If there’s anyone who knows how to turn heads, it’s Glenn Yong and he did more than just that beyond our shores.
“They were screaming even though it was the first time they were listening to my song,” said the local actor-singer. “And they were really trying to listen to the lyrics and by the second chorus, they kind of knew how to sing along. I was very surprised by that.”
The “they” in question refers to the “very passionate” crowds of high school students in Taiwan when Glenn visited three high schools from late May to mid-June to promote his latest Mandarin single It’s Always You.
“After my performance, there was a huge line of students coming to take photos and autographs, so I just feel very touched that they were so receptive towards my music and me – a Singaporean – going over,” Glenn, who turns 30 in October, added to AsiaOne in a recent interview.
He also told us about a group of fans who had waited outside a radio station to get pictures and autographs with him, as well as his appearances in four Taiwan variety shows, where he got to meet stars he’d looked up to since young.
He appeared in Stylish Man the Chef where he whipped up Singapore dishes like char kway teow and laksa. He was also in National Star Raiders and Super Night Club, meeting veteran Taiwanese artistes like Peng Chia-chia, Hsu Hsiao-shun and Miao Ke-li and was forced to speak Taiwanese Hokkien. On Ha! Fact or Fake, he met Taiwanese singer Harlem Yu.
“A lot of people told me, ‘Hey, you must be careful’, but that wasn’t the experience I had. They were all super nice, they talked to me a lot and we exchanged contact,” said Glenn.
Laying the foundation, going global
Glenn runs his own company GYG Entertainment, which currently comprises four staff members, where he also takes on scheduling, human resources and accounting work.
We asked him why he’s going global now and why Taiwan, and he replied he had that intention for a few years but had a lot of work in Singapore and wanted to “do my best to contribute to our arts and music scene”.
Glenn explained: “I feel like having given the past four years of ploughing, working on my craft and giving my best to our local industry, I think it’s about time.
“I’ve laid the foundations and built whatever I have today. With the foundation in place, I feel more ready to go overseas, explore further and also challenge myself to grow to the next level.”
Growing up, he was an avid consumer of Taiwanese programmes, tuning in to drama series and variety shows like 100% Entertainment. Beyond it being a childhood dream to enter Taiwan’s renowned showbiz industry, he also plans to consequently further his career in China.
Glenn elaborated: “As an artiste, if you really love your craft, you’d definitely want to try something that’s more global like Hollywood or for the Mandarin-speaking world, that’s China.
“It’s where most of the creativity and huge-budget shows are at, so if you want to push yourself as an artist, those are the places that you should go and the environment to surround yourself in.”
He excitedly told us his longtime dream of starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – particularly as Peter Parker, also known as the iconic superhero Spider-Man.
Glenn explained he relates to the character being “just a kid” with “huge responsibility”, who wants to be with his family, girlfriend and experience youth at the end of the day. The hope and inspiration that the Marvel franchise brings is another reason why he hopes to be part of their films one day.
Though, he aspires to first try acting in China shows before moving on to Hollywood if there’s “good IP (intellectual property)”.
He remarked that whether he succeeds ultimately doesn’t matter, but what’s important is that he experiences and enjoys the process.
“I’m just gonna throw myself out there, chase after my dreams and see what happens. If something good comes out of it, great. If not, at least I don’t have any regrets. I’m not really scared – just excited, I guess.”
‘Summer love’
What sparked Glenn’s latest single It’s Always You is a relationship from a few years ago which is still “very fresh” in his mind.
Released on May 20 which is also called Chinese Valentine’s Day because the date sounds like “I love you” in Mandarin, the pop-rock love song comes as the first of multiple singles Glenn plans to unveil in the coming months.
Its lyrics stem from the joy of “summer love” that he experienced while in the relationship, which he explained was short-lived much like fireworks.
“It shoots out, it bursts and it’s beautiful, but it’s only for a moment and it’s gone,” said Glenn. “I think a lot of relationships that people experience is kind of like that, so I felt that this is a story that would be relatable to many of us and I made it into a song.”
He cited there were no ill feelings in the break-up, attributing the split to incompatibility and, possibly, long-distance commitment.
When asked if he wishes to pursue such feelings – or a relationship, as a matter of fact – Glenn casually said: “I hope not, but I mean with love you can never tell, right? I just have a ‘come-what-may’ mindset because right now, I’m gonna focus on my dreams and take care of the people around me.”
And treasure his loved ones he does, as what matters to him most when it comes to perceptions are the thoughts of his family, close friends and team. He told us that as his support system, they have been highly encouraging but also unafraid to tell him the truth when he has areas for improvement or blind spots.
“They usually say it out of love rather than criticism, so that’s why I only listen to the people close to me or those whom I really respect,” he added.
Otherwise, he takes compliments and criticism from others “with a pinch of salt”, adding they’re all “noise and opinions” and “don’t really matter”.
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