'I wasn't being authentic': Glenn Yong reveals turning point of having to maintain perfection as public figure

After a breakthrough acting as 2nd Sergeant Chow in local movies Ah Girls Go Army (2022) and Ah Girls Go Army Again (2022), local actor-singer Glenn Yong shot to fame. While gaining fans along the way, he also faced a difficult situation — maintaining perfection as a public figure.

"I thought I needed to be perfect and always show my best side for people to continue liking me," the 27-year-old revealed to AsiaOne in an interview recently.

Glenn shared that he would be overly critical of himself about how he behaved in front of others.

"When I make a mistake, or when I think, 'Oh no, I wasn't doing as well today, maybe I wasn't smiling as much or I didn't want to take photos with people as much because I was feeling down', I realised I would beat myself up about it, such as 'How come I am like that?' I needed to always put on a smile and be the best in front of everyone," he said.

It came to a point where it became overwhelming for him.

"I was tired, I felt like I wasn't being authentic… I started to question myself, 'Why am I so scared to show people [my real self]?' And I realised I don't need to feel that," Glenn said.

In 2023, he decided to change his perspective because he wants to be himself.

"We're all humans and I don't think anyone is perfect… I'm working on it and may not always live up to the standard, but that's okay, as long as I give my best every day, that's fine. So that kind of releases the pressure that I used to have," he said.

Glenn also felt there is an existing perspective that "celebrities are special and not like the rest". While he believes that there are some celebrities who choose to have a "picture perfect" life, he wants to be able to connect with people.

"I want to be authentic, because my goal is to connect with people, and if I'm always trying to present my best self and hide the mistakes and the flaws, I don't think I'll be able to resonate with people," he said

"So that's when I think, 'Okay, the whole part of me doing what I'm doing today is not to show people I'm perfect, but to show that I am just like you, and if I can make an impact, so can you.'"

Making every five-minute encounters count

And he wants his sincerity to connect with people, especially youths he meets, to be shown through his actions.

"I think in my line of work, I get to meet so many people and honestly, I don't get to interact with each of them for a long time. It's like five minutes and it's on to the next… So I try to make all these five-minute encounters count, to hear their story, find ways to encourage or help them by linking them up with someone who could help in their situation. That adds the most joy into my life," Glenn explained.

With many local youths looking up to celebrities from Hollywood, South Korea, Thailand and China as their role models, we also asked Glenn if he faced any challenges while advocating for a good cause to the former.

"I think a lot of people say Singapore is small and as local artists, our impact is not as big as compared to our neighbouring Southeast Asian countries," he responded, adding that sometimes he felt "daunted" when he attended international events.

"Not gonna lie, when I was at these events, I did feel small in the beginning standing beside a Korean or Thai star. They have so many more fans and obviously they're more popular, so it does seem like a lot more attention and cameras were on them, and sometimes I would feel a bit like an outcast."

However, he said that it's also about changing his perspectives and turning these experiences to inspire himself to work harder.

"I think it's so important to have self-affirmation that in my own country, circle and circumstances, I already gave my best and I am already doing my best, and that's why I am there," he explained.

Glenn also learnt to be content with his achievements.

"When I look at these international stars, I would think if they can do it, I believe I can too and I want to try. But even if I don't get there, it's fine, because I'm really very proud of the hard work that I put in. I made my parents and friends proud, I get to support them, I am earning enough. I think that's really enough [for me]."

Paying it forward

Besides encouraging youths, Glenn is also actively involved in charity work, such as being the youngest Goodwill Ambassador for the Singapore Cancer Society, paying it forward to help and encourage those in need.

For him, the meaning of charity has expanded beyond just monetary assistance.

"Charity is really about giving and it can be our time, effort, talents or gifts, not just financially… Because I think sometimes when we do charity and when we give, we are the ones that benefit the most from it, because it kind of shifts our perspective and allows us to know that we are blessed with what we already have," he shared.

In 2023, Glenn revealed that he had been supporting a Filipino boy named Ryan with his school fees for the past eight years.

He has since graduated and Glenn told us that he is now supporting Ryan's siblings aged 14 and 16, spending about $300 per month for their school fees and miscellaneous expenses.

"The most important thing is that they need to get through their education first because that will help them to find jobs. Of course, I'm not going to support them forever, because they need to learn to be independent and earn their own keep," he shared.

"But I think this is more of an encouragement to let them know that there are still people in this world who believe in them and are willing to invest in them. I think that gives them encouragement that they are not alone."

Singer Glenn takes the stage again at MBS

Having been actor Glenn for most of last year and also in 2024 acting in Jack Neo's movie I Not Stupid 3, he shared that it feels great to be back on stage as a singer again for the Sands for Singapore Charity Festival on Aug 23.

"I'm really excited because I get to use my gifts and talents to give back. When I did it last year, it was so much fun. To me, it's really a privilege, because I get to do what I love. It is fun for me and yet I get to bring so many smiles to many people's faces. I think this is what keeps me coming back and wanting to do more of this," he said.

He will be performing six to seven songs in his 30-minute set.

"It's been a while since I've performed in Singapore for an event, so I am quite excited to see the fans and crowd again… I hope the fans will be there. The songs this year, it's going to be positive and it's going to add a lot of good vibes into their life," he said with a smile.

A signature event for Marina Bay Sands, the Sands for Singapore Charity Festival will be commemorating its 10th year of giving this month with 10 weeks of community engagement activities, culminating in the free-entry main festival held at the Event Plaza.

The ice-cream pop-up Scoops of Hope will run until Aug 25.

The main festival, titled Where Hearts Come Together, will be held from Aug 23 to 25 and will feature 16 booths as part of a social marketplace for charity. In addition to Glenn, local musicians Shazza, Ashlyn Yeo, Ben Hum, Shirlyn + The UnXpected, Supersonic and 53A will also be performing.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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