Gurmit Singh On How He Nearly Died Last Year, His “Epic Reduction In Salary” When He Left Full-Time Work & His Return To The Airwaves

We get out of our car for our shoot with Gurmit Singh at Tiong Bahru Bakery Safari in Dempsey and spot a tall, trim man standing next to a sleek matte black cruiser motorbike, helmet and biker jacket still on, looking at his phone. Is that… Phua Chu Kang?

No, it’s Gurmit Singh, looking really damn good. The last time 8days.sg spoke at length to him was five years ago in 2014, when he announced his departure from Mediacorp after 20 years as a full-time artiste. Back then, he seemed tired and heavy-hearted, even though he managed to ham it up for our photos. Today’s Gurmit appears 10kg lighter, and we’re not just talking about his lean physique and salt and pepper hair shorn short at the sides. His quips come fast and furious, and we had to duck several times just to avoid being hit full-on in the face by an incoming joke.

Several of his nails, shining in the mid-day sun during our shoot, are partially glittery pink. “I have a six-year-old daughter,” he explains, then takes the chance to turn it into a wisecrack: “Ah, it’s an Indian custom ah — when you turn 54 you get pink nails. Next year, it’s green.” In the shots you see here where he’s ‘whispering’ to our camera, like all professionals who are used to photo shoots, he’s not just pretending to say something — he’s really saying something, because he knows that works better for the picture. He’s saying: “Radio… I’m joining radio…”

Yes, after 20 years on TV, many of them as the inimitable (although many have tried) yellow-booted, curly-wigged and be-moled PCK, and five years as a freelance artiste, where he jokes that his kids have had to eat grass, Gurmit Singh is back on air. His first radio show was this morning (August 19), where he joined Mike Kasem and Vernetta Lopez on GOLD 905’s morning show, now called LIVE! With Mike, Vernetta & Gurmit, on weekdays from 6 to 10am. It’s a dream gig for him, and fits right in with his new life as a dad who’s there for his kids, part-time showman and full-time funny and real human being.