March 2026
Father's Day

Fatherhood called him at the age of 22. He was not ready, but his love for us was bigger than his fears .

He married my mother and valiantly shouldered both the role of father and husband by giving up
lofty aspirations to take care of his new family. He played in bands for a while

before leaving for good to pursue day jobs to jettison a lifestyle that required him to stay up

and return home at ungodly hours.  

Besides being an excellent singer and drummer, he was street smart, extremely humorous, constantly showed natural intelligence, was passionate and fought for the things he believed in. He worked in international

companies and moved quickly up the ranks then left those companies to start his own, Succeeded and failed.

Kept getting back on his feet to try again while working jobs in-between.

I never saw him idle. He was always industrious.. 

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He partied hard too. We had big and small parties in our homes. There was outstanding music, food and laughter. Both him and and my mother slept very late and rose very early. To this day, I wonder how they did it, while 

raising two children They never slept in and there was always breakfast ready for us.

I can still hear my mother stirring sugar in a traditional Indian stainless steel jug filled with

strong black coffee. Brewed to perfection for my father, who was particular about

the way everything looked and tasted.

 

He taught me about showmanship and dressing up for stage. Not to wear a watch on

stage or then, a pager. Paraphrasing what he said. 

"That's not a performing look. Where else would you have to be when you're on stage?

That looks like you're going to work and expecting a call."

He loved the Chinese group 'The Grasshoppers' because they were flamboyant

and knew how to put on show. They embodied everything he believed an artist should be.

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I took his advice and applied so much of what he taught me to my performances. Tailoring bolder

outfits paired with spirited execution. Papa was my hero. We had a difficult relationship

but he was and will always be my hero, irregardless. Now that he is gone, I find myself asking what all this

is for. I know, however, that he would want me to go on.

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Through me, his legacy will remain visible. Musically, politically, historically. In every capacity. Even food. Although he was critical of my being a vegan, he still enjoyed an ambrosial green. Everything on

this website is everything that my parents taught me to become - strong, independent, thinking,

feeling, questioning and character-focused. 

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He could not live out his dream of being a musician, but there is a recording of him and me singing 

a cover that was featured on my second album, 'Satellite'. It is 'In My Life' by

The Beatles. It has been archived in the

National Library of Singapore, so it goes down in history with his name on it. 

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Edmund Jesson Joseph.

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