First-time father Chen Tianwen played his popular song 'Unbelievable' in delivery room

Local actor Chen Tianwen's baby son received an "unbelievable" welcome when he was born at 2.13pm yesterday.

The 52-year-old first-time dad played his two popular songs, Unbelievable and Sandcastle In My Heart, in the delivery room when his China-born wife Bao Xiao Hui, 30, was giving birth.

The baby weighs a healthy 3.5kg.

The New Paper met a beaming Chen right after the delivery at Mount Alvernia Hospital and he proudly showed this reporter countless selfies with his newborn.

He said in Mandarin: "My baby has always reacted to (my singing) and the songs when he was inside his mummy's stomach, so I thought he would have been more excited to come out after hearing the songs."

He added of the seven-hour labour: "The whole process did not take very long. I think the songs worked!"

Chen, who has been in showbiz for three decades, enjoyed a second wind in his career in April after he sang and starred in two music videos, Unbelievable and Sandcastle In My Heart, which went viral.

The hilarious clips, which feature him dressed in a retro 70s outfit complete with a wig, have garnered more than a million views in all.

The videos were promotional material for Channel 5 comedy series Spouse For House 2, in which Chen plays Eric Kwek.

Chen's popularity was evident yesterday. Passers-by kept asking him for photo opportunities in the middle of our interview in the hospital corridor.

He laughed, saying: "Yes, it happens a lot these days. Even the nurses here asked to take pictures with me."

Chen has not thought of a name for his son, but said people around him have been asking him to name him Unbelievable Chen.

GOOD LUCK

"Since he brought me so much good luck and this song became so famous, my friends said my boy should be named Unbelievable. I think it's quite funny, but I don't think my mother and my wife's parents will want that.

"However, the first song I will teach him to sing will be Unbelievable."

He met his wife in 2012, and they got married in May 2013.

The baby was due on Monday. On Thursday night, Madam Bao, who is a housewife, had cramps and was sent to the hospital.

Chen did not sleep a wink that night.

He said: "My wife ate many durians on Thursday night and then vomited all over the floor on Friday morning, and I helped to clean up the mess. I think I am definitely ready for any mess my baby is going to make.

"But I am really afraid of him crying in the wee hours at night. That might be something I am not looking forward to."

Chen said he did not go for any prenatal classes, but believes he is mentally prepared for fatherhood.

He has hired a confinement nanny, who will live with them in his four-room HDB flat in Toa Payoh for the next four weeks, to take care of his wife and baby.

The newborn was alert and responsive when his proud Papa showed him off, smiling and even sticking out his tongue several times for the camera.

"I will definitely not pamper him too much. I am not the kind of dad who will buy too many toys for my child," Chen said.

"When I was in the army, I was a very fierce instructor. I think I might be quite strict with him, but who knows? I might have mellowed with age."

This article was first published on June 13, 2015.
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