Roger Wang, The Musician Who Found Ooosh!™ At The Right Time And Place

Roger Wang, a musician and woodworking artist.

My name is Roger. 

I am a musician and I also do woodworking. Basically, I make things, creative things – music and woodwork.

I have a passion for making things – it’s the foundation of all that I do, whether it be music, digital media or woodwork; and making things happen.

I left music for a while though, in about 2018. Because I’ve been burning out without realizing. It wasn’t easy to make music and make a living to support a family – people stopped buying albums, streaming doesn’t pay as well, and it seems like the only way is to be a YouTuber, but that makes you a YouTuber, not a musician. Now that I look back, I realize what was happening. There is danger in making your passion, your work. I wasn’t careful, and music ended up being work – every time I picked up the guitar, it was just work. I didn’t spend enough time doing things simply because it brought me joy – like learning a song just because I wanted to – but because I had to for a gig, which led me to learn it only half-heartedly – merely enough to get through the gig. I ended up just going through the motions. When the soul is not fed and you’re just doing something to pay bills, you burn out.

"I've been burning out without realizing."

Luckily, I found woodworking. It was initially for practical reasons – I was moving to a new house, and I had things to make and things to fix. But I suddenly realized that I felt the same type of joy that I haven’t felt in a long time – the joy I once felt during my early days in music – and that was because I was creating again! I was making something again! And out of joy, I made something – and this time, it’s something physical, and it’s this one thing that cannot be copied nor streamed. You see, music was not always tangible – you don’t always get to touch or see it. So, I found myself taking woodworking more seriously.

Exquisite woodwork crafted by Roger Wang at the prestigious Sabah International Convention Center (SICC).

Now, I’m back on music again, after a few years of hiatus. And amazingly, I’m falling in love with music all over again. I finally want to pick my guitar up to play it again after coming back from work. I’m just trying to maintain this rhythm now – woodworking being the main work, and music being my side hustle and something I enjoy doing. By maintaining these two sides of things, I love that I get to pick and choose now. And I’ve learnt to always make sure that I have passion projects after the burnout I’ve experienced. This applies even to woodworking. I would choose to make a guitar – not to sell – just to learn new things and to remind myself why I’m doing this.

Since I decided to get back to music, losing hair started to make me feel more insecure – especially when I’m onstage under bright lights. My hair loss happened gradually over the years – the hairline got higher over time. But it was only in recent years that the hair loss became more obvious. Back then, I used to joke, “I’m not losing hair, I’m gaining face!” But it got to a point where it’s no longer funny and became more painfully real. My father experienced hair loss, and I’ve always tried to brace the thought of experiencing the same thing because it was in my genes and there was nothing I could do about it. But this didn’t change the fact that I didn’t feel good about myself. Even when I posted pictures of myself, I’d deliberately crop off the top part of my forehead to hide my hair loss.

When posting pictures, Roger would deliberately crop off the top part of his forehead to hide his hair loss.

But I don’t have to feel that way anymore. Truly, everything happens for a reason at the right time, because I came across Ooosh!™ and Abel (Director of Ooosh!™ Malaysia) when I was ready to be up on stage performing again. I’ve known Abel for a few years through music. Coincidentally, Annie (Manager of Ooosh!™ Malaysia) was looking for a musician for the launch of Ooosh!™ Malaysia and found me. So everything just fell into place. Before Ooosh!™, I’ve always been skeptical about these “hair growth solutions”. Once, I tried a hair growth treatment when I was in KL. You know how they’re always like, “Free consultation!” So, I decided to give it a try to find out what it’s all about and got a consultation. I told them that I’ll think about it but they didn’t let me think about it. It got to a point where I told them I had to go to the ATM to sort things out for payment, and they followed me all the way to the ATM! It left me with a very bad taste. I don’t know if their treatment works, because I never went back again after what I’ve experienced. But when it came to Ooosh!™ and Abel, things were different. I know Abel, and I know that he doesn’t need a scam job to earn a living (laughs). He convinced me to give Ooosh!™ a go, and so I did. I didn’t tell anyone about my going to a hair growth treatment except my family. But after 6 months of treatment, people around me started noticing a difference in my hair. I couldn’t believe it myself unless I looked back at the photos of what my hair was like before Ooosh!™. Now my hair looks thick and healthy!

I’ve got a word of encouragement to those who are experiencing hair loss. Your hair doesn’t really change you. It may change your appearance, but it doesn’t change you as a person. My wife would constantly tell me that she would still love me the same – with or without hair. Always remember that confidence comes from within. You may be bald or have a head full of really nice hair, but people sense your confidence that comes from the inside of you, not by how you look. As the saying goes, “Beauty is from within.”

"Always remember that confidence comes from within."

I am Roger Wang; I like to make things and make things happen.

And this is my Ooosh!™ Story.