https://www.scmp.com/rss/505340/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In her five years as an escort, 24-year-old Ashley Chan (not her real name) has learned several tenets, including how to be absolutely discreet and why you should never fall in love. Welcome to the life of a high-end escort in Singapore. In Chan’s new memoir, Scarlet Harlot: My Double Life, published by Epigram Books, the undergraduate and sex worker pulls back the veil on the sex industry in the squeaky-clean city state, revealing a sordid underbelly where men pay in the thousands for the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3111106/singapore-sex-worker-reveals-all-about-life-escort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3111106/singapore-sex-worker-reveals-all-about-life-escort?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 23:15:19 +0000 For all the success that Singapore’s legion of popular YouTubers have achieved – and some, like JianHao Tan with his media empire, have achieved a lot – they aren’t without their critics. The most vocal and beloved of these is satirist Sneaky Sushii. With 105,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Sneaky Sushii is small fry compared to some of the YouTubers and social media figures he frequently attacks. Still, he has carved out a niche for himself in Singapore’s saturated YouTube scene and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3111004/enough-using-sex-get-clicks-says-singaporean-youtuber-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3111004/enough-using-sex-get-clicks-says-singaporean-youtuber-his?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 04:15:12 +0000 Most YouTubers hold various cards close to their chests. Discussing what plastic surgery they’ve had, past acrimonious relationships and – most taboo of all – how much they earn is usually out of bounds. But not Singapore-based beauty YouTuber Tina Yong, who’s not afraid to address the kinds of thorny topics most of her peers shy away from. In between videos about hairstyle tutorials and K-pop-inspired makeovers, Yong coolly talks about the events that led to the breakdown of her previous... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3109704/why-beauty-youtuber-tina-yong-one-asias-most-popular-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3109704/why-beauty-youtuber-tina-yong-one-asias-most-popular-isnt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Nov 2020 21:15:08 +0000 To say that Trevor James is enthusiastic about food is somewhat of an understatement. Malaysia’s top YouTube food personality – better known as The Food Ranger to his 4.6 million subscribers – litters his video titles with dramatic hyperbole, capitalised words and copious exclamation points. There’s the “level 9999” kola bhorta he tries in Bangladesh, and the “god level” cemita sandwich in Mexico made by a dexterous Puebloan woman whom James earnestly dubs “the sandwich ninja of Mexico”. His... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3107070/malaysias-top-youtube-food-star-canadian-trevor-james-aka?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3107070/malaysias-top-youtube-food-star-canadian-trevor-james-aka?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 04:15:09 +0000 Canto-pop singer Alan Tam Wing-lun has recently opened up about his extramarital affair with girlfriend Wendy Chu Wing-ting, saying that he pursued her despite being married to Sally Yeung Kit-mei because he wanted a child. “It’s not good to have two wives,” Tam admitted in a recent interview with Hong Kong radio show Happy Daily. He said that he was speaking up about his affair now in the hopes that his fans would not follow in his footsteps. “I’ve made them both suffer,” Tam said. “I hope... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3105104/canto-pop-singer-alan-tam-opens-about-his-decades-adultery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3105104/canto-pop-singer-alan-tam-opens-about-his-decades-adultery?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:45:07 +0000 Although the national language of Singapore is Malay, you’re just as likely to hear its three other official languages – English, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil – on the streets of the multicultural nation. Many street signs are in all four languages. Despite this, the city state’s diverse make-up isn’t reflected in its list of top YouTubers – most of Singapore’s popular content creators cater to an English-speaking audience. Sisters Tiffanie and Michy Lim do not, though. They run TiffwithMi, a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3104169/singaporean-pair-behind-youtube-channel-tiffwithmi-seeing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3104169/singaporean-pair-behind-youtube-channel-tiffwithmi-seeing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:30:06 +0000 Ang Jolie Mei makes plans for us to meet in her office in Singapore on a Tuesday morning. “Come to our facility so you can see the work we do,” she says enthusiastically. She provides directions to a street locals commonly refer to as “Death Alley”. The night before the meeting, though, the funeral director calls and says apologetically that we’ll have to meet at her home. Her office “has a job in the morning”. For a woman who faces death on a daily basis, Ang is surprisingly chipper. We meet in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3103654/good-grief-funeral-director-who-demystifies-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3103654/good-grief-funeral-director-who-demystifies-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2020 23:15:11 +0000 Their YouTube videos promise peach-shaped rears in 35 days. On their Instagram pages, they flaunt their toned bodies and abdominal muscles, directing envious viewers to their latest workout video that shows how to achieve this physical definition. Lest they be accused of overlooking their diets, they also talk about the daily meal plans that purportedly help them “get a flat belly and abs”. The fitness world has a new face, and it is female and clad in expensive athleisure clothing. Boasting... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3100703/fitness-influencers-amateurs-who-post-no-effort-workout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3100703/fitness-influencers-amateurs-who-post-no-effort-workout?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2020 21:15:14 +0000 The sexual revolution of the 1980s introduced women to the idea that they, too, could enjoy sex like men did, thanks to the advent of female contraception and more liberal social views. Today, another sexual revolution is taking place – not in the streets, but on slick digital stores that peddle vibrators and lube in the most innocuous ways. This new generation of adult brands is fronted by people who no longer want women to “suffer in silence” when it comes to their sexual well-being. One of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3100217/these-asian-sex-toy-brands-arent-just-selling-female?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3100217/these-asian-sex-toy-brands-arent-just-selling-female?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2020 10:15:19 +0000 You can get a lot of hate as a YouTuber, even when you’re a popular one – just ask Tan Jian Hao, who runs the channel JianHao Tan. With 4.25 million subscribers, Tan has become Singapore’s most popular YouTuber off the back of hundreds of well-loved, and sometimes derided, listicle videos. Not that this bothers the 27-year-old much. When you’re making seven figures, haters are probably the last thing on your mind. “I often see people making fun of influencers. When I started out, people laughed... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3099507/no-1-youtuber-singapore-jianhao-tan-defied-critics-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3099507/no-1-youtuber-singapore-jianhao-tan-defied-critics-his?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2020 04:15:14 +0000 Taiwanese singer Eric Chou is fresh off two back-to-back, sold out arena concerts that have shown the world what live shows look like in the coronavirus era. He spent last weekend belting out his biggest hits to huge crowds of concertgoers at the indoor Taipei Arena, where he led legions of diehard fans in singing – and screaming – their hearts out, face masks be damned. Between songs, Chou got up close with his adoring fans, borrowing phones for wefies and high-fiving as many eagerly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3098332/future-live-music-shows-covid-19-era-its-here-taiwanese-pop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3098332/future-live-music-shows-covid-19-era-its-here-taiwanese-pop?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:33:42 +0000 You know you’ve made it as a YouTuber when an 11-year-old video is still being talked about today – despite being taken down soon after it was launched. When Singapore-based YouTube channel Clicknetwork released a steamy video of influencers Xiaxue and Yan Kay Kay kissing on a satin-draped sofa (replete with breathy close-ups, hair grabbing and suggestive ASMR), it spawned a wave of opinion pieces and pearl-clutching by conservatives who complained: “What about the children?” Some even described... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3097644/women-women-how-singaporean-youtube-channel-clicknetwork?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3097644/women-women-how-singaporean-youtube-channel-clicknetwork?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2020 23:45:16 +0000 Melodramatic music videos, slick dance routines and edgy street fashion: you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re watching a new K-pop group. Then you notice something is different: that spitfire rap verse and heart-wrenching chorus isn’t being sung in Korean, but Kazakh. Qazaq pop – or Q-pop, as it’s more commonly known – is a genre that bears striking similarities to K-pop with its heartthrob boy bands, smouldering female soloists and all. It might not yet possess the same cultural cachet as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3096418/forget-bts-and-blackpink-its-time-q-pop-kazakhstan-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3096418/forget-bts-and-blackpink-its-time-q-pop-kazakhstan-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 2020 09:45:15 +0000 Singapore’s national free-to-air broadcaster, MediaCorp, has come under fire after portraying a gay character in a manner that some have called “extremely harmful” to the LGBT community. In April, MediaCorp’s Channel 8 screened a Mandarin-language TV drama called My Guardian Angels. The show included a gay character who was portrayed not only as a predatory paedophile, but a paedophile with a sexually transmitted disease – which he later spreads to a boy he assaults. The news quickly went viral... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3093935/singapore-broadcaster-mediacorp-slammed-gay-characters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3093935/singapore-broadcaster-mediacorp-slammed-gay-characters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jul 2020 04:15:05 +0000 Trips with the guys are meant to be fun holidays offering a chance to have a break from everyday life. But for Malaysian comic artist Arif Rafhan Othman, he and his friends got more than they bargained for when they set out on a rollicking journey across Southeast Asia 20 years ago. In Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, they had already been grabbed by young glue sniffers on the streets, ravaged by skin infections and in the throes of withdrawal. Then on landing in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3093378/child-prostitutes-teen-drug-addicts-southeast-asias-dark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3093378/child-prostitutes-teen-drug-addicts-southeast-asias-dark?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jul 2020 01:15:13 +0000 If you’ve ever played a fantasy video game, you might have noticed a trend – most mainstream fantasy games have decidedly European roots and historical influences. Think dwarves with Scottish accents, in-game religions influenced by Christianity (often accompanied by nurturing clerics and upstanding paladins) and a generally mono-racial cast of human characters. It’s part of the reason Christopher Natsuume, creative director of Singaporean games developer Boomzap Entertainment, wanted to do... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3093372/fantasy-game-inspired-colonisation-southeast-asia-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3093372/fantasy-game-inspired-colonisation-southeast-asia-last?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2020 04:45:07 +0000 Rap, with its often misogynistic lyrics and tendency to treat women as objects, isn’t always a musical genre that’s friendly to females. Meanwhile, in conservative Asia, several cultures still believe women shouldn’t be involved in important matters. But one Malaysian rapper wants to switch up both these narratives. Zamaera is a rapper whose songs challenge her country’s cultural norms. On her track Wanita – which means “woman” in English – she raps in Malay about what it means to be a “boss... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3090764/malaysian-female-rapper-zamaera-defies-her-conservative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3090764/malaysian-female-rapper-zamaera-defies-her-conservative?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jun 2020 04:45:15 +0000 Pop star singer Billie Eilish has drawn the wrath of Chinese internet users after sharing a series of other people’s tweets in support of the Hong Kong protest movement. The tweets, shared as a story on Eilish’s Instagram account, praised Hong Kong protesters and suggested that Black Lives Matter demonstrators should adopt some of their methods. The first tweet said: “I’m from Hong Kong and protesters here have some of the smartest tactics when fighting with our own police brutality.” The tweets... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3089632/billy-eilish-fans-china-angry-star-backing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3089632/billy-eilish-fans-china-angry-star-backing-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:45:09 +0000 Becoming a K-pop star is a dream for many adolescents, but Dita Karang made it a reality. Indonesia’s first K-pop star is part of Secret Number, a five-member girl group that made their debut last month with the single Who Dis? In the music video for the single, Karang – clad in the K-pop staples of Balenciaga and stylish knee-high boots – flexes her ability to sing in Korean while busting out slick, choreographed dance sequences. As the song’s English translation goes: “Everybody’s curious... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3088754/how-dita-karang-secret-number-became-indonesias-first-k-pop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3088754/how-dita-karang-secret-number-became-indonesias-first-k-pop?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jun 2020 04:15:09 +0000 It’s like a fairy-tale come true. Form a band with your friends, make some music and see one of your tracks not only top Spotify’s global charts, but also become a viral hashtag. This is what Indonesian electronic dance music (EDM) trio Weird Genius have achieved with their track Lathi. After its release in March, Lathi – which also features Surabaya-born rapper and singer Sara Fajira – soon shot to No 1 on every major streaming platform in Indonesia including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3088348/indonesian-edm-trio-weird-genius-spotify-hit-lathi-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3088348/indonesian-edm-trio-weird-genius-spotify-hit-lathi-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:00:13 +0000 The elevator pitch for indie fighting game Bayani is simple: Street Fighter but with Filipino national heroes. Don’t be mistaken, though: Bayani isn’t a droll pseudo-educational game sanctioned by an education ministry. Here, national hero José Rizal (whose prolific writings sparked the Philippine revolution in 1896) beats down his foes with a sword and blasts them with spells from a magical tome. The country’s first prime minister, Apolinario Mabini, makes an appearance in the form of Rio, a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3087656/street-fighter-meets-heroes-philippine-revolution-bayani?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3087656/street-fighter-meets-heroes-philippine-revolution-bayani?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jun 2020 04:00:14 +0000 Women are no strangers to discrimination in the workplace – even if it’s an octagonal mixed martial arts cage. One woman who can attest to that is professional MMA fighter and trainer Song Ka-yeon, who has been on the receiving end of sexism since she was a teenager in the sport. “I always get tired of people asking me why I want to pursue an MMA career because I’m a girl,” says the 26-year-old South Korean native, whose ring name is “Deadly Beauty”. “When I was in high school, when I started my... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3086461/female-mma-fighter-south-korea-how-she-beat-gender?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3086461/female-mma-fighter-south-korea-how-she-beat-gender?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2020 01:15:11 +0000 When Hong Kong-based rapper Txmiyama says that he only raps “about the things he knows”, he isn’t exaggerating. Txmiyama (pronounced Tomiyama) came under the spotlight last year when a lyric from his song 5am Minibus became something of a rallying cry for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. The line “7k for a house like a cell/ And you really think we out here scared of jail?” was spray-painted across the city, and picked up by international news outlets like CNN, Reuters and even... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084965/tiny-flats-unemployment-mental-health-hong-kong-rappers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084965/tiny-flats-unemployment-mental-health-hong-kong-rappers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 04:45:04 +0000 Island-building and farming games such as Nintendo’s hugely popular Animal Crossing and the role-playing game Stardew Valley are having a moment – allowing players to build their own paradise and live off the land – but environmental issues aren’t exactly an important consideration. Players are encouraged to constantly plant more trees, to craft and make their own food, but the available natural resources never run out. Trees will keep producing fruit, oceans never run out of fish, and no matter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084812/animal-crossing-asia-meet-coral-island-indonesian-made-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084812/animal-crossing-asia-meet-coral-island-indonesian-made-game?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2020 04:15:08 +0000 Coming out as gay is never easy, especially in Asia. But for Singaporean singer-songwriter Willie Tay, alias Wils, revealing his sexuality cost him both his record deal and audience after his managers deleted all his social media accounts. Despite being told that being open about his sexuality would kill his music career, Tay bounced back. He has just released his latest album, Don’t Leave Too Soon, an uplifting 12-track exploration of what it’s like to navigate the ups and downs of love as a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084351/dropped-coming-out-gay-singaporean-singer-wils-releases-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3084351/dropped-coming-out-gay-singaporean-singer-wils-releases-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2020 09:30:08 +0000 Mental health has always been a sensitive issue – especially in Asia, where a culture of “saving face” and “don’t ask, don’t tell” prevails when dealing with difficult subjects. But Filipino singer Coeli San Luis is not deterred by stifling old conventions. The 26-year-old from Antipolo, a city just to the east of Metro Manila, who goes by the stage name Coeli, uses her folk-pop tunes to address mental health – and to reach out to people who might feel the same way. Her bright, experimental... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3081259/music-therapy-filipino-singer-addresses-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3081259/music-therapy-filipino-singer-addresses-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2020 05:30:08 +0000 A young man hunches over a basin in a public washroom in Singapore’s Suntec City shopping complex and applies a fresh swipe of lipstick. Date, not his real name, is dressed as a princess from Fate/Grand Order, a Japanese role-playing mobile game, for the GameStart Asia anime and gaming convention. He worries about staining his costume’s silk train – and even more about whether his silicone breasts will look convincing in his tight bodice. Alongside him, men wearing multicoloured wigs prep and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3079784/cosplayers-drag-singaporeans-who-cross-dress-anime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3079784/cosplayers-drag-singaporeans-who-cross-dress-anime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2020 23:45:11 +0000 Creating a video game isn’t easy, if games such as developer Rockstar Games cowboy epic Red Dead Redemption 2 is anything to go by. That game, famed for its ludicrously gritty details, took seven years to make with a team of 3,000 people, many of whom experienced burnout. But sometimes you don’t need thousands of people and a bounty of tech to create a game. Sometimes, all it takes is one person – that, and a lot of determination. Singaporean game developer Choo Bin Yong recently released his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3078760/singaporean-video-game-designer-who-spent-three-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3078760/singaporean-video-game-designer-who-spent-three-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2020 10:00:18 +0000 What were some of your favourite childhood drinks? For most kids in Asia, particularly Singapore, you might hear any variation of the following: blackcurrant fruit drink Ribena, the malty chocolate mix Milo, or even root beer from a particular fast-food chain. If you think you’ve outgrown those drinks, Singaporean bar Nineteen80 is here to prove otherwise. Stepping into this bar makes a visitor feel like a kid in a candy shop – only this time, the sugared confections come with an alcoholic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3077966/vodka-ribena-pinball-machines-singapores-rising-retro-bars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3077966/vodka-ribena-pinball-machines-singapores-rising-retro-bars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:01:57 +0000 Think K-pop has always been about dewy boy bands and syrupy lyrics? You might be surprised to learn that the sound had a very different face back in the 1990s. The genre has evolved so much and in so many ways over the years that it’s impossible to lump all K-pop boy bands together in the same category. We go back through the years to look at the evolution of one of the world’s most popular genres to see what each generation’s biggest boy bands looked and sounded like. 1990-1995: Hip-hop? No,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3077280/bts-tvxq-seo-taiji-and-boys-how-k-pops-biggest-boy-bands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3077280/bts-tvxq-seo-taiji-and-boys-how-k-pops-biggest-boy-bands?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2020 14:00:16 +0000