How Hong Kong singer Mischa Ip found success on ViuTV’s King Maker after 9 years of trying to make her mark in music – YP

“My dream as a child was to sing a song on the stage of the Colosseum. I already have,” said the singer, grateful for that momentous night.

Although the 37-year-old had taken singing and piano lessons as a child, music was not her first career choice.

Ip had dreamed of becoming a doctor and did well during her high school years in the UK. For her bachelor’s degree, she spent a year at the University of San Francisco in the US, with the plan to later transfer to a school in Hong Kong to study medicine.

“But distractions and stuff came up… I ended up spending a year thinking about what to do with my life,” he said, adding that his grades in the US weren’t good enough to get into a medical school in Hong Kong. .

Hong Kong singer J.Arie may not have become a lawyer, but she’s still ‘perfectly guilty’

During this time of uncertainty, Ip’s father reminded her of her interest in music and she eventually enrolled in the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts for classical vocal studies, graduating in 2012.

“My redemption is music. It brings me back to reality and shows me how I can go on living my life,” she said.

After graduating, Ip joined a singing competition as part of a band, Trekkerz. The group won, signing to the Sony Music record label. In 2015, Ip made his solo debut.

Mischa Ip (right) began her music career as part of a band called Trekkerz. Photo: Brochure

Having been trained as a classical vocalist, the singer admitted that it was difficult at first to adapt to singing pop songs.

“There’s so much difference between pop and classical music… I was in a searching phase,” he said, adding that he spent a lot of time trying to find the right direction for his music.

After his debut, Ip’s releases were not doing as well as he had hoped and he felt that his talent was not being recognized.

“There were times when I was in the recording room and I just couldn’t get the song right. I asked myself: should I still be a singer? she remembered.

How Yoyo Sham’s time on the road inspired an album about finding a home

Then, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of his work came to a halt. Ip’s friends even asked her why she persisted in fighting for his music career.

“I remembered crying and telling them that I really wanted to continue,” he said. “I just couldn’t imagine what I could do besides sing.”

In the second half of 2020, Ip found a turning point in his career: Kingmaker IIIthe third season of a successful competition show from local broadcaster ViuTV.

While other seasons of king maker had brought in new talent like boy groups Mirror and Error, this season gave a second chance to artists who had already made their debut but hadn’t risen to stardom.

“The competition helped me a lot to realize what is right for me,” said the singer.

As a contestant on the show, Ip took the opportunity to showcase different aspects of herself, including her theatrical singing, a talent she had been trying to forget as a pop artist.

“My trainer [in King Maker III] told me that operatic and musical singing is part of me: ‘Why are you trying to give it up? These [skills] they are the essence of all the years you have spent studying music. Why are you trying to stop them?’” he recalled of their eureka moment.

In the round to become one of the top 10 contestants, Ip used her classic vocal singing, wowing viewers who were shocked that they had never heard of her before.

From girl groups to king makerHong Kong singer Kira Chan proves her doubters wrong

For the final, he risked leaving behind the classical formation that had won the hearts of the public and sang Bathtuba power ballad he wrote about his comeback.

“This was my goal: to sing a song that I wrote in the final. And I did it,” Ip said.

“Some asked me why I didn’t sing musicals [opera] which is my forte. Maybe I would have won that way, but that wasn’t my plan.”

Although Ip finished fifth in the competition, he earned well-deserved recognition. After she finished the show, she found herself being invited to use her voice in movies, sing for a Disney concert, and perform in musicals, opportunities she had never before imagined.

Last year, he held his first concert in Ocean Park and is already considering his next venue.

“Hopefully in Kowloon Bay [Star Hall]? Ultimately, of course, my goal is the Colosseum, but I am a practical person, step by step first.”

Last Friday, he released a new song, living einherjar, which refers to those in Norse mythology who die fighting alone and are taken to a place where they can rest. This is the first song of a project inspired by his love for role-playing video games, some of which are based on Norse mythology.

“I wanted to convey the message that everyone is a fighter who lives in this world. When we fight to the end… it’s a triumph,” Ip explained, adding that he hoped to write a series of songs to explore pain and redemption, with the goal of making an album.

“I hope that people can follow the stories and can experience with me different stages of grief and how we can overcome them.”

For her, every painful challenge in her path has never deterred her dedication to her craft.

“I just really enjoy being on stage… I love feeling my heartbeat, seeing the audience and feeling the embrace of the music,” she shared.