The word “hustlers” is often synonymous with passionate entrepreneurs racking in big cash or college undergraduates taking on a side-job to make ends meet. When used in everyday conversations today, the word seems to encapsulate an illustration of driven, hard-working millennials going against the grain to chase their dreams.
The millennial demographic seems to take pride in being associated with the expression. On Instagram, the axis of millennial and Gen Z lives, images featuring the hashtag, #hustle, rack up more than 25 million posts. Amongst them, motivational quotes emphasing limitless possibilities and optimism are most commonly featured. Occasionally, we would come across the success stories of a 20-something or 30-something individual, who overcame the odds and made a mark in the industry. And since many of us are purveyors of motivational content, the success stories of these individuals, who don’t wear their harried lifestyles as badges, are exceptionally appealing in the inspirational sense; in many instances, these individuals have become role models, whose habits and successes are things we want to emulate.
Back home, hoolah Singapore has had the opportunity to collaborate and interact with four such Singaporean hustlers. In the third piece of the four-part series, we feature actress Naomi Yeo. Independent, unabashed and relentless, the young female trailblazer is setting herself to become the role models for both women (and men) to follow.
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Actress Naomi Yeo, 26
Actress Naomi Yeo is a woman who wears many hats. Not in the literal sense, but metaphorically speaking of course. She is an actress who has appeared on both the silver screens and on TV, a radio deejay at contemporary hit radio station 987FM, a professional host (in the pre-COVID-19 era, of course), a singer, and most recently, a fiancée to local singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng.
Back in 2012, a young Yeo participated in the 987FM Radio Star competition and she was among the top five finalists. In the following year, she clinched a minor role in the Singaporean musical “That Girl in Pinafore” by award-winning Singaporean director Chai Yee Wee. Her debut single, “细水长流”, which she had performed in the movie, hit number #1 on iTunes chart of that year. In the following years, Yeo had stints at 987FM radio station and appeared in several of video production company Butterworks’ short films. At present, she is represented by FLY Entertainment.
In September last year, Yeo and Kheng went public with their relationship. And earlier this year in March, Kheng proposed to the 26-year-old actress while they were on holiday in New Zealand. On the topic of big weddings, she revealed in an interview with Singapore Brides that she prefers a practical, intimate wedding.
“The magic of a wedding is the gathering of happy hearts and people that have known you through time. Setting up a wedding involves being practical about budgets and what you can achieve with the money you are willing to part with,” she said. “Personally, extravagance and big budgets are not in my dictionary, and if it were up to me, I would like to marry the love of my life in a private and intimate setting.”
The bilingual host is also quite the fitness enthusiast. On Yeo’sInstagram, images of her doing yoga are aplenty. In one, she is seen hanging in mid-air on the harness and doing aerial yoga. And in another, she is seen calming doing the Trikanasana pose on the breakwater in Sydney, Australia. Interestingly, in an interview with The DC Edit, Yeo explains how she often introspects to confront herself and her insecurities. Such enlightening self-confrontation is perhaps what many people should learn and emulate in order to develop on a more personal level.
She says, “It made me self-evaluate the kind of relationships I’ve been having and the kind I’d like to have in my future. It was tough confronting myself with some hard honest truths, but there is courage and total freedom when you wholeheartedly believe in your worth!”
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