Star Search 2024 winner Tiffany Ho on why she joined the competition despite not watching Singapore TV dramas

You would know by now that Star Search has a new champ in the giddy form of 19-year-old Hong Kong native Tiffany Ho.

The Nanyang Polytechnic Information Technology student may have been the youngest of the 12 finalists, but there was nothing juvenile about her performance during the finals on Nov 25.

She exuded confidence way beyond her years in the talent and Q&A rounds, easily charming her way into the hearts of judges Christopher Lee and fellow Hong Kongers Sandra Ng and Raymond Lam.

When 8days.sg caught up with Ho for a chat two days after her big win, she told us she’s been busy, busy, busy. So much so that she still hasn’t had the time to fully process her victory.

“Our schedule has been packed for the past two days, so I haven’t had enough sleep and I didn’t have the time to think about it. I want to sleep,” she chuckled as we got cosy on the sofa in Mediacorp’s artiste room.

She revealed she’s only had “about five hours of sleep” in the past 48 hours, and pointed to her eye bags as evidence. Frankly, she looked as fresh as morning dew, and we guess that's 19 for you.  

Sadly, her tight schedule also meant that Ho wasn't able to spend time with her parents, who had flown in from Hong Kong specially for the finals.

She had planned to have lunch with them on Monday afternoon before they returned home, but realised she had work from 8am.

Thankfully, her brother, who is six years older than her, stayed an extra day just so they could spend some time together. She said they are “very, very close”, and that he had just got on the plane before our chat.

She later received a long text from her mum in their family group chat.

“My mum is so sweet,” she said, her voice slightly trembling as she gave us a peek at the message, in which her mum talked about how proud of Ho she was.

It was clear Ho misses her family, and though she no longer has plans to return to Hong Kong permanently, she hoped to find time to visit home before her school term resumes next April.

YOU CAME TO SINGAPORE AT 13. WHY DID YOUR PARENTS DECIDE TO SEND YOU HERE?

My parents didn’t plan to send me to Singapore at such a young age. They wanted to send me somewhere like the UK after my A-levels.

My father met up with his friend and that friend’s son, who at that time, was already planning to come to Singapore. They talked for 30 minutes, just 30 minutes! And he decided to send me here. He listened to his friend’s recommendation of Singapore and made that decision really quick.

I’m still good friends with the son, and he came to support me at the finals.

WHAT WAS THE TOUGHEST THING YOU HAD TO DO WHEN YOU MOVED HERE ALONE?

To not let my parents worry about me. That was hard. Whenever I got sick, if it wasn’t too serious, I wouldn’t tell them. I also needed to make sure I was eating well, and check in with them whenever I was going to be home late.

YOU HAD TO BE VERY INDEPENDENT AT A YOUNG AGE. DID YOU GET INTO ANY TROUBLE WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS KNOWING?

I definitely had a lot of freedom, and when I was in secondary school, I would sometimes tell them I was back home when I was actually still out or hanging out at my friend’s place. They would reply “Okay, sleep early” and I would be like “Yay!”. Other than that, I didn't really get into any trouble.

YOU LIVE IN SEMBAWANG NOW, BUT YOU USED TO ATTEND SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE EAST. WHY NOT RENT SOME PLACE NEARER TO SCHOOL?

I was from Ping Yi Secondary which later merged with Bedok Green Secondary School, and I used to live in that area. I moved to Sembawang four months ago, and I’m renting a room. I have three roommates, a dog and a cat at my new place.

I wanted to move away from Bedok because I was bored living in that area, and I wanted to check out another neighbourhood. That’s also one of the reasons I chose to go to Nanyang Poly. But now… I’m starting to think that the east side is really the best side ‘cause there’s nothing much in Sembawang also!

HOW WAS YOUR MANDARIN WHEN YOU FIRST CAME TO SINGAPORE?

My Mandarin was pretty bad. You know how Hong Kong people will speak Mandarin with a strong accent, right? It’s harder to understand.

In Singapore, my roommates are mostly from China and I talk to them every day. I still have the [Hong Kong] accent but I think I’ve gotten slightly better.

WE UNDERSTAND YOU JUST FINE!

Thank you. I think I’ve managed to learn quite a bit from them so it’s time to practise my English now.

My parents wanted me to attend junior college, but I failed my English 'O’ level exam. I didn’t really want to go to JC as well. I wanted to try business or early childhood education, but because I didn’t pass English, the next best option was IT.

I’ve come to realise that IT is also quite fun. I learned the coding languages, but I only studied for four months then deferred a semester for Star Search, and I forgot everything. Fair enough, right?

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HOME? 

I miss my dog! My dog is already very old. He’s 11 years old. We got him when I was eight or nine, and I last saw him a few months ago when I went back to visit. 

I also miss the food, specifically curry fish balls. I love curry fish balls, the kind from the roadside stalls. I don’t really go to Hong Kong-style restaurants here. I don’t think they have the same kind of curry fish balls, and I really miss it.

DID YOU KNOW OF LOCAL CELEBRITIES BEFORE JOINING STAR SEARCH?

No, I didn’t. Before joining the competition, I didn’t even know there’s mewatch. I didn’t have a TV in my hostel. I only have access to social media, YouTube and Netflix, so I don’t watch local dramas.

YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED LOCAL DRAMAS, SO WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR JOINING STAR SEARCH? IS IT YOUR DREAM TO BE AN ACTRESS?

Before joining Star Search, I didn’t know what kind of job I wanted. I’m still a student so I haven’t thought so far ahead. But I’ve always wanted to let a lot of people know about me, so that has worked out!

ARE YOU PLANNING TO STAY IN SINGAPORE LONG-TERM NOW THAT YOU HAVE A MEDIACORP CONTRACT?

Of course. As time goes by and I make more close friends, I don’t think I will leave Singapore. Hong Kong is not far from Singapore. It’s only like a three-, four-hour flight, so it’s convenient for me to visit my parents. There are quite a lot of reasons for me to stay here.

WILL YOUR PARENTS BE OKAY WITH YOU CHOOSING TO STAY HERE PERMANENTLY?

I don’t know. But if I really want to stay, they also cannot say anything, right? I don’t know if I will stay here forever 'cause I never know what will happen in the future, but that’s the plan for now.

This story was originally published in 8Days.