Sameera Ahmed | The News Minute | March 23, 2015 | 02.20 pm ISTStephen Yoong, a Malaysian national of Chinese background working in Singapore, would be the least likely person to have connections with the Tamil film industry.But Yoong recently found himself in a situation many might envy - taking a selfie with actor Vijay, who is more fondly known as “Ilayathalapathy Vijay”. Yoong is no ordinary fan. His effortless covers of famous Tamil songs have gained quite a following on YouTube, with viewership rising.He told The News Minute that his musical journey began in 1991 when he first listened to AR Rahman.“When I started to work in Singapore I was introduced to listen to Tamil Movie song "Gentlemen" by AR Rahman Sir, song title "Chikku Bukku Raile..my first Tamil song singing and dancing on the stage for my company Deepavali variety show,” Yoong said in an email to TNM.From songs that were part of “Roja” and “Kadhalan” to “Padaiyappa” and “Muthu”, Yoong admits that Tamil songs have become an addiction.A language said to be difficult for many unfamiliar with it, he said that it was quite “tough and challenging to pick up singing Tamil”.According to him, it was the musical maestro that got him hooked on to Tamil songs. "I was kind of addicted to Tamil songs and alway admire music composed by AR Rahman Sir. Since then I started to follow him and keep listening to his CDs most of the time," he said. Even though Yoong has been dabbling in singing for a long time, it was only in 2013 that Stephen became a big hit after music director Anirudh Ravichandran shared one of his videos on social media. Views rose from 300 to 3,000 instantly. “After that I was motivated to do more and more until now.”In December 2014, he was invited by fans of Vijay in Tirunelveli to attend Vijay’s movie “Kaththi” 50 days celebration.Who’s his favourite Tamil actor? “Superstar Rajini Khan, IlayaThalapathy Vijay, Kamal Hassan, Vikram, Dhanush and etc..,” Yoong rattles off. Does he have any more plans in music?“Recently I was invited for a talk show in Malaysia TV3 Programme title call ‘Tunggu Sekejab’, Malaysia’s famous show...which will air in August 2015. “ TweetFollow @thenewsminute