Xenia Tan

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Xenia Tan (born 23 August 1994) is a Singaporean host, actress and online personality. She gained a following through her hosting and acting work with TheSmartLocal (TSL) between 2017 and 2019, notably helming the YouTube series, Hired or Fired.[1][2] As of May 2022, she has 111,000 followers on Instagram and 52,800 followers on TikTok.[1] She also has a personal YouTube channel, where she has amassed over 11,200 followers.[2]

Xenia Tan
Xenia tan 2022.png
Born23 August 1994
EducationBachelor of Arts (History)
Alma materNational University of Singapore
Spouse(s)Shawn Thia

Background

Personal life

Xenia was born on 23 August 1994 as the youngest of three children. She has two older brothers.[3][4]

 
Xenia Tan with Shawn Thia after the proposal. Photo from Instagram.

She is currently engaged to the actor, Shawn Thia.[5] On May 18, 2022, Shawn shared a TikTok video where he got down on one knee and proposed to Xenia at the end.[6] As of May 2022, the Tiktok has since gone viral, amassing over 412,500 views on the app.[7]

The couple first worked together on the set of Fresh Takes: Search on meWATCH, and later on the drama series, The Algorithm.[8]

Education

Xenia attended Zhenghua Primary School and Zhenghua Secondary School.[9] Thereafter, she studied at Jurong Junior College (JJC) where she first picked up touch rugby.[10] She then enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where she majored in History. Intending to become a teacher,[11] Xenia took on an internship with the National Institute of Education (NIE) as an undergraduate.[12] She later revealed that she regretted not pursuing a minor in social work in university.[13] Xenia completed her last semester at Seoul National University while on an exchange programme.[14] In NUS, Xenia stayed in Kent Ridge Hall and represented the hall in touch rugby matches.[15]

TheSmartLocal Media Group

 
Xenia (top left) was one of the talents for The Quarantine - a TSL and Mediacorp collaboration.

Eatbook.sg - Editorial intern (2016)

Xenia applied for an editorial internship with Eatbook.sg, a site under TheSmartLocal Media Group, during her last semester in university.[16] After landing the job, she began writing articles for the site, marking the start of her career at TSL.[17][18]

TheSmartLocal TV - Talent (2017 - present day)

Following her internship, Xenia took on a full-time talent contract with TSL.[19] Aside from hosting and acting, she has also made guest appearances in Singaporeans Try[20] and TSL Plays.[21] In May 2019 , Xenia announced that she was taking a break from her job in TSL to pursue acting in New York.[22] For three months, she took acting classes in both film and theatre at the New York Film Academy and The Barrow Group respectively.[23][24] As of May 2020, Xenia is still producing content with TSL.

Short films

In April 2020, Xenia starred in This is Why - a short film produced by TSL and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).[25]

 
Xenia played the lead role of a frontline healthcare worker in the short film, This Is Why (2020).
Year Film Refs.
2020 This is Why: A Tribute To Singapore's Heroes (Short Film) Video
2019 4 Years Later | TSL Short Film Video
2018 The Staycation That Changed us - TSL Short Films Video
TSL'S FIRST MOVIE?! - How May I Help You? Video

Web series

Xenia made her on-screen acting debut with "The Start-Up" Web Series - Season 1 in 2017.

 
Xenia pictured in Episode 1 of "The Start-Up" Web Series (2017).
Year Segment Episode Seasons Refs.
2020 The Quarantine 6 1 Playlist
2018 TSL Face-Off 2 1 Playlist
The $100 Dollar Nomad 3 1 Playlist
Hired or Fired 17 2 Playlist (Season 1)
Playlist (Season 2)
2017 “The Start-Up” Web Series - Season 1 4 1 Playlist

Influencer

Content creator

Since returning from New York in 2019, Xenia has branched out as a content creator on YouTube[26] and TikTok. As of May 2020, she has a following of 9,820 and 14,800 on the respective platforms.

Brand representation

Xenia has been sponsored by brands like Under Armour[27] and Milo.[28] She is also the brand ambassador for Vichy, a skincare company.[29]

References/ Citations

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hired or Fired - Season 1”. YouTube. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Hired or Fired - Season 2”. YouTube. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  3. hotcheekylace. Instagram. February 6, 2019. Accessed on 21 May 2020. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/BtfTxLllc1V/
  4. hotcheekylace. Instagram. August 23, 2018. Accessed on 21 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm0eQgiHlVw/
  5. Wiki.sg. “Shawn Thia (Singaporean Actor)”. Wiki.sg. Accessed 30 May 2022.
  6. Shawn Thia. “shawnthia”. Instagram. May 18, 2022. Accessed 30 May 2022.
  7. Shawn Thia. “shawnthia”. TikTok. May 18, 2022. Accessed 30 May 2022.
  8. Goh, Nirelle. “‘The Algorithm’ is TheSmartLocal’s First Mediacorp Drama Series”. The Smart Local Media Group. July 26, 2021. Accessed 30 May 2022.
  9. Xenia Tan”. Facebook. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  10. Mak, Asher. “Xenia Tan Shares How Therapy Helped Her Overcome The Pain Of Being Cheated On”. ZULA. March 15, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  11. ZULA. “Xenia Tan On Being Cheated On & Her Rebellious Phase | ZULA Pillow Talk | EP 1”. YouTube. March 15, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  12. National University of Singapore. “Remembering the #NUSLife | Fauzi & Xenia from TheSmartLocal”. Facebook. March 31, 2018. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  13. National University of Singapore. “Making the best of your #NUSLife | Fauzi & Xenia from TheSmartLocal”. Facebook. March 31, 2018. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  14. National University of Singapore. “Remembering the #NUSLife | Fauzi & Xenia from TheSmartLocal”. Facebook. March 31, 2018. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  15. Neo, Jiexin. “NUS IHG Touch Rugby (Women): Kent Ridge Hall dethrone Eusoff Hall to emerge champions”. Red Sports. January 11, 2015. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  16. Eatbook.sg. “Eatbook - The Start-up: Episode 1…”. Facebook. October 5, 2017. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  17. Mak, Asher. “Xenia Tan Shares How Therapy Helped Her Overcome The Pain Of Being Cheated On”. ZULA. March 15, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  18. ALL POSTS BY Xenia Tan”. Eatbook. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  19. TheSmartLocal. “FAUNIA'S HOSTING JOURNEY + TSL'S FIRST EVER CASTING CALL”. YouTube. February 2, 2019. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  20. TheSmartLocal. “Singaporeans Try: The No Smartphone Challenge”. YouTube. May 8, 2017. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  21. TheSmartLocal. “TSL Plays: Password 2.0”. YouTube. April 26, 2019. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  22. hotcheekylace. Instagram. May 1, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7Cp4iFc8B/
  23. Mak, Asher. “Xenia Tan Shares How Therapy Helped Her Overcome The Pain Of Being Cheated On”. ZULA. March 15, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  24. Xenia Tan”. Backstage. Accessed on 20 May 2020.
  25. TheSmartLocal. "This is Why: A Tribute To Singapore's Heroes (Short Film)". YouTube. April 25, 2020. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
  26. Xenia Tan. “VOLUNTEERING AT A CAT SHELTER | XENIATAN”. YouTube. April 25, 2020. Accessed on 21 May 2020.
  27. hotcheekylace. Instagram. September 30, 2019. Accessed on 21 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3CNfbalz5n/
  28. hotcheekylace. Instagram. Accessed on 21 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18092930473163276/?hl=en
  29. hotcheekylace. Instagram. January 7, 2019. Accessed on 20 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsVX5-FlPFd/