History

Evan Joel De Silva is a 20-year-old Eurasian guitarist and ukulele player, who is currently studying in School Of The Arts Singapore (SOTA). He started the ukulele at the age of 8, and went onto the guitar at the age of 13. He is mostly self-taught, and plays a range of genres such as RnB, jazz, soul, pop, and funk. He is an experienced performer, playing for numerous bands as well as performing solo acts both locally and overseas.  He aims to pursue a career as a performing musician, and hopes to express his love for music to the people around him.

Evan has worked with multiple big names in the local industry of Singapore, from all different styles, such as Regina Song, Shye, Shazza, Hady Mirza, Tengy, Syaz Smooth, and many others. 

His musical journey started when he was just 8 years of age in 2013, when he was gifted an ukulele by his father. About a month later, he came across videos of ukulele virtuosos such as Jake Shimabukuro, Kalei Gamiao and Kris Fuchigami online, playing the ukulele unlike anything he had ever imagined possible. This sparked his passion for the music, through the ukulele, as he started learning all sorts of virtuosic pieces on the ukulele. Without scores for reference, he relied completely on his ear, training his hearing to its best ability, preparing him for his future pursuits.

Following his newfound love for the ukulele, he was proactive in seeking out opportunities not just to gain experience in live performance, but also to put out his name in the industry. Notable events include performing for The Straits Times ChildAid 2016, being chosen as the opening act for The Piano Guys Concert at The Star Theatre, as well as being invited to several Ukulele Festivals in Guam, USA, South Korea and Italy. He has also competed and been crowned champion for several prestigious ukulele competitions, including the 8th Thailand International Ukulele Contest in 2020, and the Hiutale Finland International Ukulele Contest in 2022.

At the age of 13 in 2018, Evan enrolled in the School Of The Arts Singapore, under the David Marshal Scholarship, to further hone his craft. During this time, he picked up the guitar as it was a requirement for him to enter the school. He studied an arts-integrated International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum in his first 4 years at the school, juggling internal  academic subjects and the IB music syllabus alongside external artistic commitments. Throughout these 4 years, Evan connected and collaborated with other equally passionate music students, widening his horizons and expanding his musical vocabulary. It was in his 4th year in 2022 that he fully committed to the decision of becoming a professional musician, which ended up bringing him to International Baccalaureate Career Program (IBCP) during his 5th year in 2023, providing him with two years of intensive musical training, while allowing him to drop his other academic subjects to allow more time for exposure in external music projects. 

It was between 2023 – 2024 when Evan started to get invited as a sideman for artists such as Shye and Regina Song. He has been Regina Song’s official guitar player for more than 3 years, performing alongside her at numerous festivals and events around the country. He will also be part of Regina Song’s upcoming Southeast Asian Tour in January 2025, following her to Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. He has also started playing guitar for Shye regularly, performing with her at various events, including The Pinwheels Singapore Content Creator Awards Ceremony in 2024, and even following her to Manila to perform for the 2024 Asiya Music Festival.