PUBLISHED ONFebruary 26, 2026 7:58 AMBYYeo Shu HuiNg Cheeyang's decision to come out publicly as queer and transgender non-binary in July 2025 came about during a meditation retreat earlier that month.
The 36-year-old singer-songwriter, who won the first season of local singing competition Campus SuperStar in 2006 and uses they/them pronouns, told Lianhe Zaobao in an interview published yesterday (Feb 25) that they 'saw' their late grandparents and aunt during the session and had an epiphany.
"In the past, I was always worried about how others would see me, which was one of the reasons why I resisted social media. I felt that it was tiring to play different roles in front of people... Life is too short, why should we live to meet other people's expectations?" they said.
In their Instagram posts in July 2025, Cheeyang, who has been living in the United States for the past 15 years, shared that "inviting [others] in" to their sexuality is being "brave enough to choose honesty".
They told the Chinese daily that growing up in a middle-class Chinese family, they were afraid to disappoint their parents by admitting their identity.
"My parents might feel I am their life responsibility, and they might think they (parents) had failed," Cheeyang said, adding that the elderly couple worried about them being hurt by society.
However, a friend convinced them that perhaps their mission in life is to teach their parents how to "love unconditionally", which changes their perspective about true love.
Cheeyang will be presenting their Homecoming show together with Campus Superstar alumni Khim Ng, Rachel Chua and Geraldine See, as well as singer-songwriter Jean Seizure on the following dates at restaurant Ola-Ola.
Tickets for the shows are now sold out. If you wish to meet Cheeyang in the meet-and-greet session after each show, tickets are now available at $9.49 on Eventbrite.com.
[[nid:730486]]
