One of the favourite muses of Hong Kong's fashion designers, Kary Ng shares a glimpse of her life undistorted by Instagram
KARY NG shares a glimpse of her life, undistorted by Instagram, with JANICE JANN
HER PETITE FRAME contains an edgier, largerthan-life personality that sets Kary Ng apart from her sweeter-than-pie peers in the music industry. She is married to her long-standing sweetheart Brian Hung, who was formerly nicknamed Hong Kong's Prince of Tennis. Ng is one of the few members of the once nine-strong girl band Cookies that still works in entertainment. She has an eye for clothes and a figure that makes her a favoured muse for fashion designers.
Kary, you began your singing career in high school. Did you always know that was what you wanted to do?
I've always liked to sing. I've always loved doing music. When I was in high school, I realised I liked to perform. I started entering different singing competitions and performing at school. I remember when I was 13 or 14, I told myself I needed to get a record deal.
That came true when you signed with EMI.
For one of the singing competitions, one of the judges was my ex-colleague from EMI, and they were, like, “Oh, I quite like this girl. Maybe she can come in for an audition?” I went in and they liked me, so they were like, “Oh, we want to sign you, but with eight other girls.” So that's how the girl band Cookies started. I was quite sad though.
Because you wanted to be a solo artist?
Yes, but I was so young that I don't think I knew what I was doing. Now that I have thought about it, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to grow with the girls. I don't think I could have done it alone.
Was it tough being the youngest in the group?
It was hard to adjust because I'd just left high school and now I was working with adults. I only knew how to sing. All the girls are so pretty. It was hard for me to build my confidence as a teenager. There were so many times where I would go to my parents and say, “I don't want to do this anymore”. Everyone took good care of me.
Are you all still friends?
These friends are important because they've known me for so long. They keep you grounded. This industry can easily change someone because once you're on the wrong path, you will chase fame and money. They are so important to me because when I try to go in a different direction they'll always pull me back.
Speaking of chasing fame and money, you came into the public eye before social media. How have things changed now that social media are an influence?
A lot has changed, both good and bad. The good side is everything is so easy now, like me connecting with people, especially with my fans. The fans also get to know me more as an artist. The bad side for me is I think everything is too transparent. I like to connect with my fans, but I'm also a pretty private person, so sometimes I feel, wow, this is pretty overwhelming for me.
Is that why you went through an Instagram cleanse?
Oh, I got hacked. The hacker got hold of my account and started deleting all the people that I'm following and started uploading their own photos. I couldn't log in. After it was fixed a lot of photos were deleted and I thought it felt pretty good, like a cleanse.
How do you plan what you share on social media now?
At this moment, I want to be really honest with my fans in terms of what I'm going through. With so much social media it's very hard to see the real person. I've always been honest with my fans and the people that I love. I just want to tell them: I'm not perfect, I'm human too and I go through bad things. I'm not always nice. I try to be.
“With so much social media it’s very hard to see the real person. I’ve always been honest with my fans and the people that I love. I just want to tell them: I’m not perfect, I’m human too and I go through bad things. I’m not always nice. I try to be” KARY NG