Blind singer goes online to expose his talent

Kitty Lim
Malaysian Mirror
Wednesday, 29 September 2010 12:54


What are dreams made of? Alfred Ho tells you that passion, perseverance and willpower are the sense of motivations he needed to pursue his dreams.

Passionate about music, Alfred has been persevering in the past 26 years to live up to his dream as a musician – where he has performed solo and acoustically with a guitar in pubs, corporate events and special occasions.

The 62-year-old man has a strong willpower to do what he loves best: - to sing to his audience.

Unfortunately, he does not have the capacity to sustain his career delivering beautiful melody to the ears of those who appreciate his talent.

Alfred is, you see, blind.

The number of jobs he used to receive has declined which he said in shopping malls, “the younger generation of managers are not appreciative of the capabilities of blind people like me.”

“They didn’t want to give me a chance,” he lamented his disappointment.

Despite being visually impaired, Alfred’s determination and musical talent make him no less capable or confident than any other ordinary fellows.

The Perak-born performer speaks loud and sings clear, sending a simple message that he will not give up hoping that someday people would listen and give him a chance to continue to perform.

Besides entertaining, there was a pleasant sense of motivation while listening to Alfred plays original songs which he had composed back in the 70s; ‘Train to Tennessee", "Wendy’s Love Song" and "Foch Avenue".

Don't judge a book by its cover. You will be surprised with the gush sense of encouragement that Alfred is able to deliver through his performance and determination to carry on a path he has chosen.

Alfred, with the help from his wife Rufina, has ventured onto the social media platform, signing up for Youtube and Facebook accounts and creating a blog to show people his singing talent.

He has recorded and uploaded as many as 108 videos within two months onto Youtube where he shared songs of Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and several more legendary performers.

“Viewers have complained that the sceneries (of the videos) are dull. But outdoor is noisy and I want people to listen to my voice clearly,” he explained the simplicity of the home videos which they had problem with their budget to buy a recording device with good audio quality.

“Youtube is only the first step. Publicity is another hurdle I have to face before more people can get to know me,” he said adding that he lacks a manager to guide him.

Alfred said he had been approached by some interested people to help promote him, but they were never serious.

Meanwhile, he is planning to write a memoir that allows the public to understand the experiences of growing up as a disabled child.

Alfred’s ambition is to open a ‘dream cafĂ©’ where he is looking forward to entertain people with nostalgic old songs and evergreen music.

Would you give Alfred the ‘key’ to tune his dreams into reality?

Constantly looking for collaboration opportunities, Alfred can be reached at alfredho.music@gmail.com or alternatively, ring him either at 03-7984 8560 or 013-7069 800 . Writers and publishers who are interested with Alfred's story are welcome to contact him.

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