- 1 day ago
A Malaysian Bluesman heads north towards eastern Europe and builds a life, one note at a time. In the second episode of the Life & The City podcast, hosts Aida Ahmad and Farid Wahab sit down with musician Sherman Tan, whose journey has carried him from South-East Asia’s music circuit to the snow-covered streets of Vilnius, Lithuania. Opening with a reflection on Sherman’s musical roots, the conversation traces a career spanning more than three decades. Born to a Chinese father and a Welsh-Indonesian mother, Sherman speaks about growing up between identities and how that experience drew him to the Blues — a genre grounded in honesty and emotional grit. He revisits his early days strumming a guitar during hotel happy hours, his rise through regional stages and his breakthrough moment on Lithuania’s Got Talent, where a golden buzzer propelled him into the superfinal. The episode also explores loss, survival during the Covid-19 pandemic, and his decision to stay on — eventually opening Lucille’s, an intimate Blues bar named after B.B. King’s legendary guitar. The Life & The City podcast airs fortnightly. Catch the full episode on www.youtube.com/@thestaronline/podcasts or www.thestar.com.my/metro
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00:04All right, you know the saying, you can take the man out of Malaysia, but you can't take
00:09Malaysia out of the boy. What do you think of that? I think it sounds interesting. Yeah.
00:17Imagine if you move out of the country and then you come back for a visit and you're
00:23just enveloped again in our food, especially the culture, and you wonder, oh, I've missed
00:29this. Well, today we have an interesting and fun guest, our own Malaysian musician, Sherman
00:36Tan, who traded the tropics for the Baltics. He is based in Lithuania now as a Malaysian
00:45rock star representing our country in a very cold land. Welcome, Sherman. Hello, everybody.
00:52It's good to have you. Thank you for having me. Before we get into the conversation, check
00:58out The Star Online for latest updates on our traffic reports, you know, since we are
01:05in the midst of the Chinese New Year season. Any reports, check out The Star and thestaronline.com.my.
01:12Well, Sherman, you are back in the country for Chinese New Year. Yeah, basically, it's been
01:21one and a half years since I've been back. So, yeah, this is still time I'm back. It happens
01:28to be Chinese New Year. Yeah. We are so happy to have you here. You are a veteran in the
01:32music industry for over three decades, right? Eventually, you stopped playing. I'm still
01:39playing. Senior musician. Senior musician. Sounds old. It's okay. I'll take it. Okay. Three
01:49decades of playing music in the local circuit. You know, I remember going to watch you perform
01:59and this was like over 10 years ago. You are now based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Lithuania, yeah.
02:11To people who might not know where that is, that is in Eastern Europe, in the Baltics. Yeah. And
02:21Sherman has been there for how long? I think now will be seven years, I guess. Wow. Time
02:28sure flies. Yeah. But Sherman has spent years dominating the music circuit in Southeast Asia
02:35from winning hard rock competitions to performing in the Maldives. Yeah. What happened to lead
02:46you to be based in Lithuania? I should say love, but, but yeah, I married a Lithuanian when
02:54it was a few years back. And then, yeah, I did the shift, you know, I decided to just jump
03:03the boat and get there because it was an interesting, you know, new place, new people. Then, unfortunately,
03:13we, we split up, but I remained there because it's a beautiful country, you know, Vilnius is good.
03:20And I decided to open a bar, a blues bar. Oh, wonderful. Called Blue Seals. And it's been open now
03:26for two and a half years. So, bars who last more than two years, it's not bad, actually. That is
03:34not bad, yeah.
03:35Yeah. I'm quite proud of it. After the pandemic, some more. Huh? After the pandemic, some more. Yeah, yeah. I
03:41mean, it was one year after that, then I probably opened it, yeah. But yeah, it's great now.
03:48Well, let's get into it. Before the festivals and TV spotlights, you were an intern in hotel
03:53catering management. Oh my God. Yeah. You know, I've always had a hotel thing because I was studying
04:01in Stamford. But I was still playing music while I was in college. I mean, just fiddling around and,
04:10you know, it's always been entertainment for me. And yeah, then I graduated when I actually went to,
04:20whether I can say it, but it's a five-star resort in Langkawi for training. And the GM there told
04:30me,
04:30say, I heard you singing, you know, why don't you do a happy hour thing? And that started it,
04:37you know. So I was singing happy hours, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and white pants.
04:42How old were you then? How young were you then? 20. Yeah. So from there, the next resort hired me,
04:50and it was, I wouldn't say uphill, but some hill I was climbing.
04:57But yeah, I was playing music and singing then, you know. And I decided to,
05:03yeah, not pursue so much in the hotel line. But yeah.
05:08Yeah. And the rest is history and here you are. So looking back at that Hawaiian shirt version
05:14of yourself biking to work, did you feel the shift in your DNA, the shift in your being as,
05:22you know, Shermentan, the moment those first steps hit the jar, was it just a way to avoid the kitchen?
05:30No, I would say that it was fun, of course, you know. You could be not so serious, because I'm
05:39always not serious. And I always like to, how you say, kang-ho and just do anything I feel like
05:47doing.
05:47Wing it?
05:47Yeah. Yeah, just wing it. And you don't have responsibilities at that time when you're young.
05:53It was like, just do what you feel like doing at this point. And it feels good, you pay some
05:59money.
05:59Yeah.
06:00You know, and I've always been that way. I never, if you put me anywhere, I would do something.
06:11But yeah, but I still love the hotel, hospitality side of it, where it's dealing with people.
06:17People management and how you speak to people. I believe in that a lot, you know. So I've always
06:24been inclined back to the hospitality side. Yeah. But still, for me, because it's still the same.
06:32It's just the difference of music and, you know, service, you know.
06:36Different way of serving the public.
06:39Yeah, it's a different, yes. No, but I've always been back there, because I was,
06:45I was running some bars here and stuff like that too, you know. So, yeah.
06:51You've had a long, long, illustrious journey, I might say, you know.
06:57Illustrious is the word.
06:59Illustrious.
06:59What you see is what you see.
07:02So, has it ever occurred to you at any point in time where you might go back and say,
07:08maybe, I mean, how different my life would have been if I had stayed in the hospitality line?
07:12Like, have you ever, has that thought ever occurred to you?
07:15Well, to be honest, I'm still in the hospitality line.
07:20Because the only difference is, okay, besides it's my own bar, it's hospitality.
07:28And even as a musician, you practice hospitality, you know. You can't be and say, hey, I'm the
07:34great singer, please look at me, you know. It doesn't work that way. Even if you're a star,
07:39even if you're, I think the most important thing in life is to always know there's somebody better
07:45than you.
07:46Know your roots.
07:47Yeah, and to be humble.
07:49Jangan lupa daratan.
07:50Jangan lupa daratan.
07:54That's right. So, your background, Sherman, is very interesting. You're obviously Malaysian.
08:03You have a Chinese father and a Eurasian mom.
08:07And you've spoken about how your appearance often defies people's expectations of your heritage.
08:14Yeah, because I don't look like Chinese.
08:19I look like, I mean, I'm mixed, you know.
08:23And to fit in, in a crowd, you always stand out, you know.
08:30Besides the way, but yeah. But you always stand out. I believe I always stand out. And I always
08:38think differently. I always think outside the box for everything. And sometimes it becomes a
08:48curse, basically, sometimes, you know.
08:50Because you keep, you keep re-analyzing people and say, hey, maybe I don't belong here.
08:57Yeah.
08:57Maybe I should be this, maybe I should be that.
08:59But I think I've come full circle to really realize this, that I think in life you've got to have
09:06an
09:06identity to who you are, especially as a musician.
09:09And a sense of belonging, I would say.
09:11Yeah, a sense of belonging, you know.
09:15But like you said, I go anywhere, you put me there, I would, I would do something.
09:20And I would make myself belong there, you know. Whether it's Malaysia, whether it's any other country, because
09:26it's people. It's people business, you know. You sing to people, they take a piece back,
09:33you know, after you sing a song, they go back home, it helps them, or whatever, you know.
09:39I think that's my business, basically, you know.
09:42Yeah.
09:43Yeah.
09:43Well, in a business that loves to put artists in boxes, right? Not only music, even in just show
09:51business, right? How much of your drive to master the blues, a genre rooted in universal identity,
09:58comes from that lifelong experience of navigating these different worlds?
10:04Well, I think that I don't only sing blues, but you've got to have a genre that
10:11that can relate to your voice, you know. And I'm always belching and, you know,
10:18getting down to that little feels and soul you can have in your heart when you sing.
10:25And those who have heard me singing.
10:27Yes, your falsetto is well known.
10:30Yeah, you know. And I'm always, I'm always, if you can't do it from the heart, don't do it,
10:37you know. If you don't feel it, don't sing it. I believe in that, you know. And because
10:47I will never go up on stage and play and say, I want to earn this much money and this
10:55much you
10:55must pay me. But, you know, it's not about that. It is, if you don't put your heart in it,
11:01anything
11:01you do, it's not going to come out right, you know. And there are people who do that and I
11:07feel sorry
11:08for them, you know. Because it's different, you know. But, but yeah, I'm different maybe. Then
11:15again, I'm different. See, you see what I mean? So I know friends that, that some, hey, we have to
11:22survive in this country. We have to do this, we have to do that. I made a choice that I
11:28don't need
11:30to succumb to this, you know. That's why I work. I've done a lot of businesses. I've got event
11:38companies here. I had an event company here. So I do that to survive. But when it puts me on
11:43stage,
11:44if I were to say that, hey, I want to be a singer, I, I need to earn this much
11:49to fight for that,
11:50you sometimes lose your path. Yeah. Because you have to do it for something else, for money,
11:58you know. But if you do it from your heart, then it makes sense. So I've come full circle from
12:04there.
12:05Yeah. You know. Can you imagine that transition from
12:08a country like ours, hot, and to sub-zero minus 16. Minus 16 right now. Yeah. Can you imagine,
12:16Farid, if you were, if you found yourself in Sherman's situation? Yeah. I imagine it would
12:24be quite the transition. I mean, apart from the weather, there's also the social aspect,
12:29social and cultural aspects of it, you know. Yeah. Yeah. If I were you, I mean, I wonder, like,
12:36having, having performed in Malaysia. Yeah. How does, you know, how did moving to another country
12:41possibly, you know, probably change the way you approach. Yeah. Tell us about the transition,
12:45especially in your mental health. You married a woman. Yeah. I had a Lithuanian wife,
12:52so the mental health was quite stable. No. Anyway. No. I mean, yes, the culture is different because
13:01Lithuania was one of the Soviet Union countries, you know, and they were basically bullied, you know.
13:10You know, you know, we don't want to get political about it, but yeah, you know, it's a fact that
13:14their
13:15culture has a very, has suppression, you know. So now they are independent and stuff like that. So
13:23they're very proud of their country. So the, most of the people there, if you go there as a foreigner,
13:29you're not going to have the same hospitality you're going to have here. True. It's going to be
13:33different. I believe that because for them, they went through suppression and they think,
13:38why are you here in my country, you know. So for me, it was easy, but if everybody to work
13:44nine to
13:44five in Lithuania, we'll have a tough time. Yeah. For me, it was easy. I just had to learn a
13:50couple of
13:51Lithuanian songs and they were like, oh, you're learning our language. I'm proud of you. So I sort of,
13:59you have to acclimatize yourself. Yeah. And it was fun, you know, because, and I went for one,
14:07the first time I arrived there, before I even moved there, I went for a visit. I actually went for
14:14a
14:14competition first. It was called the Final Four. And I actually went to the finals. And of course,
14:23I didn't win because it's public votes, you know, and I'm not very, I mean, not say I'm not very
14:29sociable. I'm sociable personally, but not sociable in social media so much. So at that time,
14:37of course, it's Lithuania. I have social media here in Malaysia. So it's not that I didn't win or
14:41anything, but it's not about that. You know, for me, it's exposure. I believe that do whatever you can,
14:47you know. So that was the first one. And then made a bit of vibes. But then I went off
14:55back to
14:55Malaysia. And then finally, I decided to shift there. And then I went for some other competition.
15:02And yeah. Yeah, that's right. I remember writing about this in 2023. We ran a story on that surreal
15:11moment when you made it to the finals of Lithuania's Got Talent. But you made it to the finals,
15:19right? And I remember the sound of the golden buzzer. And you know, we were all so proud of you.
15:24The golden buzzer by the three judges led you to the super final of the talent show,
15:30making you the first Malaysian to do so. First ever. First ever. Wonderful. I remember that day. Yeah.
15:37And you know, I called you and asked you to do the interview. Yeah. But tell us, from you going
15:47to
15:47Lithuania, learning the language, learning the culture, how easy or difficult was that? It was difficult,
15:56of course, you know. Because we are so used to, okay, Malaysia is very simple. Food, teitare,
16:05dudolepa, chill, speak, you know. But there, you're literally chilling in the snow. Literally,
16:11you're chilling in the snow. No, it's not that bad. But Lithuania is a beautiful country. You've got to
16:16give that to them. They are so, one thing, one thing they have is great is they are very for
16:26their
16:27country. They take care of their country. Nationalistic, would you say? I mean, I mean,
16:32not so patriotic, but patriotic, yeah, for sure. And because, yeah, after suppression and they fought
16:41their independence, so they are very for their country, it's a very clean country. They take care
16:47of their surroundings, you know. It's awesome. But then again, they also have, you know, they are a bit
16:58reserved people because they are still generation from the past, you know. And they are very, you know,
17:06I wouldn't say skeptical or they're very, you know, not sure of new people. But I made a little
17:14name of myself there that people know me directly. And I feed them the hospitality of Malaysia through
17:23my bar. Yeah.
17:24And they love the bar. Why? Because most other places are not like that. Because I come in,
17:30when you walk into the bar, even when I'm singing, I'll say, hi, hi, bro. You know,
17:34for me, it's like, it's like a house, you know. And, and that's where, that's where it's gold,
17:42you know. That's where it's golden. Because people love to come there, sit there and just
17:46hang out, you know, and go back home safe. And, you know, if we have people causing problems,
17:53I tease them out of the bar. You know, because we don't need that vibe. It's a vibe that we
17:58keep
17:58in this bar that is great. You know, and it's a blues vibe. Other kinds, we play all kinds of
18:04music there. Other bands play too. And I got a little group of musicians, quite great musicians of
18:10Lithuania, and they, we play together. You know.
18:14Mr. Sherman, I'm sure, back when you were in, when you were still performing in Malaysia, you've, you had your
18:20preferred genre of music, or something like that. When you moved to Lithuania, did you find yourself,
18:26like, having to, I don't know, maybe change? Yeah. Or, or, or were they, you know, open to your
18:34genre of music? Like, how does that work? You see, if you really heard me here, I, I, I really
18:39play
18:40every kind of music. I was in a country and western band. I was in a rock band.
18:49Yes, you did. I was in a commercial band. You dipped your feet in a lot of genres.
18:52Yeah, every side of it. Maybe, maybe not so in the classical jazz point of view, but, uh, I did
19:00everything.
19:01Because, you know, and, uh, from old days, but I love, of course, I love the more retro stuff.
19:08You know, I don't go up and play, um, like, you know, some new rap song or something. But, in
19:16the days of,
19:18my God, it's going to be a song, we had Uncle Chili's. We had PJ Hilton, you know, when we
19:24were playing there.
19:24Like, the most, the most, the most song we would go for is, like, no diggity, you know, that.
19:34Yeah. That's it. You know, after that was...
19:36The 90s, 90s, um, hip-hop? Yeah. Hip-hop 90s. And then after that, it was different, you know?
19:42You were way too young for it. Yeah.
19:45I was just born. Yeah.
19:48So, after Lithuania's Got Talent, you entered The Voice?
19:52Yeah. That was, uh, actually, last year. Yeah.
19:58And, and, I mean, this is really amazing, Sherman. You didn't even speak the language.
20:02By that time, you picked up some, right? Yeah.
20:05So, you picked up your guitar, and really, you built a bridge.
20:09How did, surviving the pandemic in Vilnius, to enduring a deep personal loss of your son,
20:17Yeah. And, and a romantic relationship propel you to stay and eventually acquire a bar called Lucille, Lucille Blues Bar
20:25on your t-shirt?
20:27Yeah. In a country that, to us, would seem small and, I would say, cold. And I'm not only meaning
20:36the temperature, yeah.
20:37It was that, actually. Yeah. It was cold. And, uh, well, um, I mean, I met this person, and, uh,
20:49I don't want to go deep into the personal thing, but, uh, I, I jumped the gun, you know, because,
20:59because I was, my son's been sick for, since he was birth.
21:03And, uh, eight years old, he passed away. So, he was, he was, either, because I didn't want him to
21:14suffer anymore. He was, he was, he was a terminal illness.
21:19So, it happened, and then, uh, I decided, I told my mom, I said, Mom, I need to get away,
21:26you know.
21:27Because I stopped a lot of things which I wanted to pursue as a musician.
21:32Yeah.
21:33Just to make things work and survive, you know. So, I decided, I said, hey, I'm going to get out
21:39of here.
21:40You know, so I sold everything, just went to Lithuania, tried to build something else. Yeah, that was the plan.
21:49That's quite a journey. Yeah.
21:52Lucille. Tell us about Lucille. Uh, is Lucille named after B.B. King's Gibson?
21:57Yes, B.B. King's guitar. Um, I always wanted to open one. And, uh, I always had the idea of
22:07how it would look, but it doesn't look the same way as I thought it would be.
22:13But because I acquired this little space in the old town of Vilnius, and, um, yeah, I just build it
22:22around the blues, you know.
22:26Because I think a bar needs to have a vibe, and that vibe is a blues vibe.
22:31It's not that every day we're going to play blues, but we don't play any other kind of music.
22:37You know, it's going to be, of course, like, uh, classic, around that age genre.
22:44And it's not that all the bands that come there play blues, but mostly they do.
22:48And I think every town needs a blues bar.
22:52Really?
22:53Yes. Every town needs a blues bar.
22:56Interesting. Um, because, Farid, just to, you know, um, clue you in, uh, Sherman has been in the music industry
23:06for years.
23:06For a long time.
23:07And you're part of the Malaysian pub circuit, right?
23:11Like I said, um, I've been to see you over the last 10 years in your performance at the, um,
23:18at the outlets.
23:20And you, you, you guys, right? You musicians.
23:25I feel, and correct me if I'm wrong, when you play your guitar, you speak your language through your strings.
23:32You know, the way you play. It's an identity. Like, if you are outside and you're walking into an outlet
23:39with a musician playing, when you hear the way the musician plays the guitar, you know which musician it is.
23:46If you listen to them often.
23:49Yeah.
23:49Enough, right?
23:50Yeah.
23:51Yeah.
23:51Yeah. And also the, the, of course the voice, yeah. But, but yeah, I mean, everybody has an identity. Not
23:58everybody, but most people have.
24:01Yeah. Because, um, I mean, it's hard, you know. Some people say that, okay, maybe I can be a musician.
24:10And, and, um, to stand people, you know, but some people come up and just put, press play and sing
24:21like a karaoke. You know. I don't think that's a musician. I think, you know, there are singers, they do
24:29that and say, okay.
24:30Because the, the, the, the bars don't pay that much because we have to make it smaller. So we do
24:35a sequence. I used to do, yes, sequencing too. But most sequencing was done on my own and stuff like
24:42that. I think if you do that, you can. But to move to the next step is difficult.
24:51Especially when you've experienced loss. Yeah. So, yeah. So for me, it's like, I, you need to, to just, because
25:04you only live once.
25:06That's right. That's right. You, you mentioned that you wrote the song Child in just 15 minutes. Is that true?
25:12No, I wrote, I wrote, uh, not Child, but I wrote, uh, Smile Again.
25:17Ah, this is, uh, in memory of your son, Ethan.
25:20Yeah. I wrote it when he was alive. But, uh, 2016. I wrote it when he was alive. Because it
25:28was just me, uh, transferring my thoughts in paper.
25:34So, you know, you know, it's, you know, it's like, I wish I could see him smile again and take
25:41away his pain. You know, that's the lyrics of the song. Yeah.
25:47Mr. Sherman, I'm sorry to hear about, about, about your last son. Yeah, yeah, yes.
25:50But I do have one question. You've been to a number of competitions in Lithuania. Reality TV competitions. These, these
25:57were big competitions, not just any neighborhood competitions. Yeah.
26:01But why, I mean, like, why, why not competitions in Lithuania? Why haven't you tried the competitions yet?
26:07Hmm, okay. Okay, wait. For, let's, let's put it basically here. We, we Malaysians, um, I mean, how do I
26:23say it? It's, it's not that they don't support each other that much, but we don't support each other that
26:30much.
26:30Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, I'll say it. It's okay. Okay. I mean, uh, I'm leaving, so anyway, I, no, no
26:37haters out there, so, but, but there is a path that is, is, that's not, it's either trending or not
26:48trending, or, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, you're a bar musician, and, and, and,
26:55the people here have a different idea of bar musicians.
27:00That's right.
27:01I'm sorry to say this, but it's so demoralizing sometimes, you know, I come back here, like, once a year
27:09now, you know, I come back here, everybody welcomes me, yes, because they want to hear me sing again, they
27:14say, come and play my bar, come and play my bar.
27:16But the moment I go up there, and this guy comes and say, hey, why don't you play my song,
27:21and stuff like that, this is still happening.
27:23Yeah.
27:23It's sad.
27:24The music culture is sad, why? Because people are spoiled here.
27:29They get anything they want, when they, yeah, musicians.
27:33Musicians are, would you say musicians are like jukeboxers, play my song.
27:38Yeah, they say, they play my song, do this, do that, it's not that, you got to hear, to hear
27:41me, you know, express a song, or do a song of version I do.
27:48Let my creative expression shine through, is what you're saying.
27:51Yes, and, and nobody recognizes it, the, when you go in national TV, I see what's happening on national TV,
27:59sorry, I have to say it, but I think it should be better, nobody gives the openness to let it
28:07shine, everybody stomp, say, hey, no, this is not good, no, no, that's why I do my thing in Lithuania,
28:15I can do anything, in my bar, you know, and I've been for festivals,
28:20and they appreciate culture, they appreciate the arts, they are very classical people, they do a lot of stuff, I
28:29mean, here too, you know, we are so much talented people, why aren't they out there?
28:36Yeah, that is a good question.
28:37You've spoken, you've spoken about procrastination, and how you've admitted to actually using the right time to express your level
28:52of pain or joy, is that true?
28:54Or, or, or, um, do meaningful songs require a kind of, uh, urgency? What, what do you think?
29:03Like I said, I always do things very abruptly, and, uh, not well planned all the time.
29:13You know, to do something for me, me, yeah, I procrastinate a lot, you know, I think people do.
29:19We all do.
29:20Especially now, when it's so fast, you know, everything is so fast, and you say, how am I going to
29:26get into that boat?
29:27How am I going to jump there and say, hey, let's do this?
29:29It's not going to work that way.
29:31You know, I feel that if you want to do something, and it's the time, just do it.
29:37That's how I feel, you know?
29:39And whether it works or not, it doesn't matter.
29:42Just put your heart in it and say, hey, let's do it.
29:45You know, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
29:47Yeah.
29:48Go waste it.
29:48Yeah, and that's in all forms of artistry.
29:51Yeah.
29:52All forms, not only singing.
29:53Yeah.
29:54Well, Lithuania isn't exactly known as the hub for Mississippi blues, though.
29:59But you mentioned that while the locals can be reserved.
30:02Yeah.
30:02The youth who walk into Lucille's look for an emotional outlet.
30:10So what have you learned about the Lithuanian soul by watching a kid from Vilnius, the capital,
30:17react to a genre born in the American South?
30:21Well, they have the original kind of pagan music that goes on.
30:28They have, they are very, the Lithuians are very classical.
30:33That means they, they learn theory in their schools.
30:39They go for music lessons.
30:41They are, and they, they really, really want to be a singer.
30:51Most of them, they really feel that I can do this, but they're not given the exposure for it.
31:00And, uh, they're pretty good musicians, classical ones.
31:06And they come to, you know, I, I, I, I've been playing, and then there's a violinist,
31:14or, yeah, what's the one, viola?
31:17Okay.
31:18He comes, walks in my bar, and just looks at me, and takes out the violin, and says,
31:22bro, come join me.
31:23So next thing you know, he's coming once, twice a week, and he plays for the orchestra.
31:29You know?
31:31So these guys, these, these, these great musicians playing classical, they want to come out too.
31:37But they don't have an avenue.
31:40And most of the people in Lithuania are very judgy about themselves.
31:45Same like in Malaysia.
31:47Yeah.
31:47You know?
31:48Same like in Malaysia.
31:49If you have an American guy, say, oh, that guy's great, yeah, yeah.
31:53But when you put a Malaysian who does the same thing, better probably than the American guy,
31:58nobody gives a damn.
32:00So it's weird.
32:01You know, this, this, this thing I hate the most, you know?
32:08Because close your eyes, man.
32:10Listen to the guys sing, you know?
32:13And we have the talent here.
32:15You know, we really have the talent here.
32:18You know?
32:19But everybody's saying, oh, maybe we don't shout so loud.
32:23Just survive the calm.
32:25And, and, yeah, you know?
32:28Buy a house, have a family.
32:29Yeah, it's okay.
32:31You know?
32:32But who is, what, what's it all about?
32:35Yeah.
32:36I don't mean to put you on the spot, Sherman.
32:38Yeah.
32:38But we want to hear you say a phrase in the language.
32:44Or something you would sing to the audience.
32:50Kip Saka, labas vakas.
32:52Okay, that sounds vulgar.
32:54I don't know.
32:54Who is not?
32:55What does it mean?
32:57Kip Saka, how are you?
32:58Good evening.
33:00Could you say that again?
33:01Kip Saka, labas vakas.
33:06Interesting.
33:07Okay.
33:08Something new every day?
33:09Yeah.
33:10Probably is a bad word.
33:11It's not, it's not.
33:14If it is, then one of our listeners might probably point it out in the comment section.
33:17I'm sure.
33:18You're lying to us.
33:20Have you thought of probably composing music in Lithuanian?
33:26I have, actually.
33:28You have?
33:29Cool.
33:30It's funny, you used to say this, but in YouTube, Kaori Hamku.
33:37The Manbai song?
33:38Yeah.
33:39So I spoke to Manbai about this.
33:40Okay.
33:41He said, I want to do this song in Lithuania.
33:44Of course, Manbai was, it's not the original artist.
33:47But he says, kau buat jele, bro.
33:52So, I did a song with a Lithuanian lady.
33:55It's in YouTube, so go check it out.
33:58And she has a verse of that song in Lithuania.
34:03Okay.
34:03How do you say it?
34:04Kau ilham ku in Lithuanian?
34:06We don't have it.
34:07We don't have it.
34:08I don't know.
34:10I don't know how to do it.
34:11You're my inspiration.
34:13Yeah, of course, you're my inspiration.
34:14But I don't, I can't do, I'm not that deep.
34:18Trust me.
34:19We have to Google it.
34:20We will look forward to that.
34:22Okay.
34:22So, at this stage, what is a successful night for Syamantan in Lucille Blues Bar?
34:32Well, tell us, what is Lucille Blues Bar?
34:35How big is it?
34:36Is it a bar and restaurant?
34:38It's small.
34:40It's very small.
34:43But we have the terrace.
34:46But we can't use it right now.
34:48So, it fits about 40 to 50 people.
34:53Sitting.
34:53Nice and intimate.
34:55It's very right in your face.
34:57So, the music also is blaring right in your face.
35:01You know, I believe that a musician should be heard and felt.
35:07So, it's not for everybody.
35:09Some people come in if they want to have a conversation.
35:11That's not the bar.
35:12Yeah.
35:13And the music is there.
35:14It's got to be in your face.
35:16Actually, the sound is, I mean, it's not blaringly loud, but it can get blaringly loud because it's all about
35:26vibe and feel.
35:27You know, and everybody is right around.
35:30You're just feeling the group.
35:32You know, that's what.
35:35And we have a lot of foreigners that live in Lithuania and they come, you know.
35:39So, quite a good set of community coming in and out.
35:46And most, one thing about me, if you enter Lithuania and you just type blues bar, Lucille will pop up.
35:55Okay.
35:56Well, hopefully one day, we get to visit you in Vilnius.
36:02And we will have a Malaysian restaurant soon.
36:05Really? You're going to open a Malaysian restaurant?
36:07Yeah, we're going to do that.
36:08We're going to sell satay and curry puffs and weh-meh.
36:13When the song Kau Ilham Ku plays in the background, ideally.
36:16Oh, yeah, why not?
36:16Yeah, yeah.
36:17But in the Lithuania version.
36:19Maybe you can alternate it.
36:20Yeah.
36:22I mean, speaking about Malaysian food,
36:24I would surely miss a lot of it.
36:27Yeah, this explains my 10 kilo up in two weeks.
36:32Especially when you're back for Chinese New Year, right?
36:35Yeah.
36:36What's the one particular Malaysian dish that you crave when you are in Lithuania?
36:46I can't say this right.
36:50Why?
36:52Okay, I'm a meat eater.
36:53Okay.
36:54And of course, it's, you know, so...
36:57The famous dish from Klang?
37:00No, not really.
37:03Actually, what I really miss the most is, yeah, roasted duck, actually.
37:09The Chinese roasted duck and the roasted meat, you know.
37:12Okay, I would say it.
37:13Fair enough.
37:14You know what you're craving for.
37:16Yeah.
37:16But I'll show you.
37:17But I do cook there.
37:18So I cook every day.
37:19Really?
37:20And I have a little Sunday lunch thing for my friends.
37:25Oh, nice.
37:25In the bar.
37:26So, but, you know, can you imagine with so little ingredients that we have, I will cook a curry and
37:34it's gone in 10 minutes.
37:3610 minutes.
37:36I can imagine the comforting curry in the cold weather.
37:40They come, they eat, and they like the spice.
37:42Some of them do.
37:43But we can't make the spice we have.
37:45Yeah.
37:46But it's going to love it.
37:47It's just gone.
37:54Any updates on what you will name your Malaysian restaurant?
37:59Oh.
37:59Secret.
38:03It's a...
38:05Work in progress.
38:06I won't say yet.
38:08Okay.
38:08You will get it.
38:10Keeping us on our toes.
38:11Keeping us on our toes.
38:13Yes, can't wait to hear about it, Sherman.
38:14Thank you for being here with us.
38:16You're most welcome.
38:17Thanks for having me, guys.
38:18And we wish you a happy Chinese New Year.
38:21Yes, thank you.
38:22And we hope to visit you in Lithuania.
38:25Yes, yes.
38:27I would love to see you perform.
38:28And probably not in the sub-zero weather, though.
38:32We'll...
38:32Come June.
38:33Come May, June, July.
38:34August is fine.
38:36Yeah.
38:36Wonderful.
38:37Life in the City podcast can be viewed on our YouTube channel, The Star Online,
38:42and www.thestar.com.my.
38:44slash Metro.
38:46Thank you so much.
38:47Thank you so much.
38:48Thank you so much.
38:59You
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