Unarguably one of the most established local singers, Kit Chan is often dubbed as Singapore's "national treasure" for good reasons. Since her debut in 1993, she has proven herself in many diversified areas - singing, theatre, television drama, poetry, song writing, community work, etc.
In 1994, a time when Singaporean singers were still relatively unknown and not as highly regarded in the Mandarin music scene, Kit hit the Taiwanese market with the album "Heartache". Through hard work, determination and perseverance, she went on to cement her position in Taiwan as a steady and smooth singer; and this has put her among the ranks of pioneers who paved the way for other local recording artistes' debut in Taiwan.
In 1997, Kit got her big break in Hong Kong when she starred opposite well-known Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung in his musical Snow Wolf Lake. This musical ran for 41 nights in Hong Kong and also played in Singapore for seven nights. In addition, Kit also played the late songbird Teresa Teng in yet another musical "The Legend" in 1998, and acted in TVB drama series “Healing Hands II” - the sequel to the hugely popular "Healing Hands" starring established actors such as Bowie Lam and Ng Kai Wah in 2000. All these have helped Kit gain a steady foothold in Hong Kong as well as show her versatility as a performer. Following this, Kit ventured into her second drama, the ATV-Channel U drama "Cash is King” where she plays a sprightly and quirky television research writer who falls in love with a much older man. The stellar regional cast included Qin Han (Taiwan), Michelle Yin, Marco Lo, Wallis Pang (Hong Kong), Darren Lim, Bryan Wong and Ix Shen.
More recently, Kit has been more active than ever on the musical scene, having played leading roles in productions including the Dutch-Hong Kong collaboration “East Meets West”, the well-received Mandarin musical “What’s Love About?” and of course, the critically-acclaimed “The Forbidden City - Portrait of an Empress” where she brings Empress Dowager Cixi to life on the stage.
Back home in Singapore, Kit was the first solo artiste commissioned by the National Arts Council to perform the Sing Singapore community song "Home" in both English and Mandarin. Both versions made it to the local pop charts - an unprecedented first for community songs. This was also the song which made the non-Chinese sit up and notice her.
Community wise, Kit was appointed by the National Youth Council (NYC) as their first Youth Ambassador in 1999 and also for next three consecutive years. In 2001, she was also invited by the NYC to become its Council Member, which involves her in periodic meetings to discuss and offer suggestions to issues pertaining to the youth in Singapore.
To encourage youths to put their compassion into action, Kit also worked with World Vision (a non-profit international relief and development agency with a vision of a world without hunger, disease, and hopelessness). Together, they led a group of Singaporean youths in building latrines and a playground for a primary school in Cambodia. Furthermore, she took part in a 30-hour fast and performed at the 30-Hour Famine Youth Camp 2000. Beyond our shores, Kit is World Vision's first and only artiste to visit the famine areas of Ethiopia. This visit was subsequently made into a documentary to bring attention to the plight of the needy and less fortunate. Kit now sponsors two Ethiopian children and they have shown marked progress in both health and academic studies since her sponsoring.
It is every singer's dream to hold a solo concert. At a free solo concert in 1997 to test the waters, the overwhelming response led the performing venue Harbour Pavilion to overflow with 6,000 people (instead of the designated limit of 5,000) with many others still at the door. This confidence booster led to her very successful solo full-fledged concert in 2001 where she packed in the crowds at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and received accolades from all over.
Kit is also the first performing artiste to receive the "Young Women Achiever Award 1999" from Her World magazine, alongside CEO of Raffles Hotel Jennie Chua and humanitarian Teresa Hsu. When not in the limelight, the quiet side of Kit pens poems and she became a published poet in 2000 when she released a compilation of her poems titled "I Write a Page". A Mandarin edition translated by multi-talented local songwriter Liang Wern Fook was also subsequently published, adding yet another feather to her cap.
Through the years, Kit has matured to become the successful young woman she is today. Confident, inspiring, well poised and versatile.
Fear is so natural in Singapore. Learn to see its source and trust in the good Lord. For his light will put the scoundrel dispensing fear in his place. Happy National Day (different from happy PAP day, hor!).
