Rise Of A Music Mogul - Jon Chua

Jon Chua JX is more than just a pop star. Zendyll, the businessman's company, is set to impact Singapore's music scene.

- Chairmian Leong

HAVING A SUCCESSFUL MUSIC CAREER WHILE ATTENDING SCHOOL CAN BE CHALLENGING.

In his 20s, Jonathan Chua skipped most of his classes and lectures as a sociology major at Nanyang Technological University in favour of tours and rehearsals with one of the nation’s most famous pop bands, The Sam Willows.

He remembers writing his thesis on a plane to Sweden. “I was fortunate to have a progressive professor who helped me. It was about English pop music in Singapore and where I predicted it would go based on social forces changing,” he explains.

“The funniest thing is that I had suggested in one paragraph that it would have taken a pandemic, a war or an epidemic to trigger an uptick in local music. When Covid-19 hit, he reached out to me, quoted that line, and wrote: ‘Now is your chance to do something great.’”

Unbeknownst to that professor, Chua wasn’t just twiddling his thumbs during his decade-long musical career. He had started Zendyll, a studio that provides artist and repertoire (A&R) development, music publishing, production, songwriting and marketing services. Although many still recognise Chua as the guitarist and vocalist for The Sam Willows, he is most comfortable behind the scenes. “I was always the most uncomfortable among us when the spotlight was on.”

FINDING HIS VOICE

There is no trace of any such discomfort now, as Chua sits comfortably in a cap, jeans and sneakers, with just enough swagger to pull off the gold chain around his neck and the Bvlgari Serpenti cuff on his wrist. Here in the Zendyll studio, the 31-year-old, professionally known as Jon Chua JX, spends his time helping other people make music.