Singing her way to sweet sales

The Star

4 days ago

Tunes and treats: Lye belting out a song at her stall while frying snacks as the operator deals with customers in the Jelutong Market, Penang. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: With a microphone in one hand and a strainer in the other, Lye Chooi Ngoh is quite a market sensation as she belts out classic Indonesian, Malay and Chinese songs.
Singing with gusto, she renders numbers like Si Jantung Hati, Demi Cinta Nih... Ye..., Madu Dan Racun, Chan Fu and many more at a coffee shop in the Jelutong market near here.
The 58-year-old, who sells fried sweet potatoes, goreng pisang (banana fritters) and cekodok (mashed fried banana), also enga­ges her customers and other stall operators to dance along to the music.
When she has a technical issue with the speaker, her customers would keep cheering her on until she gets the problem fixed.
But behind her vibrant, jovial persona­lity and smile, Lye shared that she sings to forget the painful sorrow of losing her 20-year-old son some 11 years ago.
A single mother of two, Lye said her son was autistic and she had cared for him for 20 years.
'When he died, I was devastated. He did not like loud sounds or music.
'So after he died, the house was too quiet and I turned to music and singing to heal,' she said.
Lye said she was hired by the kuih stall owner seven years ago and realised she needed to sing to keep herself happy.
'It is my way of releasing my sadness and a fun activity to do while I fry the kuih.
'If both my hands are occupied as I batter and fry the kuih, I just sing along, but whenever I have a free hand, I pick up the microphone and sing my lungs out.
'Surprisingly, singing keeps me alert and hyped, and when I do not sing, I get tired,' she said.
Lye said although she has been singing for seven years at the stall, the presence of social media has made her more popular ­recently.
'Now I have a social media account and post the videos people take of me on it.
'I sing old classics, but now many send me song requests, so I am in the process of learning new ones,' she said.
'I usually prop my phone up in front of me and read the lyrics as I sing along.'
Lye said it has also boosted business as many come to watch her perform before leaving with some kuih.
'Once I am done, I pack up and go join my daughter who runs a coffee shop in Air Itam. I do not sing there as it is my time to rest,' she said.
Lim Kah Khoon, 54, who runs the dim sum stall near the kuih stall, is usually seen dancing in the background of her videos.
'Sometimes she invites me to duet with her and on other occasions, I dance in the background.
'It is good fun and we treat each other like family.
'It is a fun party for us as we work and keep the customers engaged too.
'Sometimes they give us a round of applause,' he said.
Kenny Yeoh, 45, who helps his mother with her claypot noodle stall on the weekends, said he always joins in for a duet with Lye.
'I love to sing and this is good fun for me.
'I sneak away from my stall and belt out a few numbers with her.
'We normally choose some Hokkien songs and it is the highlight of my week,' he said.