Campus Superstar Champ Ng Cheeyang Says They “Never Identified As A Boy Or Girl”, Has Been Based In The US For The Past 14 Yrs

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Has it been been almost 20 years since Ng Cheeyang won the first season of Campus Superstar?

A spin-off of singing competition Project Superstar, Campus Superstar focused on kids from Singapore’s secondary schools, junior colleges, and Institutes of Technical Education.

The show aired from 2006 to 2015 and ran for four seasons.

While most of us remember Cheeyang as a cherubic 16-year-old Hwa Chong Institution student, on Wednesday (Jul 9) the now 35-year-old posted an Instagram Reel to show how different life is personally and professionally now.

Cheeyang identifies as non-binary and goes by pronouns they/them.

The trigger for Cheeyang's post was a 2023 video from TikTok account @DorothyGenX looking back at their showbiz career. 

In Cheeyang's reel, they said @DorothyGenX's TikTok about their journey was “beautiful” until they went to the comments section.

Trolls hurled all sorts of derogatory terms regarding Cheeyang's weight, looks, and gender.

In Cheeyang's response video, they appeared in a couple of shots dressed in a floral dress and had painted manicured nails, saying they would not be put down by such negativity.

Cheeyang said even after all the hurtful comments, they "didn't disappear" and chose to continue singing, adding that they have met people who accepted them for who they are and stayed by their side.

In a Zoom interview with 8days.sg from Los Angeles, Cheeyang tells us they were in LA working remotely, but declined to share about their day job, simply saying it helps support their efforts in producing musicals.

Dressed in a black top with their long, curly hair down, they tell us they've been based in the United States for about 14 years, and is currently active in the theatre scene in New York.

Cheeyang was taken aback by how viral their video got.

“I didn’t expect it to blow up,” they say. “It was not even like “Hi Singapore! This is what I am doing now”. It was just “Yay! I will post it” and go on with my life”.

Cheeyang says they had been taking some time to rethink their social media presence. “I guess it is because I have not been in the Singapore zeitgeist while doing my own thing. The video is just a very personal introspection. I have been that person for almost 10 years,” they say.

They reveal that the conversation around gender and being non-binary first came up when they were attending New York University (NYU).

After graduating from SMU Business under the University’s Scholar Programme in 2010, Cheeyang studied at Berklee College of Music. They later graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2019.

“I have never identified as a boy or girl, and it was a very gradual acceptance. Something that takes confronting yourself with what you are comfortable with, and how much you want to share,” says Cheeyang.

"If I never left Singapore, never explored the possibilities that were outside of the country, I think I would have been very miserable," they added.

Cheeyang is currently single — they just deleted all their dating apps.  They remain a Singapore citizen with a US Green Card, and tries to return home at least once a year.

Reflecting on their time on Campus Superstar in 2006, Cheeyang says even then, they always knew they were queer, and their identity from anyone.

“We didn’t have the vocabulary to understand what it meant [back then]. I just wasn’t fitting into the mold or structure that society was looking for,” they say.

Cheeyang recalls butting heads with the producers during that time. “There were a lot of things I wanted to do but I was told “No, you have to sing this, do this, present this way” and I was always like, “But why?” I never understood it and felt like society was imposing on me”.

They also tell us they remain in touch with other contestants such as Alejandro Hou, Khim Ng, Rachale Chang, and Project Superstar season 1 runner-up Kelly Poon and that they have long been aware of the journey they've been on. 

While Cheeyang remembers the theme song from the contest, don’t expect a performance. They sadly decline to sing it for us when we asked.

“People can just go back and look the clip up. It is a present to keep in the past,” they laugh before remarking that almost two decades have passed.

After winning Campus Superstar, Cheeyang flew to Taiwan in 2009 to participate in another singing competition One Million Star. 

When asked about how their family has taken to their journey, Cheeyang was quick to say it is a very "private and personal matter", but describes things as “very healthy” at the moment.

“I feel like the little black sheep doing my own thing. I am the only one in my extended family that has left and stayed away. Many of my cousins even have kids now,” they say with a laugh. 

As for their immediate family, Cheeyang says "they are working through it".

"Something I was very surprised by is that I have a lot of support, as well as discomfort, and it is a… [pause] a growing and learning process for everyone involved,” they say cryptically.

“I have been really lucky as my work has resonated very well in New York. There is a theatre-going community where there is support for developing work,” says Cheeyang.

Cheeyang also says they will be heading to London soon as one of their musicals was picked up there.

On the home front, Cheeyang reveals they are also in talks with a couple of local theatres here to stage some of their more Singaporean-based musicals.

“I spoke to a couple of my friends in Singapore about what I am writing, and they told me it will be revolutionary if I can bring it over. We will see how it goes,” they says.

Photos: cheeyangmusic/IG, Yellowbelly, Natalie Powers, Mediacorp

Watch Cheeyang win the first season of Campus Superstar on mewatch or in the video below: