Singaporean artiste Iman Fandi has been living with a learning disorder since a young age. Photo: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Living with a learning disorder isn’t easy, and Singaporean artiste Iman Fandi knows what it feels like.
Since primary school, Iman would find herself reversing her numbers, stumbling on her sentences and repeating or omitting words unknowingly.
It was later she learned that she has dyslexia, a disorder primarily affecting one’s reading and writing skills.
Instead of allowing her limitations to get in the way of her success, the 23-year-old embraced it as a driving force behind her unique approach to music.
“I think dyslexia has allowed me to express myself in a creative way because my thought process is different from others. It gives me character in a way.
“I just write what I’m thinking and feeling in that moment, and it feels amazing when everything comes together,” she said in a recent interview.
However, Iman admitted her dyslexia could sometimes be a hindrance.
“I tend to struggle with finding words that make sense, so it takes me longer than usual to work on something I’m unfamiliar with.
“That’s why I’m grateful for my team and producers. They would sometimes get writers in and that helps a lot. It’s good to have fresh ideas in the room too,” she said.
Born to South African former model Wendy Jacobs and Singapore’s football icon Fandi Ahmad, who currently serves as the head coach of Malaysia’s Sri Pahang Football Club, Iman acknowledged that it was easier for her to break into the entertainment scene compared to the average person.
After all, she had the opportunity to network with many people and build confidence in front of cameras at a young age thanks to her mum, who would bring her to her photoshoots.
Iman was only 14 when she signed up for Singapore’s The New Paper’s New Face 2014 competition, which ultimately launched her modelling career.
She has since worked with popular brands like Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Coach and Estee Lauder.
Despite having a stable career, Iman found it difficult to build her own identity separate from her parents’ legacy.
“It’s kind of hard to make a name for yourself out there when you’re under your parents’ shadow. I have been and am still navigating that.
“I want to prove I can do and accomplish things on my own,” she added.
Hoping to be recognised for her own achievements, Iman – whose siblings are all professional football players – decided to venture into music.
Iman’s parents are Singapore’s footballer Fandi Ahmad (second from left) and popular model Wendy Jacobs (third from left). Her brothers are also footballers. Photo: Fandi Ahmad/Instagram
“Sports has always been around me and my family. Although I’ve done track and field, football, basketball... it never felt like a lifelong dream of mine,” she said.
But that doesn’t mean she wants to completely break away from associations with her family. Rather, the singer deeply values her dad’s teachings and regards him as one of her role models.
In 2021, Iman signed with Universal Music Singapore and released her debut single Timeframe, which recorded over 100,000 streams in the first two weeks of its release.
Citing pop stars like Rihanna, Beyonce and Billie Eilish as her musical inspirations, she went on to release four more singles – Love Me A Little More, Want, Top Bop and Baseball Bat.
Iman’s “biggest achievement” came in August 2023, when she was chosen to perform singer-songwriter Dick Lee’s Bunga Sayang at Singapore’s National Day Parade.
Iman’s latest single, 'Baseball Bat', is an empowering track that takes a new approach to life’s difficulties. Photo: Handout“This is a huge leap for me as it’s one of the biggest stages in my music career. I also got to develop myself as a performer and give back to Singapore in a sense,” she said.
1. Tell me more about your latest single Baseball Bat.
This song was written by two singer-songwriters in Sweden.
When my team and I got hold of the song, I thought it was a cool and edgy track.
It tells the story of this character who’s going through a really bad day and feels like life is against her. But she realises that the only thing to do when life brings you down is to get back up even stronger.
I feel like this song is so relatable to me because I have days where I feel sad or angry and just want to release all those pent up emotions.
Through this song, I want to tell people that it’s OK to be angry and fight back when life gets hard because those feelings are valid.
2. What do you personally do when life gets hard?
I love travelling so whenever I’m super stressed, I’ll just go for a short getaway around Singapore.
If I feel I’m in need of a break, I’ll just plan a trip nearby in Asia.
Being in showbiz means I have to attend lots of events, so I also enjoy chilling at home in my own comfort zone sometimes... just staying in my pyjamas all day is nice.
I also like going for walks to clear my mind. It helps me relax, and I can also keep fit while enjoying some fresh air.
3. What was it like pivoting to music after nine years of working as a model?
Music has always been a part of my life.
I’ve always loved listening to different kinds of music when I was young and would write little melodies and lyrics in my diary.
However, I would never put them out because I was afraid of pursuing new interests outside of modelling.
After some time, I felt that I needed to grow and overcome this fear of trying new things. I’m still trying to navigate that.
So I made it my birthday resolution to release my first song Timeframe.
The funny thing about my singing career is that my family didn’t know about it until they saw my music video days before the launch.
I didn’t tell them about my venture into music not because I was afraid or anything, but because I wanted to make sure everything was perfect and planned out as it was a new industry for me.
My parents were really supportive.
4. You mentioned trying to grow out your fear of exploring new things. How are things going for you now?
I think the anxiety will always be there, but I’ve grown from it.
One thing I’ve learned is that we tend to think of the worst possible scenario before doing something.
Although it’s easier said than done, sometimes we have to just tell ourselves to go for it. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least you tried.
Having that mindset has made it easier for me to explore new things.
I also have my family and friends who act as my support system whenever I feel scared or anxious.
You only live once, so take as much time as you can for yourself and do whatever you want without worrying about what others think.
5. What do you hope to achieve as a singer?
At the moment, I’m hoping to collaborate with more regional and international artistes as well as producers.
I’d like to have my own solo concert one day and experiment with more genres. I’m working on an album now, and I’ve made it my resolution to release it this year.
In the long run, I just want to create music that people can relate to and find comfort in.
