When NoonTalk Media actor Kevin Ye Wen decided to share photos of himself and his daily life on social media at age 13, he never thought his good looks would bring him from his home in Penang to where he is today.
In a recent interview with AsiaOne, the 23-year-old Malaysian shared: “When I was younger, I had unbridled dreams. But when I thought about it again as I grew up, I didn’t actually have a very clear vision of what I wanted to be, because the environment that I grew up in didn’t allow me to have these dreams.”
Growing up in a family where his mother worked as a florist and his father a deliveryman, Kevin understood from a young age that his life decisions should be made realistically and from a financial viewpoint.
However, he had always been passionate about performing, having joined drums ensemble club 24 Jie Ling Gu (24 Festive Drums) in secondary school when he was 13 years old, and had friends who were from the school’s drama club.
“My passion for acting started during secondary school. When I saw an actor perform on stage, I would picture myself in the storyline and that was a very special feeling. That was when I found my interest and desire to try acting, because it allows me to experience different lives with different perspectives,” he explained.
It was also at this age that he started his own Instagram account: “I didn’t think much about it, I just wanted to share photos of myself and my daily life.”
Kevin’s good looks soon captured netizens’ attention. As his popularity increased, he was invited to endorse products to earn commissions. Eventually, Malaysian media also mentioned him as one of the good-looking influencers born after 2000.
Friends concerned talent-scouting is a scam
Across the causeway in Singapore, Kevin caught the attention of talent agency NoonTalk Media, founded by host Dasmond Koh, who invited him to consider a showbiz career here in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He laughed: “When I was scouted, people around me wondered if it was a scam.
“But I have always known and followed the agency’s content because I used to really love watching Singapore series and paid close attention to celebrity news… So when they first contacted me, I was quite surprised.”
Kevin, who was about 19 at the time, said he was at a crossroad in life, deciding whether to expand his career in Kuala Lumpur (KL) or Singapore, without completing his education.
He said: “I was on bursaries in my school… When I was leaving school, one of my teachers was very surprised and asked why I was leaving. They encouraged me to continue and complete my studies first before considering university education.”
However, after two weeks of deep consideration as well as discussions with family and friends, he decided to take his chances by moving to Singapore with their encouragement.
He recounted: “They told me to just go for it, as one year — the duration of the contract — is neither short nor long. Since I was given the opportunity to go somewhere that is not too far from Malaysia, then I should give it a try.
“If it isn’t suitable for me, then I could always go to KL, but at least I went [overseas] to try for once.”
Kevin remembers clearly he arrived in Singapore on Nov 29, 2021, which was also the day when the borders between Singapore and Malaysia reopened. Shortly after, he began a year of training, which included singing, dancing and acting.
In 2023, he and NoonTalk singer-actor Yang Yan debuted with their single O2 Yang Qi, an upbeat dance track about youthfulness and chasing dreams.
Dasmond Koh a ‘father figure’
For Kevin, Dasmond is a key figure in making him realise the world is his oyster.
“He is very strict with us, but he is like a father figure in my life,” he laughed.
As someone who was new to the ways of showbiz, Kevin learnt from the 54-year-old, who has close to three decades of industry experience, the essentials of leaving a good and lasting impression.
Kevin said: “He taught me how to conduct myself and manage the ways of the world, including greeting our seniors, giving gifts as well as my speech and behaviour… He told me that we have to be very careful and aware of matters like these as it helps us leave a good impression on others.”
He added he is very appreciative of all Dasmond had taught him, including giving him travel opportunities to go overseas and see the world.
Kevin elaborated: “I didn’t really travel much when I was younger because of my family’s financial situation… Because of my work [with NoonTalk], I was able to travel to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and even go on a cruise. I had never been on a cruise before.
“NoonTalk Media and Dasmond have given me a lot of firsts in my life.”
Kevin’s first chance in acting came at the end of 2023, when he played Theo in local drama I Do, Do I (2023 – 2024).
“I gave myself a lot of pressure at the time, because it was my first time acting and there were three directors filming the series, each with their own directing and management styles,” he recounted.
“After filming [for a period of time], I was very stressed and even thought at one point that I wasn’t suitable to act.”
However, after giving himself a few days and seeking advice from Dasmond and his seniors from NoonTalk, including local actor Xu Bin, he found motivation, positivity and strength to continue.
He also remembered the kindness he received from one of the directors: “I think he saw how stressed I looked during filming and told me if I needed to do another take, I could just let him know and he would give me time.
“I am very thankful to him because his patience and understanding gave me space and bravery to try again.”
Expanding acting career in China
In that same year, Kevin was also given the opportunity to participate in iQiyi’s idol survival show Starlight Boys (2024) with Yang Yan. However, he chose to pursue an acting path in China instead.
He explained: “I think I have no fate with singing and dancing. I used to be quite shy during my secondary school days and didn’t dare to try out a lot of things. When someone is singing, I prefer to listen by the side because I don’t think I can sing well.
“As for dancing, I am quite stiff and think people would laugh at me. So, I didn’t do anything of these… Although I tried singing and dancing later [in Singapore], I realised dancing requires muscle memory and practice over a long period of time to meet a certain standard… Singing is the same. I think I am not suitable for it, so I chose to focus on acting instead.”
Through participating in auditions, he clinched a supporting role as undergraduate student Wang Lin in his first Chinese web drama Glaze of Love (2026).
“This drama actually helped to fulfil my dream of going to university,” he said.
Adapted from the Chinese novel Wo Zai Da Xue Xiu Wen Wu, the 20-episode iQiyi series centres on the love story between arrogant archaeology student Xu Xiao (Lai Weiming) and his introvert classmate Zhao Xiaocen (Zhou Yiru), who team up to restore cultural relics in class.
In the process of protecting cultural heritage, they open their hearts and encourage one another to face up to and resolve their personal challenges. Wang Lin is Xu Xiao’s good friend.
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Kevin said: “Wang Lin is a bubbly, optimistic and sporty character… He is quite similar to me, but at the time, although he is very extroverted, I am actually very introverted.
“It was my first time in China, so during that time, I tried to look for various music playlists to help bring the character out.”
Filming took about three months in Jiangxi province in 2024, and while he was finding ways to get into character, he soon realised his extroverted side came naturally when he met the cast on set and got along well with them.
He added he felt especially warm from the kindness he received from the actors and production staff after he sprained his ankle just one month into filming, receiving a lot of medical patches and ointments to help him manage the pain and heal quickly.
After filming Glaze of Love, Kevin went on to star in leading and supporting roles in over 10 Chinese microdramas, including Her Islands (2026) and The Lady from the Northeast (2026).
Her Islands tells the story of Hainanese native Xu Haihai (Zhou Zixin) and Shanghainese woman Luo Ruiqiu (Xin Zi) who swap lives after facing personal challenges. Through changes in their lifestyles, they find personal growth, comfort, friendship and the possibility of love.
Kevin plays Hainanese native and Ruiqiu’s love interest Jiang Zhihao.
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He shared: “I did a lot of homework for this role because of the accent, and the way Hainanese is spoken can be quite similar to the Malaysian accent sometimes… During the audition, the production staff found me suitable because my Malaysian accent came to good use.”
Filming for this microdrama was done in about 10 days in Hainan in end 2025, and it’s now available in full on Xiaohongshu.
At the time of this interview, Kevin revealed he will also be filming the second season of his romance microdrama The Lady from the Northeast.
The first season centres on Qian Xiaohui (Liang Wenjing), a woman from Northeast China, who gets into a contractual relationship with wealthy Malaysian heir Zhou Hexuan (Kevin) so that the latter could avoid an arranged marriage.
With her sincere and straightforward personality, Xiaohui wins over Hexuan and his family and ultimately helps him resolve his rift with his father.
Kevin revealed in his Instagram Stories on May 17 that he has completed filming season two of the series.
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Despite having some experience in acting now, Kevin admitted to us that he is a perfectionist and in the process of honing his performances, he went through periods of immense pressure.
He said: “I have been in the state of constant internal conflict with myself and then recovering from it throughout my time filming microdramas in China.
“But I feel that in the process of having these conflicts and the healing, I become mentally stronger and prepared to handle situations. It’s part of the unavoidable process of growth.”
Kevin said that whenever he is feeling stressed, he would spend time with himself and rest his mind, including going to the gym, experiencing nature, reading or just observing the people around him.
He would also communicate and seek advice from people he trusts, including his manager or his friends from his school’s drama club.
Kevin also emphasised that while he has appeared in Chinese web dramas and microdramas, he is open to playing all characters and treasures all opportunities offered to him, whether in Singapore or China.
Fan mail are treasures and emotional connection
Kevin is grateful to fans who have supported him all along.
He elaborated: “I realised from some of my fans that I am a beacon of light in their life and my words can give them motivation to face their challenges… Even when I was an influencer, I didn’t expect my words would carry hope for people.
“I have received direct messages (DM) [on social media] from some of my fans saying how tired they felt and asked for my advice. I used to share my thoughts with them on social media and hope it would help them. That’s what I have always wanted to do.”
He said that even now, he would read every DM he receives from his fans on social media and keep physical letters from them when they meet.
“I keep all the fan mail that I’ve received from the beginning. As the amount increases, I will think about alternate ways of keeping them, including digital copies. I feel they are my treasures and an emotional connection between my fans and myself,” Kevin said.
All in good time
Reflecting on all he has experienced in the past decade since he started as an influencer, Kevin said: “I have been through quite a number of hardships, but when I look back at them now, I think it’s for the best.
“Because of what I experienced in the past, my understanding and acceptance towards matters now are very different, and I wouldn’t let them affect me too much.”
We also asked if he has thought about what he would be doing now if he didn’t choose to enter showbiz in 2021.
He said: “I think I might have graduated from university and worked a 9-to-5 office job in finance…
“But as I think about it now, I know I am not someone who is suitable to work in an office with regular working hours. For now, I am more interested to experience life and see the world and would probably consider a work holiday in Australia or New Zealand instead if I have time.”
On his acting career, Kevin explained: “I am just at the beginning of my journey. After acting in microdramas, my interest and ambition towards exploring further in performance have become even greater.
“While I can’t guarantee how long I will continue to perform, at this moment, I want to continue and achieve a signature role and do my best in it.”
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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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