This 'male god' also deejays

Taiwanese-Canadian actor-model Godfrey Gao is called Asia's "male god" by Taiwanese media.

With his towering 1.93m frame and chiselled good looks, it's not difficult to see why.

The 30-year-old was in town last Friday to deejay at the Singapore Fashion Week after-party at the H&M flagship store at Grange Road.

When he showed up for his set at 11pm, hundreds of well-dressed partygoers, both male and female, surged forward and gathered around his console, calling his name and taking countless photos of him.

The suave hunk lapped it all up, spinning Top 40 hits while taking photos of the crowd at the same time.

Speaking to The New Paper in an interview an hour before the party, Gao, who appeared relaxed, smiled when asked about his "nan shen" (Mandarin for male god) status.

He said in fluent English: "I like that nickname. I do have some pressure of having that nickname, just because 'nan shen' is everybody's dream guy that people look up to.

"I try to keep my style that way as best as I can. It's an honour to be called 'male god'."

Sporting his signature beard, Gao pointed to it when asked what he thought was the sexiest part of himself.

"I guess it's this bad boy right here," Gao said as he touched his facial hair.

"I trim it once every couple of days to keep it in shape. I also condition my beard. When I shampoo my hair and condition it, I do it for my beard at the same time."

Born to a Taiwanese father and a Malaysian mother, Gao broke into the showbiz scene in 2004 as a model, before making his foray into acting, starring mainly in Taiwanese dramas.

He made headlines around the world in 2011 when he became the first Asian man to be picked as the face of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton.

But not many know of him as a deejay.

"I am a man with many tricks, deejaying is one of them. I started when I was in high school just because I love music so much. I want to enjoy music while everyone else is having a good time and the best way to do that is to deejay."

Gao recounted how he spent his first pay cheque when he was in high school on a mixer and two turntables.

DEEJAY

He said: "I connected them to my speakers at home and I just started practising. I started mixing songs, mashing, scratching, making a big deal (of it) because my parents hated it."

The hobby turned into a freelance job for him, where he would earn pocket money playing at clubs and lounges in Taipei.

He laughed when asked about his encounters with female fans while deejaying.

"I remember once I was deejaying in Taiwan for a New Year's Eve countdown party...All I remember was a bunch of girls in front of the deejay booth, with their iPhones close to my face," he said.

"They were screaming, it was kind of hectic but I had a lot of fun. The female attention? It's great. Deejaying is kind of like throwing your own concert but you are not the singer. I like the feeling of everyone just having a good time."

Gao has just wrapped up filming for Chinese period drama God Of War, starring K-pop group Girls' Generation's Yoona. He has also finished work on Chinese movie Wedding Bible opposite Korean actress Yoo In Na.

Gao, who made his Hollywood debut two years ago as a warlock in action fantasy flick The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, hints at a few Hollywood projects in the pipeline but is "unable to reveal too much".

With such a hectic schedule, the eligible bachelor laments that it is impossible to date at the moment.

However, he loves kids and looks forward to starting a family of his own in the future.

His ideal partner?

He said: "I am not that picky. For me, what I look for in a woman is not her looks, but her character. We need to get along, and have similar interests. We also need to trust each other, that's the most important thing in a relationship."

"But of course, the process doesn't come easy so I am enjoying life as it is now."

jocelee@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 18, 2015.
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