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'Their sincerity is the thing that keeps me going': Ann Kok on the support from her fans, and possibly winning her final Top 10 Award at Star Awards 2023

It’s time to cast your votes for Ann, who is up for her final Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste award in her 30th year in showbiz.

No part of this story can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

Believe it or not, 2023 marks the 30th year in showbiz for the eternally-youthful Ann Kok, who was a finalist in Star Search 1993. 

It's a major milestone for the 50-year-old, who has a chance to make it a truly unforgettable year come April 9.

If Ann were to win her tenth Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste award at Star Awards 2023, she will finally ascend the ranks of All-Time Favourite Artiste, an accolade a long time coming for the actress who was called local showbiz's 'San Jie', or 'Third Sister' after Zoe Tay and Fann Wong. 

When 8days.sg asked Ann on possibly receiving her final Top 10 trophy, she tells us that while she is “excited”, she is also “not pinning all hopes on winning".

For starters, she feels bad for the fans in her fan club Annchanted Annergy.

“My fan club admin is going to be so busy," she says with a sigh. "The year before [in 2021], they tried so hard to get me into [the Top 10]. They did a lot [of voting], so much until their hands were in pain."

Ann won her ninth Top 10 award in 2021, and could have ascended the altar last year if she had made the Top 10 list. Sadly, she had no projects onscreen that year and wasn't eligible to make the Top 40 Most Popular Artistes shortlist.

This year, thanks to her role as no-nonsense head nurse, Sister Ang, in long-form drama Healing Heroes, Ann is back in the game.

Ann as Sister Ang in long-form drama series Healing Heroes

As you can tell, Ann is very close to her fans, whom she calls her “little sisters”.

“We can just joke around, and we try to meet once a year. I’ve seen them from their secondary school days to their university days and now they’re [already] out working,” she gushes. 

“Their sincerity is always the thing that keeps me going," she adds. "They’re like friends who really care about me and I can feel it when I meet up with them. They are always supporting me with their actions. On normal days, they don’t [pester] me with questions like ‘Eh, why aren't you in any drama?’ or ‘Eh, you're not acting anymore meh?’. They simply just care about me.”

It's why, despite her desire to get her final award, Ann doesn’t want to pressure her fans or anyone close to her with the arduous task of ensuring she gets to go on stage on April 9. 

She says she hasn’t gone out of her way to trouble her friends and family to vote for her.

“The most I do is share [posts] on IG stories and tell them to vote. I’ve only texted close friends. Not all 'cos some of them are also busy with their work and I don't want to disturb them.”

She, however, has received texts from friends who ask her how they can vote for her, a gesture she says is “really sweet”. 

Ann with her fanclub Annchanted Annergy in 2018

When Ann won her first two popularity awards in 1995 and 1996, the trophies were only given to the Top 5 Most Popular Male and Female Artistes. 

“During that time, other than happiness, I wasn’t thinking so much. I didn’t think like ‘Oh, my first one, nine more to go’. No, no, no such thing. Even up until today, I’m grateful lah. That I have a chance to be nominated and hopefully get my 10th one,” she says. 

Although Ann still places more importance on other aspects of her career, such as doing her best in the roles she gets, she agrees that it is normal to “want to have recognition [in the form of an award], especially when one works hard”.

And it applies to everyone, whether you're in showbiz or not. 

Getting her last award would also mean more chances for the younger stars to have their go at it too. 

“If I’m not in the picture already, at least there’s a space open for them. It’s not that I’m giving them a chance, but at least there’s one less person [vying for a spot],” she shares.

Ann received her ninth Top 10 trophy in 2021

Like we mentioned earlier, Ann is celebrating her 30th year in showbiz this year and getting the winning the award for the actress would mean that the hard work she has put in for the past three decades has paid off.

“There are so many awards, and we can’t get all of them. So if [I] can get this, it means that at least people see the effort we put in," she says.

For Ann, the Top 10 award is important as it is a “recognition given by the audience”.

A win for her this year will come at the perfect timing

Of course, we have to ask Ann about her most memorable Star Awards experience.

While she says the earlier years, especially the ones where only the Top 5 Most Popular Female Artistes received awards, were unforgettable, Ann picked 2013, the year she clinched both the Top 10 and the Sexiest Legs Award.

Her reason? "I hardly win two awards in one night (laughs).” 

No part of this story can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

Photos: Ann Kok/ Instagram, Annchanted Energy/ Instagram

To see Ann get her final Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes award, click here to vote for her.

Voting for the Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artistes will remain open until April 9, 7.30pm.
 

Catch the Backstage LIVE event of Star Awards 2023 from 3.30pm - 10.30pm on meWATCH or Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel on April 9 (Sunday).

The Walk Of Fame will be from 5pm - 6.30pm, on meWATCH, Ch 8, Ch U, and Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel on the same day.

It will be followed by the Star Awards 2023 Live Show from 7pm - 10pm on meWATCH, Ch 8, Ch U, and Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel.

The repeat telecast for the Walk of Fame and Award Ceremony will air on Ch 8 from 2pm - 6.30pm on April 16 (Sunday).

Related topics

Ann Kok Star Awards 2023 Top 10 Most Popular Female Artiste

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