Guitar-slinging Singapore granny shreds stereotypes

SINGAPORE: An 81-year-old guitar-slinging Singaporean granny has shredded stereotypes to pursue her love of rock music, becoming a sought-after performer and unlikely internet sensation. She performs in front of a huge crowd at Singapore´s National Day Parade

Mary Ho´s late-flourishing career will reach its zenith Wednesday when , marking 52 years of the city-state´s independence.

Grandmother of seven Ho only started playing the guitar at 60, fulfilling a lifelong dream to learn the instrument.

She initially taught herself from a book with an acoustic and was content strumming along and singing.

But when a friend introduced her to rock star Carlos Santana´s classic track "Samba Pa Ti" about a decade ago, she decided to seek some professional tutoring to shift things up a few gears.

"It was too difficult (to learn on my own) so I found a teacher," she told AFP.
"But the teacher looked at me and said ´Oh I´ve never taught anyone your age before´."

Despite not knowing how to read music, Ho was determined to learn her favourite song and practised up to three hours a day to get the hang of it.

Since then, she´s amassed a collection of more than 20 guitars, recorded her own album of Latin music and is often in demand for charity gigs.

A video of Ho playing rock classic "Need Your Love So Bad" has more than 1.1 million views on YouTube.

In fast-ageing Singapore, Ho is a poster child for how to remain active when elderly, and has featured in various campaigns encouraging senior citizens to stay active.

She admitted to feeling a little anxious ahead of Wednesday´s performance before a crowd of 27,000 at the parade, which features a military tattoo before a festive show featuring local stars.

"Being my first time for such a large performance, I naturally feel very nervous," she said.

Asked if she was exhausted from all her activities, Ho simply laughed.

"Maybe it´s just my nature, it´s the love of doing things, learning things... I don´t ever get tired," she said.