Kit Chan (simplified Chinese: 陈洁仪; traditional Chinese: 陳潔儀; pinyin: Chén Jiéyí; born September 15, 1972) is a Singaporean singer. She was a member of the pioneer generation of Singaporean singers to successfully break into the international market, marked in particular by her breakthrough into the competitive and highly critical Taiwanese market with her hit Mandarin album Heartache (心痛) in 1994. She had released an EP "Don't Spoil the Harmony" (不要傷了和气) the previous year. She is also the ambassador to the Christian relief organization, "World Vision". Fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese, she is the first Singaporean singer to break into the Hong Kong Cantopop market and the Taiwanese Mandopop markets. She is a revered star in Singapore, with a quiet but solid fan base.
She has also managed to display her versatility not only in musical expression, but also linguistic and theatrical prowess, with her Cantopop, and English hits on top of her Mandarin albums. She has held lead roles in the Hong Kong musical Snow.Wolf.Lake with Jacky Cheung – both the Cantonese version in 1997 and the Mandarin production in 2005 – followed by The Legend (where she played the late Teresa Teng), and "Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress" (where she played the young Empress Dowager Cixi)– first performed in 2002 as part of the Esplanade's opening programme, and again in 2003. Kit has also played the lead in the Dutch-Hong Kong production of "East Meets West", and the Taiwanese musical "What's Love Got to Do with It?".
In 2004, she announced an indefinite break from the Chinese pop scene, to pursue her own interests.
In Sep 2006, she reprised her role again in "Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress", as part of the grand plan to make this musical internationally recognised, in the hope of going on a world tour.
Besides singing, Kit has also been involved in television dramas. She was a member of the cast of the sequel to TVB's hit medical drama Healing Hands II, and was also female lead in SPH MediaWorks Channel U's drama serial Cash is King.
Kit has also dabbled in writing, having published a collection of her own poems (Cork out of my Head/I write a Page), as well as a semi-autobiography (together with friend Siew Fern Yong) called Cathy and Jodie: The Princess and the Flea. She owns an expensive Cuban cigar collection.
Outside of performing arts, Kit is also a budding entrepreneur, having invested in boutiques in Singapore, namely Flowers in the Attic and Roses in the Loft.
Kit has also served as a National Youth Ambassador for Singapore's National Youth Council, promoting moral values and a spirit of volunteerism among youths in Singapore. She was honoured in 2002 by the Commonwealth Youth Program Asia Centre with an Award for Excellence in Youth Work.
Kit was the first local pop singer to have been selected to sing the National Day theme song. In 1998, she was tasked to sing 'Home' during the National Day Parade of Singapore. In 2004, she was invited to perform this song again. In 2007, Kit sang the theme song 'There's No Place I'd Rather Be' during Singapore's 42nd birthday. This makes Kit the first and only singer to have the honour of performing the NDP theme song three times.
On 30 June 2007, Kit performed "Live Our Dreams" at the closing ceremony of the 34-year-old National Stadium, Singapore, making her the last singer to perform at the stadium.
Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:46 pm