13-year-old True finds her voice on the global stage

2026-03-03 - 23:03

True El-Deeb, 13, wishes to connect with people through her music. (Michael Deeb pic) PETALING JAYA: In a rehearsal hall in Dubai, staring out at a stage she would soon have to command, one Malaysian Chinese-British Egyptian girl remembers thinking one thing: “What if I make mistakes?” True El-Deeb was 13, far from home, preparing to sing a song about children most people rarely think about. For a brief moment, doubt crept in. And then, just as quickly, something steadier replaced it. “I said to myself that ‘you can do this’, ‘you’ve got the power’, ‘you can perform’ and ‘you can do your best’,” True shared with FMT Lifestyle. A day later, standing beneath the lights of the Freedom PomPom launch in January, led by HeARTs on a Mission with the Global Sustainability Network, the fear dissolved into something far more familiar. “First the adrenaline kind of rushed through me and then I got the feeling that I’m at home on the stage!” said True, who sang a song she co-wrote with her father. Indeed, for the Johor Bahru-based lass, the stage does not feel foreign or frightening for long. It quickly begins to feel like home. True performed a song she co-wrote with her father at the Freedom PomPom launch in Dubai. (Michael Deeb pic) That sense of belonging is perhaps surprising when you realise True still has to ask teachers for permission to leave class, still balances homework with rehearsals and singing lessons, and still occasionally drifts off during maths because a lyric has suddenly demanded attention. “I love the songwriting process! I get to get creative with the lyrics, coming up with the melody ... It’s just an amazing thing to do. It’s very fun,” she said. Music, after all, has never been something separate from her everyday life. “Ever since I was young, I remember sitting at my dad’s feet while he was playing the guitar, and I loved to sing along,” the youngest of three siblings shared. One song she remembers clearly is “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart. But the moment that changed everything came a few years later when she first heard “Phantom of the Opera”. “From there on, I knew I wanted to be a singer!” That childhood dream certainty has since taken her to some remarkable stages. She has sung at venues like Carnegie Hall and St Peter’s Basilica as part of the Voices of Singapore concert choir – experiences that left a deep impression on her. True enjoys spending time with her father and working on music together at their home studio. (Michael Deeb pic) Despite performing around the world, and even being compared to Whitney Houston or Céline Dion, what True truly enjoys most is spending time with her father, an investment banker, at their home studio, writing songs and jamming together. “We consider the studio as a safe space. Whatever we have to say, we don’t like to euphemise it and make it sound sweet. We just say honestly what we think about something,” said True. “We really enjoy our time together to create something. It makes us happy.” One of their most meaningful collaborations is “The Unseen”, which True performed at the Freedom Pom Pom launch in Dubai to raise awareness about underprivileged children. She is also an ambassador for the initiative. With performances, songwriting and advocacy work filling her schedule, True has learnt to juggle music and school life. It requires careful planning (“it can be very challenging!”), although she says she is fortunate to have strong support from both her family and her school. The songwriting process is something that excites True. (Michael Deeb pic) “I’m really fortunate that my parents and my school are super supportive of my journey,” she said. Even her friends play a role. Before her performance in Dubai, she remembers calling one of them while feeling nervous. “She told me, ‘it’s okay, you’re going to do great’, and helped me along the way. This kind of support, from family and friends, is very important for me,” True shared. Having benefited from that encouragement herself, True hopes other young people will also find the confidence to pursue what they love. Her advice to teenagers who hesitate to pursue their gifts is simple. “Don’t let those doubtful feelings stop you. Just do your best and your hardest and try to do as much as you can to pursue your dream,” she said. “Because these dreams can change the world much more than you think you can.” Find out more about True El-Deeb here.