Jean Seizure on finding inner strength

It’s 2023 and Jean Goh, better known as Jean Seizure, is standing in front of a huge billboard on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Los Angeles – her arms wide open, and a slight smile forming on her face.

The 33-year-old has been named the first-ever South-east Asia Spotify Glow Artist representing all of Asia, and she is etching this punchy image of the pixelated campaign in her memory forever. Her image also concurrently appeared on Times Square’s famous billboard in New York in the same year. 

“I met Lelan (songwriter and pop singer) in Los Angeles, who wrote a lot of songs for artistes like Troye Sivan. It was really nice because the trip is for the Glow campaign (a global music programme celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators). I watched them talk about their experiences as queer people and artistes. And I thought that was a really good conversation to witness,” she shares. 

This was not the first time that Jean has been featured on a famous billboard. In 2022, she became a Spotify Radar Artist, and an Equal ambassador for Singapore and Malaysia, and was featured on New York Times Square’s famous billboard. Following this double appointment, Jean gained the momentum to return to the studio to finally work on an EP album, which she says will ideally feature four to five songs.

Despite these successes, Jean admits to occasionally experiencing episodes of panic attacks and feelings of imposter syndrome, particularly as the production of her EP drew closer. She has also attended a few therapy sessions in order to manage her mental health.

“I tried to understand where this fear was stemming from, and it links back to when I was in my secondary school’s military band. The panic attacks manifest when I’m working out, and I think there is an unspoken fear like, if I don’t push myself beyond my limits, I would get punished or something. For the longest time, I didn’t know how to slow down, and that caused me to have panic attacks. Now, when I feel it coming, I just allow myself to stop if I need to,” she says. “I will breathe four counts in, hold for four, then exhale. Slowing down is the most effective method for me.”

A childhood in showbiz

The youngest daughter of renowned ’70s Mandopop singers Wu Gang and Xia Hui, Jean grew up immersed in a musically rich environment with two older brothers. By the time she was five, her mother had enrolled her in a church choir and eventually in a kids’ theatre school. At the time, her school principal also encouraged her to audition, and she earned her first acting role in Channel 8’s drama The Price of Peace (1997). Her mother accompanied Jean to her auditions and on film sets, and she depended heavily on her “mumager” for clarity and advice. 

“She would run through the scripts with me, and she would check in to see how I felt. When I started having some emotions, she’d be like, ‘Okay, hold on to that, we are going to use that tomorrow,’” she shares. 

Jean went on to score more roles in productions such as Stepping Out (1999), as well as a lead role in The Autograph Book (2003) directed by Wee Li Lin. The short film went on to win the Special Achievement Award at the Singapore International Film Festival 2003, and the Certificate of Excellence at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival 2004.

Besides acting, her mother also had huge ambitions for her to travel to Taiwan to become a singer. “There was a period when there were a lot of singing competitions, but we were also visiting family members in Taiwan. One day, we went past the venue where they had auditions, but I think I was not ready at that point. I was mostly okay with acting, and it took me a while to get to a place where I wanted to put myself out there as a singer,” she reveals. 

Meanwhile, Jean continued hosting Singapore children’s variety programmes, such as What’s Up and Kids@World.

She says: “I was really involved in all the hosting stuff, like interviewing people, playing games, or introducing plants and animals. I got to travel around and experience a different side of Singapore at just nine years old.”

Discovering her talent in music

Jean spent most of her childhood performing at community events with her mother, and she felt confident in front of a large audience. “I was really fearless at that point. There were downsides to it, because I was really bratty, but eventually it balanced out as I grew older,” she says. In primary school, she faced challenges that left her feeling out of place. As an outgoing, loud and mischievous child, she quickly developed a reputation that influenced how her teachers viewed her.

Her final years in primary school were particularly difficult: A teacher often singled her out during class, and the emotional mistreatment left her scarred. “I thought I’d found my place at church, but I faced similar issues again. My mum was worried about me after she found out. She feared how others might treat me. It took a while for me to open up to her, and help her understand my perspective,” she shares. 

Jean started spending her free time writing songs and posting videos of her singing on Youtube. Her interest in singing deepened as she started picking up awards like the Excel Award at the Nebo Spirit of Youth Awards 2012 and 2013, as well as the Best Vocalist Award at the Nebo Spirit of Youth Awards 2014. In the next two years, Jean emerged as a winner in Starhub’s online singing competition, Hear Me Sing. She also enrolled in Noise Singapore’s Music Mentorship programme, and was mentored by Sara Wee of home-grown band 53A.

An unforgettable moment in her career was sharing the stage with singer Jacky Cheung in Harbin, China, during his Classic World Tour in 2017. She grabbed the opportunity when her friend fell sick, and she had to step in as a back-up vocalist.

“I had to learn the whole set in a few weeks, and there was a particular song where I had to dance beside him. Gosh, it was terrifying! But it was nice because (Jacky) remembered my name by the end of the night, and I came back thinking, ‘This guy is really a good role model.’”

Jean later joined an a cappella band, The Apex Project. Together, they entered and gained recognition in several competitions, including placing as first runner-up at the Singapore A Cappella Championships, and picking up the Best Stage Presentation Award at the Shanghai A Cappella Festival. 

For the next two years until 2019, the band toured and performed in cities such as Hong Kong and Moscow alongside international a cappella bands.

Returning to her love of acting

When Jean returned to Singapore in 2019, she starred in her first “tropical noir” film Malam, directed by Leonard Yip. The movie was featured as part of the Official Selection of the Jaffna International Cinema Festival in Sri Lanka, and was subsequently released in Singapore. 

Jean recalled it was a demanding role that required significant expenditure of energy, differing considerably from her previous performances. 

“This character was morally ambiguous, and she was sort of promiscuous. For me, it was like being a feminine object, which was quite a challenge. I was doing a lot of intimate scenes, and that was quite a huge jump because at that point, my identity was very masculine-presenting. I enjoyed the process because we did a lot of rehearsals, and Leonard had a way of getting people into character. That felt really cool.”

In that same year, Jean began to develop her passion for martial arts. She first encountered Sunny Pang, founder and fight choreographer of Ronin Action Group, at the age of 23 in 2014, while collaborating on a passion project, a short action film.

She says: “He started training me to help me overcome my panic attacks during that period. I realised this could be something I could use. So, I eventually went on to learn self-defence techniques, and I wasn’t bad at it.”

One advice that Sunny shared with Jean was, “It’s all in your mind.” In one of her training sessions, he made her do resistance exercises like running and sprinting, and it got to a point where she started to get delirious. 

“I really felt like I wanted to stop, but for some reason that day, I just kept running, which doesn’t happen often at all,” says Jean. 

She decided to take her training seriously and become proficient in at least one field of martial arts. Her pick: Krav Maga, a combat contact self-defence technique. Jean went on to enrol in an intense instructor training course taught over a period of 18 days. “It was really tough. Training started in the morning at seven and lasted until evening time, six or seven. There were a lot of technique lessons and stress tests, where you’re put under pressure with multiple scenarios. The course ended with a grading exam that certified me as an instructor,” she beams. 

Finding support from loved ones

Her latest stunts can be seen in Miu Miu’s ongoing Women’s Tales video series, released on Youtube earlier this year. Directed by Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui, this compilation of short films spotlights vanity and femininity in the 21st century. In episode 27, which explores the many meanings of self-defence, Jean appears as a trainer who teaches some students how to use different types of weapons.

While Jean foresees more opportunities in the local stunt industry, she is intent on making new music and keeping to her promise of releasing her first EP in years.

Most of her songwriting is influenced by stories that she hears from friends. “There was one I heard that resembles the romance drama Past Lives. I was so moved by it that I wanted to write a song from the perspective of the person who ‘got away’.

“It’s going to be a sad album about unrequited love, with a third party perspective playing a significant role in the songs,” she says.

For now, Jean is gradually learning to embrace each day with a sense of calm and acceptance. She finds satisfaction in her ongoing progress and the personal growth that she has cultivated. With the necessary support in place, she views this as just the beginning of her journey.

Jean remains close to her mother and siblings, and currently lives with her mother. “Whenever possible, we share meals as a family. They have always been unwaveringly supportive of my pursuits,” she shares.

Currently, she is also dating someone who is supportive of her singing and acting endeavours.

Surrounded by love and support, Jean is living a truly fulfilling life and has much to be excited about, including the release of her debut EP in 2025. This marks a significant milestone after years of sharing individual singles.

She says: “I also look forward to exploring various art forms and growing as a multi-hyphenate artiste. Beyond my career, I aspire to unlearn ingrained negative patterns and work towards becoming the best version of myself. There’s always something fun around the corner when you choose to live your life to the fullest.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: Zantz Han
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING: Lena Kamarudin
ART DIRECTION: Ray Ticsay
HAIR: Grego, using Keune Hair Cosmetics
MAKEUP: Lasalle Lee, Dior Beauty
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: Hifzhan Golam
STYLING ASSISTANT: Priyanka Patel