Born in Hong Kong, raised in San Francisco. And after high school graduation I went to Hong Kong for a vacation and I entered into the singing contest.
And that’s how everything started. As she entered the singing contest hoping to win money to pay her mother whose car she banged up, this accidental first place finish led to a record deal.
CNN SHOWBIZ 2000年
Well, I also understand that you got your start kind of on the Asian equivalent of Star Search, is that true?
Yeah, it is. Um, it’s a huge singing contest in Hong Kong, and, uh, you know, like thousands of people enter each year hoping to be a singer, and for me, being a singer was unintentional. So I didn’t know I had the talent, but I love singing. And I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and I sang, uh, “Whitney Houston’s Run to You” and “I Want Second Place” and that’s how I got to where I am today.
abc, The View 2000年
I want to talk about how you got discovered. Is it true you got discovered on an American Idol type show?
Yes, in Hong Kong. So that time, I just graduated from high school in San Francisco and then went back to Hong Kong. And it was one of those, “Okay, I’ll just try it out and see what happens,” because I always loved singing. And I got second place.
And what did you sing, though? Which I found very interesting.
I sang my most favorite artist, which is Whitney Houston’s “Run to You.” That was the song.
Wow.
Yeah, from Bodyguard.
So you really have to belt it out to sing Whitney, right?
Absolutely.
KTNV, ABC with Lisa Remillard 2010年
So fast forward to 1993. And you talked about it earlier, the Hong Kong, the New Talent Competition. And that must have taken a lot of confidence to say, OK, I’m going to go enter myself into this competition.
So what happened was from high school– and it always stayed with me that I really love music. I love to perform. And it was right after high school graduation. Both of my sisters were already in Hong Kong. And it was really a trip to go see them. And so there was this contest. I’m like, you know what? Let me try my luck. And I entered.
And you never had formal voice training before that?
Never.
It wasn’t just singing in the shower, singing at home?
I never had any voice training. It’s because I never thought I would be a singer. Not even when I was young.
You were going to be a doctor.
I wanted to be a doctor, yes, absolutely. And so when I entered, it was really like, I’ll just try. I’ll just try my luck. But I really love to sing. I want to see how far I can go. And I just never imagined I would be the final three. And then from 30,000 people that joined, I was the final three. And I won. I was first runner up. I was second place. And honestly, I felt like it was enough. For me, it felt like I won already. Because I never imagined I would go that far. I just wanted an opportunity to prove to people that I can sing. I’m a little chubby girl who can sing. And that was it. That’s all I care about. And so to be able to stand on that stage and felt so comfortable, it really showed me my path. When I was on that stage, not even for one second was I nervous. And that’s when I felt–
Really? No stage fright at all?
That time, no.
Have you ever had stage fright?
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. But for some strange reason, on that time, it’s because probably I practiced so much. And I really came prepared. I was practicing for that competition. And I knew my material really well. I was very confident. And when I felt so comfortable up there, not even a little bit nervous, that’s when I felt, this is where I belong. I really belong on stage.
CCTV News 2013年
1993年18岁的李玟 还不叫李玟而叫李美林 刚刚高中毕业的她 抱着试试看的心态报名参加了当年香港KTV新人歌唱大赛 没想到从三万多名选手中脱颖而出夺得了亚军
你真的拿了奖的话会多想吗 会想也许我就会成为一个超级明星
那个时候我是个小胖妹 我就是一个爱唱歌的人 我不知道我自己到底适不适合舞台 那么我想去拿个经验 那么所以就参加了 从三万人里面最后就是剩下我跟另外两个 我们三个人 然后最后拿了第二名
新闻当事人：天后李玟不为人知的辛酸 People IN News 2016年