Singaporean singer Alfred Sun has shared words of encouragement for those who aren't satisfied with how they did on their O-Levels.
He starred in the viral short film “Summerdaze”, and is also a musician.
“I was 16 when I got 36 points on my O-Levels. It felt like my future was doomed,” the 31-year-old said.
Kind words
With the release of O’ Level results on Jan. 11, Sun took to his Instagram stories to share his take:
Photo from Alfred Sun.
He offered some useful words of encouragement for those who fell short of their academic goals:
"Your results don't determine your future; they are just a chapter. I stumbled too, and that's ok.
This is not to downplay the importance of good results, but to emphasise that your path is uniquely yours."
Speaking to Mothership, Sun explained that he received a "bunch of messages from followers who were feeling down about their scores", and this "struck a chord" with him as he felt similarly when he was 16.
He added:
"Hopefully, I can inspire them to keep their heads up [... I hope they know that] it's okay to stumble — I did too. It might now feel like a major setback but these moments are just a small part of your journey [and isn't] the ultimate measure of your potential.
I promise you, what you're good at might not fit the mould everyone expects, and that's what makes it so special. Trust that your best moments are yet to come".
Perfection vs compromise
As a graduate from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Sun felt compelled to explain why he was ‘Absent’ for his O' Levels Art exam.
Photo from Alfred Sun.
Sun skipped his O-Level art exam because he spent too much time perfecting his work and refused to submit anything that didn't meet his high standards.
Background
Sun has been on a unique path for years now.
As one of the selected prospects during JYP and Alpha Entertainment's talent search in Singapore, Sun moved to South Korea to train for a possible debut, but had to give up the opportunity due to National Service (NS).
He later competed in "The Voice Singapore and Malaysia" in 2017, as well as in the boy-band search program "We Are Young" in 2020.
Top photos from Alfred Sun's Instagram