Do all failed celebrity romances end with bitter hearts and severed friendships?
Not in Karen Mok’s case.
The 45-year-old Hong Kong singer and actress recently contributed her vocals to the promotional song You’re The Best In The World for renowned Hong Kong actor and director Stephen Chow’s latest comedy blockbuster, The Mermaid, which is showing here.
And she has nothing but praise for her 53-year-old ex-boyfriend, whom she dated in the mid-1990s.
She starred in a few of Chow’s slapstick flicks such as The God Of Cookery (1995) and King Of Comedy (1999).
Her last appearance in a Stephen Chow movie was 2001’s Shaolin Football, where she had a cameo.
“Firstly, The Mermaid is a great movie. It’s entertaining and funny. Yet at the same time, it delivers a meaningful eco-friendly message,” said Mok in Mandarin during a video press conference with local reporters yesterday.
She was promoting her concert here next month. She last performed here 15 years ago.
DUET
“I haven’t worked with Sing Ye (Uncle Sing in Mandarin, a wordplay on Chow’s Chinese name Chow Sing Chi) in a very long while.
“So when I received the invitation to record the song, I jumped at it.
“It’s such a classic Cantonese duet and I had so much fun covering it with (veteran Hong Kong crooner) Adam Cheng.”
Mok, who was speaking from Hong Kong, said that in her opinion, Chow is a director “who just keeps getting better”.
“Several years ago, I remember him talking about pursuing directing. He’s doing so well now,” she said.
The music video for You’re The Best In The World has scenes of Chow goofing around in the recording studio with Mok and Cheng.
In January, Mok even posted a selfie on her Sina Weibo page of herself with Chow, showing that there are no hard feelings between the former couple.
Has she asked the film-maker for a role in his future projects?
With a smile, Mok said: “I don’t need to. He will look for me if he needs me in his films.
“Who knows? We might work together again.”
The New Paper, Universal Music, Karen Mok
In the meantime, she is busy with her world tour, which includes stops in London, Milan, Madrid, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.
“I’ve done a number of concert tours in the last 15 years, but somehow, I just haven’t been able to come to Singapore, which has been rather upsetting,” she said.
She promised local fans an electrifying show filled with “extravagant costumes, lots of laser effects and cool visuals” as well as a segment where she will flaunt her skills on an electric guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither.
Of course, no Karen Mok concert would be complete without a dose of onstage sexiness.
“As a performer, I’ve always been very bold. That hasn’t changed after marriage,” she said with a laugh.
She tied the knot with her college sweetheart, German finance executive Johannes Natterer, 45, in 2011.
The couple have no children, but Natterer has three from his previous marriage.
Mok remained tight-lipped about details of her sexy concert costumes, but stressed that her husband has no issue with her baring skin.
“In fact, he’s quite happy to see my sexy side,” she said.
WHEN
April 9, 8pm
WHERE
The Star Theatre
TICKETS
$88 to $188 from Sistic (6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg)
keeyunt@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on March 12, 2016.
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