On September 18, 2021, the Sultan of the Malaysian state of Johor, Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar took to his public Facebook page to lavish praise on two individuals with Johorean roots making waves in the global entertainment industry.
In the glowing post, the Sultan highlighted the achievements of Hollywood funnyman Ronny Chieng and Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Gin Lee, and lauded the two for bringing pride to the state.
Adding on to the overall praise, the state monarch said that both celebrities could very well serve as inspiration to other Johoreans looking to emulate the same kind of success.
"I believe Johor has many talents who have yet to be found and nurtured. Let them be an example and inspiration of what Johor can achieve, and also spur our own local arts and entertainment scene to greater heights," he said.
Making big waves abroad.
Over the past couple of years, Chieng has broken through as a prominent Asian personality in Hollywood, with his brand of comedy earning him spots on shows hosted by Trevor Noah, a place on Variety's "10 Comics To Watch" list, and his own Netflix stand-up special titled Asian Comedian Destroys America.
On the big screen, Chieng also made appearances on the immensely popular Crazy Rich Asians alongside compatriot Henry Golding in 2018, and more recently, in Marvel's Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, where he flaunted a Malaysian passport and spoke in Bahasa Malaysia saying, "Johor Bahru kampung saya. Saya anak Malaysia" (which directly translates to "Johor Bahru is my hometown. I'm a child of Malaysia.").
Gin Lee, on the other hand, has made strides as a successful recording artist in Hong Kong. After winning the Malaysian edition of Universal Music's songwriting competition as an 18-year-old, Lee's music career has grown leaps and bounds, with several chart-topping Cantopop singles and albums now under her belt.
In 2020, her album beGin won Best Female Singer at the 2020 AIM Chinese Music Awards presented by the Malaysian Recording Industry Association, and she even sang a duet with legendary singer Jacky Cheung at the Miss Hong Kong 2021 pageant.
Following the hearty praise, both stars wasted no time in acknowledging the ruler's shout-out, and immediately posted thank-you messages on their own social media channels.
In her post, Lee said that she was humbled to received the sultan's praise, and took the opportunity to thank her family, friends, and fans, while also congratulating Chieng for his own success.
"Daulat Tuanku, the Royal Family, and Johor – the beautiful nurturing home that I dearly miss, love, and will always hold dear to my heart," she said. "I am so proud to be an anak (child of) Johor. Allah peliharakan Sultan (May God watch over the Sultan)."
Chieng was as equally grateful in his own post, thanking the ruler for his message and putting up a photo of when his parents had the honor of meeting with the sultan back nearly 40 years ago.
"This photo is of my Father and Mother who were active in their community and had the honor of meeting you at the Rotary Club of Johor Bahru in the early 1980's," he captioned the image.
Similarly, he also congratulated Lee on her success and then took the opportunity to say how much love he had for Johor and all its culture.
"I have so much affection for the places, restaurants, and Bangsa Johor whom have always been so kind to me when I was growing up," he said, before writing in Bahasa Malaysia, "I hope everyone in Johor and the whole of Malaysia remains healthy and prosperous. And hopefully, God will protect the Sultan always. Long live his royal highness."
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Cover image sourced from Celebrity Speakers, The Straits Times, Last.fm.
