JUST for the record, this is what 17-year-old Walter Wong did in December last year.

He cut his own six-song EP called Send, Search, Retrieve in a recording studio.

It is filled with original songs and the arts student at Raffles Junior College says they 'can be compared to what Jason Mraz and Damien Rice do'.

Mraz and Rice have won a following with their mellow pop that explores the human condition.

On the EP, Walter plays guitar and is backed by studio sessionists. Terence Goh, owner of Tiet Studio in Parklane Mall, took care of the recording and production work.

Walter spent almost $10,000, of which $7,000 was borrowed from his parents. The rest came from his savings.

He says it's money well-spent. 'I believe my songs are good and should be shared with others,' says the young man who learnt to play the guitar at 13.

He is in a band with two school friends but says that he is more comfortable working on his own. He has also performed in his previous school, Raffles Institution.

'I believe that I have what it takes to make it in the Singapore music industry,' he adds.

Tracing how the album came about, he says he already had the songs in mind before he chanced upon the contact particulars of Noel Ng, who runs independent label Point Records.

The latter linked him with Goh and things developed from there.

Walter is grateful for Goh's help in coming up with the song arrangements and getting backing musicians.

The recording process was not as smooth as he expected. 'I thought: 'Hey, I wrote the songs, it'll be easy' but trying to get the right emotion took me a while.'

The first song, Spare Spaces, was the most difficult to nail down because of its demanding range of notes. It took about four to five hours to record it.

He is negotiating with a few record stores to distribute his CD but no sale price has been firmed up yet.

While his mother, a housewife, and father, a managing director for products and services in Asia at Chicago Mercantile Exchange, have been supportive, he readily admits that he faced 'quite a lot of doubt and scepticism' from schoolmates.

'Some people say I'm a dreamer and that I should focus more on school,' says Walter whose elder sister is studying in the University of Pennsylvania.

Despite his commitment to music, he says his studies have not suffered. After completing national service, he plans to study in the United States too.

When he was recently in Pennsylvania on a student exchange programme, he performed in a club and says that 'the audience reaction was phenomenal'.

'Ideally, of course, I'll like to make it in the US,' says Walter, who adds that, for now, he will just focus on having his original music heard.

'In Asia, let's be frank - it's not a very big market. Hopefully, I can just put my name out there,' he says.

Whatever happens, he is just glad that he has at least made an effort to record his CD.

He says: 'Chasing our dream is not exactly a concept in Singapore but I'm glad I did it.'