STEVEN TAN, better known as Steven Bones, has been a voice over talent for advertisements and animation for more than ten years. He was looking for something out of his comfort zone and searching for something new that would challenge him.
Two years ago, he went up onstage and started cracking jokes. He began his second career as a stand-up comedian. He even started his own YouTube channel and Facebook page called Steven Bones Everything where he displays his funny works.
His well-known signature style is making parodies of famous songs. The first parody song he uploaded on his Youtube Channel was The Mamak King, based on the famous song The Circle of Life from the hit DIsney animated feature The Lion King.
It was an instant hit.
His other well-known piece is Aku Minum Arak which is a parody of the popular song, Hakuna Matata, also from The Lion King.
His latest work that got attention is Si Milan, a parody of the trailer for the Hollywood live-action film Mulan, which boldly talks about discrimination and unfairness. theSun spoke to the 35-year-old father of two about his career.
What was your childhood ambition?
“I was born in Singapore but grew up in Johor Baru. My parents ran a restaurant that sold Chinese mixed rice. They were very busy with their work. I have an older brother who was studying in Singapore. I was left to my own devices. I always jokingly tell people that I was raised by television.
“My childhood ambition was to be a rock star, or to be in a cartoon. When I was young, I did join several music bands but my dream to be a rock star did not come true. At least I got into the cartoon business (he did voice over work for animated shows such as Rimba Racer, Bola Kampung and Chuck Chicken).”
How did you become a voice over talent?
“I was taking a degree in audio engineering. A friend in college was looking for a Chinese guy who could rap for an advertisement, and I got the job. I learnt about the voice talent business [there]. I started singing jingles. Then I became a voice over talent for advertisements.”
How did your stand-up career begin?
“I was doing voice talent for more than 10 years. I felt I was stuck. I wanted to do something new. I had always wanted to try out stand-up comedy. So one night I went to an open mic session at Crackhouse and started telling jokes. The first night I got some laughs. The second and third night I did not get any laughs. But I did not want to give up my dream. I wanted to make people laugh.”
Who are some of your favourite comedians?
“Robin Williams and Jim Carrey. They are animated and very expressive. My favourite stand-up comedian is Bill Burr. He has an angry tone when he tells his jokes, which can be funny.”
What are some changes you would have made to your career?
“I should have started a social media channel in my 20s. Sometimes I feel like I am an old man in a young man’s game. But at the same time, I am grateful that I started my social media channel two years ago.
“When you are on social media, you will be bombarded with positive and negative comments. When you are older, you are mature enough to deal with whatever comments that come your way.”
What advice would you give young talents who want to follow your footsteps?
“You need to get started as soon as possible. The idea to be a stand-up comedian and starting my social media channel had been on my mind for the longest time. But I kept delaying it. I was searching for the perfect time to launch the channel. I kept giving excuses. There will never really be a ‘perfect’ time.”
What kind of father are you?
“I want to give them the room to be whoever they are. I believe you should be able to express yourself freely without worrying about other people’s opinions about you.”
