Stories

Indeed he is a shy person, but it took mere moments for him to settle in comfortably with us. It was hardly an interview but more of a heartfelt sharing. Born in Sabah , He recalled a time when his friends and he had just flown from KL to KK. They felt as if they had woken up from a dream upon landing in KK. "Everything seemed like it was in HD" he quipped. From the air that was cleaner to the warmth of the people, he immediately knew why his heart would always be in Sabah.

Singers and actors generally claim that they never imagined themselves being celebrities in these areas. Henley Hii is no exception but there is a distinct difference in his case; his growing years inclined towards sporting activities. From rock climbing and roller blading to hiking and swimming, just to name a few, he excelled in every one of them. While the extrovert in his family was his brother, Henley was the exact opposite. His brother was the outspoken one who would be found singing in public in their primary school days. At dinner gatherings, again it would be his brother taking to the stage to perform while he could never muster the courage to do the same. In fact, his stage fright had him shivering and shaking so much at the thought of having to go up on stage during school assembly that he even made a deal with his prefects' teacher to exclude him from such duties.

In spite of his excellence in sports, Henley's parents' attention was more on his brother's achievements; after all, his brother not only produced better academic results but he was also good at public speaking. It was only when Henley was in secondary school that things started changing. Oddly, his brother was becoming the introvert while Henley was falling in love with singing. As Henley started taking part in singing competitions, his parents too started paying attention. This attention they gave him slowly but surely brought him out of his shell, giving him the confidence that he would eventually need to find his niche in his singing career. Still, he remained typically shy and was always the last one to take the mic to perform at gatherings or events. (This writer would like to think that it was not just about being shy; you see what many do not know is that Henley Hii is an artiste who personifies humility. More on that later).

When he was pursuing a Diploma in QS in 2003, Henley would practise on his guitar, singing in the foyer of his campus. Little did he know that a coursemate of his was taking notice of this. When his lecturer asked for volunteers to perform at the University's Convocation, this particular coursemate suggested that Henley should sing, and the rest of his coursemates seconded her suggestion. Henley being typically shy and still not having completely overcome his stage fright, asked a friend, Vincent, to do a duet with him. That performance contributed to the beginning of a life on stage for Henley. The next thing you knew, both he and Vincent were taking part in small time Karaoke competitions together in Sabah.

In 2005, Henley took part in the Astro Talent Quest in which he placed among the top ten. At that time, he was still residing in Sabah. Before he headed to KL, a producer approached him, offering to boost Henley's singing career. Henley worked with this producer for a couple of months, setting up a boy band.

In early 2006, he spent 4 months in speech training and music appreciation under a singing production company but this stint was called off. Instead of informing his parents of the cancellation, he took up a job as a waiter in a cafe in KL. A few people who patronised the cafe, recognised Henley as an Astro Talent Quest finalist, and requested that he perform for them. When the owner/manager of the cafe heard Henley singing, he was so impressed that he told Henley to return to work the next day, not as a waiter, but as a resident singer at the cafe! The singing experience at the cafe taught him how to sing for different crowds and at the same time, helped him improve his guitar-playing skills. Unfortunately, Henley's father found out in late 2006 that he was no longer with the singing production company and told him to return to Sabah. Still determined to pursue a singing career, Henley asked his father for his blessings to try his luck in the upcoming Project Superstar competition in 2007. He promised his father that he would return to KK and take up a job in his father's company if things did not work out. As fate would have it, Henley emerged champion in the competition and the rest is history.

Singing is not Henley's only passion. It may have been his first but he is now more into acting. Thus far, he has had acting roles in Kepong Gangster, Paskal, ... (HERE WE LIST THE FILMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND MENTION THE STANDOUTS). In Kepong Gangster he was the lead actor. His biggest challenge as an actor was in The Cage. The film was made without a script. To get into character, Henley and the other actors played The Resistance: Avalon. While the other actors easily improvised the dialogue in making the film, Henley had a hard time as he did not possess a good grasp of communication skills, and struggled with language. As he improved as a killer, he had to decide on the story-line and who to kill. He was stressed out but somehow managed to win by killing all the other characters. His easiest role as an actor was in making the film Punch and Judy. It was a comedy and Henley loves comedies. There was a huge difference in his personality and the personality of the character he portrayed but he loved the character and enjoyed every minute of the shoot for this film.

Travelling is another thing Henley thoroughly enjoys especially with friends. Among the countries he has travelled to, both for work and leisure, are Turkey, Japan, Cambodia, Korea and Australia. Clearly, the Gold Coast, Australia remains his favourite place because he has been there twice and wants to go for a third. "The Gold Coast is beautiful. I enjoy the contrast from the sea to the nightlife and theme parks."