plus // Thursday, July 20, 2006 Singer-actress Kit Chan may enjoyed her hiatus but she could not resist the call of Forbidden City's third staging Elisa Chia [email protected] THERE is a certain aura of grace and renewed confidence around Kit Chan.Fresh from a year-long hiatus in Boston,Kit seemed relaxed,lively and even friendly when she sat down for an interview with Today on Tuesday. While the singer-actress is no ice queen, she has not exactly been as warm as her vocals in the past. Even she knows that. "I was terribly anti-social.I really was,"Kit admitted with a smile,"Throughout my whole pop career,I was very guarded. to be honest, I don't really have any friends in the industry.That's why I always wonder how I've lasted so long. "But I'm quite a different person now." The time away, during which Kit said she "had the time of her life" doing things most people take for granted--shopping and taking in the sights like a tourist--did wonders for her. "I enjoyed it so much," she said with a smile, "And I was a kaypoh(busybody)-- I spoke to strangers and the homeless." Besides indulging in life's simple pleasures with her banker-boyfriend of six years over the past 12 months,Kit also set aside time for reflection. And it dawned on the 33-year-old performer during this period that she never really liked being in the limelight. "People have been asking me:'Why are you so different now'" she said. "Well,I guess the moment I knew I didn't have to be a pop star anymore, I just changed. I know it sounds ridiculous,but it certainly seemed that way." getting her groove back Although work was the furthest thing from Kit's mind when she was away,she admitted that she came to miss performing. "Singing live is quite different from going on TV,lip-synching to a song track.So,I really didn't miss putting out records,"said Kit,whose most recent album,a chill-out CD called East Towards Saturn,was released two years age. "But I have missed performing in front of a real audience." And she couldn't happier be making a comeback of sorts with the third staging of Forbidden City:Portrait of an Empress,which kicks off in September at Esplanade. In the musical,Kit reprises her marquee role as China's last Empress Dowager Cixi.(See sidebar.) The news that she will star in the production surely came as a relief to her fans. Earlier in the year,the arts scene had been buzzing with rumours that Kit might not be part of the musical's third go-round. "I'm a stickler when it comes to contracts,"said Kit of the chatter."As long as the contract is not signed,I will never say I'm doing it.It's always about thedotted line. Otherwise,things could get nasty.It has happened before." Kit was referring to East Meets West,a Dutch-Houng Kong production that was supposed to have been staged here in July 2004. "I hadn't signed the contract,but I came out to do a press conference for them anyway and then the thing didn't happen.I think that was really nasty,I felt like I had beed used,"she said. goodbye popstar, hello author Fortunately for Kit,the career high definitely outnumber such lows. One of the first Singaporean singers to make it in Hong Kong and Taiwan,Kit opened the door for other homegrown artistes like Tanya Chua,Mavis Hee and Stefanie Sun. She burst onto the pop scene in 1994,when the title track off her first album,Heartache, became a big hit throughout the region. Asked if she has plans to return to the recording studio in the near future, Kit said wistfully:"The pop albums are really going to take a backseat because, like I said,I love singing and performing but being a popular artiste was never my cup of tea." So,with the years of working around the clock behind her,what is ahead for Kit? "I guess at this point,I've earned the time and the luxury to pick the projects that seem right to me,"she said."In the past decade,I bulit up a certain repertoire,a certain name and whatever you call it. "Now, I just want to do things that I like." Such as writing another book,a follow-up to her volume of poetry,I Write a Page,which was published in 2000. Cathy and Jodie:The princess and the Flea,which she co-wrote with Yong Siew Fern,a friend since they were in Secondary One,will be released here tomorrow. The book is a semi-autobiography of the pair and a tribute to the 1980s when they met. "It's very different being a writer and a theatre actress,"Kit said."Basically , it's the pop culture that really magnifies your star status. "You know,Broadway actors can be big stars on stage.But the moment they shed their costumes and put on some shaggy clothes,they take the subway home." While she does not enjoy the fame game,Kit was quick to add that she remains grateful for her success. "It just comes in a big lump and you have take the whole package,"she said. "It's all rather ironic,because if you weren't so successful,you wouldn't be famous." And there's always family and friends to turn to in times of need,Kit said with a smile. "I'm very close to my gang of five girlfriends,incluing Siew Fern,"she said. "That was one of the reasons why I didn't want to make friends in the industry ,becauseI thought it might change everything.I always wanted to remain close to my 'home friends". "It was way later in my career that I started exchanging numbers with people-- can you believe that?" --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.64.106.22