Former Channel 8 host Lucy Chow's daughter has signed with Mediacorp

SINGAPORE - Another progeny with show business ties has joined the industry.

Ms Neo Jia Jing, daughter of former Channel 8 compere Lucy Chow, signed with Mediacorp in January and will be an artist officially when she graduates from university later this year.

The 23-year-old is currently a fourth-year philosophy student at the National University of Singapore.

She took part in the Huayi Brothers Fashion Group Icon Search last year (2018) and was one of the Singapore representatives who made it to the grand final in Shenzhen, China.

"She has liked listening to songs since she was a child and would ask me to buy S.H.E's albums for her. She would sing along with the songs quite well and that was how I discovered her potential in singing," Chow, 61, told Lianhe Wanbao.

Chow and her family moved to Taipei after her daughter completed her Primary School Leaving Examination due to her husband Derek Neo's work.

Chow, also known as Zhou Ruzhu, and Mr Neo, who is not from the entertainment industry, made headlines when they registered their marriage in 1990 as she is nine years older than him. The couple have two daughters.

She had asked home-grown songwriter Paul Lee to introduce a music teacher in Taipei for her daughter. But she did not want her daughter to enter show business then as she was still in school.

The family returned to Singapore after living in Taiwan for five years.

Chow encouraged her daughter to take part in Icon last year. Although Ms Neo did not sign with Huayi, she found her interest in acting during the competition.

Chow and her daughter were invited on local TV show Taste Of Love after the event, and Ms Neo's performance caught the attention of Mediacorp, which signed her later.

Ms Neo told Wanbao that she felt some pressure at being a second-generation artist, but she told herself that she would just be herself.

"As a newcomer, I have lots to learn, regardless of whether you are a second-generation artist or not," she said.

Will she become a television host like her mother as she can speak Mandarin fluently too?

Ms Neo said she would give it a try if there is an opportunity, though she hoped to dabble in other areas too.

Chow said that besides having a strong command of the language, a good compere must also have other attributes, like adaptability and depth of knowledge.

Meanwhile, Ms Neo could be joined by the daughter of former Mediacorp actor Chunyu Shanshan, who stays in Melbourne with his family. He and his daughter Yidi flew to Singapore on Saturday (May 11) to take part in the audition for Star Search 2019 on Sunday.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.