Besides whipping up a feast alongside Chris on a kelong, Tony, 46, was also grilled on the ups and downs he faced as the leader of 5566.
In the early noughties, way before the Hallyu craze, 5566 was the Mandopop boyband on everyone’s lips.
Don’t believe us? Just take it from Chris.
“5566 was so famous, we were all so jealous! You guys attended every charity event we held!” he exclaimed.
A shy Tony then said: “Yes, it seems like we appeared at every important event at that time. We once held a fan meet at the Merlion, and to date, I believe we are the only ones who have done something like that. We performed at the area in front of the Merlion, and the fans queued way past the [Esplanade] bridge to get our autograph.”
“It was really wild,” agreed Chris, who then asked: “How long was the group together before you guys decided to go solo?”
Tony explained: “We always had an arrangement where we would fly solo, but never disband. We would get together when there were jobs for us as 5566.”
Chris mentioned rumours of discord within the quartet, with reports claiming that the members didn’t get along.
Tony elaborated: “Back then, we were only in our early 20s, and our boss planned everything for us. We were young, and worked towards a common goal. However, when you reach a certain age, there are things you want to do, and you start to realise the meaning of life. It really came down to our choices.”
He then brought up former band mate, Sam Wang, who has sat out from the group’s activities since 2016. “I feel like that can also be attributed to choice. He felt like the things he wanted to do [were different] and he did not want to be with the rest of us anymore,” explained Tony.
Chris concurred: “You’ve all grown up, and it’s impossible that you guys still share the same dream. The things you want to do will change, and there’s no right or wrong to it.”