Jan Curious of Chochukmo
The lead singer of indie band Chochukmo, Jan Curious recently made his film debut in local science-fiction-horror-comedy “The Midnight After.” Though he’s best known for his music career, Curious is also an accomplished graphic designer, illustrator and now actor. He talks to Andrea Lo about almost becoming a banker, avoiding groupies and why happiness trumps everything else.
I was born in Hong Kong. When I was 6, my dad’s job took him to Singapore, so the whole family moved there. In Form 1, we moved home, then I went to England in Form 5. Three years later, I came back.
I think every family says the same thing to their kids: study hard so you can make money. I thought I would either become a lawyer or a banker.
I expected to turn into a money-making robot.
One of my roommates was studying music technology. He said, “I make beats and rap to them.” And there were a couple of people who were studying sound engineering and fine art.
That moment, I thought, “What the fuck? How would you make a living?” These people were doing what they genuinely enjoyed.
After a year, I swapped business studies for graphic design and illustration without telling my family. It’s still commercial: I knew if I took fine art I would probably be screwed.