The end of a relationship can be devastating, but as singer-songwriter Lew can attest, there is always a silver lining.
The 21-year-old, whose real name is Lewis Loh, says of his three- month relationship which ended early last year: "I learnt a lot more about myself and how I deal with suffering. It was a tough time, but I think I'm now in a better place."
He appears in the third episode of the third season of ST Sessions, The Straits Times' online video series featuring rising talents in the local music scene performing stripped-down live sets.
The video can be viewed at http://str.sg/st-sessions
Loh often turns to music as a source of solace. "Music is a place I feel most safe, where I can channel my emotions and my thoughts."
He plays two original tunes in the video. Reality is about "how two people are in love, but the people around them are telling them otherwise" and Organs is about how "it's okay to make mistakes sometimes".
He came into the public eye in 2015, when a video of him singing that year's National Day theme song, Our Singapore, was posted on the Singapore Police Force's Facebook page and went viral. He was serving national service as a policeman then. It was highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as a "beautiful rendition" .
That same year, Loh took part in the National Arts Council's Noise Singapore Music Mentorship programme and won an award.
The subject matter of his songs might sound bleak, but his life is not all doom and gloom. "I'd like to say that I've something to laugh about every day because I'm very blessed to have amazing friends and family who support me."
ST Sessions' third season is part of a series of digital video programmes under a partnership between the Info-communications Media Development Authority and Singapore Press Holdings.
The new season, which kicked off with singer-songwriter Theodora and indie band Take Two, features eight acts and a new episode is launched every other Friday.
