by local personalities Gurmit Singh, Nithiya Rao, Yasminne Cheng and Zhin Sadali, the show will also feature second Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza, who composed and is set to sing the concert's theme song, Ties That Bloom. Sisters Tay Kewei and Tay Kexin will perform together for the first time, and other on-stage family affairs will include Cultural Medallion recipient Rahimah Rahim, her sister Rozie Rahim and granddaughter Aly; singer JJ Neo and her mother, host Lucy Chow, as well as married couple Annetha Ayyavoo and Mark Sara. Other music acts include Love 972 DJ Chua Lee Lian, jazz chanteuse Alemay Fernandez, pop singer Shazza and The Purple Symphony, an orchestra comprising musicians with and without disabilities. Chan will serenade the crowd with the National Day Parade (NDP) classic Home, as well as Here We Are, her 2025 NDP theme song with Lim. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the event's guest of honour, and his wife Jane Ittogi will lead the audience in reciting the National Pledge. He says in a statement: "This concert reflects what Singapore is about - people of all backgrounds coming together, each with something to give, something to learn, and each being uplifted. As we mark 60 years of independence, it's a reminder of how we grow stronger as a nation as we respect every contribution, blend our talents, and keep renewing the bonds that make this home." Attendees can also enjoy local dishes such as laksa and popiah at a food street, play classic games like eraser battles and pick-up sticks, as well take part in activities such as satay keychain workshops. The concert will air on mewatch, Channel 5 and Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube on Aug 16 at 7.30pm. Book it/ Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert 2025 Where: The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive When: Aug 3, 4.30pm Admission: Free. For more information, visit
