Siva Choy

Sivanandan Choy (22 May 1947 – 4 March 2018), better known as Siva Choy, was a Singaporean musician, comedian and writer, known for his Singlish rap classic "Why U So Like Dat?", released in 1991.

Early life and education Sivanandan Choy was born to an Indian family in Gillman Barracks, in Alexandra. His father, was from Kerala, India, and moved to Singapore to work as a civilian foreman for the British Army, managing a British military power station located in Gillman Barracks. His mother, was born in Singapore to M K Chathukutty, a migrant from Kerala and founder of the Singapore Malayalee Hindu Samajam (SMHS), and Ammalu Amma, a migrant from Tamil Nadu. As a migrant, his father went to SMHS to look for jobs, and was introduced to Chathukutty's daughter and eventually got married.

Choy was the youngest of three brothers.

Living in Gillman Barracks in his early childhood, Choy listed to music in different languages, including as English, Malay, Tamil, Mandarin and Hindustani. Choy attended Pasir Panjang Primary School, where he learnt how to play a recorder and a guitar, and together with his brother, James, they were known as the Cyclones, and pioneered the local R&B scene. While attending Bartley Secondary School, Choy often performed in plays and took part in singing competitions.

In 1969, Choy graduated from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in philosophy, political science and English.

Career In 1964, the Cyclones joined the Checkmates to be their lead vocalists, performing regularly at tea dances organised by the Golden Venus club located along Orange Grove Road in Tanglin. After being offered a contract by Philips Records, the Cyclones released two EPs, one in 1965 and another in 1967.

Upon graduation from university, Choy worked as a journalist for Fanfare, an entertainment magazine published by Straits Times Press. In 1971, Choy also worked briefly as a correspondent for New Nation.

Thereafter, Choy spent five years busking in Europe and another year cycling from Holland to Singapore, before starting a job in the advertising industry in 1976. Choy also authored the popular Kitchi Boy stories, which told the story of a group of local boys in Singlish and colloquial humour. Eventually, the stories were compiled as books Oh No, It's The Kitchi Boy Gang and I'm Sorry, It's Kitchi Boy Again, published in 1985 and 1986 respectively.

Personal life In 1986, Choy married Ilsa Sharp, a freelance writer based in Singapore.

The Cyclones (1967)

Why U So Like Dat? (1991)

Filmography

Film