Jackson Wang wishes Singapore ‘happy birthday’

In town for a party at Marquee, the Chinese K-pop star was received by hordes of fans who waited hours to catch a glimpse of him

- Jan Lee

Singapore holds special meaning for Hong Kong-born K-pop star Jackson Wang.

At a doorstop interview with local media before hosting a sold-out party at nightclub Marquee in the early hours of yesterday morning, the former champion fencer even showed off his tattoo of the Youth Olympic Games logo on his left bicep.

A member of the South Korean boy band GOT7, Wang participated in the inaugural Games hosted by Singapore in 2010.

His father Wang Ruiji is an Asian Games gold medalist in fencing, while his mother Sophia Chow was a gymnast.

In 2011, Wang was offered a sports scholarship from Stanford University in America for his fencing abilities, but eventually turned it down and quit training for the London Olympics to pursue life as a K-pop trainee in Seoul.

“Singapore is meaningful to me because it was where I did (the) first Youth Olympic Games,” the 28-year-old Chinese star says, toggling between English and Mandarin effortlessly.

“Singapore, I love you all very much and I wish you a super happy birthday,” he adds, referring to National Day tomorrow.

Wang is in town until Wednesday to film a series of travel vlogs as part of a partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board to front the Singapo-Reimagine global marketing campaign.