Chen Xi Didn't Know Mum Xiang Yun Would Announce He's Going Overseas To Study At Star Awards; Says He Wanted To "Quietly Fade Away To The UK"

During her acceptance speech for the Evergreen Artiste award at Star Awards 2023, Xiang Yun, 61, shocked everyone when she announced that her 31-year-old son Chen Xi is going to be leaving Singapore to further his studies.

“This year, this award is very special because I want to dedicate it to my son. This is going to be Chen Xi’s last year with the company. He’ll be going overseas to chase his dreams, so mummy wants to use this award as an encouragement," she said on stage.

For those who tuned in to the live broadcast of the ceremony, which was held at Marina Bay Sands last Sunday (Apr 9), you'd have noticed how taken aback Chen Xi looked.

Turns out he had no idea she was going to make that announcement on his behalf that night.

"She dropped a bomb on me too. Actually I wanted to be quiet about it but my mum was very happy so she shared the good news with everyone," he chuckled.

Chen Xi, whose dad is ex Mediacorp actor Edmund Chen, will be enrolling in King's College London to study arts management for a year. He also shared with us that his departure date is “a bit in the air” as he’s still settling his Visa and that he’s aiming to leave in September.

8DAYS: Hi Chen Xi! Everyone's very curious about your upcoming plans now that the cat is out of the bag. 

CHEN XI: I thought no one would even care about it, like why is this even news? I wanted to quietly fade away to the UK, that was my plan actually. (laughs) So when she announced it I was actually pretty shocked. 

The next moment my manager was like “Huh?!” and I was like “Yeah…” (laughs). They were aware [that I was going to leave] but they didn’t know the bomb was going to drop that way too. 

We hear you are going to pursue arts management at King’s College London in the UK. 

I’ve always wanted to pursue a masters and I actually got accepted in 2019. But that was one month before Covid hit and I thought: "Do I want go overseas now?" Then Covid went full blown and I felt I was not fated to study. So I pulled out of school. 

Two years down the road I thought why not just give it another shot? You know me as an actor but I also enjoy the arts, culture and heritage and this is the course that encompasses all three of the aspects that I want to learn. It was also the school lah. I thought if I got in I’d continue my studies and I got in! So okay, let’s go. 

Are you going to do a total career switch?

Oh I’ll still be acting lah. I had a talk with my manager and if there are any potential projects or collaborations I’ll still work with them. As an actor it’s like a way of life. I’ll continue to do my job and perform if I have a chance to.

I see myself as a Creative. I would love to explore different forms of art and put myself at the forefront of the changing media and art industry and cultural heritage. 

So you'll be returning to Mediacorp after your studies?

For now I will still work with Mediacorp for projects but I will also manage my own stuff, like my art projects. We have come to a nice balance.

Did you decide to leave because you felt that the company was focusing on other stars and you weren’t getting enough opportunities? 

Ah, interesting. I guess I can’t say much for the company because they have their priorities. For me I feel I wanted this to be a 'retreat' moment which was also why I intended to just fade away (laughs). 

What were your family's thoughts about you leaving?

They knew about my decision to study because I'm someone who's fascinated with research. To be honest, when I go traveling with them, I'm their local tour guide. I can actually recite to them "what's this architectural space" and tell them where to go. 

My family was actually pretty happy about me making this decision too because what's the best gift but knowledge?

Photos: Chen Xi/Instagram, The Celebrity Agency/Instagram

Watch Xiang Yun's Evergreen Artiste award acceptance speech below:

Catch up on the Star Awards 2023 on meWATCH here.

The repeat telecast for the Walk of Fame and Award Ceremony will air on Ch 8 from 2pm - 6.30pm on April 16 (Sunday).