Celest Chong

photo of celest

Celest Chong is an actress and singer, former cover model.

Biography

Early Life

Celest Chong is the youngest child of four other daughters. Feeling somewhat of an accident she is close to ten years apart from her other sisters. Celest’s mother was from an orchid flower family and her dad was a blacksmith. She grew up humbly and basically started working at the age of twelve at a bookstore, packing boxes. Celest won her first singing competition at the age of eight at her school, singing Nobody’s Child. Ever since she fell in love with singing, becoming a wedding singer with a pianist, singing songs like ‘Congratulations’ and ‘We’ve Only Just Began’. She wrote her first song at age eleven about a Chow Yun Fat movie that had touched her deeply. Celest started stage acting when she was thirteen and was President of her school’s drama club, which she had founded. She acted, wrote and directed some of the plays she did at school. Her first charity work was self-found. Wandering about near her school she found a hospice/ old age home where she would buy chicken wings for an elderly lady who stayed there talking for hours about abandonment and life’s regrets. Since Celest was only eleven and chicken was expensive, she could only visit the lady once a week. Before post-secondary school Celest volunteered to help and tutor disabled children through an organization called MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore). Effectively bilingual, Celest went on to university at the University of Singapore, majoring in English and Economics. She used the money being made from modeling to pay for her tuition and also help out her mom.

Career

Being spotted by a talent scout, Celest began her career as a model at the age of fourteen. Later she joined Malcolm McLaren’s girl-band, Jungk, as the lead singer. On top of modeling and singing, Celest also began her acting. She played the character of a child social worker in the MediaCorp Channel 8 TV drama series, You Light Up My Life. Celest found the show meaningful and chose to continue with it rather than going back to New York to sign with an indi music label. She sang the theme songs for the new show, which ended up on Singapore’s top music charts for four weeks, giving Celest the opportunity to sign with Universal Music to record her debut solo album in 2001, Belong to Myself. In December 2002, her self-titled second album was released in Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Celest left MediaCorp in 2005 to test out the vibrant Taiwanese entertainment industry where she released her third album, Snowflakes (2005). While in Taiwan she also played a role as a reporter in C’est La Vie (2006) starring Taiwanese actor Lin Youwei. Celest moved to China after a year and a half in Taiwan where she spent months in the mountainous Guiyang province filming Acalea Blossoms (2009). While in China she recorded her fourth album, Little Happiness (2007). After two years in China Celest moved back home to Singapore after hearing about a family emergency.

Television

Celest began her acting as a secretary in Eric Khoo’s ‘Stories about Love’ performing a Turkish inspired belly-dance. She also sang the show’s theme song, ‘Sorry, My Love’. Later she moved on to Channel 5’s sitcom, ‘Making Love’, where she played a sultry receptionist named Pamela. She then impressed Channel 8 viewers as she took on the roll of a blind social worker in ‘You Light Up My Life’. After only three months on Channel 8, Celest was voted No. 3 for Most Ideal Female Artiste on Mediaworks TV Station, Channel 8.

Your Hand in Mine (2009-2010): (Singapore-[MCS]Channel 8) - Supporting Actress Red Thread (2009): (Singapore-[MCS]Channel 5) - Leading Lady Crime Busters x 2 (2008): (Singapore-[MCS]Channel 8) - Guest Appearance Love Young Man (2006): Main Actress (Asia) - Leading Lady Zero (2004): Main Actress (Singapore) - Leading Lady Proud Of Twins (The Invincible Duo) (2004): (Asia) - Guest Appearance Hi-Fly (2004): Main Actress (Asia) - Leading Lady Together Whenever (2003): Main Actress (China & Singapore): with China Actor Hu Bing - Leading Lady Feel 100% (2002): (Hong Kong) - Guest Appearance All’s Well, Ends Well (2001): (Hong Kong- Aisatvro) -Leading Lady You Light Up My Life (2001): Main Actress (Singapore): rated No. 1 by audience - Leading Lady Making Love (2000) Sitcom: (Singapore-[MCS]Channel 5) - Supporting Actress

Filmography

Dui Juan Hua Kai (2007): (China) - Leading Lady & Soundtrack Stories About Love (2002): (Singapore) - Guest Appearance & Soundtrack

Discography

Celest’s former singing career includes being the Lead Singer in an All Girl Band ‘Jungk’ produced by Malcom McLaren. She also sang ‘Voice of an Angel’ for Malcom McLaren. On National Day she sang ‘Stand Up for Singapore’. She was also the lead singer for a song called ‘Earth Song’ regarding environmental awareness. For the movie ‘Stories About Love’ she sang the title track ‘Sorry My Love’. For the drama series ‘You Light Up My Life’ she sang the theme song ‘Distance’ and landed it as the No. 1 hit song on ‘Yes 933 Pop Charts’. Celest was voted No. 1 for Most Captivating Voice on Singapore Press Holdings, Asiaone.com.

Albums:

Little Happiness (2006) Snow Flakes (2004) Celest (2002) Belong To Myself (2001)

Modeling

Celest has appeared on dozens of magazine covers including Her World, Vogue, Elle, Citta Bella, FHM, etc. She has modeled around the world for many different print advertisements. Celest was voted as one of the Top 100 most beautiful women in the world by FHM and The Sexiest Woman in Singapore by International Media with her 5 S's-Sunshine Sweet, Smile, Sexy & Song… She was also voted No. 1 for the Singapore Most Sexy Women’s Survey on Citta Bella.