JANICE ΚΟΗ Rediscovering her voice

Janice Koh might have lost half her tongue to cancer, but she's not lost her voice. Whether she's on a stage or not, the former performer remains Singapore's most ardent supporter of the arts

- Karishma Tulsidas

When Janice Koh was diagnosed with tongue cancer last year at the age of 49, one of her initial reactions – apart from fear and grief – was relief.

“I was texting a friend two days after my surgery, and I told her, ‘What does it mean that I feel a sense of relief? I’m grieving, but I’m also relieved that I can finally let go of that part of my work’,” she shares.

The part of her work that she’s referring to is the self doubt, insecurity and imposter syndrome that comes with being a public figure.

Janice is one of Singapore’s most respected thespians, having started her career in theatre in 1992. She became a household name when she took on the role of ambitious lawyer Angela Ang in Channel 5’s drama The Pupil, and she has won multiple awards for her performances. She leapt on the global stage when she appeared as Felicity Young in Crazy Rich Asians, and received France’s highest cultural award, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2022 for her contributions to the arts, both as an acclaimed performer as well as the role she has played in championing local talent and productions in Singapore and overseas.

Still, despite her fame and multiple awards, the sense of insecurity never quite left her. “As an actor, and I can’t speak for all actors, but certainly for me, there is a slightly dysfunctional relationship with the work. Can you imagine being in a career where you have to constantly prove that you are worthy, over and over again, for every single job?” she asks, referring to the fact that it is normal for even experienced actors to audition for some TV and movie roles.