Joyce Cheng

Singer and Actress

"What you're facing right now is hard, but you have to trust your heart and be a good person - don't take the easy way out. You made the right choice and you have what it takes to get out of this rut."

People always see me as pretty optimistic and confident. They hear my big laugh and think that I don't have a care in the world. But of course, reality always looks a little different. I have been living in the spotlight since I was young. I was under a lot of pressure and I didn't know how to cope. For a while, I suffered from insomnia.

Before officially launching my career in the entertainment industry, a lot of people told me that I couldn't do it, that I didn't have the talent for it. Even when I started working, people told me not to pursue singing, and that I should settle for being a TV host.

But I didn't listen. I love the feeling of being on stage, hearing applause from the audience, and pouring my whole self into a performance. I knew deep inside that I belonged on the stage. So I learned to sing, dance, and act, so that I could become a well-rounded performing artist.

My hard work didn't always pay off. There was a time when I just wasn't gaining any traction. I would sit at home waiting to hear back from jobs. I had released a new song, but no one knew about it. I felt like I had already worked so hard and I just wanted to give up. I told my friends, "I can't do this anymore, maybe I should just go back to Canada to study."

When my friends heard this, they became exasperated with how willing I was to give up. They said, "You're going to give up just because of a small setback? ", "You're going to give up on so many years of hard work just like that? What a waste of effort!" Then they quickly changed their tone and comforted me, saying: "We will support you no matter what you decide."

My friends' words challenged me to reflect deeply. They were right. If I really loved something, I had to truly commit my whole self to doing it. So I decided to keep going - to continue studying and improving myself. I also did a lot of exercise to cope with my anxiety.

In 2016, I finally released a hit song "Goddess". After that, I also starred in a film, "29+1", and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Last year, because of the pandemic, there was a pretty drastic reduction in my workload. I'm the type of person who hates to sit around and wait for opportunities, because I know that if I slow down, I will become lazy and fall back into old habits. I decided to take advantage of this extra time and start my own YouTube channel. Originally, I just wanted to use it as an opportunity to keep practicing being on screen - I had no idea I would attract such a large following. This accidental success really made me grateful that I had not given up.