19 May 2003
Hype Records: The local record label is known for grooming local stars, including Stella Ng and Rui En. It organises a massive talent search once a year and constantly scouts for promising new acts.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in The New Paper.
23 January 2003
IS newbie singer Lu Rui En an ‘all natural’ girl as her record company touts her to be?
Well, she appeared to be – at first.
Dressed in casual gear for her press conference to launch her debut album, the Singaporean wore minimal makeup and looked like any trendy youngster plucked off the street.
‘This is how I usually dress. I like comfy and baggy clothes,’ she said.
Grimacing, the 21-year-old added: ‘I can never ever have a sexy image because I don’t like to wear tight clothing. I will not be able to tahan (Malay for take it)!’
But when it came to fielding media queries, being ‘natural’ with her responses was a big no-go for Rui En.
Or maybe it was her manager.
At the barest hint of anything controversial, she would cut in and try to answer on Rui En’s behalf.
Like when we asked Rui En if she felt any frustration while in Taiwan because of her limited Mandarin.
Before Rui En could reply, her manager said rather defensively: ‘She wasn’t like, frustrated. It was more awkward than anything.’
Or when we asked how it was like for Rui En to work with Taiwanese singer Jay Chou (he wrote her a song and she appeared in his music video).
‘Oh, we are just like siblings,’ said Rui En, glancing at her manager, and trying to explain.
‘I see him only as a brother and we like to kid around,’ she added, as her manager nodded.
MORE INTERRUPTIONS
An attempt to find out more about Rui En’s upcoming Channel 5 drama, Chemistry, was also nipped in the bud by the ever-so-protective minder.
In Chemistry, Rui En is paired up with newcomer Howard Cheung, and their characters are supposed to fall in love after some initial misunderstandings.
We tried to ask if there were any awkward scenes.
And, expectedly, the manager decided to reply on her behalf: ‘Why don’t you go and watch the show?’
When Rui En admitted that she did have a kissing scene, her manager cut in with: ‘It was just a resuscitation scene!’
But Rui En corrected her: ‘Yes, there was a resuscitation scene, but there was also a kissing scene.
‘The resuscitation scene was awkward because we really had to kiss, and we didn’t do it very naturally because we were nervous.’
It was probably her most ‘natural’ comment throughout the interview.
It would be nice to talk to Rui En again – that is, if she can speak for herself.
Rui En’s self-titled album is out in stores now.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Rui ∑n vol. 01, The New Paper.
20 January 2003
Showtime & Lifestyle
How does a newbie make a bang in Taiwan?
Try snuggling up to a popular teenybopper. Or copying one.
Failing that, break up everyone’s favourite screen couple.
It’s not a path to popularity, though.
Singaporean artistes Celest Chong, Rui En and Michelle Saram were swamped with hate mail when they ventured into Taiwan.
But, guess what? They picked up thousands of fans, too.
CHANG MAY CHOON reports
Stay away from Jay
ChouSinger Rui En, better known as the SingTel girl who sprinted across Shenton Way in the TV commercial, is also in Taipei.
She was issued a fierce warning by fanatical fans of R&B prince Jay Chou to ‘stay away from Jay, or else …’.
The singing newbie first incurred their wrath when she cosied up to Jay in his music video, fuelling speculations that they are an item.
They have signed up with the same record label, Alfa Music, in Taiwan.
Jay’s jealous fans immediately bombarded Rui En’s online message board with nasty notes like ‘You better watch your step’.
In her defence, the 22-year-old business undergrad from Nanyang Technological University clarified that she and Jay are ‘like brother and sister’.
She said: ‘Actually Jay treats me like a sister. There’s no chemistry between us.’
MISUNDERSTANDING
Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, many fans of Jay are keen to support Rui En as well, said Mr Tan, who is her manager as well.
He told The New Paper: ‘Many fans got to know Rui En through Jay, which is good because he has such a big fan base.
‘Initially, they scolded her because they thought she’s Jay girlfriend. But now they acknowledge that she’s a good singer.’
He added that nearly 40,000 copies of her debut album have flown off the shelves in Taiwan since December.
This is ‘very encouraging for a newcomer’, he added.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Rui ∑n vol. 01, The New Paper.
10 January 2003
VOL.01 ALBUM
Lu Rui En
YES, she’s that girl from the SingTel commercial and in Jay Chou’s MTV.
But does she sound as good as she looks?
You bet – raw on the vocals, but a good attempt for a first album consisting of a R&B tempo-ridden repertoire.
– Desmond Ng
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in Rui ∑n vol. 01, The New Paper.
14 August 2002
LUCKY Lu Rui En.
The former SingTel babe who raced across town to top up her handphone’s stored value card got to flirt with Taiwan’s most eligible pop star, Jay Chou, recently.
Now a singer-actress, she plays his love interest in the music video for his new song, Secret Code.
There were no intimate scenes though. All the couple did was exchange love messages on their handphones.
The closest they got was when he caressed her face after performing a little magic trick to impress her.
After all, Jay is known to be so shy that he refuses to kiss his co-stars.
‘It feels weird to kiss someone I don’t know,’ he said bashfully, ‘Even in my music videos, I’d only hold hands with the female leads.’
By the time the 3 1/2-hour filming ended at 4am, the film crew was dead beat.
Only Jay was still bursting with energy and kept pestering Rui En to play poker with him.
Could that be a secret code for ‘I like you’?
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in The New Paper.
27 June 2002
WATCH IT!
HOW ironic it is that the title of this drama serial should be No Problem.
There were problems indeed, with misfortune befalling the actresses, one by one.
No Problem also sees the appearance of newcomer Lu Rui-en (the Singtel ad girl) as the girlfriend of Chen Hanwei’s Jinfu, the youngest son in the rice dumpling clan.
Her acting may be a bit raw, but at least she has no problems with her Mandarin. No Problem is shown over Channel 8 every weekday at 9pm.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in No Problem 考试家æ—, The New Paper.
09 June 2002
TAKE 5
THIS former SingTel girl has run into good luck these days.
You’ll remember Lu Rui En as the gutsy babe in the ad who raced up a sweat just to top up her handphone’s stored value card.
Now, she could even be the next Stefanie Sun or Tanya Chua.
The 21-year-old NTU business student has signed on with Hype Records after crooning Mariah Carey and Faye Wong tunes at her audition. She is recording her debut Mandarin album – even though she doesn’t really listen to Chinese music.
And all this while finishing up her attachment at an IT firm.
Meanwhile, the showbiz ingenue makes her small screen debut in the new Channel 8 drama No Problem, which starts tomorrow. Rui En plays Chen Hanwei’s longtime sweetie-pie girlfriend – until Ivy Lee comes between them.
Do you go ga-ga over guys made from the F4 mould?
No! I’m not so much into the long-hair, idol look. For me, it’s more of character and sei (Hokkien for style). But now I really like Hayden Christensen. Which girl wouldn’t?
You take pride in your proficiency in…
Doing imitations. I’m pretty good at a Malay rocker accent.
How do you feel about the whole slimming pill scandal that dogged your co-stars Chen Liping or Andrea De Cruz?
Actually I was told to lose weight, because I have baby fat on my cheeks. But after the Slim 10 thing I was pretty disturbed. No way would I take pills. It’s all about exercise and a healthy diet.
Women don’t get football: True or false?
False. Then again, I think they get it only because of the cute guys. Other than that there’s no other attraction for us.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?
While I was in secondary school, my parents were very strict and I had an early curfew. I would sneak out of the house by the back gate in the middle of the night. Once, when I came back early in the morning, my mum was waiting for me! That was the scariest thing in the world.
I was grounded for half a year and couldn’t even use the phone!
– Jeanmarie Tan
Categorised in The New Paper.
16 January 2001
Lu Rui En’s modelling career soared after she raced like a daredevil in a SingTel ad to top up her handphone’s stored value card. She even earned a feature in this month’s FHM magazine.
SERENE FOO meets the other SingTel girl who didn’t get the marriage proposal.
FOR her moment of fame, she ran for about 12 hours, till she tore a ligament.
Recalled Lu Rui En in mock horror: “I haven’t been doing any exercise for ages. Not since the days in junior college when I was in the hockey team.
“And I had to run from, like, 7am to 7pm for the shoot.”
The SingTel ad was shot in one day around Boat Quay and Raffles Place.
Said the 20-year-old: “The director kept telling me to run faster and faster. And the crew was filming me from a truck.”
“At that time, I really felt as if I was in an action movie.”
By noon, she was walking with a limp. By evening, she had torn a ligament.
“I went around with a limp, weeks after the shoot ended,” said the business undergraduate from Nanyang Technological University.
But the shoot also inflated her bank account by a few thousand dollars.
And she appeared in this month’s issue of FHM, all styled up.
But Rui En’s lucrative modelling jobs were not appreciated by her dad at first.
“My dad thinks that in this industry, they will DRUG your drink and RAPE you or something.”
She had her first shot at modelling after her A levels in 1999.
Now, Rui En is a model with Phantom Management.
“I try to tell my dad everything, like what I do on the job, what exactly the industry is like, so that he can understand.”
She has also done advertisements for MPH and Seiyu.
And guys, eat your hearts out.
The leggy babe’s taken.
Her boyfriend wasn’t supportive initially.
“He’s kind of ‘jealous’ and thinks that I might run away with some tall, dark and handsome model,” she added.
WANT TO SEE HER?
Not that he is the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
“He’s been approached to try out modelling. Ya, I think he’s quite cute. Oh no, must be humble, modest, right?” she added, laughing.
For a glimpse of the frequent party-goer, you can try hanging out at Zouk. But don’t dismiss her as a wild airhead.
Said Rui En: “I love having fun but I also know where to draw the line. Ultimately, I know I need to do well in my studies.”
In order not to jeopardise her school work, Rui En tries to schedule her casting calls after her lessons.
“I think the shelf life of a model is short. I hope to venture into banking and finance. Or, maybe investment banking because I love economics.”
At the moment, she doesn’t foresee herself being in front of the camera after graduation.
“But I may still do modelling part-time because the money is good.”
And get this, the ex-Raffles Junior College student is fanatic about classical literature.
“I was a literature student in Junior College. I love reading although I don’t have as much time for it now. Sometimes, I prefer to stay at home with my boyfriend and just read.
“Her favourite: Thomas Hardy’s 19th-century classic Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
“It’s a book I did for my A levels.”It’s very poetic and the author has very intelligent insights into the human nature.”
She also enjoys the works of F Scott Fitzgerald.
And guess what, the university library was where she was recognised by one of her schoolmates.
Said Rui En: “You know, it’s so quiet in the library and this guy said loudly, ‘Are you the one in the advertisement, I didn’t expect to see you here’.
“Covering her face in mock embarrassment, she joked: “I was like, ya, I am studying here. Thank you and pleeeaaase go away.”
Poor chap.
Still, it wasn’t exactly a brilliant pick-up line.
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in The New Paper.
13 October 1998
The New Paper New Face ’98
EXAM fever has gripped Raffles Junior College.
But New Face of the Year, Gabrielle Dai, 17, is turning heads away from books.
Yesterday was her first day back in school after she beat 11 other contenders last Friday in The New Paper New Face contest.
Quipped her close friend and classmate Lu Rui En, 17: “I must have heard ‘Congrats Gab’ at least a thousand times today.”
Source: The New Paper
Categorised in The New Paper.
