8DAYS: There is talk that having judges from Hong Kong played a part in Tiffany’s victory. Were you at any point secretly thinking: “Why weren’t there judges from Taiwan?”?
JONA CHUNG: Honestly, that thought has never crossed my mind and I don’t think [having Hong Kong judges] affected the results as much as people would speculate.
I mean, come on, sure they’re from Hong Kong, but it’s Raymond Lam and Sandra Ng! Are you going to accuse them of rigging the results? I’m sure we all know they are very professional and I trust their judgement.
Do you think your odds would have been bigger if there were Taiwanese judges?
No lah. And if the judges were all from Taiwan, I’d hate that as well because even if I were to win based on my skill sets, there would always be that nagging thought of: “Did I actually win because they let me?”.
You scraped your hand during the talent showcase and there was still fresh blood on your hand after the show. Did you feel it was a bad omen when it happened?
No. I only realised I was bleeding much later when someone pointed out: “Eh you’re bleeding”. (Laughs) I just used a tissue to stop the bleeding and the only thing that was on my mind was: “Please don’t stain my shirt.”
You mean it didn’t hurt as you were performing?
Yeah. I think it was because of all the adrenaline! It only hurt after the competition ended and there was a small burning sensation. But it’s okay lah. I got third place in the end so it’s worth it (chuckles).
You said your sisters, who are 14 and seven years older than you, were supporting you financially throughout the contest ‘cos you stopped working entirely.
My mum was the one who straight up said: “It’s okay, just borrow [money] from your sisters”. She also told them: “Help your brother lah”. But even if she didn’t say anything they would have offered because it’s a bit hard for me to ask for this kind of thing…
Even as I was prepping for the competition, my eldest sister took me out to buy clothes and she paid for everything. Everything you saw me wear on Star Search was bought that day (laughs), and I’m very thankful for that.
They gave you a monthly allowance for the four months you were in Star Search?
My mum told them to just give me some cash every month, but I would spend the money wisely knowing that I don’t even have an income.
Most of the time it’s just when I’m low on cash, my two sisters [who work in the marketing and project management sector] will transfer me money, usually in the hundreds. Or when they suddenly remember, they would say: “Oh sorry I forgot to send you money” and I would be like: “It’s okay it’s okay!”.
Does coming in third make their financial sacrifices worth it?
Definitely (laughs). That car… I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong to me anymore (laughs). Good investment on that part. I mean, I can’t even afford to survive. I’m not going to be able to afford the Certificate of Entitlement (COE).
About that COE, how are you going to pay for it?
My sisters told me I can keep the car and offered to fork out money for the COE. But for me, I’m okay without a car. It’s not my priority right now. The COE is quite a huge amount of money. I checked online and it’s about S$90K?
My elder sister and her husband were talking about getting a new car, so we were saying that they can use this car for now. One day, when I can afford it, then maybe we can figure something out.
Are you intending to pay your sisters back after you start making money again?
Maybe not straight up in cash ‘cos we’re family and they are not calculative about how much I owe them. We have that kind of bond. If the roles were reversed, I would also support them without giving them any pressure [to pay back].
Your sisters must dote on you a lot.
It came at a price. I was bullied as a kid (chuckles) Okay, not bullied, but I was like a doll for them. And I grew up in a house full of girls ‘cos my dad was in Taiwan. It made me not like to hang out with girls for a while (laughs).
You previously said your mum wasn’t going to be in Singapore for the Star Search finals, but she managed to fly over in the end?
I’m not so sure what she was busy with but she managed to make it (laughs). She stayed at home to watch the finals because [such rowdy places] are not really her scene. So my sisters, my dad, my brother-in-law and some of their friends came down to watch it.
Were you very happy that your mum could be in Singapore for the finals?
Okay leh, like the same. (Laughs) I don’t think it affected me that much either. I know some people will get more stressed with family watching them, but I think I’m over that.
You were born in Singapore and moved back to Taiwan. Why was your family moving around so much?
I first moved back to Taiwan because my dad retired [from being a volleyball coach]. When I was studying in Singapore, he was mostly working in Taiwan because there was a better job opportunity there. When he retired, my mum decided it was better to move back to stay with my extended family.
After high school, I had to come back for National Service though I had planned to stay in Taiwan for university since it’s cheaper. I was accepted into the agriculture course in National Pingtung University of Science and Technology but I took a two-year leave of absence to come back for army.
Why did you decide to come back to Singapore after graduating then?
I’ve already planned to try out for showbiz and to start out in Singapore before I graduated from university, but my parents insisted I finish my studies first.
Though both Singapore and Taiwan are considered home to me, I feel a stronger connection to Singapore since I was born here and I considered myself a Singaporean in my early years based on the environment I grew up in, the friends I made.
Now that you and your sisters are all staying in Singapore. Are your parents, who are both in their mid 60s and retired, intending to relocate back here too?
They don’t really have that in mind. The people in my family have always been more independent so they just do what they want lah. (Laughs) My dad prefers staying in Taiwan.
Your mum was a freelance scriptwriter for Mediacorp and you acted in one of her dramas, Home Of United Nations, in 2012 when you were 13. Ever thought of asking her to write a script for you to act in again?
Yeah, I did and she’s open to it! One of my motivations is to act in something my mum wrote. I did that as a kid once but I didn’t know what acting was back then so I didn’t understand the importance of it. But now, I feel that it’s such an honour to do something with family.