BAZAAR Power List 2023: Annette Lee

This year, we celebrate Singapore’s comedy queens and funny girls who have captured our hearts, tickled our ribs and got us thinking and reflecting on ourselves and society at large. Whether it’s through stand-up, sketches, or film, these funny girls have the courage, flair and smarts to not only succeed in the world of comedy, but to also thrive in it. Meet Annette Lee, a 31-year-old filmmaker, musician and actor.

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When did you first discover that you had the gift of making someone laugh and what did you do with that discovery? Do you have an early memory to share?

So I don't think it was a very defining moment where I discovered that. But I think if I were to think back, one of my earlier memories would be one of those extracurricular drama classes in primary school, where I did this little skit where I was a peacock. I don't even know the context, and I did this bit where I remember everyone thought I was really funny. That would probably be the most defining moment where I was like 'yeah okay, I guess I could do something funny.' But that still didn't make me realise, 'Oh, I could do more comedy.'

There was also an earlier memory my parents told me about where I was in the hospital, around three years old, and I had jaundice. Apparently, I would stay up late at night, around midnight, and I would go outside where the seats were at, then I would perform Barney songs to whoever would listen. I guess a lot of people laughed at me, but I don't remember that. So I think the earliest memory I would recall was the one in primary school when I was around 9 or 10, after the drama class memory. I think later in life, as I hung out with friends, I realised, 'I can say something and make them laugh,' and I just continued from there.

Comedy is powerful because…

It connects people. It brings people together in a way that isn't like when you are serious about things. So there's this quote by G.K. Chesterton that says, “Humour can get in under the door while seriousness is still fumbling at the handle.” Sometimes comedy just has this ability to let people connect on a level that is fun and light-hearted, but deep at the same time. I really enjoy that because sometimes, when you just talk about something really serious in a serious manner, it can create even more barriers, because the atmosphere makes people not want to overshare. But comedy has the ability to let people let loose, which is paradoxical, as it lets people let loose but also gets pretty deep, which I think is nice.

Over the years, how have you honed your comedy skills and what have you discovered about how your mind works?

I started to realise that I'm actually quite a visual person, and I think a lot in images. That was something that I discovered about how my mind works when I want to plan a video or storyboard it in my head. And I would say in terms of honing my quality skills, it's only in terms of writing. Comedy is a lot in the writing, having setups and punch lines, and it's also in characters and the performance. Those are the two things that I've really been trying to work on, which really just takes practice. There's no formula It's just how you get better at writing. You keep writing and writing and over time you think of how you can write better, and it just gets more natural to you, as well. It is the same when I play a character. 

Over the years, I've been thinking a lot about visual comedy, not just the writing itself. That's also something that I’ve been experimenting with. Especially when I get into thinking up sequences, ideas or even a whole video, I really see all the images and I can get very focused and get into the zone. I remember ex-colleagues who told me that while I'm sitting at my table, I look like I'm zoning out. But actually there’s a lot running through my head. So that was my serious face at work. I was a content strategist - writer, director, everything - at a media company.

What are the challenges in making comedy a career, and in that sense, treating it as a business?

I will say some of the difficulties would be if you're out of ideas. While I do have a bank of ideas, even when you have a bank of ideas, certain things don't feel right for the moment because sometimes you want to be able to create something that feels more culturally relevant - or there's a trending topic, and within that week, you should talk about that thing. It is really trying to navigate the last-minute stuff. How do I be thorough, think on the fly, put something out quickly, react quickly and yet have it be entertaining? Also try to follow certain trends when it comes to TikTok. There are some meme trends there. Balancing that with just your own original ideas, which, sometimes you have none of. And even if you do have the original idea, you feel like it's not right for this time; rather, I need to go for that reactive thing.

It can get a bit anxiety-inducing at times because you need to constantly be working all this out and you can't disappear for too long because one day on the internet can feel like one month. You start thinking about these videos that are actually supposed to be fun as more work that you have to take seriously. That can suck a bit of fun out of it. But overall, I take breaks in between and that really helps, because when you take breaks and you come back to it, it feels fresh to you again. 

What is your proudest achievement or accomplishment to date? Why? 

My proudest achievement would be the Cai Fan song that I did with Benjamin Kheng. That was really fun and I think that was just such a seemingly simple idea that really resonated with people. I really liked that. I'm also really proud of creating some characters that many people really love, like the aunties and this other character called Chantelle. They're really excited about these characters, and I just always find it really fun to be able to do that. It's been many years since I've done that and people are still very excited, so that's really nice.

Is there anything you won’t joke about?

I feel that, honestly, anything can be joked about, and at the end of the day, it is really in the delivery. If you're referring to recent events, I think you’re talking about the Malaysia incident, I feel like the delivery just felt like it wasn't even a joke. She was just saying some things that came across as offensive, I suppose. Anything can be joked about but time, place and the delivery is really important. Personally, if there's anything I stray away from, it will be from thinking through how a joke will land, and the delivery. I would make sure that I don't say any jokes that come across as mean-spirited. In general, I think that the bit came across as mean-spirited. Even when I do satire, like let's say, I'm joking about a character or something, I always make sure that it doesn't come across as mean-spirited. There has to be a certain point that I have to make rather than just trying to make fun of someone's insecurities, or of something that people might not feel comfortable to talk about. Thus, it wouldn't come across as a joke.

Who or what makes you laugh?

A lot of people around me are hilarious. I don't think I'm that funny in person. I can get pretty serious whenever I'm working. In fact, I ‘switch on’ when I'm trying to play a character and I think I’m funnier in character or when the camera is on. But I know people who are the opposite, friends who are so funny but once you put a camera on them, they keep to themselves. 

I do try to search for inspiration by watching a lot of shows, seeing what people recommend. I check out comedies. A lot of my friends and I watch K-dramas. Sometimes I watch the serious ones, but that’s a small portion of the dramas I watch. I'll watch a lot of fun ones. And growing up I really enjoyed documentaries. I watched a lot of Modern Family and this Australian filmmaker-actor, Chris Lilly. He actually inspired me to do all the different characters because that’s what he does, as well. On YouTube growing up, I watched a lot of Ryan Higa. So I checked out different forms of comedy. 

What does power look like to you?

Since I think quite visually, I'm imagining this really nice landscape with a calm sea and calm mountain. And I think if you put that into words, power looks to me like being self-assured, immovable and being at peace.

What’s one thing you would change about your industry?

I never really thought about that. I think at the moment, nothing. Even if there are any restrictions, sometimes, boundaries and restrictions are necessary for creativity to flourish. When it comes to comedy, it's finding the ways to slip under the door, and that's something that I see as a challenge.

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What’s the most fulfilling thing about what you do?

The most fulfilling thing is really seeing that you've brought joy to people. I don't think that's something you really set out to do. For me, at the initial stage, of course, what really fulfilled me was just being able to put out something good, something that I was passionate about, something that I enjoyed. But to see people also enjoy it and see how comedy really connects people to what you do... I think that's really, really meaningful.

Can you share more about a time when humour helped you get through something difficult?

Growing up, it wasn't very easy, because it's very rare for people to have very happy families. My parents would fight a lot, and humour was a bit of a coping mechanism where you're just making jokes about things like that. Over the years, it does make you stronger, when you learn to laugh at yourself. There's something about humour that really allows you to disempower anything that seems too intimidating in your life. All of a sudden, if you're able to laugh about it, suddenly it doesn't seem that big and scary anymore. It's like a scary monster. If you suddenly laugh at it, you realise it was not as scary as you thought. It was really helpful when I watched a lot of comedy shows and also learned to make my own jokes.

The biggest misconception about my job is…

My job is all over the place. I don't just do comedy, I do a lot of music as well. I do bits of acting here and there. Maybe the biggest misconception about my job is that we think it's very easy. There are some people who don't really know what I do. And they probably feel that I'm just making stupid videos all day, or I'm an influencer. But what they don't know is that I actually don't do a lot of sponsored posts. There's a lot of things that I do outside of what I show on social media. I do performances which sometimes don't really get shown. So, I actually do a lot more than what is seen by the public. Sometimes it can get very tiring but at the same time, it's fun. Even when it's tiring, it's not something for me to complain about. 

What do you think is the most important quality for a comedian?

Being discerning - you have to be wise in thinking of what you're gonna say, and at the same time, you have to be a few steps ahead of how you think people might perceive a certain thing. Even if there might be some people who might perceive certain things wrongly, will you be okay with it? Is this going to end your career? If the answer is yes, then don’t put it up. But if not then, go ahead. I think it's important that we, as comedians, stay a little dangerous at times. You don't get so dangerous, but you have to tread that line a bit where you tease something slightly more controversial and not stay so safe all the time. You have to be able to walk that tightrope in an entertaining way, so you don't just jump off and say something mean-spirited, or just say something that is dangerous, but not funny.

Who are your heroes / icons? 

Growing up, I watched a lot of Ryan Higa and I will say 'til today, he inspired a lot of the comedy-music video stuff that I do. I really enjoy Bo Burnham. These are people who did music and comedy and went before me and made me realise that I can do music and make comedy work. I can do some serious stuff and some not-so-serious stuff as well. I think Bo Burnham has even made a movie. These are the people who made me realise that my being a so-called comedian, which I don't really call myself, is labelling myself. People expect you to be funny all the time. People would come up to me and say 'Tell me a joke.' These people have taught me that as much as you're a comedian, you don't have to be funny all the time. You are able to have depth in whatever you do and in fact, we can help you find that depth and help you explore deeper issues in your own life, or around you.

How would you describe yourself then, if not as a comedian?

I describe myself differently depending on the situation. So I will also open myself up to whatever you call me. If you call me a comedian, it's not something I might call myself. If I'm doing something that's more film-related, I’m a filmmaker. Sometimes I call myself a video creator, because of the digital and YouTube stuff that I do, or sometimes I'm a musician, especially if I'm in a music context. That label [comedian] gives me so much pressure to be funny all the time when I'm not. Maybe after many years, I'd be more open to using the label, but I just have to be paired with something else. I will not call myself a comedian, because it's so much pressure for me to live up to that, and there are way funnier people out there.

Do you play any instruments? 

I play the guitar and piano. 

Any upcoming projects or anything to look out for that you can talk about? 

A new single is coming out in a couple months time. I'm either dropping it at the end of July or early August. It's called "Send You Memes." It's just a fun song about how sometimes you just don't want to go out, you just want to stay at home, and it’s a bit of an introvert’s anthem. But it can also be a song for extroverts who have days where they feel introverted. 

I'm also working on a new food and travel show page with Zermatt Neo. He's this YouTuber. It's a Singapore food and travel show where we go and explore parts of Singapore, where we do an activity and also eat something nice in a certain area. It is independently-produced, just like my music. We just wanted to explore different parts of Singapore because Singaporeans always like to say, there's nothing to do in our country. But we feel like there is so much to do, and even when discussing the show, we realised that there's so many things to do, especially in different parts of the country that you just never heard about. Visiting less common places and even slightly common places that some people might still not know about. For instance, someone like me, staying in the East, might feel it is very common. For someone who's staying in the West, they may not know about it. So we just wanted to cover everything and show all the things that you can do when you have fun in Singapore. This is a multi-episode series and we are airing 8 episodes, [which] will go up on mine and Zermatt’s channel. 

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For your songs, like "Send You Memes," do you write everything on your own or do you work with collaborators?

I wrote it on my own, but I worked with a Korean producer. So the producer produces, but I am the songwriter and main singer. I just did the music video recently, as well.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Photographed by Wee Khim
Creative direction and styling by Windy Aulia
Producers: Cindy Ow, Navin Pillay
Makeup: Manisa Tan
Hair: Karol Soh
Stylist’s assistants: Naysa Pradhan, Zoe Tauro