Love 972 DJ Chen Biyu On Why Her English Name Is Bjork, And How She Was Too Embarrassed To Correct Wakin Chau When He Pronounced It Wrongly

After Kit Chan and Rui En, the latest celeb to join Instagram in 2021 is Love 972 DJ Chen Biyu, 54.

Biyu, who is best known for being one-fourth of uber popular radio morning show (and Star Awards 2021's Best Radio Programme) The Breakfast Quartet, is one of the most respected radio veterans around.

But when it comes to the world of Instagram, she’s a fresh-faced newbie... with a very special username. Everyone, meet @bjork_chen.

Wait, Bjork? As in Icelandic singer Björk?

In a phone interview with 8days.sg, Biyu shared that Bjork is really her English name, and yes, it’s inspired by the quirky pop star.

“Bjork's name, when translated in Chinese, is Biyu, said the DJ. I was surprised at how coincidental it was, so I decided to use her name. There's actually a lot of people named Bjork. It's just rarer in Singapore.

Biyu, who is a huge Faye Wong fan, also shared that she likes Bjork’s character and personality and that the Chinese diva is kinda similar to Bjork.

So why not christen herself Faye Chen then?

“No, [I’ve never thought of using Faye as my English name]. I admire her personality and her songs, but I won’t use Faye as my English name just ‘cos I like her”, she laughed.

Biyu said she usually introduces herself using her Chinese name.

“But when people ask me for my English name, I'll say Bjork,” she added, before going to share a very amusing experience she had with Taiwanese singer-songwriter Wakin Chau, 60.

“ I remember Wakin Chau saying to me, ‘Oh, your name is Bee-Jock? It's a very special name’. And at that time I was a little embarrassed to go, ‘Er... Wakin, actually it's not Bee-Jock’. I couldn't say that, so all I said was Oh, yes, it's Bee-Yawk, recalled Biyu.

Her fellow The Breakfast Quartet co-hosts, Dennis Chew, 48, Marcus Chin, 67 and Mark Lee, 53, were also quite amused by her English name.

“Those three would say, ‘Wah, so atas, Bjork leh!’. They would joke around like that, she laughed.

So why did she finally get on Instagram?

According to Biyu, she had originally dismissed the idea of going on the social media app but changed her mind after getting a new phone.

Biyu revealed that she was using an “iPhone 5 or 6”, but had to change to a newer model recently as WhatsApp would not be supported on her old phone from November onwards.

“I was chatting with Dennis one day and I joked that after I change my phone, I'll see what new apps I can download. Dennis told me a lot of people use Instagram, and suggested I use it too, she said, adding that she hopes to post more slice-of-life updates and musings in the future.

“Just like my post today, where I shared about missing autumn ‘cos it’s my favourite season, she said. Being on Instagram feels very much like being part of a family, with many listeners commenting that they’re very happy to see me on IG.