No part of this story can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
The last time 8days.sg spoke to Gladys Bay, she excitedly talked about how if she made the Top 3 for Star Search 2024, she would “scream for three days in [her] BYD car”.
Well, we know how that story played out.
The 28-year-old placed second behind winner Tiffany Ho and got to bring home one of the coveted vehicles.
And yes, Gladys assures us that she has “screamed and sung in her new ride already”.
During the finals, the NTU Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information alum received high praise from judges Raymond Lam and Sandra Ng for being the most outstanding during the dance talent rounds.
Not surprising, considering her background as a competitive breakdancer who tried to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
In fact, with two of the three talent challenges being dance-based, there were whispers that the finals were skewed in her favour and that she had an unfair advantage.
“Not at all!” Gladys says defensively when we ask if she felt that way. For starters, she was unfamiliar with the dance styles she performed on stage.
“If my dancing looked good enough to be considered an ‘unfair advantage,’ I’ll take that as a compliment,” she laughs.
“As a breakdancer, it was extremely challenging, and I always ask people how they walk in heels without looking like a klutz,” she adds.
But surely with her dance background she must have felt confident compared to the other finalists.
Gladys admits the only advantage she probably had was being able to count the beats of the song.
“But it would be the same for anyone who has learned music,” she says. “I would also say my body was more comfortable with movement since I’ve explored other genres like Chinese dance, contemporary, and hip hop.”
However, she doubles down, saying she didn’t make it easier for herself and insists that her mindset at the time was focused on how she could have done better.
We wonder where Gladys gets her tenacity from.
During a conversation about her formative years studying in Clementi Primary and Clementi Town Secondary, she mentions she never attended enrichment classes or tuition.
“My parents believed that if you study the right way, you can become an independent learner,” she shares. “If I really needed help, I’d just go find my teachers and friends.”
Looking back, Glayds says her family wasn’t the most well-off, but she never felt it growing up.
“I was too busy enjoying everything my parents provided for,” she says.
Her mum was previously in sales and is now semi-retired, while her dad works as a prime mover transporting fruits and vegetables. Both are in their 50s.
After graduating from NTU, she took on several jobs as a talent, dabbling in dance, commercial modeling, and hosting.
“I think I became more rebellious as I grew older because I just didn’t want a typical full-time job,” she laughs.
However, when the pandemic hit, Gladys pivoted towards multimedia hosting, and found her niche in virtual events hosted on platforms such as Zoom and TikTok.
She further honed her hosting skills when the hybrid format started, learning how to engage both physical and online audiences at the same time.
“I would say the toughest and most memorable was presenting on a recorded video while presenting to a live audience. That took some multitasking,” she laughs.
Jobs soon poured in, and she was even invited to teach her own course with a co-trainer on how to be a multimedia host.
Sharing that she coached more than 200 people, the curriculum ran over two weeks and covered how to prepare content and scripts.
Though she declined to share how much she earned from being a coach, she lets on that it was good enough to “allow her to eat lunch out every day.”
As if she wasn’t busy enough, Gladys, along with her husband and fellow Star Search finalist, Marcus Sim, 27, and a few business partners, started Oddity Café at Upper Serangoon Road earlier this year.
Gladys declines to share how much she and Marcus invested into the business but says she always wanted to start an F&B venture.
“I always loved how the experience of food brought people together, so when I was asked, I just jumped right in. I didn’t need any convincing,” she says.
Gosh, how many dreams does Gladys have?
“It’s just how I use ikigai in many parts of my life. Doing what I love, what I’m good at, and of course being paid for it,” she says.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept of discovering one’s purpose by exploring what you love.
Of course, she admits that her biggest fear is whether the café will be sustainable in the long run, and she says she doesn’t have an answer to that now.
“Ask me again in five years,” she quips.