Vanessa-Mae Olympic Dream

Something's go together naturally, like salt and pepper, Romeo and Juliet, strawberries and cream. But two things that you would not usually associate with each other are classical music and skiing. But one supremely talented violinist who was born in Singapore is hoping to combine the two in some small way and her name is Vanessa-Mae.

Having already mastered the violin to a great standard and performed in some of the most prestigious classical music venues, she has decided that she wants a new challenge in her life. This is why she is going to put down her instrument for a year and try to qualify for the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The classically trained artist intends to compete for Thailand, a heritage she gets from her Father's side of the family.

She said: “I wanted to compete for Thailand because there is a part of me which I have never celebrated -- being Thai. My father, like most Thais, has never skied but he's really excited about me doing this as is the Thai Olympic Committee."

It seems when Vanessa-Mae, 34, sets her mind to something she has a steely determination to see it through to the end. And would you believe it, she has the ambition to compete in not just one category in the games, but five! These are all internationally recognised events which will be contested by athletes who have been training all their lives for this opportunity, including the giant slalom and the slalom.

The diminutive violinist said: "People are surprised when they see me skiing - a classical violinist, Oriental, who has lived in the city all her life. But it has been my dream to be a ski bum since I was 14. This is something I am determined to do."

Vanessa-Mae is extremely focused on this goal. So much so that she moved to Switzerland in 2009 to get closer to the slopes she needs to practice. Every day she trains on the Swiss alpine resort of Zermatt to ensure that she gets to an even higher standard. The goal is to qualify and can compete in the Olympics, a competition that is heralded as the ultimate achievement for any athlete.

The Arena Club

Every international City has its landmarks which distinguish it from the crowd and Singapore is no different in this regard, with multiple buildings and relics of forgotten times which give it a special quality. Like any other destination, you can get a map from the tourist board to find all of these historic attractions; but finding good music in any city can be a little more challenging. Usually, to find the best music you have to be in be contact with a local lounge lizard who can show you the backstreets where the real beating of heart of the music scene is hiding. But Singapore has one building where good music is always playing, and that is The Arena.

This is cited as Singapore largest live music venue, so it is comparable to the o2 Arena in London as it is a place where people travel from all over to listen their favourite artists play live. But what does this music venue offer which is different to the norm? Well firstly, it has 10,000 sq ft of space which caters to all types of live music shows. Having this amount of space is a blessing to people who want to create spectacular shows, and there is a freedom here to let your imagination go wild.

And this level of space has another benefit, because it then has the capacity to attract bigger named artists. The Arena then can be viewed as the jewel in the crown of Singapore's live music circuit as it has become a regular destination for big international music acts. These include artists from the United States, Britain and Australia.

One man who was in The Arena Club recently was the hip-hop star T-Pain, who is a regular collaborator with Lil' Wayne on songs like “Can't Believe It”. T-Pain has one of the most recognisable voices in the world of rap and has racked up well over 50million YouTube views. This shows just the calibre of star that Singapore, and by extension the Arena Club, can accommodate. There is simply no better setting in the world to have a party.

The Singaporean Eminem

Rap music has got attitude and doesn't take any prisoners when it comes to the lyrical content. The genre originates from the mean streets of America's ghettos in LA and Compton in the 80s, when the likes of NWA and Dr. Dre started talking about life on the street and gangsta culture. One thing is for sure, you would not expect to see this style of music in the paradise tropical setting of Singapore, but there is one artist hoping to change all of that.

His name is name is ShiGGa Shay and he has got the rap skills that have drawn comparisons with another American rapper, Eminem. In his homeland very few people listen to this genre of music but he hopes that with perseverance he can revolutionise the sound and get people talking about Singapore rap in a positive light.

The up-and-coming starlet has been spitting verse for over 10 years and when asked how he got into the Singapore rap scene, he said:

“There isn't really a rap scene. I basically started putting out music when I was 14 [on MySpace], and slowly people started listening and catching on to my style and it slowly grew from that.”

“There isn't really a rap scene. I basically started putting out music when I was 14 [on MySpace], and slowly people started listening and catching on to my style and it slowly grew from that.”

With his new album on the way he has a hope bubbling beneath everything he does that it will be a turning point in Singaporean rap music. He wants to change people's perspectives about what good music sounds like and momentarily forget about the mainstream pop sound for a second.

He said: “I really hope that when people talk about Singapore next time they don't just think about Singapore as a port for trade they think more about the artists.”

Regarding his comparisons to Eminem, he is obviously flattered but wants to create his own persona saying: “I'd take that as a complement. Eminem is one of the artists I started listening to at a young age so being compared to him is like an honour more than anything else.”

Girls Generation

Girls Generation are a girl group who formed in South Korea way back in 2007 and have been flourishing into pop stars ever since. These are not your bog standard teenage girl group who disappear overnight, like so many before them who do not possess the talent to engage an audience for very long. In 2013 this international girl group proved they are more relevant than ever, with the release of their new album “I Got A Boy” which hit the top spot on the Taiwan-Singapore billboard chart.

The kind of success and longevity the band has achieved is no fluke. It is established on hard work and a catalogue of top songs which people want to revisit again and again, no matter how many times it has been played on the radio. They have been compared to the Spice Girls in the past, and Girls Generation know a thing or two about ‘girl power'.

Having gained some notoriety in early 2009 with songs like "Into the New World" and "Kissing You" the girls really hit the big time with their massive hit single "Gee". On the back of this Girls Generation went from being relative unknowns in their home country of South Korea to household names on the national stage. The song received numerous accolades in the national press and was voted as South Korea's 'Song of the Decade' in a recent poll.

After this prodigious beginning the group set their sights on even bigger goals and growing their fan base into other countries. Because of this determination, they have gone from strength to strength and sold millions of records to their adoring public. And the sales figures never lie. So far they have sold well over 4.4 million albums and 30 million singles which is a staggering amount by anyone's standards.

When this 9-strong group of vocalists (Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun) combine their talents, they have the ability to enrapture a whole nation. And Singapore is one place where they have a unique and strong following.