"You Should Be A Singer!" A Teacher Foretold Homegrown R&B Musician Gail Belmonte's Future

When it comes to sheer enthusiasm, few we know can beat Gail Belmonte, an R&B singer who, slowly but surely, has been making her mark on the local music landscape.

Yes, she knows the struggle is real. Whether it's navigating the highs and lows of the music scene or discovering how the smallest everyday moments can completely shape an artist's trajectory, her journey is as authentic as it gets.

Which is why we wanted her to share her musical journey. Oh, that and the fact that she'll be appearing onstage at Homegrown 2026, the annual music fest that's in its third year, and happening from 11 to 13 Sep at PLQ Mall,

“There is a lot of musical talent, and I can’t wait to share the stage!” she said. 

Organised by Music & Drama Company (MDC), Homegrown 2026 will be headlined by popular singer-songwriter Regina Song and R&B/pop trio brb.

Joining Gail is a diverse platter of homegrown talent including popular Lion City rockers like Forests and 10pm Noise Complaint, and indie groove makers like RINES, Ice Cream Sundays, Dominic Chin, Izzathy Halil, Khim Ng, Aaron Bunac and TP Music Vox.

Gail will be showing her musical chops on 13 Sep with a set of her original songs, and she’s ready for it. “We create a lot of original music. I think (Homegrown) is such a great way for people to discover the local talent (from) Singapore,” she added.

First Steps Into A Larger Universe

For Gail, Homegrown 2026 is just the latest step in her music journey. Growing up in a Filipino household – her parents are Filipino and Gail is a first-generation Singaporean in her family – she listened to a lot of music.

Her parents would play country music (“Rascal Flatts? Love it!”), musical theatre from the likes of Lea Salonga (‘my family is Filipino, so…”) to R&B and soul via Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and Christina Aguilera (“the divas raised me”).

“Those were the artists that informed me when I was growing up and really shaped my voice,” she added.

Then, her parents made her join a children’s choir.

“I was a rambunctious child. So, they put me through choir; just so I had something to do and use up all this energy!” she said.

While in primary school, she entered a singing competition – which she won. “My teacher was like, ‘Wow, you are so good. You should become a singer.

“It didn't really register in my mind, but actually it was like foreshadowing the rest of my life!”

Although she never forgot what her teacher said, her life could really have taken a very different path.

“As I was choosing tertiary education, I did think about going the traditional route and doing business,” she said.

But her dad intervened. “He was like, ‘Why don't you go to LaSalle (College Of The Arts)’? They have a music programme, and if you really like music, you should just do it.’

“Honestly, if my dad didn't actually present that as an option, I totally wouldn't have even done it.

“So, it's my dad's fault that I'm in this industry, and I can't go back!” she laughed. “But I love it, no regrets!”

Just Putting It Out There

Interestingly, despite her interest in music, Gail never thought about writing her own songs until she was studying at LaSalle, where she had to do a recital.

“I was under the impression that I was going to be a cover artist… so writing songs never crossed my mind until our recital. We were asked to do songs that represented us, and I was like, 'Okay, maybe I could try writing'.”

That led to her eventually dropping her debut single, the R&B ballad, "Tonight" in 2020. She has since released more music, with her latest single, "Playing House", coming out earlier this year. Her songs are heartfelt, emotive excursions into the human condition, from relationships to personal insecurities.  

While she likes writing songs, it wasn't always easy for her to do so; and it wasn't because she didn't have time.  

“Everything I do in my life has to go through some sort of mental interrogation before I commit to something,” she explained.

"I always thought in my head, ‘My gosh, I'm so cringe’, and that nobody was going to want to listen (to my music). Now, I feel like every artist has to go through that to fully appreciate the work that is put out. I realised that I should just put it out there.

“I’m really glad I did that because I have enough songs to cover a 30-minute set at Homegrown!” she laughed. “At least that amounted to some good.”

But putting your songs on platforms and actually doing it for a living are two different things. She had envisioned herself gigging for the rest of her life until reality set in, and she had to find a way to make ends meet.

“I started to take up a lot of other jobs like teaching and gigging at the same time; doing a bunch of stuff while also keeping this creative spark alive, like doing my songwriting,” she said.

By this time, she’d joined the MDC, a move she said let her love of music grow and made her more aware of herself as a singer and songwriter.

It also helped that she was surrounded by like-minded people. “Support is very important, like championing each other,” she said.

“The world is so tough. The simplest thing is to be supportive. And so far, I've found such a great connection with the people that I work with here.

“It's really fuelled my inspiration for writing – continuing my journey as an artist, be it being a vocalist or being a songwriter or even teaching, for that matter.”

As a member of MDC, she performs regularly at shows the public won’t usually see, such as Recruits’ Nights at BMTC in Pulau Tekong.

“Doing the Recruits’ Night is actually quite uplifting in a very unexpected way,” she said. “I used to think, ‘This is just a gig, and I'm just going to go in and perform’.

“But the energy (from the recruits) is palpable, and … it's great encouragement. Seeing that at the end of the week – because we're there for the whole week doing the show – it's kind of fulfilling.

“I'm just happy to be a part of that in some way.”

There's Something About Local Music

But Gail isn’t an idealist. She knows what it takes for local musicians to thrive – or survive – in Singapore.

“It's important to say that I am a local artist. There's a lot of weight that comes with that because a lot of identity is attached to that,” she said. "If we say ‘local music’, a lot of the time people associate that with National Day songs."

She continued: “Somehow there's always this stigma to saying that you're a local artist. There is a bit of an identity crisis because the music that we consume is mostly from overseas or something that isn't truly from here.

"But (you have to) search within first – you have to understand what it is about being a Singaporean that you dislike having somebody say, ‘I'm a local artist’ or whatever."

So how does one get rid of that stigma? “We have to focus on loving our identity first and start loving ourselves. From there, the support and the love for everything local will come naturally,” said Gail.

There’s no harm, she continued, in consuming more local music, and it’s much easier to do so these days. Online streaming platforms have an abundance of Singapore-made music, with curated playlists just for that purpose. And there are local gigs every week.

“You don't have to like everything that you listen to. But in Singapore, it's more important now to at least give it a listen,” she said.

If you need help getting started, she recommends listening to her favourites: Sezairi, Charlie Lim and her MDC mates Dominic Chin and RINES, who’ll also be appearing at Homegrown 2026.

“Special mention to them, because I work with them a lot!” she laughed. "But really, we've been here in this company for a while, seeing each other grow creatively and personally as well – I just can't wait for them to show just how their stories have evolved over these years.

“I think there's a lot of great music to be discovered.”

Discover great music at Homegrown 2026, 11 to 13 Sep @ PLQ Mall. Follow MDC to get updates

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