Digital Cover: Endy Chow on his long career and breaking new ground

Singer, songwriter, producer and actor Endy Chow reflects on over two decades in the entertainment industry and the new ground he has yet to break. David Ho listens in 

Endy Chow is in the mood for something lighthearted. That’s the conclusion we come to during our chat, as the 44-year-old entertainment veteran catches his breath after his #legend cover shoot and right before he runs off to rehearsals for Still Y, the theatre production he’s currently starring in. 

That’s not the only thing Chow has on his to-do list in the coming months, though. He also has a new album, The Stitches, to release and his TailorMate concert dates ahead of him. With such a packed schedule and his fingers in so many pies, it’s easy to understand why Chow might be inclined towards lighthearted fare. But while his work train shows no signs of stopping, that preference is seeping into his artistry. 

For starters, Still Y marks a departure for the actor in that it’s a comedy show. Despite his youthful looks, Chow plays a middle-aged man befuddled by modern technology. “It’s totally different from my real personality,” he says. “I’m more chill in real life but in this show, I have to speed up my tempo to fit the character.” 

He candidly admits that this role is new ground for him. “Comedy is still a challenge for me. I’ve been running my lines a lot on my own, even in my dreams! But I’m still nervous,” he says. 

It would be easy for a star of his tenure to pick something familiar and easy to do. So it’s admirable that Chow is challenging himself. Despite his apprehension and nerves, the show’s contemporary relevance and comedic tones are what drew Chow to take on the project. “It’s different from the shows I’ve been on in the last few years,” he explains. “In the past, my roles have been emotional and heavy. So, I’ve been wanting to try something different.” 

Though his focus is fully on the theatre production as we speak, Chow has a lot more on his plate when it comes to music. “I enjoy acting but music is something I can’t be rid of,” he says. Music comes more naturally to Chow. But his acting work has also helped with his stage presence for concerts, such as knowing how to carry himself on stage when he isn’t strumming a guitar. 

Looking back on his career, Chow has noticed that his own musical works have been on the serious and intense side. So for his new album The Stitches, he made it a point to compose songs that were a bit more upbeat. “Instead of something new, I’m doing something old. The previous stuff was too heavy and super emotional, so I pulled myself back a bit,” he says. “I want to write something lighter and more uplifting, like the first few albums I did when I was younger.” 

Chow and his management also give #legend an exclusive peek at the album artwork, which inspired the project’s title. One can see different types of fabric stitched together in a patchwork style, which reflects the collaborative approach of the project. “The album is called The Stitches because I collaborated with a lot of different people for this. From them, I picked up new ‘pieces’ and can see different sides of myself,” the artist says. 

Chow is also taking the less-is-more approach with his production. While he once went for technically challenging musical transitions and hard-to-play chord progressions, he is now learning the value of “simple” chords, which he employed for the new tracks. 

So even though Chow remains a hard worker, his yearning for lighthearted fare has translated into taking a different approach to his crafts. “I like drawing and just driving around. I like to head somewhere far away from the city, just go with the flow,” he says. It’s a pastime that reminds him of his days in New Zealand, where Chow spent his teenage years. He recalls driving from Auckland to Rotorua with his bandmates and the adventures they had visiting hot springs and eating Korean barbecue. 

Chow is also a big anime fan, with Studio Ghibli films among his favourites. Japan is another place close to his heart, as it was where he went to further his studies. He retains some conversational skills in the language and has fond memories of his time there. 

“I wrote a lot of songs back in those days when I was in Japan. I’m still using the ideas and feelings from my time there, as they are still stored in my ‘bank’,” he says. “When I was in Japan, we didn’t have smartphones. So I’d be super focused on the train to my school. In Japan, the green of the plants seems to contain so many layers. Those vibrant colours seemed to stimulate my songwriting.” 

Chow enjoys listening to jazz and classical music to wind down, but appreciates rock acts like Silverchair, Miyavi, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins and Guns N’ Roses. He’s clearly a big fan of rock music, even as the musical landscape changes in favour of more danceable, TikTok-ready soundbites. 

“Rock is an attitude, an ambition. It’s not about having a loud electric guitar but being able to say what you want to,” he explains. “If you have enough ‘rock’ in your heart, you can be a rock star even with just an acoustic guitar. The fire is still in me, just maybe more of a slow burn these days.” 

Chow finds himself inspired by the emotions of certain movie scenes to compose melodies. That empathic ability has also led him to help craft songs for other artistes, like Jer Lau of Mirror and the girl group Lolly Talk. 

Our discussion moves on to how the entertainment industry has changed. Chow has praise for the new acts that are emerging, as he finds them “very talented and polished” with many of them being able to sing, dance, play instruments and more. It’s a stark contrast from the grungy beginnings with his band in the early ’00s, when playing a guitar and singing alone was enough. 

The competition keeps him on his toes. “It makes me want to upgrade myself and learn about newer technology,” he says. “Everyone can produce music on their own now and even manage themselves.” 

Despite the onslaught of glossy K-pop-inspired newcomers, when asked to name his #legend, Chow cites Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson as ones who “made something impossible possible” and whose magic is still relevant today. He ‘s also inspired by 82-year-old Hong Kong comedian Michael Hui, who has managed to stay relevant in an era of TikTok and Instagram comedy reels. 

Chow himself is already over two decades into his career and enjoying a new phase of his life. “For the first decade or so after my debut, I was eager to prove myself and take everything in. But now I’m in a more spring-cleaning mindset and a more minimalistic phase,” he says. 

There is, however, still new ground that he wants to break in his career. “I’d like to do more acting, so I’m always looking around for good scripts. I’ve also been talking to friends about writing and making our own movie,” he says. We float the idea that he should do a musical and Chow seems intrigued by the idea. 

If he does make it, we hope he gets to keep things lighthearted. After over two decades of grinding and rocking it out, it’s time for a change of pace. 

CREDITS
Photography / Buffacow
Styling / Perpetua Ip 
Hair / Eve Chiu
Make-Up / Winki Tsang
Garter / Mike Lam
Photography Assistant / Cliff Chik
Styling Assistant / Silver Ng 

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