Singaporean music video director Jasper Tan once so broke, he worked multiple jobs to fund his passion

Becoming is a series where we showcase individuals who have had to overcome adversity to become the person they are today.

This week, local music video director Jasper Tan sits down with us to talk about the struggles he's faced along the way.

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You might recognise Jasper Tan from Singapore Social — y'know, the "like colourful, like flower flower" guy — but behind the camera is where he shines best.

If you've watched any of local rapper Yung Raja's or singer Gentle Bones' music videos, or perhaps even Tabitha Nauser's Don't Let Me Drown or The Sam Willow's Robot music video, you'd have watched one of Jasper's works.

He's worked with pretty much most of the big names in the local music scene, but the road to being one of the most sought after music video directors in Singapore was paved with hard work. For Jasper, that meant spending nearly every waking moment at some sort of part-time job — as a barista, flipping pancakes or driving a private hire vehicle — whenever he wasn't on set.

And many a time, he thought of just giving it all up. 

Watch the video as Jasper shares with us the ups, the downs, and the lowest points of his career.