No one expected Gary Chaw Ge to be a success, least of all himself. Born into a Malaysian-Chinese family in a village in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia, Chaw's parents separated when he was just a year old. He spent most of his childhood under his grandparents' roof.
At nine, he was sent to study in Canada, where he fell in love with music. But several record labels turned him down, saying he wasn't handsome enough. It was only after he made his name as a songwriter that he managed to get a contract. In 2005, Chaw, 30, had a hit single, Super Woman, a Putonghua version of Karyn White's 1988 hit Superwoman. Chaw's wide vocal range was finally recognised when he was named best male Mandarin singer at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards last year - the first Malaysian to win the prize. He recently released his fifth album, Supermarket, and began his debut Asia tour last month.
Why did you call your latest album Supermarket?
All my recent albums are named super something. After releasing the single Super Woman, I named my album Superman. My next album was called Super Sunshine. When it came to this album, the name supermarket clicked with me. Like a supermarket, I don't sell one thing; I want to sell a variety of things. There are songs that people can relate to when they are happy or sad. Some people regard me as an R&B singer but this album contains songs from different genres. It doesn't matter if it is a white cat or black cat: as long as it catches the mouse it is a good cat. Likewise, it doesn't matter what genre it is, as long as it is good music I will do it.
What inspires your music?
I grew up listening to Cantonese opera, which was my grandparents' favourite genre. My dad used to be a drummer and loves listening to the Bee Gees and George Michael, while my sister was a fan of New Kids on the Block. Growing up surrounded by different types of music influenced my perspective. I like writing songs about everyday life. Last year, I got married and now have an 11-month-old son, Joe. These changes have influenced my music in different ways.
How important is music to you?