The Men’s Folio August issue is traditionally focused on locals, as a vast majority of the magazine content curation shines the spotlight. Fronting the Men’s Folio August ‘22 cover are Dharni, Tabitha Nauser, Glenn Yong and Shye who share their connections with Singapore, and how that has shaped their identity and career.

Click here to purchase our August ’22 Hometown Glory issue featuring Tabitha Nauser, Glenn Yong, Shye, and Dharni. 

Here, Glenn Yong talks to us about homeliness, his vision of the fame he has found, and his future plans as he bridges being a millenial and a Gen Z-er.

 

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Homeliness is a place where I can feel like myself; no facade, just me. And I don’t have to feel like I’m always judged for everything — it’s where I can be myself and be comfortable.

(Home) to me, it’s the intangibles. It’s a feeling — a vibe — that you get. So it can be from people for instance or a place. Sometimes being in a certain environment makes me feel homely. Sometimes talking to certain people makes me feel homely because of who they are and what our relationship is like.

I think I can only say it’s crazy. I’ve always dreamed about this so to be living in the dream right now, it’s something many people would want to experience. I’m not taking any of this for granted. Every day, I’m just thankful… thankful for all the jobs, opportunities, and for the fans and people who supported me along the way. I’m just going to enjoy and live in the moment while it lasts.

 

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How do I deal with this (fame)? To me, nothing much has changed. My family members, childhood friends, and my close friends all treat me the same — like the old Glenn. I think the only thing that has changed is I can’t scratch my backside and all because I still take public transport! (Laughs)

I used to be an extrovert but I’m more introverted today. Maybe it’s because of life experiences, or the people you’re surrounded with. In a way, that made me change the way I relate to people in a certain way. If you’re talking about my personality, and how I treat people, it’s the same on- and off-screen but maybe I will be more guarded — especially when it comes to people-to-people relationships.

 

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I was very blessed because my parents never forced me to fit into a mould of what they would expect of me. They just told me, “do what you like, and we will support you the best we can”. I think that has played a fundamental role in my life. It has built a foundation where I can be daring to chase my dreams without worrying that I might disappoint my parents. Because even if I fail, or even if I do succeed, I know they will still be proud of me and I know they will still love me the same way. I think that’s the thing that gives me the courage to pursue my dreams.

My fondest memory growing up is actually a meal together with my family, to be honest. It’s been so hectic recently, I seldom have time to eat with my family so I really miss the times when we can sit down in the dining area of our house and just talk.

 

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I’m 25, turning 26. I’ll tell my younger self to enjoy your youth and live life to the fullest as you can. Eventually, everything will turn out well. But I will tell myself to pick up Mandarin earlier (in life), and to learn certain skill sets from a younger age — music, or singing for example that will benefit you as an artiste as you grow up. I think it has been a dream but it wasn’t always the goal.

To me, it was “I dream to be an actor but I don’t see myself working towards it, it (becoming an actor) was a fantasy that I thought of.” When I transitioned to become an actor after I got scouted from TikTok was when I thought to myself, “well actually this could be real, it could just be a reality mirroring a dream, you know?”

 

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I’m kind of like a millennial and a Gen Z at the same time since I’m born in 1996, right at the respective end and start of the two demographic cohorts. There have been many conversations about how Gen Zs are like and I admire how they are bold and willing to stand up for things they believe in rather than shy away. They (Gen Zs) grew up in a totally different environment, but if I can be a bridge — that might work.

In the future, I plan to meddle in businesses, start companies, and I’ll be hiring Gen Zs for sure. I’m looking forward to hearing their fresh ideas and new working style while making sure we retain the important values such as hard work and diligence.

It’s my dream to pursue my career overseas on the international stage and hope one day there will be more Singaporeans in the global market.

Photography Zantz Han
Styling Izwan Abdullah
Grooming Eric Tan / Palette.Inc using M.A.C Cosmetics
Hair Christvian Wu using Goldwell
Photography Assistant Dennis Er
Styling Assistant Manfred Lu

This story about Glenn Yong first appeared in our August ’22 Hometown Glory issue.