Monday February 1, 2010
Karen Kong is first Malaysian to co-host Jade Solid Gold
By MICHAEL CHEANG
Malaysian singer Karen Kong’s star is shining bright.
SHE’S conquered the Internet. She’s made waves in the Malaysian Chinese and Malay markets. She’s made inroads into Taiwan. And now Karen Kong is on her way to capturing hearts in Hong Kong as well.
Karen recently became the first Malaysian to co-host Jade Solid Gold (JSG), one of Hong Kong’s most popular music-chart shows, filming her first episode during the first week of January. She is also set to release her new album in Hong Kong in April, which will include several Cantonese songs as well.
It’s a far cry from her humble beginnings as a failed Malaysian Idol auditionee and subsequent Internet sensation five years ago. Since then, she has released a Malay album (Mulakan) and two Mandarin albums (Showtime and I’m Karen). I’m Karen also marked her debut in Taiwan, where she has been based since 2008.
Ambitious lass: ‘I would also like to release an English album because I like English songs,’ says Karen Kong. She was back in Malaysia last week, where she was unveiled as one of the artistes in audio equipment corporation’s Voices of Audio Technica line-up. (Audio Technica is an audio technology system used by international artistes such as Taylor Swift and Amy Winehouse.)
Karen has been busy making a name for herself in Hong Kong, participating in several talent and variety shows, including singing talent show The Voice, in which she garnered the most points ever from the judges in the history of the show.
Her performance attracted the attention of the producers of JSG and they eventually invited her to replace Taiwan’s Harlem Yu as the guest artiste host on the show.
After a roller-coaster-like 2009, the new year certainly is looking up for the 24-year-old Labuan lass.
“Last year was a very difficult year for me in Taiwan and I grew up a lot during that time. After I’m Karen was launched, things got better, and I’ve been moving forward since then,” she said. “Being able to go to Hong Kong is something that is beyond my expectations.”
According to her producer Fred Chong (also director of Prodigee Media), one of the reasons why she was chosen to host JSG was because she wasn’t some manufactured pop star, but “the real thing”.
“There are lots of fabricated pop stars in Hong Kong, and a lack of people who can really sing. She also connects with the younger crowd, so the show’s producers were attracted to her,” said Chong.
Karen concurred, saying that the rest of the cast and crew like the fact that she can speak so many languages, and can sing as well. They also like having her on the show for another reason.
“My Cantonese pronunciation is not very good, and sometimes I say the wrong words. The others on Jade Solid Gold are always encouraging me to speak Cantonese all the time because they find it funnier that way!” she said, laughing. “They also think I’m unique because I’m a foreigner who can speak Cantonese, Mandarin and other languages as well.”
Another advantage Karen has is that she is also an artiste who can sing along with the live band, but it also meant she has to do a lot more on the show.
“I was very nervous during the first show. There were so many things to do that I didn’t even have time to breathe.
“The first episode I did was a major one because it was also the New Year edition, so it was longer and more grand. I was singing, hosting, play games and teaching Charlene (Choi) to sing Malay songs.”
According to her, settling down in Hong Kong has been easier than expected despite having to learn Cantonese from scratch. She might even be acting in a TV series soon, if things go according to plan. And once she is done with that, the next logical step would be to enter the mainland China market.
For now, however, she is focusing on Hong Kong.
“In future I would also like to release an English album because I like English songs as well, but that would take a lot more planning and research,” she said.
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