Former “Idol” Got Scolded For A Scandal By His Own Grandmother

Everybody makes mistakes, but most people don’t get called out for them by thousands of strangers–and their grandmother.

In 2004, Sylvester Sim competed on the first season of Singapore Idol, a singing competition show similar to American Idol. After placing second, this Singapore Idol embarked on the next chapter of his music career as a soloist and a member of the J-Rock band L’zefier.

However, after releasing his album Qi Fei (Take Flight) in 2005, Sim vanished from the music scene for over a decade. He made his comeback with the 2016 song “New Hope,” but this single was, unfortunately, overshadowed by a scandal just days before its release.

Sim was accused of having an affair with a married singer by her furious husband, and their text messages were posted online. Sim explained that the texts weren’t romantic and that he had only been showing concern for a friend who was struggling with personal issues. Even so, that didn’t stop Sim’s grandma from scolding him…a lot.

So many days have passed, and [my grandmother] still won’t let it rest. She told me, ‘I’ve always reminded you to change the way you speak, but you just wouldn’t listen.’

— Sylvester Sim

Sim explained that the way he speaks has landed him in hot water before. “Those who know me all know I’m frank, and I’m like that to everyone, even guys,” he said. “that’s why I was once suspected of being gay.”

Misunderstandings or not, Sim declared that he wouldn’t change who he is, but he did plan to be more considerate in the future.

I won’t change my personality just because of some incident, but now I’ve learned to be considerate towards others, especially my wife. Some traits are hard to change, but I will try to be careful with what I say.

— Sylvester Sim