1. He was a pizza delivery boy
During his polytechnic days, Taufik delivered pizza on a scooter for now defunct pizza company U.S. Pizza. He would use most of the money earned from the part-time job to buy himself a scrambler motorcycle.

2. Singapore Idol was not the highlight of his singing career
That would be the time he sang at a private meet-up with iconic American producer and composer Quincy Jones, who was in Singapore on a business trip in 2011. Jones was a close collaborator of Taufik's No.1 idol, Michael Jackson, hence his excitement when the veteran producer praised his singing and told him that he's "got something" and to "keep on doing what you're doing".

3. He works from home
He converted a room in his house into a music studio and that is where "the magic happens", as he puts it. Inspiration can come to him at any hour, even at 4am or 5am in the morning when he is in bed, so it helps to have a studio nearby equipped with instruments like piano and guitars, as well as recording facilities.

4. His nickname as a teenager was Taufik Celak
"Celak" means "eyeliner" in Malay, which a lot of people assumed he wore. The kohl-eyed look is natural and is a result of his naturally long and bushy eyelashes, which he inherited from his father.

5. Skateboarding expanded his musical tastes
An avid skateboarder since his early teens, a much younger Taufik watched a lot of skateboarding videos on VHS, and he was always intrigued by the soundtracks, which cover various genres from hip-hop and alternative rock music to funk and classic rock.