A turning point in Andrew Li’s career was, as one might expect, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the first to shutter with the least subsidies granted, the entertainment/nightlife sector seemed like the child nobody wanted. Yet, the revelation of how nowhere else in the world would the government even aid a nightclub evoked a new sense of ownership and determination.
This year, the homegrown powerhouse is on the brink of its most ambitious transformation to date — just ahead of its 35th anniversary. The group’s CEO advocates a strong team that’s passionate about the vision and adept at executing its strategies. Having himself worked his way up from the front desk, Li now prioritises ensuring an optimal state outside office hours to deal with the critical business decisions when they matter most.
Daily morning meditations, also a by-product of the pandemic, are key to greater mental clarity to best tackle the workload. The 43-year-old is clear on demarcating his personal and professional purposes; a disassociation not necessarily practised in the early years. Currently, starting a family and perhaps chasing that Michelin nod are the respective goals. Tenderly tethered to a high-profile fiancée (whom he allegedly attracted with his Dutch courage-induced dance skills) and two adorable dogs, Li answers our best Zouk questions openly.
We only stay long in a vocation we’re passionate about; what is it about nightlife that resonates with you?
ANDREW LI: I think life is made of memories. When you look back, it’s really these core memories that make you who you are. Entertainment plays a significant role in building that. When you go for a night out, you’ll usually be around people that you want to be with. With or without alcohol, you’re most likely having a great time with the music and the atmosphere. Zouk is just a platform where you bring these people together, creating a community that plays a part in forming core memories and experiences that you’ll remember for a very, very long time. Even for myself, I have core memories of Zouk when I first joined. At ZoukOut, I remember seeing 20,000 people on the beach dancing to one DJ. Then we see sunrise coming up, and it’s just like, wow, this is a snapshot of a moment in time. The energy of everyone kind of flows through you as well.
In your time here, when was the moment you felt like what you were doing was really gaining traction?
AL: Even as I came here, Zouk was an extremely strong brand. To reverse that question, when I heard about how much people talked about Zouk and how important it was to the culture. I would take the taxi to work [years ago], and the uncle would always talk about Zouk and all the funny stories he had from there. All walks of life have experienced it. It made me feel galvanised to make sure I put so much effort into this brand because I really want to continue this and make it even bigger. I felt like there were a lot of expectations on the role that I was stepping into because it was so sentimental to people. So I hope I’ve done decent job in the last 10 years. Zouk is much bigger than one person, and as long as people are proud about what we’ve done with the brand, I think I’ll be happy with that.
What’s a distinct memory of clubbing that is not in Zouk?
AL: The first club I went to in Las Vegas blew me away. The whole city itself is about excess, right? They were really good
Read more from original article, all rights reserved CEO of Zouk Group Andrew Li on the Future of Singapore’s Nightlife
Leave a Reply