Kym Ng didn't have an income as a singer, so she took on her first acting role of a prostitute

Way before Kym Ng showed her hosting chops and cemented her place as one of Singapore's iconic television hosts, she was an air stewardess-turned-singer.

On the latest episode of the Channel 8 talkshow The Inner Circle, 53-year-old Kym told local television host Guo Liang that she made the career switch because she thought singers earned a lot of money. She even took a tasteful nude shot for her first album cover — to clarify, she was only nude from the waist up.

She explained: "I had already agreed to make the album and I was told that they had this concept for the album cover because no one knew who I was and I was so-so as a singer, so they needed something to attract people's attention."

Alas, her singing career didn't take off the way she wanted it to.

Kym said: "I thought I could become rich as a singer and I could become famous. That's why I signed on. But I started to wonder why I wasn't making money and why I wasn't popular. I literally had no income."

After her stint as a singer, she became an actress and the first role she was given was a prostitute.

When asked if she had any reservations, Kym replied: "I would work as long as there was a job! At that time, the busty Margaret Lee was supposed to take the role, but she had a fall and couldn't do it. So they thought that maybe I could do it. Perhaps it had something to do with the nude album cover."

She shared that her brother laughed at her for playing the character, but added that both her mother and brother were relieved when she started acting because she was finally earning money compared to her singing days.

"They were hoping that I could snag more roles so I was feeling the pressure. I didn't want to stay at home, I wanted to find a job."

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bryanlim@asiaone.com