Entertainer Stanley Yau is a singing, dancing and acting triple threat. He tells David Ho about his accomplishing his goals, the importance of relaxing, and the current chapter of his life

It’s always good to see someone make good on a promise, and Stanley Yau has done just that.  

It’s been almost two years since Yau last graced the cover of #legend. The last time we spoke, the 34-year-old entertainer was on the verge of coming out with the movie We 12.

At the time, Yau shared at length about his wish to take on more acting work and hone his skills in that area. Since then, Yau has notched up an impressive four movies and three TV series, with shoots taking him beyond Hong Kong to places like Macau and Malaysia.

“I’ve just finished filming a variety show with Ian, Jer and Tiger. I’ve also just wrapped up shooting a TV drama. It’s a legal drama and I’m playing a judge trying to uncover the truth in court,” he says. To prepare for the latter, Yau sat in on court proceedings and interviewed his friends in the legal industry.

“At the end of this year, I will also have another role that I’m looking forward to. The script is about a traditional public housing estate and the director wanted to capture some stories from there,” he says.

After doing so much work in front of the camera these two years, we wonder if Yau sees a difference in his thespian abilities. “I’ve worked with a lot of different directors and actors now and it has helped me become more mature. I can see a difference in the way I act. It’s more natural and there’s less ‘acting’ involved. It’s more about being in the moment. When I’m in front of the camera, it’s not about playing to it but interacting with the other actors,” he says.

Yau had also previously shared ambitions to do more work behind the camera as well. He tells us he is taking small steps as a producer, starting with Reels on social media. But he would like to move on to making short films eventually.

It’s not just the acting world that has kept Yau busy. This year alone, he has released two new songs. The first is “Polygraph”, which serves as the closing theme for one of the shows he acted in, a remake of the K-drama series My Lovely Liar by ViuTV. “I acted with Keung To in that series. The director wanted a sad ballad to match my character’s arc so we did our best to reflect that,” he says.

The other release is “Endless Game” that sees Yau playing a fencer in the music video. “I’ve always wanted a song that could inspire me. If it could be an anthem for others too, that would be great,” he says. Yau gives high praise to the song’s writer and producer Wilson Ng Lam Fung, who crafted the track with him in mind. Ng also worked with him on “Never Too Late”, a touching tribute to Yau’s late mother. So clearly, the two have great rapport in their collaborations. 

Both songs are ballads and Yau lets us in on an exclusive that there’s a more groovy track in the vaults that he plans to release in September. This would be more in line with his uptempo work like “Drunk In Love” so we’re likely to see him bust out some moves for it. “I want to show some sexy vibes (with this song), so the world can see different sides of me,” he says.

Yau, who started his entertainment career as a dancer for the likes of Aaron Kwok, Sandy Lam and Pakho Chau, has kept his
dance skills intact. In fact, he co-founded a K-pop dance studio. A look at Yau’s Instagram shows him breaking down some intricate choreography at the studio from time to time.

“I like to find time to dance with others,” he says. “But singing and dancing on stage is very different – you have to bring your own energy to a whole crowd. With acting, you want to conceal who you are and bring out a character instead. It’s very different but I just like to perform, whether it’s singing, dancing or acting.”

Given his penchant for performance, it’s no surprise that Yau favours other artists who have a strong stage game when we turn our chat to his current musical inspirations. At the moment, the ones that have his attention are artists like Benson Boone (“those high notes and backflips!”), Lady Gaga and Coldplay. He recalls it being “perfect” at the Coldplay concert in Hong Kong and feeling proud to see Collar’s Marf Yau performing onstage with the band and slaying with her Cantonese verse on the song “We Pray”. 

Outside showbiz, Yau lists “sports, gym, playing mahjong” as his favourite pastimes, with tennis and basketball as his games of choice. He’s also hoping to carve out some time to travel for pleasure too. This year he’s been to Taiwan and Japan, but he hopes to visit more European destinations as he’s intrigued by the architecture.

Yau has accomplished a lot in a short time, from dancer and boyband member to breaking out as a solo star and actor. When
asked about his future ambitions, his answer is surprisingly simple. “My goal is just to have more fun. It’s important to enjoy life and relax. Working too hard is not good for my career and a change in mindset helps me perform better,” he says. 

We ask Yau to reflect on his journey so far. “If my life were a novel, this would be chapter three,” he says, after a thoughtful pause. “This era would be about finding myself and whatever else is coming next. It’s a new journey and I’m looking forward to it.”

CREDITS

Creative Concept / #legend
Photography / Alexander Yeung
Styling / Amissa Tsui
Hair / Seiko Sin
Make-Up / Cheng Li Li
Photography Assistant / Victor Tang
Styling Assistant / Jacky Fung

Also see: Digital Cover: Jeannie Ng on new music, new perspective and sweet revenge