Table of Biography
Early Life and Childhood
Denise Ho was born Ho Wan-see on May 10, 1977, in British Hong Kong. Her age is currently 45 years old. She was born to her parents He De Xing (father) and Li Xiaozhen (mother). Likewise, both of her parents were professors. She also has a sibling brother named Harris Ho who is also a popular music producer. Similarly, she holds Canadian nationality but her ethnicity is unknown. According to her birthdate, she was born under the zodiac sign Taurus.
Denise Ho – Education
Regarding her academic qualifications, she is a graduate student. She attended the Diocesan Girls’ Junior School to start her primary education. She relocated to Montreal, Canada, along with her parents in 1988. Ho initially attended Collège Jean de la Mennais, an elementary and middle school in La Prairie on Montreal’s South Shore, and then Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, a Catholic secondary school and private college. Denise graduated from that institution with a Quebec Diploma of College Studies in Arts and Communications.
Denise Ho went back to Hong Kong in 1996 to participate in the NTSA (New Talent Singing Awards). She then started taking graphic design classes at UQAM, the University of Quebec in Montréal. Before returning to Hong Kong to launch her career, she only attended classes for one semester.
Career and Professional Life
1996-1999: Career Begins
Denise Ho entered the 1996 New Talent Singing Awards when she was 19 years old, and to her claimed surprise, she won. This gave her the chance to meet Anita Mui, a celebrated Cantopop singer known as the “queen of Hong Kong movies and…renowned in the…world of Cantonese pop music”, whom she had admired since she was a young child and who would later serve as her mentor after she won. She adopted the stage name “HoCC” at this point, which launched her career and allowed her to record an album and sign a recording deal with Capital Artists. Between the content win and the release of her debut album, Ho toured with Mui as a background vocalist and hosted several TVB-produced shows.
Caption: Denise Ho was captured during one of her concerts
Source: The Epoch Times
2000-2004: Breakthrough
In 2001, during the fourth year of her agreement with Capital Artists, Ho released her debut album, titled “First.” This EP, which included her debut singles “Thousands More of Me” and “Home of Glory” and was produced by the band Grasshopper’s Choy Yat Chi, successfully established Ho’s sound as the rock pop independent female she has been in recent years. Ho’s first record label era came to an end when Capital Artists declared bankruptcy in October.
Additionally, Ho performed at a “Music is Live” concert in 2003 alongside Andy Hui, another Anita Mui apprentice. Ho’s live musicianship was demonstrated in front of the audience, and their performance was praised by the critics. Later that year, Ho released “Dress Me Up!”, her second full-length album. Ho finally has complete control over her music as evidenced by the fact that she was given the producer credit for the album. Anita Mui, Ho’s longtime mentor, revealed her cervical cancer diagnosis in September 2003. Anita lost her fight with cervical cancer soon after the announcement and passed away on December 30, 2003.
He assumed the role of host for TVB’s weekly live music program, Jade Solid Gold, between 2003 and 2004. She made an appearance in Sammi Cheng’s “Sammi vs. Sammi” concert in 2004 as a cross-dressing, cigarette-smoking fan. Ho’s highly praised performance in the brief musical passage not only garnered attention for the part she played but also strengthened her reputation as a fantastic live performer. Ho and East Asia Music agreed to a contract in September 2004.
2010-2015: Political Awakening
He made an appearance in Johnnie To’s 2010 film Life Without Principle. She held “Homecoming” concerts in Hong Kong in December 2010 following the release of her first Mandarin album, “Nameless Poem” (.), in Taiwan and Hong Kong in September 2010. Ho received her first nomination for “Best Mandarin Female Singer” at the 22nd Golden Melody Awards in 2011.
Her portrayal in the motion picture “Life Without Principle” earned her a nomination for the “Best Actress” prize at the 49th Golden Horse Awards in 2012. She became the first “mainstream female singer in Hong Kong to come out of the closet” in the same year when she came out as gay at the fourth annual Hong Kong Pride Parade. He has since taken a leading role in the fight for LGBT rights.
He continued the tour of her play “Awakening” in 2013 in Singapore and numerous Chinese cities. She recently released “Coexistence,” her second Mandarin album, which explores the idea of accepting others despite their differences. In 2014, Ho received a second nomination for “Best Mandarin Female Singer” at the 25th Golden Melody Awards.
The Umbrella Movement began to take shape in Hong Kong at the end of 2014. Ho, who backed the movement completely, was taken into custody after the police separated the protest camps. She was put on a blacklist and prohibited from performing in China as a result of her active involvement in the significant social movement in Hong Kong.
2015-present: Independent artist
Ho’s agreement with Media Asia Music (previously known as East Asia Music) expired in March 2015. She declared her intention to become an independent artist on Facebook and in her newspaper column in Apple Daily. Following that, she put together several independent events, including “Reimagine Live,” a self-financed concert in Taiwan, and a neighborhood charity market that she co-organized with Nomad Nomad. She also held a self-funded concert called “Reimagine HK18” in Hong Kong Queen Elizabeth Stadium from August 19 to 24, 2015.
Ho and five other individuals connected to Stand News, including attorney Margaret Ng, were arrested by Hong Kong Police on December 29, 2021, on suspicion of breaking a colonial-era law that forbade the printing or distribution of seditious materials. A spokesman for the Canadian government expressed concern over the arrests and said that Canada and its allies would issue a statement. Ho is a Canadian citizen who spent part of his childhood in Montreal.
Activism
When questioned about the source of her “passion for freedom of expression,” Ho told reporter Frédéric Lelièvre of La Presse that it was probably because she was a teenager in Montreal during the 1995 Quebec referendum.
LGBT Issues
At the fourth annual Hong Kong Pride Parade on November 10, 2012, Ho proudly identified herself as a “tongzhi” (Cantonese: tung4 zi3), a Chinese slang term for homosexuals. She was 35 years old.
The various Hong Kong media outlets had stated, according to Sara Gates of The Huffington Post, that Ho was the first “mainstream female singer in Hong Kong to come out of the closet.” He has since become active in the Big Love Alliance, a civil rights organization that works to advance equal rights for the LGBT community. Her involvement in the fight for LGBT rights has officially begun with this.
Days later, she witnessed in horrified amazement as the city’s legislature rejected a motion to start a public consultation on LGBT discrimination. She claimed that the attempt to conduct a public survey was blocked and that it wasn’t about gay marriage or anything else serious. The first time I realized how unfair the system is and how tightly the government controls everything was back then, I was furious.
Due to Ho’s stance on LGBT issues and her self-identified as a transgender woman, Malaysia denied her a visa in February 2018, forcing her to postpone the concert scheduled for April.
Awards and Nominations
Denise Ho has won a lot of awards. She is one of the best-selling artists in Hong Kong as a solo artist after receiving the IFPI’s “Top 10 Best-selling Local Artists Award” for 9 straight years.
She had also won “Best Female Singer” and “My Favourite Female Singer” in previous CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentations, solidifying her status as the city’s top pop diva. Despite being on China’s blacklist, she has launched her record label and kept up her music production in recent years. She worked with the Taiwanese band CHTHONIC to create the song “Millennia’s Faith Undone” in 2019. The song is a finalist for the 30th Golden Melody Awards’ “Song of the Year” honor.
Despite having a successful music career, she has also tried her hand at acting in drama and film. She was recognized for her performance as a leading actress in Johnnie To’s acclaimed movie “Life Without Principles” by earning nominations and awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Golden Horse Awards, and Chinese Film Media Awards, respectively.
Personal Life
Denise Ho came out as a lesbian. Her sexual orientation has brought obstacles both in her personal and professional life. As for her relationship status, she is probably single as of now. Denise had a previous relationship with Joey Yung. Joey Yung and Denise Ho’s relationship has reportedly been more intimate than just being friends over the past five years. Denise was deeply hurt and felt betrayed when she learned that Joey and Wilfred Lau were now hotly in love at Joey’s birthday party. Fans have taken sides in the love triangle and are calling Wilfred a “liar,” while warning Joey not to put too much faith in him.
Caption: Denise Ho with her friends
Source: Instagram
More about her past relationships
Denise Ho is said to have dated Wilfred Lau in the late 1990s, further complicating the love triangle. The New Talent Singing Awards’ winners in 1996 and 1997, respectively, were Denise and Wilfred. He is a friend with whom I have experienced hardship, as Denise once said of her friendship with Wilfred. We have been through hard times together since we were newcomers. He cares deeply about me, and I care deeply about him.
Denise Ho – Net Worth 2023
Denise Ho has earned a decent amount of money throughout her successful career. She has a net worth of $1.5 million as of 2023. But she hasn’t disclosed her salary and other asset values.
Social Media
Reflecting on her social media presence, she is active on Instagram and Twitter. Her Instagram account ‘@hoccgoomusic’ has gained more than 423K followers and has shared 6, 081 posts. Likewise, she joined Twitter in March 2009 and has more than 364.5K followers on her account ‘@hoccgoomusic’.
Denise Ho – Body Measurements
Talking about her physical appearance, Denise Ho has a stunning personality. She stands at a height of 5 feet 5 inches but her weight is unknown. Likewise, there are no details about her body size, dress size, shoe size, waist size, and so on. But looking at her pictures we can assume that she has a pair of black eyes with black colored short hair.
Caption: Denise Ho posing for a photo
Source: Instagram