Nat Ho's deepest desire gets "Unleashed"

"Nobody believed I would be crazy enough to do it!" said Singapore singer-actor Nat Ho of his English mini-album "Unleashed", which will drop later this month. Indeed, many people have told him that he had been crazy to walk away from a stable acting career two years ago, and crazier still for pursuing his dream of putting out his own music with no 'Plan B', let alone get a team together to shoot a sophisticated music video for his mini-album's title track "Unleashed". But Ho did it anyway. "I guess some people are still in shock that I managed to do it," said Ho with a grin, adding that he saw the fruition of the project as a triumph not just for himself, but for the homegrown team of technicians, computer graphics specialists, choreographers and students from the Nanyang Polytechnic School of Interactive and Digital Media, that worked on it as well. "The bigger picture … is to put Singapore talent on the map. I am proud to say it is a 100 per cent homegrown effort," Ho gushed. Still, the mini-album and visually impressive "Unleashed" music video, which features cameos by his friends like blogger Xiaxue and actress Dawn Yeoh, did not come cheap. Bank Breaker The music video had cost over S$100,000 to make. Despite managing to find some sponsors for the project, Ho said the video still cost him "a very substantial amount". "The music video set [alone], it cost me S$11,700. "That was the biggest cheque I had written in my entire life!" Ho said with a chuckle as he ran his hands through his platinum blonde hair. "For something that is only going to be up for three days then after that (the shoot) it's going to get torn down and destroyed, it's S$11,700!" That is a lot of money, especially for Ho, who spent most of his time working on the mini-album, which meant he had little time to work on projects that he would actually get paid for. "It really did cost a lot. I guess there comes a point of time in the project where you know, you're like 'I've come too far, this is not the time to cut the budget'. "Because the last thing you want is to put in so much effort and have the final thing coming out [badly]," said the star. Ho revealed that at one point, only a low two-digit sum was left in his bank account after he paid the bills, but he took it all in his stride. "I just stayed at home, ate mum's food, and didn't go out unless I really need to," said the "Polo Boys" star with a laugh. "Its fine, I don't consider myself a high maintenance person. My mum is happy that I am at home, so it's fine. She [just] pretends to complain." Ho explained he just had to chase his dream, whatever the cost - which was why he decided to embark on a music career even after his 'Plan B', to start a food and beverage business with his brother, fell through. "I figured if we have a business running in the background, I don't have to worry so much about bringing in the money. "But in the end I was like 'Screw it!' I'm just going to do it (work on his music) and see the whole thing through!" said Ho, adding that he plans to develop his music career in Japan in the near future, and hopes to embark on a concert tour in five years' time. Dream Chaser Ho's determination is also reflected in his mini-album's title track "Unleashed", which the young singer-actor said was based on his own story, and his decision to go all in for his dream. "'Unleashed' was actually written based on my own experience as well as observations of Singapore society," said Ho pensively. "I think too many Singaporeans are unhappy with what they do, because we do what society or our parents expect of us, to go to university, go find some corporate job, work for 20 years, climb the corporate ladder." "At the end of 20 years, they realise they are not happy or [ask] 'What if I have done what I want?'" His brow furrowed and he rubbed his chin slowly before he continued to speak. "The song was actually written to encourage them to really pursue what they want, because I think that is truly the only way to be happy," Ho related. "That is what my music is for, to encourage people to go out and chase their dreams." "People are afraid to chase their dreams because it is very scary and people are always afraid of what other people think," said Ho, who has had to deal with detractors that complain about everything from his hairstyle to his Singaporean accent. "No matter what decision you make, there are bound to be haters. I think [it's] the very least you can do, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot."