Interview by Alan Ng & Jenkin Au
Words by Alan Ng
Photography by Jenkin Au

justalilhype! went to Kerrisdale to meet up with Vanessa Tan. Similar to her idol Ne-Yo, Vanessa’s hobbies ranges from dancing, singing to modeling. We talked to her about her life in general and what her interests are.

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Vanessa. I’m an island girl, born in Singapore, and currently residing in Vancouver. Though Singapore is very close to my heart, I love the city. I hope to live in New York one day! I graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in marketing. I’m a really musical person, and I love to dance, sing, and play guitar and piano. I also enjoy modeling. Photoshoots are great, especially when working with a solid team. Runway shows are always a ton of fun, though I don’t get booked for them often because I usually fall just short of the standard height requirement.

What music do you like?

Though I’m a teenybopper at heart and love pop music, my music taste ranges. I like pretty much all types of music, just not really into heavy metal. I would probably say that Ne-Yo is my favourite artist right now. Not only does he have an amazing voice but he’s a great dancer and songwriter. I really admire his talents!

What is the aspect of Ne-Yo that you really like? He’s a multifaceted person, what’s the aspect of him that you like the most?

I guess it’s just his music. That kind of covers everything, his voice and song writing skills.

You play guitar as well and you’ve been uploading your performances on YouTube, can you tell us a bit more about that?

My friends have always encouraged me to sing and I’ve been asked to record songs for them in the past. In August, I took up the guitar and have been trying to learn on my own. I haven’t been playing too long, so I’m not really that good. One day I decided to upload a video of me singing and playing my guitar (so I could track my guitar-learning progress), thinking no one would really watch it. I was surprised at how many views I got! I was encouraged by viewers to post more, so that’s how it all started. The feedback I’ve been getting has been awesome, a lot better than I expected!

How do you go about on who to dedicate songs to?

People actually ask me to! They request a song then ask to dedicate it to them. But even if they don’t ask, I dedicate it to them anyway! It’s super cool. I’m all for it.

Are you trying to peruse a music career out of this or is this more like a hobby?

It’s more of a hobby for me; I just do it for fun.

How did you get into modeling?

When I was in preschool, I was super tall and skinny. I said to myself that I would be a model when I grew up. It was always a dream of mine, but I didn’t really get into it until later on. My first shoot was for a clothing catalogue, and I had a ton of fun and wanted to do more. So from that, I started networking a lot, which got me bookings. 

Is there a model that you look up to?

I love Natalia Vodianova. She’s so beautiful and versatile. I’m a huge fan of her work.

What aspects of yourself as a whole do people focus upon you as a model?

That’s an interesting question. I think that my personality is really attractive. I am easy going and I have a really positive attitude, so I find that that makes me fun and easy to work with. I’m open-minded and I’m up for anything to capture a great shot – even if it means being in the freezing cold in minimal clothing or trekking through fields with tons of biting bugs! I totally commit myself to creating a great shot, no matter what it takes.

Describe your passion in dance.

I love dance! I started dancing when I was four years old. My mom enrolled me in ballet. From that I branched off into hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary. I love it. I want to learn as many different types of dance as possible. This year, I’m taking up salsa and breakdancing. I’ve never done those before, so it should be interesting! I’m sure watching me trying to breakdance will be humorous, as I’m really weak, so it’ll probably be a huge fail!

Are you single?

Yes I am.

What kind of traits do you look for in guys?

Chivalry! It seems to be dead these days, which is sad because I’m really old fashioned and totally dig it. Honesty is also huge. Because I’m so into music, some sort of musical talent would be nice, but it’s not required. I just want a genuine gentleman who treats me well; and good chemistry is a must!

What kind of guys do you not like?

I am not into smokers or hard partiers.

Having a background from Singapore, how often do you go back and what’s the culture like over there?

I moved when I was really young. My family is still at Singapore so I got back very often. In terms of the difference in culture, it’s very clean there so they are just really strict but everyone’s super nice.  In clubs, people don’t really interact; I guess it’s more innocent I guess.

What is HYPE?

How You Push Excellence. Did you get that? H-Y-P-E.