Crazy Rich Asians alums Tan Kheng Hua, Janice Koh, and Selena Tan get real about Singapore’s entertainment scene

These 3 incredible women are no strangers to to the arts and entertainment scene in Singapore. Besides boasting a prolific portfolio in the local scene, Tan Kheng Hua, Selena Tan and Janice Koh are also a handful of Singaporeans who made their Hollywood debut in the film Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. They have definitely set the bar high for young aspiring actors in Singapore but they are also proof that it’s not an impossible feat.

Tan Kheng Hua: Okay, let’s talk about what’s resonating with each of us right now in the creative industry in Singapore today.

Janice Koh: I feel that we need to put more resources and attention on developing writers and new writing, because that has an impact on both the theatre as well as film and television. Without good content, we can’t tell good stories. Also, we need to work harder on improving wages and advocating for fair compensation for Singapore creatives.

And that means recognising their work, not just within the arts and entertainment industry, but the ripple effect it has on the more commercial field. Recognising that their work, is valuable and important, allows them to make a good living out of it. That is key to nurturing a thriving industry of storytellers and artmakers.

Selena Tan: I think writing is very important, obviously. But I think the problem goes before you even enter into the arts industry. We need parents, we need educators, we need the government and everybody all around to encourage people to express themselves and to tell stories without any regard for payback.

This starts from home and it needs to be cultivated in schools as well. Because if you don’t have that foundation, then you don’t have an audience. Or people who are going to champion the arts. They don’t know how to receive a story. Or if they know how to receive a story, they can’t get into the bigger questions… the bigger emotions.

Kheng Hua: Actually you are talking about something that has been on my mind a lot. And that is the idea of parenting the artists. I think about this a lot and I think both of you will resonate with this because we are all mothers.

I am currently parenting and observing my daughter, Shi An, who is a new creative - who has decided to make the creative arts her career. She’s not even into two years of trying to make this a fulltime job for herself. And I’m learning so much. I’m learning about what is lacking but what is also actually there.

Not just what she needs or what can I do but also what the country can do, what the community can do. The type of films the people are making, they are wonderful, the type of roles that Shi An is getting in her film. She’s really experiencing a type of imagination in film - English language film - that I think is invigorating.

Kheng Hua: We must invite new blood, support them, parent them, let them fail, let them learn from their failure, when they’re very good, tell them they’re good. Like any sort of parenting, parent the artist. Well, that’s what I want to see.

Janice: I’m going to be controversial and say that I don’t like the word “parent”, primarily because in the context of Singapore, where there is top-down control and the arts are heavily regulated, I think that concept is a trigger for many artists who already feel that we are over-parented.

Kheng Hua: I see… I listen to the both of you and I will still defend my point about parenting. Because I think we’re actually talking about the same thing. A child does not understand confidence, does not understand ageism, unless the parent teaches them, or leads by example. What I mean is that it is us who set the precedent.

If you are an artist, somehow your creativity will emerge, and it will just manifest. Now, all you need to do is learn how to harness that and really make it work, not just for you, but for everybody. I mean, we are the converted. The three of us have made a life out of being artists and we’re not going to stop.

Potential and possibilities

Selena: We won’t stop cos we’re hustlers [laughs]. But I’m not gonna sugar coat it - a creative in Singapore does come with its struggles but through the years, there has been growth.

I do see a somewhat positive resonance with the arts and if there is a creative field in Singapore, I’m most excited about it would be the comedy genre. With Dream Academy (a theatre company owned by Selena) we have been doing a lot of comedy from the very start.

And I’m excited because actually I’ve seen a growth in terms of the younger ones who have really taken on the task of even producing their own stuff. I think our comics are starting to find that voice that is able to transcend not just with the Singapore audiences. So watch this space, I think we could go somewhere in terms of stand up comedy.

Kheng Hua: For me, I’m most excited about dance, actually. I see a lot of stuff happening in film. I see a lot of stuff happening in television and in theatre. But, I see and hear very little about dance. And therefore, I’m very excited about it.

Because I crave for more news in that particular industry. I don’t know much about it at all. Who are the people doing what? And therefore, my natural energies tend to go towards the area that I feel is very quiet, and yet I think has a lot of potential.

Janice: I’m actually very excited about what’s happening in the film industry. I’ve been watching a lot of new movies made by Singaporean filmmakers that are not compelled to tell “the Singapore story”. Which is very different from 20 years ago.

Today it feels like there has been a quiet unshackling of the burden to speak specifically about the Singapore experience. They are now global creators, speaking from wherever they want. And in that process, creating some very powerful stories that resonate with a global audience.

Selena talked a lot about us being storytellers, and I agree with that. But also, as storytellers, I feel the world must be our stage. Hopefully our experience and where we come from will resonate universally with a very global audience and that’s where our power will come from.

Kheng Hua: Absolutely. And I also hope that the whole idea of the creative industry will not be a niche industry anymore - that’s where I’d like to see Singapore moving forward. If you are an artist, don’t you want to excel and be the best artist? Not just a Singapore artist. Rather than to keep categorising it as Singapore art, Singapore television, Singapore film, let’s focus on being the best actor and making the best theatre, film, television on a world stage.

Looking ahead

Janice: Speaking of moving forward, what would your vision be, if you could make one policy change - say if you’re in that position of power? 

Selena: Humanities should be made compulsory. Even if they only do a little bit of it, and then they go on to be engineers, doctors and lawyers, at least they have been empowered with humanities in their education.

Janice: To be honest I wouldn’t make anything compulsory, just like how I have had some PTSD from having to do compulsory math, like higher level math. I would say let’s not put one subject as more important than the other. If we can have greater diversity of subjects at a young age, that’s great. But it’s evident that we can no longer rely on what we have studied to be the only pathway to our future career.

Selena: No, not at all. In fact, I don’t think that what you study is going to be your work. But what I’m saying is that, we should expose, or we should expose the kids from a young age to storytelling, to the ability to read and understand text.

Kheng Hua: I do agree with you, Selena. For me what I want to see is something that is going to encourage playfulness. Or childishness, I dare say. In fact, I don’t even think of it as a negative trait. Personally, every single day, I always need my “playtime”. It has saved me from all the darkest and most negative moments of my life.

Photography Reuben Foong, assisted by Daniel West
Creative direction & styling Lena Kamarudin, assisted by Jeon Jae Won, Latisha Sonia Shaymentyran and Anis Nabilah
Makeup Lasalle Lee using Clé de Peau
Hair Zhou Aiyi

To learn more about the 60 women who have shaped Singapore as we know it today, click here.