From The Straits Times    |

joi chua
Photography Veronica Tay, assisted by Angela Guo
Styling Martin Wong Hair Ryan Yap/Passion Hair Salon
Makeup Shaun Lee Outfit Carven

 

Local songbird Joi Chua is made of sterner stuff, not that you can tell just by looking at her demure and placid exterior.

For starters, the willowy 37-year-old is very much into mountain hiking. “I trekked the Yeonsil trail up Jeju Island’s Mount Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea, in 2014,” she says.

“It was my first time trekking, and I didn’t know what to expect. I wore the wrong shoes; then there were the cold winds and the fact that I kept slipping on the melting snow. But the breathtaking views at the top made every single step worth it.” Joi also hiked up Mount Batur in Bali last year and she’s been hooked on climbing ever since.

That penchant for scaling challenging peaks is an apt metaphor for Joi’s life and career. While she’s enjoying considerable fame on the back of her recent film, 3688 – where she plays Xia Fei Fei, a parking attendant who dreams of stardom – the road to success hasn’t been smooth. But armed with a can-do, never-say-die attitude, she’s been knocking down every obstacle in her path.

 

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Tip #1: Follow your heart

Joi’s Mandopop career started off on the wrong foot. Her self-titled debut album, released in Taiwan in 2000, failed to make an impact, prompting her to take a break from making music. “After the album tanked, I felt low and alone. I was overcome with self-doubt, and wasn’t sure how to move forward. But I didn’t want to give up my passion for making music,” she shares.

That determination paid off. In 2004, she made another foray into the music industry after switching record labels. Her second album, Sunrise, went on to become a commercial success. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Tip #2: Keep on keeping on

Some 11 albums and several music awards later, Joi decided to try her hand at something new. In 2011, she launched her optical practice, The Eyecare People, at Holland Village. The multitalented singer, who holds a diploma in optometry, worked as an optometrist in a hospital while on her musical hiatus from 2001 to 2003, and was inspired to star t her own practice.

“It wasn’t easy. As a first-time entrepreneur, I had no prior experience to fall back on. Business was very slow initially, and we would go three or four days in a row without any customers.

“But instead of feeling disheartened, we came up with new ways to promote the business on social media, and collaborated with new brands,” she recalls. The Eyecare People broke even after two years, and today, counts celebrities like David Gan and Patricia Mok among its clientele.

 

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Tip #3: Do it for the passion

For Joi, her business venture was the culmination of a lifelong dream rather than making big bucks. “To me, optometry is a meaningful profession, as I can help people improve their vision and quality of life. And the satisfaction I derive from that is something money can’t buy,” she declares.

“Likewise, I didn’t agree to star in 3688 because I thought it would be the next big fi lm. Rather, the character resonated strongly with me – I understood her perfectly and felt that there were many similarities between us. That’s why I followed my instincts and took the role. I had nothing to lose.”

Tip #4: Look on the bright side

Through good times and bad, Joi has remained positive. “I’ve never once thought of myself as unlucky. When my first album failed, I reasoned that there were so many factors affecting an album sale, and that I couldn’t blame it on bad luck.

“That’s life – you can’t expect good things to happen to you all the time. It’s important to stay optimistic and learn from your bad experiences. Bouncing back from failure makes you realise that there is nothing too difficult to overcome,” she says philosophically.

 

This story was originally published in the February 2016 issue of Simply Her.