Photo Courtesy of: 海蝶音乐 Ocean Butterflies Music
Local songbird Jocie Kok, widely known by her Mandarin name Guo Mei Mei, releases her new album ‘My Name’, a comeback after a 6-year hiatus.
During these 6 years, it wasn’t a smooth-sailing journey for Kok. In 2011, she was diagnosed with endometriosis — a chronic disorder in women when the tissue that forms the lining of a woman’s uterus is found outside her uterine cavity. Then came an unwanted controversy which resulted in the loss of gigs, and an inpouring slew of nasty remarks and hateful comments online.
A Chinese social media star whose name is also Guo Mei Mei Baby was notorious in the online community for her postings of her extravagant lifestyle with fancy cars and branded bags, but was later arrested for illegal gambling in July in 2014.
“In these 6 years, I had been through a lot of unhappy things, but I know I came out stronger,” said Kok at an open press conference held at Dal.komm coffee last Thursday.
Photo Courtesy of: 海蝶音乐 Ocean Butterflies Music
But the 35-year-old singer is taking it in her stride. “I feel that I don’t have the right to judge her. She has her own rights to post whatever she likes. Perhaps because of all that had happened, and all the sadness, I’m able to bring all these emotions in my new songs.”
She added: “I believe that you have to go through some kind of sad past to grow. When I released ‘No More Panic’, I felt that I had a very naive thinking that I could just become a singer and continue singing all my life. But I realised (in my 6 years) that you have to be unique and be able to grab the attention of listeners to be able to sustain a career as a singer.”
Many singers have expanded their performing career to more than just singing. Some ventured into acting and hosting, while a few became music producers and songwriters. For Kok, she just wants to sing.
“I tried my hands at acting, but I didn’t like it. 26 days of shooting and it was terrible! I just love to sing. But having said that, I’ve learned a lot from those 26 days. It was a good learning experience for me.”
Photo Courtesy of: 海蝶音乐 Ocean Butterflies Music
The ‘Mouse Love Rice’ hit-singer has a self-composed number on this album, titled “蓝天眼泪” (translated to “Blue Sky Tears”) where she describes the melody to be ‘sorrowful but a tinge of happiness’. “When I was composing this song, I was very grateful for all the opportunities I had so far, so the song is a bit melancholy, but there’s a little happiness in it as well,” she explained.
Guo Mei Mei’s “My Name’ album is on sale and is streaming on digital platforms (iTunes and Spotify)!