Henry Mak had a pretty normal childhood growing up in Liverpool, western Sydney.
He had what he calls a typical Chinese family life and studied hard at school, tutoring and going to classes "seven days a week".
At 18 he owned his first home and had a car, things that he paid off by teaching dancing lessons at a local studio.
And then, he ran away to China to become a pop star.
"I still am a good boy, just because I ran away doesn't mean I'm not a good boy," he laughs.
"I went to China and I never came back."
Now better known as Prince Mak - one fifth of K-pop group JJCC - the 25-year-old has a life very different from the one he left behind in Australia.
In fact, it's very different from any kind of life most every day people would recognise.
"On a normal day I'd get up at 5.30am and we'd have to go out to run... we'd run 13 kilometres then have a shower, get dressed and go to the dance studio right away.
"Haven't eaten anything yet. Our first meal is at 12pm, so we dance till 12pm... we eat and after that is when we have a little bit of rest.
"Then at 1.30pm we have vocal classes and rap classes, stuff like that during that period of time in the afternoon.
"After that, for me that was my time to learn Korean. Then after that it was dinner time, then back to the dance studio and we'd dance till 1am or 2am.
"I've been doing that for two years. I've ran twice in the really hard, pouring snow and you still have to run your 13 kilometres.
"It's ... intense."
"Even having a girlfriend is an imperfection"
After winning a massive talent competition run by Jackie Chan that he originally thought was a "scam" the world blew up for Mak.
His drive is relentless, having lost nine kilograms since he first joined the group.
He underwent intense scrutiny to see if he had plastic surgery or not - the answer being 'not' - and surrendered all forms of personal communication including his phone, laptop and digital notebook.
"Even having a girlfriend is an imperfection," he says.
Now standing fully on the other side and having a perspective on everything he had to give up to achieve his dream of international stardom, Prince Mak says he "wouldn't have chosen a different path."
"My ultimate, ultimate dream is not to become famous but to make enough money to support my family and to have enough power to tell the company I want to have my mum and my dad by my side every day."
Tune in to #TheFeedSBS at 7.30pm Monday - Friday on SBS 2, stream live, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Through award winning storytelling, The Feed continues to break new ground with its compelling mix of current affairs, comedy, profiles and investigations. See Different. Know Better. Laugh Harder. Read more about The Feed
Have a story or comment? Contact Us
