Joyce Cheng Thought About Leaving the Industry
Life does not come easy to those who have famous parents, especially for someone like Joyce Cheng (鄭欣宜), the daughter of legendary actor-singer Adam Cheng (鄭少秋) and the late Hong Kong comedian Lydia Shum (沉澱霞). Joyce has to constantly try to walk out of the shadows of her mother and father.
The frequent comparisons between Joyce and her parents was one of the reasons why she considered leaving the industry in 2013, when she left TVB management after her contract expired. “I used to think about my actions, and whether it would affect my parents, whether or not I’ll be liked. Because of the excessive thoughts, I wasn’t able to focus on my work. I could not focus on my music and acting.”
It was Joyce’s family and friends who told her that seeing her leave the industry would be a big waste of talent. “Little by little, they gave me more courage to continue,” said Joyce. “They made me believe that I do belong here.” It was around this time when Joyce met Stephen Shiu Jr (蕭定一), and signed a new management contract with China 3D Digital Entertainment.
Joyce continued, “I’ve come to realize that I really owe a lot to my viewers and fans, as they gave me their most precious thing – time. I used to be preoccupied about worrying my appearance on stage, my expressions, and whether or not I’ll be liked by the audience. Worrying about all these things would not help me focus on my performance. I should be engaged in it, and enjoy it.”
After joining China 3D Digital Entertainment, Joyce has finally found a new way to live – and that is to be herself. She gained weight, starred in movies, and released new, upbeat music. Her latest single “Stupid With You” is an upbeat, lighthearted pop song featuring close friend Hanjin Tan (陳奐仁), who also wrote and produced the song.
“I’ve noticed Hanjin since I debuted in the industry. I really admire his music, and his songs are usually very upbeat. I enjoy fast songs, so I’ve always wanted to work with him,” said Joyce. “I never had the opportunity to do so until now.”
Before signing with China 3D, Joyce’s former record label favored sad love songs, and that became the genre and style of music Joyce was known for. Joyce won numerous music accolades and was also a best-selling singer. Despite these achievements, it was hard for Joyce to find happiness.
“I like to play music once I get up from bed. Listening to music in the morning brings out the positivity in you, and it’ll be the start of a new day. When I used to sing sad songs, it was hard to train my voice because the songs made me unhappy. When you’re a singer, you also have to be an actor because you have to make the listeners understand the story of the song you’re singing. That really affected me emotionally.”
A fake, idealized image was what Joyce used to carry in the past, but now, the 27-year-old said she can finally take a break from all the acting, and go back to who she truly is. “If I do speak up, people can start talking about it. Maybe my suggestion will not receive total acceptance, but if I don’t try, I’ll never get the opportunity.”
Source: Sina.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Seriously the new generation is more into looks than real talent. Joyce can sing and act but her late mother is far more talented than she is, IMO. Maybe it’s time to move on, girl.
Lol, stop comparing her to her mother. Her mother is her mother, she is herself. Mother and daughter but two completely different people, who walked/walks different life paths and have different experiences and different personalities. She HAS moved on, hence why she still in the industry doing her OWN thing and didn’t stick to tvb management to peruse what she loves to do.
I say good on her for striving on and not just letting her doubts get to her and not giving up.
The new generation also seems to be far more into comparing daughter to mother than acknowledging Joyce as a talented actor/singer in her own right. There really is no way to compare the two and no comparison worthy of being made.
The ‘current generation’ riiiiight. I think every generation is guilty of that. Do you think Leon, Andy and Aaron were popular in the 90s because they were exceptionally talented? I highly doubt it. And the most popular hong Kong singer among the current generation is Eason Chan, who’s not really known for his looks, so your argument is invalid.
Well, I didn’t mean to create an “arguement”, it was just my opinion. And you mentioned the four heavenly Kings but you missed out Jacky Cheung which I think he’s famous because of his great voice and by you mentioning Eason Chen as the “current generation”?? What a joke!
Eason chan is indeed currently super popular with the younger hk crowd. The ones that still listen to cantopop that is. You might not like him and yeah he started out in the mid nineties but no other rookie or singer nowadays can be compared to him in terms of popularity, that is a fact.
Thinking that you should watch the show I am a singer to know who the youngsters are listening to before saying that the new generation is more into looks than real talent. Any generation cares for look and talent. Do you remember what Leon Lai is famous for?
When I went to his concerts both in hong Kong and in the O2 arena in the UK before most people in the crowd were college-aged early 20 people like me. So yeah, I would classify that as the ‘current generation’.
Well chinese ppl do look at the looks and body frame pretty much in HK I don’t know why weighing 90 pounds is consider sexy…when ur like 5ft 5 and etc..Joyce has so much potential in her it’s really ashame if she does leave but whatever makes her happy is all good Joyce I support u all the way!!!
well, it all depends on how much talent you actually have. look at maria cadero, she’s overweight and is not considered sexy or hot. but people do enjoy watching her and listening to her sing. if joy is at her level, people wouldn’t just talk about her looks. joyce does have talent, but her talent is at average with other newcomers in hk.
Honestly I think Joyce looks great AND she is talented as well! It would be a real shame if she leaves, she is one of the better girls in the show business.
I heard her sing at Janice’s 2014 concert and it’s pretty good. I guess in the entertainment industry, looks needs to be part and parcel for increase sale and advertising endorsement. Record companies are not going to promote you unless u bring in the $$$. You can only rely so much or ‘give face’ for a few times, the rest is up to you to prove yourself.
Yep totally agree but only in the Asian market if they were in US it don’t matter if ur chubby or fat and no looks u could still make it big if u have the skills and attitude u will be heard and rise to the top….
Rephrase as per attitude I mean is not willing to let anything get in your way work ur way up no matter how hard it is…
Keep up the good work Joyce. Do you own thing and be yourself. That will give you most satisfaction. 🙂
The problem is the route she is taking aka singing does not allow for a different image than the usual super skinny one. Her mother had great success despite her looks because she was from a different era, singing was not her main route but hosting is and everything else is subsequent to that hosting. She has gained a lot of weight, I am not sure if it is tied to the pressure and I hope she doesn’t let her effort go to waste. I suppose her mother left her with a small fortune, enough for her to do whatever she wants as she does not need to conform. I wish her luck and happiness and not mind so much about everything else. But the truth is she should be more famous than she is and her main claim to fame is at this moment still being the daughter of Lydia Shum. I want her to break away so maybe she should find her chance other than in HK which in the end is not a healthy environment for an aspiring singer such as herself.
Joyce has to wake up to the reality that she has no talent at all. She can’t sing. She can’t act. She has no looks. She has no sex appeal. And as much as she slimmed herself down, she still has that baby fat. If not the fact that she has influential parent in Lydia Sum at TVB, she wouldn’t even get a foot into the entertainment industry. She should look elsewhere to earn a living but not in entertainment.
She can act and sing however she needs to wake up. Otherwise she will be obese like her mother. Spoiled since she was a child and only sees thing her way. LOL! 😀 🙁
I agree 100%. Very well said. Bravo!
Hope she find happiness in whatever she is doing. She is beautiful! She can sing!
hong kong is a very superficial place
Not just HK but I have noticed that many countries,especially the Asian countries place a lot of emphasis on looks which is why plastic surgery is so prevalent,especially in South Korea.
The fact is her weight issue is bringing her down. This is a very cruel industry, even if you are very talented, but if you don’t have the looks, it will be a struggle or you’ll need to think a lot doing something else. For her, she was born to two very famous parents, people can’t help but to compare her with them which I think is not fair either. Can she sing and act? Of course she can! Coz its in her genes! But she’s lost her biggest support which is her mom. Wish her all th best regardless of what she chooses to pursue.
I hope she does not leave because it will be a big waste of her hard work and talents. Maybe she can leave for awhile and come back since many have done that in the past and then have rose to success afterwards. Wish her success regardless of what she does.
I haven’t seen enough of the late Lydia Shum’s work to say she is talented. But judging from the stuff that I have seen growing up I think Joyce is already talented as her mother. I only recall her mother always laughing during some TV show and saying she’s going to piss her pants from laughing too hard. Oh, and that time when she stood on some eggs without breaking them for some charity event. Talent? I don’t know.
For Joyce tho, I feel sorry for her. In HK, looks always comes first. You just have to see the amount of beauty advertisement on TV. Skin whitening cream, weight loss drinks etc etc. When you have talent like Joyce but not exactly the appearance to go with it, its harder for the public to accept and take her seriously. That’s just the way this world works unfortunately. She sings well and is much better than a lot of artist that is much more famous than her. She has a fun side to her as well and don’t mind being laughed at.
Anyway, hope she don’t leave. But probably best to move on from TVB and explore other possibilities within the entertainment circle.
Don’t know if any of you know Chinese actress Han Hong? She is not really good looking but is very very talented, so many have accepted and love her regardless of looks. She has shown that you do not need to be the typical beauty in order to get successful in the circle. If Han Hong can show that talent can rise above all then Joyce definately can.
I agree that it is sad how it is all about looks instead of talent nowadays. Oh yes,what is up with being stick skinny and having very light and white skin? I know Thai people are crazy over that. I remember watching the Price of Beauty how one lady permanently damaged her skin by trying to bleach it white,but ended up messing it up to the point that she cannot even go into the sun without burning. It was so sad and I feel that all of these advertisements about beauty are so superficial.
Opps meant to say singer not actress. She sang one version of The Myth with Sun Nan.
I’m not too familiar with Han Hong. Did a quick search and it seems she’s better known in China. I was very much talking about Joyce in the HK industry. The fact is, HK society is a place where beauty comes before talent. You look at some of the past winners from TVB’s the voice, where are they now? Their not given a contract cos they don’t have the looks. Credit to China if they are willing to accept talent first over looks. Maybe Joyce could venture into that market.
Dot, Joyce is talented but she is nowhere near her mother who was TVB’s most powerful woman and HK’s most beloved celebrity. She may not have exceled in one single thing but her mother was a master of everything and yes her laughter can be too much at times but in times like these I missed her hearty laughter the most. Her mother made it during the time when her size meant nothing. Her talent is making the audience love her and her death was big news. I am not pulling Joyce down but I don’t think she or anyone else could ever reach Lydia’s height. Different era and different expectations. And no one questioned her mother’s look who was a beautiful woman despite her size.
As you have said, different era, different expectations. Lydia would have probably be going through the same thing as her daughter now if the roles were reversed.
I personally like Joyce. Not for her personality ’cause from what I’ve heard, it ain’t that great. However I am biased towards her talent. Just like how people are biased towards Lydia’s talent. Lydia did break a lot of barriers toward celebrity images, but that came with tremendous insults. Lydia doesn’t have it easy back then either you know. Even towards the later years of her life, she was still insulted for being fat, but now in an affectionate way. HK’s mentality is really simple…most ppl’s mentality is pretty simple. Push them on your TV screen constantly and you’ll like them eventually, as long as they’re not overly obnoxious. Persistence, talent and consistent exposure can do amazing things for a celebrity.
You mean her name as Fei Fei? It is not malicious. It is a term of endearment. The fact that Adam Cheng virtually had no career and unanimous hate amongst viewers shows how much they love the wife.
HK mentality is this;
*** is slim.
*** is fat.
That’s the reality.
No, Lydia didn’t have it easy back then either, but it’s true that with a different generation comes a different set of expectations. Lydia was already a big star even before she become one of TVB’s most prized hosts — she had already made a name for herself back during the Shaw Brothers movie era and was already well-loved back then (before TVB even existed). Sure, people made fun of her weight back then too, but the great thing is that she was able to turn her weight thing into a ‘trademark’ of sorts early on, so it wasn’t really a negative thing (plus it also helped that the media was less cruel back then)….that is, until her relationship with Adam Cheng (it was during those years with Adam that the media really focused a lot on her weight).
Either way, it’s definitely unfair to compare Joyce with her mother – Lydia is and always will be a legend and when she died, all of HK was in mourning. Funn is right in that no one will ever be able to reach Lydia’s status in the industry, as she is absolutely irreplaceable. All Lydia ever wanted was for her beloved daughter to be happy and that’s what most of us who watched Joyce grow up want as well – so if being true to herself and not caring about her weight makes Joyce happy, then so be it.
P.S.: Joyce is definitely talented. For those who say she has no talent and just relies on her parents’ fame – well, you probably have not heard her sing. She has a beautiful voice and good singing skills. Whether she makes it in the HK entertainment industry or not doesn’t matter to me – I appreciate her talent and will continue to support her!
I think Joyce is a talented singer and I like her okay. But the thing is she is just not well liked among the general hk public, never had been. You can easily accuse them of being superficial but I don’t think that’s all there is, partly is to blame on her mother if you believe the hk forums. Little privileged girl with famous parents get all these opportunities that, in their eyes, are not ‘deserved’. That rubs people the wrong way. Justified or not. Look at how many people hated 16 year old Nicholas Tse for no other reason than he’s the ‘son of’ when he first started out.
Give the hong Kong people more credit. People call Eason chan fat and ugly all the time and he’s more popular than ever. They do recognise talent but being likable may be even more important to them. And that’s true for everyone