Hong Kong celebrities: Twins
Two of Hong Kong's most famous young celebrities are Gillian Chung Yan Tung and Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin, the two members of all conquering Cantopop duo Twins. For the last 12 years they have dominated the landscape of Asian pop music, scoring hits across the globe.
Both Chung and Choi were working as part time models and looking for a big break when the audition for a new girl band came along in 2001. Emperor Entertainment Group was looking for a hot young duo to aim at the teen market and decided these two young ladies were the perfect fit. That decision proved correct. The Twins self titled debut EP went platinum in its first week of release, and their following three albums all had similar success. Awards came too, over 72 of them in fact, between 2001 and 2003.
It wasn't all plain sailing, however. The band also attracted many critics in the media who, in particular, cited the duo's singing talents as being below par. They continued to promote themselves globally with tours of the USA and Canada, but rumours of a split constantly swam around their hype. That split came in 2008, triggered by Chung's involvement in the tawdry Edison Chen photo scandal and a general desire from both girls to get out of the public glare that had enveloped their lives for seven years.
Choi busied herself with a career as an actress and theatre star. She also released her debut solo album. Chung withdrew from the public almost completely, her image tarnished by her involvement with Chen. This was a tough time for Chung, who has since admitted she contemplated suicide many times during her year away from the spotlight. She returned as a spokesperson for TOUGH Jeamsmith and a Botox treatment centre. More notably, she also starred in a silent, expressionist video by artist Jiang Zhi that was shown at the Harbin Ice Snow World Carnival in 2009.
The reunification of Twins came in 2010 when they played at the Hong Kong Coliseum. At present the two members of Twins are ranked first (Choi) and fourth (Chung) on the list of young, rich Hong Kong celebrities compiled by Jaded News, an Asian entertainment site.