Stevie Hoang: On the up and up

Who’s career footsteps are you trying to follow in? I know some people are calling you the ‘Chinese Ne-Yo’…

I think growing up I looked up to Michael Jackson. He’s the greatest entertainer of all time, and I know it’s a big ask but I’d like to follow in his footsteps…even if I can get a percentage of what he did. 

Do you see yourself as an entertainer then?

If you would have asked me that a few years back I would have said I was just a writer and producer but now I’ve got a taste of the spotlight, so hopefully I can entertain people with my live performances and just take it from there.  

You’ve been on tour with JLS, give us some behind the scene gossip!

It’s been really great man. The experience I got from that tour has been amazing, I’ve got a lot more fans now so being on tour with someone like JLS has been great for me. Hopefully the exposure I got on that tour will be good for my future and my new single coming out. 

That’s not juicy gossip! Did you all get on?

Yeah, there wasn’t any arguments or anything. Backstage everyone’s really friendly… Marvin loves to do his work-out back stage, as soon as he comes off stage even between costume changes he does chin ups and stuff…that’s why he’s always looks so ripped on stage. 

Interesting! So what was it like when you saw how many thousands of people had listened to your music on myspace?

From creating music in my bedroom and the most people that listened to it was me and my sister and a few close friend, to so many people saying that they liked it and could relate to it, it is the best feeling in the world. I was so thankful I got the opportunity to do it. Without myspace and youtube it would have been difficult for me to get out there I think.  

If you weren’t doing your music what would you be doing?

I’m not really good at anything else, at one point I was good at drawing so maybe I would have done comics or something. Or even maybe a 9-5? I once went for a job at Sainsburys and I’m really glad they turned me down because it spurred me on with the music.  

You’ve said before that your parents were encouraging you to get a proper job, what were they suggesting?

I had kinda hit a brick wall with the music, it wasn’t paying the bills and my parents who were very supportive to begin with got a bit fed up…and they were the ones who suggested I go to Sainsburys. It scares me to think what would have happened if I didn’t decide to carry on with the music. 

Are they happy you didn’t listen now? 

They’re like ‘No no we supported you all the time, we never told you to get a job’ now!

Who has been most proud of your success? 

I think my parents are the most proud of me, they invested in me from the beginning and watched me through the good and bad times. They watched me when things would fall through last minute and I was disappointed. The most rewarding part of this is seeing how happy my parents are. 

You blew up in Japan first, was it weird going to Japan and being huge and then coming back and people not knowing who you were? 

Its crazy, out in Japan I was doing VIP parties and signings and stuff, but it was nice in a way, an escape from it all…my goal for 2010 is to be as successful in the UK as I am in Japan. 

After you’ve conquered the UK where are you going next? America? 

I’ve always wanted to go to America and be a success over there. Once you make it in America, that’s when you’ve really made it. I’ll just do what I do best and make my music as good as it can be and hope for the best.

You worked on your own for a long time. Do you prefer working on your own, or have you welcomed the input you’ve been getting now? 

At first it was difficult ‘cos I’ve been used to working on my own and I’m quite picky about how things sound. So to begin with it was a bit funny, but now I’ve broadened my knowledge and stuff and it’s been a really good experience working with other people and learning stuff…I’ve enjoyed it. 

What was the first thing you bought when you got signed? 

I splashed out on my new car, a BMW M3. That’s the most I’ve spent so far. My car before that was a Ford Fiesta so it was a bit of a step up, it was so nice. 

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever had to do? What’s pushed you out of your comfort zone?

I think making the transition from being a producer to an artist has been the hardest. Before that I was always behind the scenes, and then they wanted me to perform and dance and I’m naturally shy so it was a bit tough. But I’m enjoying it now, the performing side and the singing…

What’s you wish for 2010?

For the album to do well and set me up for another release next year. To not be a one hit wonder. You hear of artists all the time they come out with one tune and then you never hear form them again, so hoping to avoid that!

Watch Stevie's debut video