Artist Interview: 1-on-1 with William Hung

You might remember him from his 2004 takeover of American Idol. He jumped on stage and performed “She Bangs”, which quickly gained him a cult following. At the time of his audition, he was a civil engineering student at UC Berkeley. His fame from that has allowed him the opportunity to focus his attention now on being a motivational speaker. A few weeks ago my buddy Zeb shared a picture of him and I knew I wanted an interview. This was a really fun interview for me and it is my pleasure to introduce you to William Hung.

You are originally from Hong Kong. I haven’t been there yet, but what is it like? Do you visit often?
I haven’t been back to Hong Kong in over 7 years. It was busy and crowded but there were lots of great food and shopping.

You were on American Idol in 2004. Tell me more about that. How did you get on? Your version of Ricky Martin’s hit single “She Bangs” made you an instant celebrity. Would just love to learn more about that show and how that has helped shape your career.
I heard on Fox News that San Francisco will be hosting American Idol auditions. I just showed up like 3,000 other people did. I had no expectations but somehow I made it past multiple rounds through staff members and producers. That’s how I made it to see Randy, Paula, and Simon.

The entertainment career has been incredible. I met many famous and interesting people around the world. I learned so much that many people don’t have the same chance to. I am very grateful for my fans and supporters.

Tell me more about your time at the University of California, Berkeley.
I was struggling mightily with civil engineering. Then one day, I saw a poster for the school talent show at the Clark Kerr dormitories. I figured, “Why not? There’s nothing to lose.” I decided to try the song “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin with no expectations.

But to my surprise, I won! The grand prize was… A DVD player! That gave me the confidence to audition for American Idol.

In addition to what you did on American Idol, you are also a professional speaker. Tell me more about that. What do you speak on? Are you doing a lot of speaking gigs?
I only started speaking professionally last year. I love inspiring people to become champions by choice by never giving up their dreams. I believe people can do things they want to do in life, despite of fear.

I generally only do a few speaking engagements each month. I like to have some variety in my life and I also learned that it takes diligent preparation to be successful with a speaking event.

I watch a lot of TED Talks. A lot of those are motivational. Do you watch TED Talks? Where do you find inspiration for what you do/talk about?
Yes! In fact, I just got invited to speak for TEDxWatts in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 9.

I will focus more on how people can take ownership of their lives and careers by making conscious choices each day to get closer to becoming a champion.

You were on Jimmy Kimmel in the “Where are they now?” video. There were some pretty big names in that video including Taylor Hicks. Are you friends with past participants and the judges? Curious what that relationship is like.
I don’t have a lot of active connections with past American Idol contestants. However, I saw Randy, Paula, and Simon multiple times. You might have saw Randy towards the end of the video. I just saw him very recently.

Have you had the chance to meet Ricky Martin? Would be curious what that meeting was like. He seems like a nice man!
On Valentine in the Morning on FM 104.3 in Los Angeles, Ricky Martin talked about bringing me on the stage to sing “She Bangs” with him! I am already talking to his manager. We’ll see what happens…

The shirt you wore on American Idol… Pretty hard to forget that shirt! Why did you decide to wear that and do you still have that shirt? Pretty sure you wore that same shirt in that Jimmy Kimmel skit!
It is NOT the same shirt. I could not find the original shirt because it was over 14 years ago now. The producers from Jimmy Kimmel tried very hard to find something similar. The reason you know is because the original shirt had shoes; the one from Jimmy Kimmel had fish instead.

Let’s say someone wants to hire you to come speak. Where can they learn more and what does that cost?
They can reach out to me at www.willhung.com. We can discuss the details through email and phone. I do not reveal speaking fees to the public because I want flexibility depending on the situation.

Besides Jimmy Kimmel, you have appeared on a lot of shows… Do you get nervous when making an appearance like that?
I was nervous with interviews earlier on in my career. Now I am used to it and just enjoy myself. However, the upcoming TEDx talk will be the most important speech for my speaking career. There is a strong potential for this talk to go viral.

You’ve also appeared in movies. Are you out there looking for these gigs or do they come to you?
I am not actively looking for movie roles. People reach out to me and I reach out to them for appearances, performances, commercials, and speaking opportunities.

What’s next for William Hung?
I am speaking for a national technology conference in Singapore in July. The event is called Global Selection Convention.

I will continue to inspire to achieve their dreams. I want to do this because I see too many people have that “something” they want to achieve but they give up when they face difficulty. I feel angry and upset when I see this. I want to be part of the solution to change this.

Thank you for doing this. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Stop trying to please everyone. Do what you believe is right, and become one of a kind!

Connect with William Hung:
Website: http://willhung.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.hung
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wh53