Sunny girl
Miriam Yeung Chin Wah

By Chloe Chan
     After graduating from Holy Family Canossian College, Ms Miriam Yeung Chin Wah was admitted to nursing school and was a student nurse at Princess Margaret Hospital for 3 years. Her singing career started when she took part in the New Talent Singing Awards in 1995. She has grown in popularity with the release of two albums and has acted in a few television series.
     I am a tough girl,” Miriam said, describing herself. “Though I can easily be very happy or unhappy, I am able to control my emotions.”
     This is probably the reason why the audience sees only the happy side of Miriam in newspapers, interviews, and performances.
     “I don’t want others to see my unhappy face when I am unhappy. It’s not that I am pretentious;
I just don’t want others to be unhappy with me.”
     After completing Form 5, Miriam chose to be a nurse trainee in spite of the view that lesser educated people were doomed to have low achievement in life. She did not tell her parents her decision until she had been admitted to nursing school.
     “My father was at first angry with me for having made such a big decision without giving them prior notification. But my parents finally respected my decision.
     “My childhood dream was to be a doctor. However, I did well only in biology, so I was assigned to study in the art stream, which was very boring.
     “Also, I didn’t have much confidence about being admitted to any university, and I was unwilling to do a 9-to-5 job. Being a nurse might be the best alternative to being a doctor.”
     Miriam is the oldest daughter in her family, so she was well loved. The 3-year nursing program changed some bad sides of her character.
     “I was very immature, impatient and bad-tempered at that time. I was dissatisfied about doing some unpleasant tasks.
     “Gradually, I understood if I couldn’t provide such basic services, I was not qualified to serve the patients well. I also learned how to communicate with people from all walks of life.
     “Although it was hard during the training, I was very happy. I will never regret having had this experience. What I’ve learned and experienced is useful, and I may not have any more of these kinds of experiences the rest of my life.
     Miriam has a brother and a sister. They get along with each other very well, just like friends. Miriam says she enjoys her family life very much. Seeing her family members unhappy is the most unhappy thing for her.
     She said, “I need the support of my family very much, both in spiritual and economical terms. Two years ago, everyone thought my efforts would be in vain. It was only my mother who said I could succeed.
     “Outsiders may not understand the rules of the game of showbiz. When I have bad news, my family members may worry I have done something wrong. They do not know it is actually a kind of promotion. I don’t want them to have bad feelings.”
     When Miriam initially entered showbiz, she was often compared to another famous singer, Sammi Cheng, because their voices and outward appearance were similar.
     Said she: “I was very depressed. I did many silly things to get out from Sammi’s shadow, like perming my hair, but the feedback was not satisfactory.
     “The lesson I learnt was that the more eager I was, the more unwise decisions I would make. I bear this lesson deeply in mind.
     “It takes time. It’s my behaviour which changes how people think about me. I have spent 2 years changing my style of singing and establishing my own image, which was designed by my record company.”
     After much effort on her part, Miriam has come to be known as “a little queen”, supposedly describing her achievements in her singing career, but she doesn’t take great notice of it.
     “No matter if it’s ‘little queen’, ‘jade girl’, ‘fake Sammi’ or whatever, I just treat them as nicknames, just like people call me ‘thousand Yeung’ or ‘big-headed girl’.
     “There are too many titles and too much positioning in showbiz. It is not how people address you. It is what you are. The most important thing is to keep myself awake and to know what I am doing.”
     The audience’s acceptance has been the best news for her, according to Miriam.
     She said, “Releasing an album is teamwork. When the album is recommended, my effort and that of those who take part in the production process are assured. I am proud of it.”
     Holding a personal concert and taking part in production are her long-terms goals.
     She said, “I hope that every new record I make is better than the previous ones and that I can acquire more experience, good songs and singing skills, so that I can hold more concerts in the future.
     Miriam says she wants to learn more about music and to take part in music production.
     “I sing the chorus and take the cover photos by myself in the coming EP. I want to show the real Miriam to the audience.”
     Getting married to a trustworthy better half may be the hope of most women. The same holds for Miriam.
     “I want to get married before 30. I won’t be playful to love because I am not 18 or 19 anymore. In my opinion, it should take at least 2 years to learn how to communicate with and understand each other before marriage.
     The ideal spouse for Miriam would be much older than she and would not be in showbiz.
     She said: “After entering showbiz, I knew clearly whether entertainers are fickle lovers, and whether emotional involvement in a play could become real.
     “There are too many rumours and I have seen too many break-ups in showbiz. I don’t want to start a relationship without any confidence.
     “If I can really meet a trustworthy guy, I will withdraw from showbiz, especially when my first baby is born. I envy Faye Wong. She is very happy with her family and need not struggle in her career,”Miriam said.



January 1998

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