FOR the first time, Astro’s Life Inspired (Ch 728) selects six people to represent six of Asia’s most exciting cities.
These are influencers in their own right, from magazine editors to actors and entrepreneurs to royalty.
The all-new six-part series titled Lifestyle Advocates premieres today at 10.30pm and trails through the cities to find out what makes each city tick.
The six advocates are creative consultant, radio DJ and culture insider Tracy Phillips (Singapore), TV host and celebrity photographer Sean Lee Davies (Hong Kong), celebrity photographer Shing-I Chen (Taiwan), actor and model Mike Lewis (Indonesia), entrepreneur and royal go-getter Tengku Chanela Jamidah (Malaysia) and model, actor and TV host Utt Panichkul (Thailand).
Guests on the show are fashion designers Paul Smith and Priscilla Ong Shunmugam, Go-Jek founders Mikey Moran and Nadiem Makarim, entrepreneur and heiress Sun Yun Yun and award-winning bartender Angel Ng Ji.
Life Inspired general manager Anne Chan says: “Lifestyle Advocates is our maiden collaboration with six leading lifestyle influencers in Asia who curated the series for us. Through their passion in discovering the pulse of Asian lifestyle, we will share their fresh perspectives with our audiences.”
Tracy, who has been continuously dubbed Singapore’s “it” girl, brings viewers around Singapore to catch up with inspirational people from multi-disciplines including designers Ong Shunmugam and Asylum’s Chris Lee, Spa Club owner Gerald Teo, restauranteur Lee Chin Sin, owner of Wild Rice theatre company Ivan Heng, Yoga Movement owner Alicia Pan, and music director and singer Vanessa Fernandez.
Sean brings us around cosmopolitan Hong Kong to meet hotelier Marcel Thoma, Edipress Asia CEO Sean Fitzpatrick, tastemaker and owner of cake cafe Cest La B, Bonnae Gokson, celebrity couple Anthony and Jocelyn Sandstorm, fashion blogger Cindy Ko and Crazy Rouge of Hong Kong Tatler Jaime Ku, co-founder of Buzz Agency, Yen Kuok, the owner of second-hand luxury online store Guiltless, and legendary fashion and design icon Smith.
Shing-I shows us the high life of Taipei, bringing viewers around as she meets up with her fashion designer brother Alexander King Chen to source an outfit for an upcoming event. She then catches up with Sun Yun Yun, a socialite, heiress, co-founder of a shopping mall, jewellery designer, actress and cover girl - whom Shing-I calls the “Paris Hilton of Taiwan”.
Shing-I explores a culture unique to Taiwanese people, Purple Star Astrology, a form of fortune telling that was restricted to only the most exclusive and private consultation of emperors in ancient times. She also brings us to meet fashion designer Chloe Chen, and entrepreneur Duke Wu.
Taking us around Indonesia is Mike, who was born in Japan and raised in Canada. The polyglot brings us to meet jazz singer turned fitness and fashion entrepreneur Andini Aisyah Hariadi, actors Chicco Jerikho and Rio Dewanto, Jaclyn Halim, general manager of Jakarta’s mega mall, designer Didiet Maulana of Ikat Indonesia, Lal De Silva, founder of European-style pastry chain The Harvest, Moran and Makarim, the men behind the Go-Jek application, and actress Marisa Nasution.
Tengku Chanela speaks to Tengku Indera Pahlawan Diraja and Tengku Sri Paduka Shah Bandar at the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor, Istana Alam Shah, as they walk through the majestic rooms that have hosted VVIPs including prime ministers and royals.
She also speaks to prominent personalities in the fashion, wellness, food and music scene, catching up with yoga instructor and founder of Hot Yo Studio, Adeline Mahiyudin, Chef Philip Leong of Nobu Kuala Lumpur, model and author Danielle Graham, DJ duo Twinkies, Nadia and Arabyrd, and Angel, co-founder and head bartender of pre-war themed cocktail bar, PS150.
Thai-Chinese Utt is an American-born actor, model, host and director of Singapore-based talent agency Beam Artistes. He brings us to meet some of Bangkok’s hottest talents. Covering business, fashion, fitness and all things lifestyle, Utt speaks to creative director Janesuda Parnto, photographer Kit Bencharongkul, founder of Boxhiit, Ase Wang, and Asia’s Next Top Model host Cindy Bishop.