THE POWER OF THREE

YOUNG, GOOD-LOOKING AND IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS-WELL, AT LEAST ON YOUR PHONES. MEET DAVID MATTHEW, RAYNOLD TAN, AND DAVID EUNG HAO, THE RISING STARS OF TIKTOK WHO ARE ON THE FAST TRACK TO FAME.

- AZHAR RAHIM

One afternoon, while at a roadside stall in his hometown of Battambang, Cambodia, David Eung Hao, 20, received a text message from his mother with a photo of him just taken a few minutes ago, squatting on the ground and eating mookata with his friends.

He was baffled. "I remembered my first reaction was to look around me. I mean, how did she even get this photo? Plus, we were not even in the city centre," he recalls. That was the moment that the Singapore-based aspiring model and actor realised that he had become TikTok-famous (his handle is @mr.davidd__). "I guess you always have to be conscious of everyone around you because you never know who recognises you and is watching your every move. Until today, I still do not know who sent my mum that image but it is a funny memory I'll never forget," he says.

Fellow TikTok content creator and actor, David Matthew (@davidmatthew_), 26, also shares a similar experience. "Recently, at a wedding, a friend took a photo to share with their friend. I do not know how the photo got around but my mother's friend saw it and forwarded it to her," he shares. "My mum then texted me to ask if I was at a wedding, and why I was wearing a suit."

Being recognised in public comes with the territory. Raynold Tan, 24, a final-year Psychology major at the National University of Singapore, is often approached by fans who call him by his TikTok handle @Raytyr. "Some of my coursemates do recognise me, and after speaking to me in class, will then ask if I'm the 'guy from TikTok'. For the most part, they have all been very nice to me."