A Malaysian Bluesman headed to eastern Europe to build a life, one note at a time.
In the latest episode of the “Life & The City” podcast, hosts Aida Ahmad and Farid Wahab sit down with musician Sherman Tan, whose journey has carried him from South-East Asia’s music circuit to the snow-covered streets of Vilnius, Lithuania.
Tracing Tan’s musical roots, the conversation covers a career that spans more than three decades.
Born to a Malaysian-Chinese father and a Welsh-Indonesian mother, Tan speaks about growing up between identities and how it drew him to the Blues – a genre grounded in honesty and emotional grit.
He revisits his early days strumming a guitar during hotel happy hours, his rise through regional stages and his breakthrough moment on Lithuania’s Got Talent, where a golden buzzer propelled him into the superfinal.
The episode also explores loss, the Covid-19 pandemic and his decision to stay on in Vilnius – eventually opening Lucille’s, an intimate Blues bar named after BB King’s legendary guitar.
Life & The City podcasts airs fortnightly. Catch the full episode on www.youtube.com/@thestaronline/podcasts or www.thestar.com.my/metro
