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Putting toGreen Pop Star Former Hong Kong Ladies Champion Stephanie Ho hit the headlines after starring on TVB's singing programme, The Voice, but is not quite ready to hang up her clubs despite realising most teenagers' dreams of breaking into the music world. The 17-year-old amateur took time out of her packed schedule to talk to Joey Mok about her hopes and dreams ahead of representing Hong Kong at this year's Asian Games in Guangzhou and World Amateur Team Championship while also balancing her education with a burgeoning signing career
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hy did you decide to take part in The Voice? I was a very talkative girl when I was growing up and I loved watching T V and I sang songs while I was watching TV. Also, while in primary and secondary school I was a member of a choir until I started learning to sing four years ago. Singing was still a hobby as there were not many opportunities for me to showcase my talents to others but, I always liked watching programmes like American Idol and Britain's Got Talent and I had never seen a similar show in Hong Kong so I wanted to be part of it. The schedule was very tight because we needed to choose one song to perform each week. It was quite difficult for me to choose around 10 songs during the contest which lasted for two to three months. I also did not have a lot of time to practice and learn them and I would normally spend one to two hours at singing lessons then practice at home.
Stephanie Ho, Foreign Correspondents' Club, August 2010 78
HK Golfer・OCT/NOV 2010
Photo by Charles McLaughlin
HKGOLFER.COM
HKGOLFER.COM
The Voice, like golf, is a competition, did you enter with the sole intention of winning, or was it just a platform to showcase your ability? In the beginning, my only thought was that I had gained an audition. I felt that it was already an honour to have three stars listen to my voice when I had my first audition. I have now signed a contract to be a singer with TVB and this is a chance for others to understand me better and for me to spread positive messages. Apart from the actual singing contest, we also learnt a lot from the concert and other functions. Also, there will be another group of contestants coming out of the second season of The Voice which will lead to greater competition and challenge us to improve. Do you feel you are now leading a celebrity lifestyle? I don't often think about it like that. It is only a year after the contest so it is really difficult to say I am now leading a celebrity lifestyle. I am still singing, the only thing that is special is that I have more platforms at my disposal than others as I have functions and concerts to keep myself in the public eye. I always felt hesitant about the field of entertainment because of its instability of work. However, there are 20 of us participating in The Voice, the atmosphere is very harmonious. Everything becomes simpler because we act as a team and we support each other. When it comes to decision making, you can't think whether you have the ability to do the job, whether you will have stable work, you just have to move on. HK Golfer・OCT/NOV 2010
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You now split your time between playing golf and singing, do you think this will affect your performance on the course? You never k now what will happen in entertainment so there are not many plans made in advance. It is not like playing golf when you know when the next tournament will be and you can practice more to ensure you perform. In the entertainment industry, I always need to be ready because you never know what will happen tomorrow, but there are distractions for sure. From the beginning to the end, The Voice is a large project. However, as long as I am able to balance my time well and I can focus, I am confident I can achieve the right results. I won the Hong Kong Junior Open last summer even though I had joined The Voice and my results since have also been satisfactory. Do you find it difficult to prepare mentally? In the beginning I did struggle, but I have been playing golf for nearly 11 years so I have learnt how to adjust my mentality. Once I pick up my golf clubs, I am able to realise the situation and focus. Singing, on the other hand, is more difficult because I am not very experienced. After The Voice, I have adjusted to the rapid shift between golf and singing, as well as my studies, and I think I am able to manage my time. I have home schooling four mornings a week and in the afternoon I usually play golf and my singing lessons are usually at night so my time is quite well planned.
Leading Ladies: Stephanie with good friend Tiffany Chan (above) at the Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur Championship in 2009. The pair have dominated local ladies golf for the past two years. 80
The Voice was a huge success and the participants instantly became famous, how do you deal with the pressure and criticism? There was a lot of criticism when The Voice first started, maybe Hong Kong people simply like criticising others without reason. All the contestants were facing similar criticism, but we were united as a group. We shared our feelings with each other and this helped reduce the stress. We understood that some people were criticising us on purpose, while others were really giving us constructive opinions. It is really important to know how to distinguish them, otherwise, it can destroy your confidence. I didn't really know what to expect, I just wanted to show my talent. I didn't know whether people would like my style so I just did what I know how to do and I am pleased to know that some people like to listen to my songs.
HK Golfer・OCT/NOV 2010
Are you a golfer who sings or a singer who plays golf? At the moment I consider myself as a golfer who sings since I have greater achievements in golf. I am going to participate in the Asian Games and the World Amateur Team Championship this year and I think I can achieve more in golf. These are two big events and I really need to focus on them, I need to try my best. After that, I will be going to university next year and I hope that I can devote more time to singing after getting into university. I consider singing as a stepping stone to let others know more about my achievements in golf. Do your parents support your singing career or do they want you to focus more on golf? My family want me to concentrate more on golf because I have put so much effort into it especially with the Asian Games later this year. But they also understand that I love singing and they give me a lot of encouragement. All in all, my focus this year will be on golf and the two large tournaments at the end of the year. HKGOLFER.COM
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