The Hong Kong singer, actor and kickboxing fan finally puts on a show
Hong Kong singer, songwriter and actor Deep Ng often jets into Thailand - he's a regular visitor to Lumpini Boxing Stadium - but last weekend was the first time he'd actually performed here, putting on a show at the Pattaya International Music Festival.
"I usually come here to practice muay thai," says the 26-year-old singer in an interview before heading off to the pink stage for the official festival opening. "And to eat khao man kai [chicken rice] too."
During his show, Deep Ng, who's signed with the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG), performed "Miracle", "Ji Shi Shi, a Cantonese version of Pongsak "Off" Rattanapong's "Thang Khang Lang Thalu Theung Huajai", "Xian Ru", and "Qi Wang."
Prior to the fest, there were worries that many foreign artists, Deep Ng included, might cancel plans for coming to the Kingdom because of the red-shirt movement.
"I was a bit worried watching it on TV. But I didn't really mind," he says. "I was warned against coming here because of the political situation but decided to come anyway."
Deep Ng's singing career spans eight years and kicked off with a music contest. He started playing guitar when he was 14.
Who inspired him to be a singer?
"The first was Lin Zhi Xiang, who was a very proficient Hong Kong singer, and the second is Leslie Zhang, who I've seen on TV since I was a kid and who I admire tremendously."
How tough is it to be a well-known singer in Hong Kong?
"It's very hard because Hong Kong is full of paparazzi and their photos can be very upsetting. I always to be very vigilant about what I do and who I talk to and that's very stressful. The most upsetting report to date took place when my mother died. It was reported that I had no money and let my girlfriend pay for everything. That wasn't true at all, though it's true that I did have some financial support from my label," he says. "And ou always have to be on top of your profession, as many new and talented singers are always emerging on the scene."
Deep Ng expects to release his new album in the middle of this year.
"It will feature all the songs I've written for other singers [including Hong Kong girl duo Twins], but I'll be doing them unplugged," he reveals.
Apart from music, he'll be shooting a film in July.
Which film or TV drama does he think made him most famous?
"It's a 20-minute short story in the series, 'Mei You Qiang de Shi Jle', which aired on Hong Kong's TV channel in January. I play a deaf man. It was very hard. I couldn't gesture with my hands but had to lip read," he says.
And what will he tell his labelmates about the Pattaya festival?
"I won't tell anybody because I want to be the one coming back," he laughs.
ON THE TUBE
- See Deep Ng's show at at www.YouTube.com/watch?v|=_oAg6Fadcvo and www.You|Tube.com/watch?v=wsv1M5MNh8s.
