Elaine Lee, third place winner of the 2014 Astro Rookie Singing Competition, has finally made her official return to the music scene as a singer after 11 years. To fulfill her long-held dream of becoming a singer, she resolutely dipped into her own savings, investing a five-figure sum to produce her brand-new single “Just Like This,” releasing her own musical work in the most independent way possible. Elaine joked that although self-funding is tough, at least all decisions are her own—from the music, styling, to the shooting locations, all are personally overseen by her. “This is a story that belongs to me, and to everyone.”
She specifically chose to film the “Just Like This” MV in South Korea just because she always wanted to portray the imagery of falling maple leaves. “I wanted to give this song a deeper emotional touch, that quietly descending imagery, just like the dignity of a relationship silently ending.” She revealed that the inspiration for “Just Like This” came from a friend’s story, and as the performer, she also put her own emotions into it. She hopes this song can heal and accompany those experiencing emotional checkpoints in life.
Elaine met with the media on Wednesday, candidly sharing her journey throughout the years. After winning third place back then, she gained considerable attention for singing the TV drama’s theme song “The Fireflies Fly,” but just as her career was taking off, she chose to pause all work and traveled alone to New York, USA, to further her vocal and performing arts studies. That was another dream in her life, because she wanted to sing, act, and dance on stage, so she decided to nourish her soul.
After returning home upon graduating, Elaine encountered the COVID-19 pandemic and redirected her focus to musical theatre and stage performances. Although the stage made her shine, a part of her heart always belonged to being a singer, so she decided to return to her original passion: “This time, it is truly Elaine Lee standing before everyone as a singer.”
Over the years, she was also invited by Chinese music shows such as “Chinese Dream Voice” and “The Voice of China.” She even advanced to the fourth round of “The Voice” back then, but ultimately chose to give up. She explained it was because she was stuck having to sign a long-term contract, and she didn’t want to be bound by a 10-year agreement, so she gladly decided to forgo the opportunity to develop her career overseas.
She said that although being a singer in Malaysia isn’t easy, she enjoys it very much and plans to continue releasing more works next year. She hopes to accumulate enough songs to eventually hold a small solo concert. “Holding a concert requires a lot of songs, so I have to keep writing and releasing, and try different musical styles.” She joked that her finances aren’t as strong as people imagine, but she will keep taking gigs and commercial performances, continuing to chase her dream in her own way.
Elaine admitted she really misses the days of competing—it was a memorable part of her youth. Over the years, she has maintained close contact with her fellow contestants, such as champion Uriah Xu Kai. Every Chinese New Year, they gather at Ron Peng Shihao’s home to catch up.
In recent years, “Astro Classic Hits Singing Competition 2025” has also changed its rules, continuing the format of senior and junior group face-offs. Now aged 35, Elaine already meets the requirements for the junior group. She laughingly revealed that production contacted her right after her January birthday to invite her to participate. Back then she didn’t really want to join, but with the enthusiastic recommendation and encouragement of the media, she said she would consider it. “It’s just that competing takes a lot of preparation and also creates a lot of pressure, but I’ll take on the challenge—because with pressure, I’ll lose weight!”