Desmond Ng Was Tricked Into His First Getai Performance By His Lion Dance Coach

Mediacorp actor Desmond Ng, 35, was one of two guests on the last episode of Hear U Out. While Yang Guang Ke Le brought her signature bright and cheery personality to the show, Desmond was a lot more reserved.

Host Quan Yifeng also pointed out the stark difference between the two, asking the Getai Challenge 2015 champ if he was this “closed up” as a child.

“I am more quiet, because my mind is always working, but I don’t know how to express myself,” said Desmond.

“So no one ever understood you as a kid?” probed Yifeng.

Desmond's reply tickled everyone in the studio.

“I don’t even understand myself!” he said.

Yifeng was curious to know if Desmond had ever “assimilated” into any group, given his introverted personality.

According to Desmond, he was in his rebellious phase when he made many friends.

Yifeng then revealed that her assistant got to know Desmond from a lion dance troupe.

“Did you join the lion dance troupe during that rebellious phase?” asked Yifeng.

“It was also because I wanted to earn money," said Desmond. "At that time, [I felt] like it was fun, and I didn’t have to talk much. So I quietly did what I had to do, and went home with 10 to 20 dollars. It was a lot to me back then."

Desmond then shared that he only discovered his talent for singing when he was a lion dancer.

He would go to KTV joints with his friends from the troupe, and it happened that their coach started venturing into the getai business.

“He wanted to take me along to getai [with him], but I was afraid, so I said no. Then one day, he tricked me, and told me that we were going to go somewhere after getai,” said Desmond, who thought he was just there to meet his coach.

However, he heard his name announced on stage. And by Wang Lei, no less.

Desmond said his Chinese name, Huang Zhenlong, used to sound very foreign to him as none of his friends would call him that. 

So when Wang Lei called for him to go up on stage, Desmond was so confused, he asked: "Isn't that me?"

Desmond’s pal, Ah Boy Wang Weiliang, was with him at the getai, so Desmond said that he would go on stage to sing if Weiliang did. 

What he did not expect was for Weiliang to be game for it. 

“So I was pushed on stage for no reason at all,” recalled Desmond, who has been friends with Weiliang since they were both students at Montford Secondary School.

Hence, Desmond gave his first ever getai performance, singing Jam Hsiao’s 'New Everlasting Love' with no prior rehearsals or preparation.

“Thankfully my sense of pitch is good,” laughed Desmond, who added that he "got the feel [for performing]" after hearing the applause from the audience.

“I never really wanted to leave my job to [pursue getai full-time] 'cos I thought that it wouldn't be very profitable," said Desmond. "But Weiliang told me to give it a try. He had a unique perspective. He taught me to never have a back-up plan, so I'd always soldier on. Hence, I quit my job,” said Desmond.

But his road to success was not an easy one either. He and Weiliang made just hundreds of dollars every month and had a hard time making ends meet. They would perform in only four to five shows a month, and made around S$60 for each performance.

It took two years for things to get better and it happened only after Desmond went to China for a singing competition.

“That’s when I started getting more getai gigs, and doing more performances at nightclubs so I had a more stable income,” revealed Desmond.

Photos: Desmond Ng/ Instagram/ meWATCH

Watch the full episode of Hear U Out on meWATCH, or catch it below.