The Malaysian Insight

WHEN Willian Chia sings Tamil songs, you might easily mistake him for an Indian songstress. But the Chinese man from Kulim, Kedah, is a talented multilinguist who switches between Tamil, Telugu, Mandarin, Hokkien, Teochew, Bahasa Malaysia and English with ease.

Born to a half-Indian, half-Chinese mother and Chinese father, Chia was brought up in an estate in Kedah, where he picked up Tamil and Telugu.

Chia, 37, said he started impersonating a female voice back in secondary school but was especially struck by Indian singer S. Janaki after hearing her voice on Kollywood blockbuster Uyire. He was such a big fan, he managed to arrange a meeting with the singer through her nephew on Facebook two years ago.

In a diverse country like Malaysia, Chia said speaking multiple languages was common. However, singing Tamil songs in the female register definitely sets him apart!

Watch Chia demonstrate his multilingual skills in the video. - September 15, 2018.