Joyce Cheng has had a stellar year. With an array of triumphant self-love anthems accompanied by high production value videos and dozens of major brand endorsements, the singer has cemented her place on Hong Kong’s entertainment A-list while using her platform to promote mental health and body positivity.

During the pandemic, when live performances were off the cards, Cheng pivoted to producing vlogs on YouTube, growing her fanbase with honest and funny insights into her daily life. Her sound and approach to stardom stands at odds with the heavily managed and filtered singers characteristic of Cantopop, and recent songs like Glitterfalls (“Flick, snap wave ’em off”) and BBBB: Big Boobs Bubble Butt (“Not sorry that I ain’t your type of body”) set a new precedent for authenticity that has been welcomed by her legion of fans.

As the daughter of the comedian Lydia Shum and actor Adam Cheng, Cheng grew up in the limelight, and made her pop debut in 2016 with the track Goddess, an emotional ballad which advocated for self-acceptance and paying no heed to others’ criticism. Despite her body having been the subject of much media attention, Cheng is outspoken in her fight against Asia’s narrow beauty ideals, building for a future where diversity in media is not just celebrated but the norm.