Compiled by C. ARUNO, JAROD LIM and R. ARAVINTHAN
MALAYSIAN singer Gin Lee revealed that she was once so poor as an artiste in Hong Kong that she did not have enough money to see a doctor for her depression, Sin Chew Daily reported.
The 36-year-old, who moved to Hong Kong to pursue a music career in 2010, said she fell into depression when the contract with her first recording label ended and she could not find a new job.
During that time, she cried every day, Lee told the YouTube programme Hidden Talk recently.
“Going to the doctor was too expensive. Whatever money I had was for rent, food and flight tickets to return to Malaysia. It could not be used for treatment,” Lee said.
During the show, she recounted her life as a struggling singer and brought the Hidden Talk team to visit her old apartment in Hong Kong’s North Point, which was only 200 sq ft.
When Lee’s mother first visited her, she cried upon seeing her daughter’s living conditions.
“In our hometown (in Johor Baru), everyone’s house was at least several thousand square feet,” she said.
Her life changed for the better after her parents and older sister moved to Hong Kong to live with her.
“After this dark time in my life, whatever problems I face in the future, I am confident that I will be able to overcome them,” she said.
Lee, whose real name is Jeanie Lee, launched her music career in 2010 after making waves in the reality singing competition The Voice 2.
In 2017, Lee’s Live in the Moment album topped the HKRMA chart for four consecutive weeks and was certified gold within two months.
In 2021, she released a single When the Sun Rises featuring “God of Songs” Jacky Cheung.
The song is about a person who takes a break from pursuing his goals to reflect on the beautiful things around him that he missed along the way.
> Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau shared a heartwarming moment with a fan recently even after her actions startled his bodyguards, China Press reported.
The female fan was seen following Lau to capture a video of her idol while he was promoting his new crime thriller I Did It My Way.
She managed to break through Lau’s security cordon and grab the actor’s left arm.
Even though Lau’s bodyguards appeared stunned, the actor calmly smiled and struck up a chat with the woman.
His security guards politely asked the fan to leave but not before Lau gave her a cheeky wink.
A video of the brief meeting warmed the hearts of Lau’s fans, who praised the actor for truly appreciating his fans.
“We love you ten thousand years!” one Internet user wrote.
The film I Did It My Way was released on Dec 29, 2023 and starred Lau as a drug lord alongside other big names such as Gordon Lam and Eddie Peng.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.
