Some like it Ho

Pop singer Jewel was discovered by a record company A&R man when she was playing in one of the coffee houses in Michigan. Frank Sinatra was discovered while working as a – believe it or not – comedian and an emcee in an Englewood Cliffs roadhouse. Talk about serendipity. Chinese pop star and Bench endorser Peter Ho was discovered by a producer in a karaoke bar nine years ago.

"It was summer vacation in Taiwan and I was in a karaoke bar with a friend," recalls tall and muscular Peter, who speaks English fluently. He didn’t know at that time that a record producer was in the bar. After the usual onslaught of My Way and what-have-you, Peter gathered his nerves, commandeered the stage, and sang. Or, as Peter humbly admits, attempted to.

"I never saw myself as a singer," he says. "So, I was really nervous when I was in front of the mic, my whole body was shivering. I can’t even remember what songs I sang that night."

Lo and behold, the record producer approached him afterwards and told Peter he could be a star.

True enough, Peter Ho has become one of the biggest stars in China and Taiwan.

A bit of background: Peter was born in the States. His mom brought him back to Taiwan a few months later. He went to Toronto when he was 13, attending high school and college there. Then Peter went back to Toronto when he was 21. His debut album "Miss Your Love" was a hit in ’98 in both the Chinese and Taiwanese charts. His follow-up platters were equally successful: "Meng Xiang De Kai Shi," "Xiang Ni De Ai," "Hey! Love Hey! Love," "Mei You Wo Ni Ze Me Ban," "Mei Ci Xiang Dao Ni," and "Qin Ai De Peng You."

But stardom wasn’t handed to Peter on the proverbial silver platter, or something that popped out of a magician’s hat like a bunny rabbit. Going from an oblivious karaoke singer to a seasoned recording artist took a lot of hard work, and bouts with wracked nerves.

"The recording of my first album was such a nightmare (laughs). When you sing in a karaoke bar, your voice sounds great because of the echo (laughs). In a recording studio, your voice sounds naked. You can hear all the flaws. But my producer kept encouraging me," he recalls.

Before the recording sessions, Peter had to sit it out for a year-and-a-half. He worked in his dad’s stage-lighting company for a while and did modeling stints. When the sessions began, the Chinese singer was sucked in a sort of musical maelstrom.

"Frankly speaking, I am not a musician," Ho humbly admits. He says he is more of an interpreter. "I am just a person who tries to deliver the message of the song. I am an actor. I am not a scriptwriter in charge of the creative part, but I am a performer. My acting could touch people’s hearts. The same thing when I sing."

If recording his first album was nerve-wracking, his first concert was another thing. Peter performed with other Polygram Records artists, including Jacky Cheung. Cheung, dubbed Hong Kong’s "God of Songs," is known for his "rich baritone voice, wide range and exceptional interpretative powers." So, how did Peter overcome his rioting nerves?

"I went from performing in front of 30 people in a karaoke bar to performing in front of 30,000 people. I was so nervous I threw up in the bathroom. But after my first song, with the audience encouraging me, I got more relaxed and was able to enjoy being onstage. I love performing with a band because I get to do variations on the album tracks."

The singer does mostly ballads, but he’ll be releasing a new album this year that will include rock tunes. Factoid of the day: Peter is a huge U2 fan. His favorite U2 song, by the way, is (Pride) In The Name Of Love.

"This U2 song gets my adrenalin rushing, it pumps me up. When I played basketball in high school, I would listen to In The Name Of Love before every game to get me ready for battle. It’s like a power-up song for me."

Peter’s dream duet would be with Jacky Cheung and – surprise, surprise – zany Filipino hard-rock band Kamikazee. "I saw them on MTV and I told my colleague to buy the band’s CD, so I could bring it back to Taiwan."

Fans will be happy to know that the song that Peter never gets tired of performing is The Year I Was 17.

"That song means a lot to me," he confesses. "I didn’t write the lyrics, but I was able to talk to the songwriter about my experiences. It’s about hanging out with my teenage friends and how we all changed as time passed by. How we don’t have time to look back because we keep following our dreams. It’s like a documentary for me." In the music video, Peter even asked his friends to appear.

Peter Ho has also made a name for himself as an actor. He has appeared in films such as The Truth About Jane & Sam (’98), Yuan Miao Bu Ke Yan (’99), Secret of Moon (2000), An Dou (2000), Young & Dangerous’ Shen Zhe Wei Wang (2001), T.R.Y. (2002), Jian Mian Qi Shi (2003) and One Missed Call 2 (2002).

As it was in his singing career, Peter looks back fondly on his experiences as an actor.

"I remember doing a shoot in the countryside near Beijing for my first TV show, and I got injured. I accidentally punched a tree and even got frostbite (laughs)."

His most memorable role so far was in a movie called Jade Guan Yin. "My role was very dramatic. I transform from an innocent boy into a man out for revenge."

Any Peter Ho fan knows that the guy absolutely loves to draw.

"My dream as a kid was to be a comic-book actor," he says. "I grew up with Japanese Manga. Because I loved drawing when I was a kid, I ended up going to art school in Ontario (the Ontario College of Arts)."

Peter, though, has changed media – from painting (which he doesn’t have time for because of his crazy schedule) to photography.

"It’s actually the same thing. I am still expressing myself. (Photography) is more convenient. It helps me escape from reality. It is my world. I take control."

He adds that as an actor he sometimes feels like a puppet. "You get the script, and you feel restricted. You don’t have this freedom to express yourself. As a photographer, you create your own world. You (put up) your own lighting, you create own atmosphere. In the future, hopefully I could become a director."

To put it simply, the guy is all about taking giant creative leaps. He feels that his stint as Bench Body model is a huge step for him.

Peter says, "I am actually a very conservative person. For this Bench Body underwear ad, I had to convince myself first and then convince my parents afterwards. Doing Bench Body is a breakthrough for me. I have opened up myself."

For the series of Bench ads, Peter’s partner is the statuesque Qu Ying, who is also an actress and a recording artist. Qu Ying has graced the pages of China’s top fashion magazines, appeared in TV dramas (such as Chinese Model and Hong Rong Hua), and has recently joined the pool of Bench Body models. Peter says that like Qu Ying, he believes in the Bench brand.

"If I don’t think the brand is good, then I couldn’t promote it or endorse it. I was a salesperson in high school. If the product I am selling to you is good, then I am helping you," Peter Ho concludes.

Who says pop stars and sense don’t come in one package?