Hong Kong performer sings coronavirus parody of Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’

First performed at a fundraising event for Australian bush fire relief efforts at Central’s Social Room, Mak’s comedic version of the angst-ridden song drew laughs and applause from the crowd and is now racking up views on social media not just in Hong Kong, but in coronavirus-stricken Singapore as well.

And really, with lyrics like “Back during SARS, I was just a child/Didn’t seem to know, didn’t seem to care about the virus running wild/But now I’m freaking out all right/I sterilise, I sanitise/My hands are always frickin’ dry,” what’s not to like? Personally, we’re in awe of the fact that Mak managed to get her hands on a bottle of hand sanitiser (which she applies liberally at the end of her set).

Netizens have commented on the uplifting qualities of her parody and praised her comedic performance during this difficult and uncertain time. “Thank you for bringing laughter to all of us living through this in Hong Kong precisely when we needed it,” one user expressed amongst the hundreds of comments on Mak’s YouTube upload.

Mak, a veteran of local productions and Hong Kong’s Secret Theatre shows, told Localiiz that “when preparing for the fundraiser event, I wanted to sing something light and cheerful. Since I have done a parody before which my friends liked, I thought it would be perfect to do one about what everyone is going through. It took me a few hours over about three days. [...] I chose Torn because I love the song and singing it. Then, one line of the parody lyrics came to mind and then I knew this is the one and wrote the remaining lyrics.”

“While writing it, I did think my friends would really like it if I shared it, but I didn’t anticipate the amount of attention it’s gotten now,” she admits. “[I’m] so glad to have made so many people laugh.”