15 minutes
PERSEVERANCE, drive and ambition are what got Alvin Chong to where he is today. The 28-year-old singer and actor has a fanbase that cuts across different races in Malaysia.
When we caught up with this young star, he had just returned to Malaysia after performing at the recent Asia Song Festival in South Korea, an annual event that celebrates music from across Asia.
He is the fourth Malaysian artiste to be invited to this prestigious music festival.
It’s the culmination of a dream that began when Chong reached the top five of the Astro Talent Quest singing competition in 2009, and he has gone from strength to strength ever since.
The multilingual Chong has recorded songs in Chinese, Malay and English.
Speaking about his performance in South Korea, Chong said: “I was excited and also nervous because I had not performed in a foreign country before.
“I think language was one of the barriers because I did not think I could communicate with them. I don’t sing in Korean, and so I did not think that the crowd would be receptive towards me.
“But the crowd was made up of Koreans and Chinese. When I sang my Chinese song, BNCA, surprisingly there was a response.
“I think this is one of the strengths I have compared to other artistes. I can go into a different market if I wanted to.
“In the future I am looking at doing bilingual songs such as Korean-English, Chinese-English, and Thai-English. Music is universal, you don’t have to know what I am singing, you just need to feel the song.”
He also plans to learn a few words in other languages so that he can better engage with his audience.
“I am grateful for all the opportunities that I have had. I plan to break into the Southeast Asian market before going worldwide.”
It’s certainly a far cry from his limited language skills in the past. Chong admitted that he wasn’t fluent in English and Malay when he was younger.
“I was born and raised in Kelantan. The only language I could speak fluently was Mandarin. My English and Malay was really bad. I could not even carry a normal conversation. I would speak in Mandarin with a bit of Hokkien, and a bit of English and Malay.
“I still remember going to Australia when I was 21, and I could not even order at the McDonald’s.”
On top of being unable to speak English well at the time, the Australian accent threw him off further.
“I started to watch English-language series on NTV7 that had subtitles, and I would write things [I was unsure about] down in a notebook and look them up later.”
On what inspired him to pursue a singing career, Chong said: “Back in school when we were asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, I would say a doctor, a scientist and so on.
“As I grew older, I didn’t want to do all that. i just wanted to be successful in whatever I was doing. When I took part in the [Astro Talent Quest] competition, I realised this was what I wanted to do.
“I felt content. I felt I was being acknowledged. Coincidentally, [after the competition] I was offered a recording contract with Galaxy Group.”
Chong slowly began making his name in the industry, but realised that the Chinese market here is very much a niche one. He knew that he would have to move out of his comfort zone, and try to appeal to a wider audience.
He decided to try his hand at acting. He set about knocking the doors of several local production houses. His efforts earned him roles in three local Chinese movies: 3 Brothers (2014), The Dream Boyz (2015) and Huat The Fish (2016).
His acting career really took off when he began starring in Malay drama series in 2016. Audiences reacted positively to his roles in Suri Hati Mr Pilot and Mak Cun. Chong also gained praise after recording songs in Malay – Lagu Mu and Mencintaimu.
“I never thought I could capture the Malay market because it is not my primary language,” said Chong.
“Now, the Malay market sees me as an actor, while the Chinese market sees me more as a singer. I am trying to strike a balance between the two, where people will see me as an actor who can sing.”
Chong also took time to adress rumours that he is dating actress Emma Maembong, his co-star in the drama series Awak Suka Saya Tak.
He clarified that he is still very much single, saying: “[Fans] do love watching us onscreen and we do share great chemistry ... because we are good friends. We are always checking up on each other. Once you are best friends, it is impossible to cross any lines.
“People still don’t get it, [and] still hope we will get together. I just hope that they understand that whatever happens, if it is meant to be, then it is meant to be.”
Chong also revealed that over the next few months, he will be travelling overseas in the hopes of landing an acting role in an international production.
He adds that he is a huge fan of actors Hugh Jackman, Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron.
“They resonate with me because they can sing and act at the same time. That is what I am trying to do. I want to do something like High School Musical or The Greatest Showman. I am working towards that.”
Since he never had any formal training as an actor or singer, Chong plans to brush up on his weaknesses in order to “achieve his goals” as an entertainer.
Chong admits that he is the kind of guy who “doesn’t aim too high”, because he gets disappointed when his efforts fall short, for any reason.
“I don’t like disappointments. I don’t want to do too many things and then get nowhere. I like to plan out everything I do. I don’t want to miss out on opportunities because I did not have a plan.
“So I will have a solid plan, and if something good comes along, I will just go with it.’
