Her first destination – Hong Kong – was an eye-opener. She was fascinated with everything, even the cockroaches crawling around food centres.
She and her band members were on the receiving end of fascination as well, given that girls’ groups were not common at the time.
“It was really interesting … We played at the Playboy Club and all those waitresses, they were naked, that kind of thing,” Mdm Choi recounted with a laugh.
“We worked there and a lot of rich handsome boys, after we finished our performance, they’re waiting for us. Almost every morning, I get up and I see there are a lot of flowers in my room.”
The entire tour took about three years and also spanned Southeast Asia, including countries like Thailand and Laos.
One experience in Indonesia is still clear as day to Mdm Choi – an actor who “wanted to have a scandal” got her to take a photograph with him, then alleged to a newspaper that something was going on between them.
The band’s manager eventually settled the matter and they continued performing in other countries, though their plans to tour Europe fell apart after other members “grew wild” and one girl became pregnant.
Mdm Choi also got to know her boyfriend, who later became her husband, through Gigi Girls. He had been a fan and approached her after their performance at the now-defunct Imperial Hotel at River Valley.
While she was initially shy, they exchanged letters and became a couple. In 1975, after Gigi Girls had disbanded, she moved to Singapore to be with him and they got married the following year.
SETTLING DOWN IN SINGAPORE
Mdm Choi began leading a new life away from the spotlight upon settling down in Singapore and gaining citizenship.
In 1977, she gave birth to her only son. She then worked in the civil service for about 13 years before joining the passenger relations department of Singapore Airlines, where she made announcements and helped Korean passengers.
She quit this job when she was 52 and it grew too dangerous for her liking. Her shifts could last until 2am if there were flight delays, which meant she occasionally had to drive home late in a sleepy state.
It was then that she found religion and enrolled in Bible college. She began singing every week in church, even recording several gospel CDs under the name Deborah Mae, and honed her musical skills by taking guitar lessons.