Loh Rui En (born 29 January 1981), better known by her stage name Rui En (瑞恩), is a Singaporean actress and was named as one of the
Seven Princesses of Mediacorp
Seven Princesses of Mediacorp (新传媒七公主) is a term referring to the seven most promising young Mediacorp actresses from Singapore in the 2000s, namely Jesseca Liu, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Fiona Xie, Joanne Peh, Felicia Chin and Dawn Ye ...
in 2006. She was under contract of
MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
and managed under Hype Records.
Early life
Rui En was born on 29 January 1981 to a family consisting of her father, a property agent, and mother, a housewife. Her parents divorced when she was 17, and subsequently remarried to other persons when she in her 20s.
While growing up, she shared in a 2008 ''
The Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establish ...
'' interview, she used to smoke and drink socially to cope with the insecurity and instability she felt from her broken home, and after quitting ballet as a
co-curricular activity (CCA) in secondary school.
She subsequently kicked the habit in 2004.
Rui En studied at
Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS) is an independent girls' school in Bukit Timah, Singapore, located opposite Stevens MRT station. Founded in 1899, it is one of the oldest institutions in Singapore. It offers a six-year primary education in ...
for both her primary and secondary education, and subsequently at
Raffles Junior College (RJC).
She graduated from
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various in ...
with a Bachelor of Business in 2004.
Career
Modelling and music career
Rui En first started modelling after she completed her A Levels in RJC in 1999, and was managed by Phantom Management.
In 2001, she was featured in a
SingTel
Singapore Telecommunications Limited, commonly known as Singtel, is a Singaporean telecommunications conglomerate and one of the four major telcos operating in the country. The company is the largest mobile network operator in Singapore with ...
ad which propelled her into the limelight and earned her a feature in Singapore's edition of ''
FHM
''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
''.
She subsequently signed on with
Hype Records's subsidiary, Artistes Network.
Rui En ventured into
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
in 2002 with the stage name 芮恩 (). She made her first appearance as the female lead in label mate
Jay Chou's music video for ''
Secret Code
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adver ...
'' (暗號) and went on to co-endorse
Panasonic
formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
GD68 with him.
Rui En subsequently released her debut regional Chinese album, ''
Rui Σn vol. 01'', in the same year under the co-production of Hype Records and Alfa Music. Chou composed the song ''White Feather'' (白色羽毛) which was released in her debut album, ''Rui Σn vol. 01.
''
Rui En was nominated as the Best Local Singer in the Singapore Hits Awards 2003 and was selected alongside
Taufik Batisah to perform both the English and Mandarin versions of the
2005 National Day Parade's theme song, ''Reach Out for the Skies''.
After a six years' break, Rui En released her second Chinese album in late 2008 under Hype Records, titled ''
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
''. This album was only released in Singapore, with all lyrics penned by Rui En herself. Since then, she resumed the use of her original name, 瑞恩. In April 2009, Rui En was invited to perform at
Singapore Day 2009 at London's
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...
, a yearly event organised by the Overseas Singaporean Unit in the
Prime Minister's Office to engage overseas Singaporeans.
Acting career
Rui En made her acting debut in MediaCorp drama, ''No Problem'', in 2002. She landed her first leading role in 2005, with ''
A Promise for Tomorrow''. In the following year, she was identified as one of the most promising young actresses in the Singapore Entertainment Industry by local entertainment magazine ''I-Weekly'' and was hence labelled as one of the
Seven Princesses of Mediacorp
Seven Princesses of Mediacorp (新传媒七公主) is a term referring to the seven most promising young Mediacorp actresses from Singapore in the 2000s, namely Jesseca Liu, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Fiona Xie, Joanne Peh, Felicia Chin and Dawn Ye ...
.
In 2004, Rui En took over
Steph Song's role in the English sitcom ''Achar!'' for the second season after Song left the series after falling out with the male lead,
Jas Arora. However, after reviewing her performance in that sitcom, Rui En felt that she was acting just for fame and popularity as a clutch to her broken family situation. Thereafter, in addition to quitting smoking and drinking, she decided to stop taking up roles that require kissing and/or intimate scenes. Thus despite being nominated for the Best Newcomer Award in 2004's Star Awards, she was limited in the choice of roles she could take on.
In March 2008, Rui En was involved in a high-profile rejection of the role as an ambitious businesswoman struggling with mental illness in
''The Defining Moment'', which subsequently went to
Fann Wong instead.
She was reported to have rejected the role due to a rape scene in the script as part of her stance against revealing, kissing or intimate scenes
and has been criticised by some as unprofessional. She is reported to have been blacklisted by some producers after this role-rejection incident.
After playing a social service worker and AIDS patient in
''By My Side'' in 2008, Rui En started to gain recognition, winning one of the eight 'Top 8 Likable Female Lead Characters' awards with her only production that year.
In 2010, Rui En was labelled as one of the 10 Faces to watch in 2010 by
MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
's Buzz.
Rui En also won several awards for the characters she portrayed, for instance her role as Zhang Luoyun in ''My School Daze'' which emerged as the 'Top 10 Favourite Female Characters' in Star Awards 2010, and Lin Jiaqi in The Dream Catchers which emerged as the 'Top 5 Favourite Female Characters'.
In 2011, Rui En won the 'Most Favourite Female Character' award
with her role as Yang Xiaodong in ''Happy Family.
'' Rui En was also credited for her outstanding performance in portraying a widow in
''With You'', winning the 'Best Actress' award in
Star Awards 2011.
Rui En was awarded the 'Best Actress in Leading Role'
at the 2012
Asian Television Awards
The Asian Television Awards (launched in 1996), is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, the Awards comprises 56 categories across news, documentarie ...
, for her role as a tough cop in crime drama ''
Unriddle 2
Unriddle 2 (simplified Chinese: 最火搭档 2) is a Singaporean Chinese police crime drama which was telecast on Singapore's free-to-air channel, Mediacorp Channel 8. It stars Rui En, Chen Liping, Rebecca Lim, Tay Ping Hui & Elvin Ng as ...
''. She went on to win her third acting award in the following year at the
Star Awards 2013 for the same role in ''Unriddle 2'', earning her second 'Best Actress Award' at Star Awards. In 2013, Rui En was appointed the spokesperson for
L'Oréal
L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...
Paris Youth Code, making her the first Singaporean spokesperson for the international cosmetics brand.
In addition to her roles in dramas, Rui En has starred in a three-part docudrama produced by
Channel NewsAsia
CNA (stylised as cna), which is an acronym derived from its previous name, Channel NewsAsia, is a Singaporean multinational news channel owned by the country's national public broadcaster Mediacorp. It broadcasts free-to-air domestically in Si ...
, as one of Singapore's pioneer painters,
Georgette Chen
Georgette Liying Chendana Chen (; Born Chang Li Ying; 23 October 1906 – 15 March 1993), most commonly known as Georgette Chen, was a Singaporean painter and one of the pioneers of Modernism, modern Visual art of Singapore, Singaporean art as ...
. The English-language series, which was also adapted into Mandarin, aired on Channel NewsAsia,
MediaCorp Channel 5 and
MediaCorp Channel 8 in April 2015.
Rui En received the
All-Time Favourite Artiste award in the 2016 star awards after winning the
Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes award from 2005 to 2016 respectively with
Qi Yuwu.
In 2021, Rui En left Artistes Network.
Personal life
In January 2016, Rui En was also involved in a hit and run accident. There were no casualties involved, and both parties agreed to make a private settlement.
On 13 April 2016, Rui En was involved in a car accident entering a carpark near her home when her car knocked over a stationary motorcycle. On 14 April, it was reported that Rui En was assisting the police with investigations into the accident. She subsequently apologised and responded with an official statement regarding the accident. The owner of the motorcycle accepted Rui En's apology through Wanbao on 15 April. For this incident, Rui En was fined S$700.
Community work
Rui En is the theme song singer for
The Community Chest of Singapore
The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Social and Family Development of the Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean th ...
. The song, titled "Listen to Your Heart", has been released in the form of
EP in years 2003 and 2009.
She is also a regular volunteer at "Beyond Social Services".
She has also volunteered for several children welfare organizations. Notably, in 2016, she volunteered her services together with her fan club to commemorate their 9th anniversary.
Discography
Solo albums
*''
Rui Σn vol. 01'' 芮恩Rui Σn同名專輯 (December 2002)
*''
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
'' 共和國 (October 2008)
Compilations
*''
Morning Express VI 阳光系列6 '' (2003)
:This compilation album consists of Rui En's ''The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式 (Track 3)'' and ''Test 考验 (Track 9)''. The songs were released under Rui En's birth name – 卢瑞恩 (Lú Ruì'ēn).
*''Celebrating 25 Years of Chinese Drama Collector's Edition 戏剧情牵25 ''(2007)
:This album is a Collector's Edition composed of memorable theme songs spanning across the Singapore Chinese Drama's Twenty-Five years' History. Tracks from Rui En include a remix version of "The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式" and "Unfreeze 解冻". The songs were released under Rui En's stage name – 芮恩 (Ruì'ēn).
Singles
*"Listen to Your Heart"
:This is the theme song for
The Community Chest of Singapore
The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Social and Family Development of the Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean th ...
and there are English and
Mandarin versions to this song. The songs were released in the form of a Single.
*"Reach Out for the Skies (2005)"
:This is the theme song for
National Day Parade, 2005 and there are English and Mandarin versions to this song. Music videos were produced for both versions.
*"Listen to Your Heart – Remix (2009)"
:A remix version of the theme song for The Community Chest of Singapore, the Mandarin track was first performed on televised charity show, ''TrueHearts Show 2009''. The
EP released in November 2009 consisted of the original tracks and the remixes in both English and Mandarin. This graphic artwork for this single was designed by Rui En's fan club, RBKD, on behalf of The Community Chest of Singapore.
*"Sky's the Limit"
: A single by
Taufik Batisah featuring Rui En.
*"Numb" 麻木 (2013)
: A single by Rui En.
Drama theme songs
*''
Beautiful Connection'' – "The Way To Be Happy 快乐方式 "(2002)
:This song was nominated as Best Drama Theme Song in
Star Awards
The Star Awards (Chinese: 红星大奖) are awards for artistic and technical merit in the media organisation Mediacorp of Singapore where Mediacorp recognises entertainers under their employment for outstanding performances of the year.
The ...
2002 and was first released in
Morning Express VI. A remix version was released in
Celebrating 25 Years of Chinese Drama Collector's Edition.
*''No Problem!'' – "Test 考验" (2003)
:This is an insert song released in ''
Morning Express VI''.
*''
Love at 0 °C'' – "Unfreeze 解冻" (2006)
:This was Rui En's first set of self-penned lyrics published and also her first and only theme song for the drama she is starring in. This song is released in ''
Celebrating 25 Years of Chinese Drama Collecter's Edition''.
*''
By My Side'' – "Slow Dance 慢舞" (2008)
:This is an insert song found in Rui En's ''
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
''.
Singles
Filmography
Film
Television
Variety Show
Awards and nominations
Others
In 2007, Rui En was presented with the "Nanyang Outstanding Young People Award" by her alma mater
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various in ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rui, En
1981 births
Living people
Singaporean people of Cantonese descent
Nanyang Technological University alumni
Raffles Junior College alumni
21st-century Singaporean women singers
Singaporean Mandopop singers
Singaporean television personalities
Singaporean Christians
Singaporean television actresses