Singer and actress Jeannie Ng, also known as kayan9896, has a very busy year ahead. She tells David Ho about her new music, new outlook, and revenge
Jeannie Ng Ka-yan, also known by her stage name kayan9896, is out for some Sweet Revenge.
No, don’t worry. This isn’t a Kill Bill type situation where she goes on a bloodthirsty revenge spree like Uma Thurman’s character Beatrix “the Bride” Kiddo. Rather, Ng is channeling the momentum she has gained from overcoming personal and professional challenges into her creative output.
Sweet Revenge is the tentative title for her debut music project, she tells #legend exclusively. While some details have yet to be determined, like whether the project will be an EP or a full-length album, we are excited to see what she comes up with.
Tudor Black Bay 58, 39mm _ Tudor; Black dress _ Rick Owens
“I’ve been working on this for some time and I’m hoping to put it out by the end of the year, and have a little show to go with it,” she says. “The past few years have been a little rough for me. But right now, I’m in a good place and everything is looking up. This project is about looking back and having your sweet revenge.”
But Ng is quick to interject that the ‘revenge’ she in mind is by no means a spiteful thing. Instead, she sees it as a celebration.
The 26-year-old entertainer has released a handful of English and Cantonese singles since she first emerged on the entertainment scene in 2020 via an appearance in Tyson Yoshi’s music video for “Something”. But it seems that those songs will not be included in the final track list of the upcoming Sweet Revenge.
Tudor Black Bay 54 Lagoon Blue, 37mm _ Tudor; White dress _ Sportmax
It’s a bold move to shed some of the tunes she is known for, some of which have crossed the million mark in terms of streaming numbers. But Ng, now operating as an independent artiste, is enjoying the freedom to “play around and experiment” while finding her sound.
“With my older songs, I knew the ‘sweet spot’ for my vocals and stuck to it. But now I’m venturing out a bit and trying new things with my voice that others haven’t heard before,” she says. “I’m actually kind of nervous to show the world!” But still, nerves aren’t stopping her from putting the pedal to the metal to conceptualize and release a cohesive body of work.
White dress _ Sportmax
Ng has been hard at work, joining songwriting camps overseas and improving her composition skills, especially with writing toplines. At the start of 2025, she released a sweeping ballad titled “One Last Dance”. Over an acoustic backdrop and orchestral flourishes, Ng sings about having one last dance with someone that she has decided to part ways with. “It’s about a relationship that never started,” she tells us.
It’s a relatable matter, as we’ve all built castles in the air around the idea of someone or a potential relationship. The lush ballad has won praise from her fans. Fortunately for them, Ng has more in store as she plans to release two more singles before putting Sweet Revenge out in full. At the time of our conversation, she has just shot a music video two days prior and yet another in the UK two months ago. We will get to see one of these videos as soon as July 2025 if all things go to plan.
White dress _ Sportmax
“The one I just shot in Hong Kong is very ‘office core’ as it all takes place in an office. The song is very groovy and witty. It’s a more up-tempo and happy song,” she says. “The other one was shot in London. The song is about a recent breakup, we had some action and fight scenes for that. It’s in post-production now. I’m very excited to see how it turns out as I’ve invested a lot in that!”
This action-packed music video is clearly a dream come true for Ng, who stated in her interview with #legend in 2021 that her dream was to do some rear kicking on screen. “I’d love to do a character like Black Widow, or any ‘special agent’ movies or shows. I’d be excited to play a badass villain, because I’ve always been cast as the good girl next door and would appreciate the contrast,” she told #legend back then. Even now, she tells us that her dream role would be in a “money heist” type of film.
Tudor Black Bay 58 925, 39mm _ Tudor; White t-shirt and black pants _ Sportmax
Besides starring in her own music videos, Ng has made appearances in videos for others like Tyson Yoshi, Mirror’s Ian Chan, Gigi Leung, and Mayao, Ng has also acted for the YouTube channel Trial & Error and the ViuTV miniseries YOLO. In addition, she turned in memorable performances in in movies like the 2025 Chinese New Year comedy flick My Best Bet and the 2023 drama The Lyricist Wannabe starring Golden Horse Best Actress winner Chung Suet Ying.
“I love acting. I’m easily bored so it’s a great outlet for me when I need to switch things up,” she says. Ng is fearlessly trusting of her collaborators as an actor, giving the directors she worked with full creative license for her music videos, instead of dictating things within her comfort zone.
Earlier this year, Ng flew to London before shooting began to train for the action scenes, which involved “karate, boxing, and swords”. It sounds like a rather complicated and technical shoot. Hopefully, the work she put into her music video will see more of those action roles she dreams of tackling come rolling in.
White t-shirt and black pants _ Sportmax
It’s shaping up to be a very busy summer for Ng, as the very first movie that she starred in many years ago is finally getting a release this year. Titled Gamer Girl, she tells us that the story involves the cast turning into characters within a game. Looks like we will be seeing lots of her everywhere then.
Outside of work, Ng still knows how to have fun. You can often find her soaking up the sun at Repulse Bay beach, trying new restaurants, shopping at Pacific Place, and watching movies. One of her favourite films is Midnight in Paris starring Owen Wilson as a frustrated writer who travels back in time to Paris in the 1920s and finds inspiration through his artistic idols. Another recommendation of hers is Watching the Detectives about a film geek played by Cillian Murphy, whose life is turned upside down by a femme fatale embodied by Lucy Liu.
Ng, who is known as a bag enthusiast, waxes lyrical about Bottega Veneta’s Jodie bag and Loewe’s raffia totes. But she is especially enthusiastic about her recent experience flying to Singapore to catch Lady Gaga’s Mayhem concert. “I cried the whole concert. It was really good! The show was amazing, it was divided into different acts. The storytelling, dancing, vocals, lighting… She is so on point! There was not one second in the show that I felt bored,” she says. Ng will soon be planning her own concert so perhaps there is some influence to be found there.
Black couture suiting dress _ Ralph Lauren
Not surprisingly, she considers Lady Gaga one of her #legends. “She really can do every genre – pop, jazz, everything!” she says. “One of my best friends Tim and I grew up following Gaga together. We’ve seen her through every phase of her career, and it was so moving to see her.”
Like Gaga, Ng has seen some ups and downs of her own. “It’s been an intense time and I’ve realized happiness is really important,” she says, reflecting on her recent life lessons. “My life motto used to be ‘my mood depends on how good my hair looks’ and ‘be disciplined’, but now it’s ‘live, laugh, love’ for real!”
And that, is the sweetest revenge one could have.
Patchwork lace knit dress _ Isabel Marant
CREDITS
Creative concept / #legend
Talent / Kayan Ng
Photographer / Hung MC
Photography assistant / Derek Chan
Videographer / Jessica Chan
Stylist / Anthony Tong
Stylist assistant / Kammie & Jacky Fung
Make-up / Chichi
Hairstyle / Lupus
Watches / Tudor
Wardrobe / Rick Owens, Sportmax, Isabel Marant, Ralph Lauren
Also see: Digital Cover: Cloud Wan on facing her fears and protecting her peace
