Up close and personal with Dennis Chew周崇庆

Honeybunz SG

The perpetual smile on Yes 93.3FM DJ and actor-host Dennis Chew's face now masks a long career struggle many do not know about. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Singapore, the Peter Pan of the local entertainment industry shares how he toiled for 23 years before belatedly finding success in 2009, ironically in the guise of a woman — Auntie Lucy.

Dennis Chew went to London for the first time last year (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

Popular radio and TV personality Dennis Chew is a man in demand these days — mostly as a woman.

He returned to Singapore last Thursday (1 March) after spending two days in Kuala Lumpur promoting the Kelvin Tong-produced movie "Dance Dance Dragon", in which he played the role of a spinster yearning for love.

But viewers familiar with local TV will know that this is not the first time Chew has crossed the male-female divide and played a woman.

In 2009, he took on another cross-dressing role in the Channel 8 variety show "Paris and Milan" that also starred funnywomen Patricia Mok and Michelle Tay.

That role, Auntie Lucy, transformed Chew's showbiz career and finally gave him the fame and popularity he craved.

The fictitious character — in which Chew fashioned himself into a bespectacled woman with a penchant for tossing back her imaginary long hair and uttering the phrase "so embarrassing" — grew so popular that it even has its own Facebook page and Twitter account.

Watch Dennis Chew as Auntie Lucy here:

This belated fame also translated into a financial windfall for Chew. Advertisers so enamoured of Auntie Lucy flocked to Chew offering advertising deals for products that run the gamut from cooking oil and steamboat restaurant to furniture and jewellery stores.

"I have seven endorsement deals in total," Chew gleefully revealed during this interview at the St Regis Hotel, where he was having a leisurely afternoon spa treatment.

The six-figure income - Chew declined to reveal the exact amount - from the endorsement deals has also helped to clear the debts he incurred when a business venture failed in 2007.

Yet, despite the many positives that Auntie Lucy brought to his life, Chew admitted he felt "slightly confused" in the early days of the character's undoubted success.

But he has since come round to it. "I realise that cross-dressing and being Auntie Lucy is part of my work. I'm just more special to (be able to) perform as both a man and a woman," he said in crisp Mandarin. "The fortunate thing is I know what my real self is, and that is Dennis Chew."

More than that, Chew is now also at peace with the seemingly difficult lot life deals him at first. "Everything I want in life, I have to wait very long for it. My life is typically 'Xian Ku Hou Tian' (Chinese for tasting success after initial hardship)," he said melodramatically.

Chew (second from L) with his parents and younger sister when he was young (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

'My father hit me when he was drunk'

Chew may be 38 this year, but his appearance is anything but middle-aged. His youthful-looking face betrays little signs of his age and he came for this interview dressed like a teenager, in a boyish T-shirt and bermudas and with his bowl-shaped hairstyle uncombed.

Adding to his overall child-like demeanour is the admission that he likes to go to game arcades and is the proud owner of a range of expensive Blythe dolls, a brand of Japanese collector dolls.

In a way, he said, his hobbies are to make up for a childhood that is no less dramatic than his career.

Born the elder of two children, Chew grew up in a one-room HDB flat in Chin Swee Road to a father who was unemployed and a mother who was a babysitter. His parents are now 71 and 67, respectively, while his only sister, Jane, now 33, is an administrative clerk.

To supplement the household's income, Chew entered the workforce when he was barely nine years old. "My maternal grandfather was a Chinese physician, and so at that time, I would take a bus from Chin Swee road to Boon Lay with a bag full of perfume and Chinese medicated oil to sell them from door to door," Chew recalled.

During his growing up years, Chew's father drank regularly and "would hit me when he got home drunk", he shared candidly.

The elderly man still enjoys taking to the bottle now despite doctors' advice for him to quit. But Chew is not living with his family anymore. Instead, he shares a five-room flat in Choa Chu Kang with his nanny.

"My job can be very stressful and I need my quiet and just stare at the ceiling when I get home at night. I won't have that luxury if I live with my family," he explained.

But he says he is not shirking his responsibility towards his parents. "I still go home quite regularly, but before I go home, I will call home to make sure my father hasn't been drinking. If he has, then I won't go back. I'm still fearful when I think of what happened to me when I was young."

He also foots his father's medical bills and picks up the tab from his drinking habit. "He will ask me for money to pay for his drinking whenever I go home," Chew said matter-of-factly.

"I love my father and I hope he can change some of his bad habits, like drinking. I know he can do it but just that he doesn't want to," he added sadly.

Chew's sister described her brother as a responsible and loving elder sibling. She told Yahoo! Singapore: "We see my brother whenever we miss him. Nowadays with a phone, it's very easy to stay in touch."

Talking about Chew also brought a tinge of pride to her voice. "My brother has always been very independent from young. He started going to the market to buy things for the family when he was around nine because my mother had to look after me."

But his mother, housewife Lim Hiang Lung, still pines for Chew to move back home: "My son is a very filial boy. He will share everything with me, including his work and his problems. I will be most happy if he moves back with me but I will let him choose what he wants."

The blazer Chew's mother wore in this photo cost $500 and was a gift from him (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

(End of Part One)

In the second part of this exclusive interview, Dennis Chew tells Yahoo! Singapore his views towards starting a business - after his bridal shop shut down in 2007.

Honeybunz SG

In the second part of this exclusive interview, Dennis Chew talks about his star aspiration and how a failed business venture didn't deter him from trying again.

Chew wanted to be a star from a young age (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

Despite his tumultuous childhood, Chew said he was a happy child and harboured hopes of one day becoming a star from an early age.

His mother attested to Chew's star aspirations, "From young he always liked to watch TV, whether it is Chinese, Malay or Indian programs and pretend to be like the actors."

His dream came true when he was picked by local theatre company The Theatre Practice to star in a musical in 1988.

Although he played only a bit-part role, the experience stirred his passion for theatre works. "I was envious of people who got to sing solo on stage and I wanted to do that too," he said in between sips of his milkshake.

Chew with Goh Boon Teck, director of the musical "881" (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

Alas, his next chance at experiencing theatre in the flesh came only more than 20 years later when he was approached to play a role in the musical adaptation of the Royston Tan movie "881" last year.

"When Goh Boon Teck (the musical's director) called me, my thoughts were 'Why do I always have to wait so long?'" he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Likewise, belated recognition on the small screen arrived for Chew only in broadcaster MediaCorp's annual Star Awards in 2010, after Auntie Lucy became a TV sensation.

He was named one of the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes for the first time despite making the shortlist on a few previous occasions.

"There is an old Chinese saying 'Xin Xiang Shi Chen' which means when you keep thinking about something, it might come true one day. I think it really applies to me," he mused, while again on the verge of tears.

Chew with his trophy at the 2010 Star Awards (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

Chew's career story certainly reads like the script of a Channel 8 drama series.

In 1989, a year after starring in his first play, the then 16-year-old took his first stab at stardom when he signed up in a hosting competition organised by the former Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

While he did not win the contest, his flair did not go unnoticed and he was soon offered a stint at hosting a TV program once a week.

One day while he was in Caldecott Hill for the TV recording, an executive overheard him talking in the lift and liked his voice enough to offer him a chance at becoming a radio DJ.

"When he brought me to the radio studio, I was amazed and thought to myself this is the job I want to do. It is more challenging than TV because I can only rely on my voice. I could wear singlet and slippers to work. I thought it was so cool," he said, breaking into a loud guffaw.

The next thing he knew, Chew was hosting a youth program on 95.8 Capital FM. He soon moved to the more youthful 93.3 FM station, where the popular DJ, known to listeners by his Chinese name Zhou Chongqing, has remained since.

Chew with instructor Xia Chuan at then-SBC's acting classes (Photo courtesy of Dennis Chew)

A second shot at business

These days, while Auntie Lucy only makes the occasional appearances in TV commercials, Chew's visibility remains high.

He recently wrapped up filming another movie that is scheduled for release in May.

In the film "Ghost On Air", Chew plays a radio DJ who hosts a ghost storytelling program on air — a reference to his real-life popular "Zhou Gong Jiang Gui" (Grandpa Zhou Talks About Ghosts) segment that ended its run on 93.3 recently.

The movie is directed by Cheng Ding An ("Kallang Roar") and also stars former Miss Singapore Eunice Olsen.

Last July, Chew also became a boss — again — when he invested $100,000 to open a restaurant in Tanjong Katong with three partners. This new venture came after a failed attempt at entrepreneurship in 2005, when he invested $300,000 in a bridal business.

Then, tried as he might — he even offered free emcee-ing service with the wedding packages — Chew could not keep the business afloat and when the shop finally closed in 2007, he found himself saddled with a $160,000 debt, which he returned to a relative only after Auntie Lucy shot to popularity in 2009.

"On hindsight, I realised I went into the bridal business without first learning about it. I didn't know how to design bridal gowns and had to rely on people to help with every aspect of the shop.

"When my bridal business failed, I told myself I would never go into business again. But last year, I said 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' and decided to give it another shot," Chew explained.

Chew said the restaurant is closed "for the time being" since 29 February, as one of the partners withdrew his share recently.

"The rest of us thought that since he left, we might as well close the restaurant first and look for a bigger space in town, as location is important," Chew explained.

He added that he made "only a slight loss" on his initial outlay, but declined to reveal the exact amount.

With the estimated six-figure income from his various endorsement deals sitting pretty in his bank account, Chew started to acquire a taste in expensive, designer products. In his wardrobe now are branded bags from Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Hermes , Hugo Boss and Christian Dior.

He has also invested in stocks, which he said are performing "quite well". He declined to reveal more details about his investments.

'My life story should be able to motivate a few people'

While Chew is grateful for the success he now has, he said he could be a role-model for people facing difficulties in their lives.

"Look at me. I am not handsome, neither am I tall and yet I can be a host and a lead actor in movies," he said. "My point is sometimes when you have a dream, try your best and go for it. Don't be easily discouraged. Dreams can come true if you work hard."

His mother had the last words: "I will always pray for him that he will be happy and successful in what he does. He is a very good boy."

Susanteo2011 SG

heard this guy is gay, right ?

Honeybunz SG

some say no. read from another forum that he ever wanted to marry a girl, but cannot remember how the r/s ended.