F.I.R’s Real Huang Used To Sing At Cafés For S$7.30 A Show Before He Became Famous

“I used to sing at music cafés and at Ximending and was paid NT$150 (S$7.30) for every show," said Real. "I did it because I needed money to buy a guitar. Without a guitar, it wouldn't be possible for me to write songs.”

Real was so passionate about making music that he invested all his time and money in it. He also had to drop out of university.

Sadly, record companies would not give him the time of the day when he knocked on their doors with his demos in hand.

In fact, he only tasted success in 2003 after Angela Chang recorded his song 'The Lost Happiness'. By then, Real had already written close to 100 songs.

Spurred on by that, Real signed up for a songwriting competition, where he was scouted by F.I.R founder Ian Chen.

Together with vocalist Faye, Ian and Real formed F.I.R, and the band shot to fame in 2004 when their song 'Lydia' became massive hit.

“It was only much later when people got to know about my music," said Real. "It was really difficult for me to find my way to the right path (…) It’s because of what I went through that makes me treasure aspiring musicians. You never know when you’ll find a diamond in the rough.”

Photos: PBE Media