BAZAAR Power List 2023: Sarah Peng

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 Sarah Peng, a 39-year-old stand-up comedian.

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?

I started in 2014 when I was in China. I did some open-mic nights. And, after participating in several open-mics, I received an unexpected invitation from a comedy club booker. He asked me to do an opening set for a professional comedian visiting from America. The deal was that I would perform for seven minutes and I wouldn’t have to buy a ticket to the show. After the show, I received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with people telling me that I’m funny and likeable. For many in the audience that night, it was the first time seeing a girl from China perform stand-up in English on stage. This show inspired me to do more comedy, more seriously, and perform on a more regular basis.

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

The biggest challenge is opportunity. Comedians need to always find opportunities to promote ourselves. Let us be heard, be seen, and then I think we will have more opportunities in the future. Especially, I think traditionally, there are already so many white male comedians, you know? Chinese is my first language. I still try my best to do English ones, because I think in the English language, we are very few.

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In what mode do you feel most powerful?

I feel an incredible sense of power when I step on stage wearing my favourite qipao, holding the microphone and hearing the audience laughing loudly in response to my jokes. It’s a magical experience and it reminds me why I’m so passionate about comedy. 

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

Traditionally, comedy is very male-dominated, so I would like to see more Asian women on the stand-up comedy stage, especially in the English language. Diversity is very important, and by amplifying the voice of Asian women in comedy, we can foster inclusivity and contribute to a more diverse and dynamic comedy environment. 

What would you consider the most difficult aspect of what you do?

In this day and age, you have to brand yourself, manage your social media. We are not necessarily very good at marketing ourselves. The second one is building a fan base. And then, thirdly, I think it’s dealing with criticism and rejection. Because as I said, comedy could be very controversial. There’s no comedian I know that has never gotten negative feedback, so that is something you have to constantly deal with. I also feel hurt, like any normal human being. But when I talked to my comedian friends, I found out that every single one of them has been in the same situation. Eventually I realised that there’s so many people out there, so the haters will always be there. I learned to ignore them. I also see whether the criticism is constructive, whether it really makes sense. Also personally, I love travelling, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to [do] comedy, because I want to go to one country, and go to comedy clubs, and perform, and get to know people there. But at the same time, I’m now a mom. It's hard to balance comedy with my other obligations. If I’m single, I think it’ll be much easier – I can travel whenever I want.

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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