Finding your passion and taking risks: A conversation with American Idol’s William Hung

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity] 

William Hung is a Stride member and past American Idol contestant best known for his rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs.” We had the chance to speak with William about his rise to stardom, his advice to other entrepreneurs, and how he evaluates taking risks as his own boss.

Can you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself and your background? 

I am William Hung. Most people know me from my audition on American Idol. I auditioned with Ricky Martin's song “She Bangs.” I never made it to Hollywood, but my audition went viral. It was a surreal experience—I couldn't believe it. When most people don’t make it to Hollywood, it's done. It's over. You have to find something else to do with your life. But in my case, I was somehow able to get so many new opportunities I never thought of. I got a record contract. I shot commercials and movies. I traveled and performed all over the world. It felt like I was living this dream life. I met so many fans from all walks of life, and I met so many people that I never thought I would meet, like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Sylvester Stalone.

What happened after your audition with American Idol?

I just took it one step at a time. After Fox broadcasted my audition, I noticed that I got hundreds of emails for opportunities to interview on TV and to perform live. I did full-time entertainment gigs for about four years. When my entertainment career slowed down, that's when I had to make a choice—do I want to keep going with showbiz, or do I want to finish school, find a stable job, and settle down? I thought that maybe I've done enough. So I finished school and got a day job as an administrative assistant for the government, which I held for about eight years. And then I realized I didn’t want to hide behind my cubicle for the rest of my life. 

To put myself in a position where I wouldn’t have to be behind a cubicle forever, I started studying and playing poker professionally. I put in an extra 30 hours, maybe sometimes even more, outside of my full-time job studying how to play poker and how to win. It was a difficult journey. There were times when I thought I was going to give up, especially when I was losing—but I didn't give up. I understood that there were ups and downs in a game like poker that combines skill and luck. I refused to give up. And eventually, I made more money than I did in my day job, so I quit.

Nowadays, I’m transitioning into online entertainment. Every day, I record a Cameo, which is a short video for my fans. I’ll get asked to sing “She Bangs,” sing happy birthday and give pep talks. I get a handful of Cameo requests every day. Besides that, I continue to try to put myself out there, whether it’s speaking on a show or performing. I was on American Idol just recently for their reunion show. Overall, it’s been such an amazing experience—and to think that all of this came out of an audition is just so incredible.

You’ve also spent some time helping others conquer their fear and anxiety around public speaking. Can you tell us more about this?

About three or four years ago, I was coaching a few clients to help them with their public speaking and help them decide on their overall message. I believe it's very important to share your truth and put your story out there for everyone to hear. What bothered me the most about the experiences I’ve had is not only have people made fun of me, but they say that I portray Asian stereotypes and that I don't deserve to be in the entertainment industry because I don't have any talent. I felt like it was important to share my story to encourage people who want to try something new. 

What's next for you?

I’ve been learning and working on how to trade stock and options. I want to take control of my financial future. In terms of my bigger mission, I see myself creating some kind of program to let people try something new—like a new venture. I want to give people that space, that sandbox to try something new so that when they’re outside in the real world when they go through it, they can succeed without taking as much time and effort. This is the vision I have in mind. Of course, it's not something I can do all by myself. I would get other people's help to turn this into a reality. I’ll never forget how one of my mentors once asked me, “If money and resources were not an issue for you, what do you want to do?” And this is what I would want to do.

What would you say are some of the biggest challenges of working for yourself?

I would say that having no boss can be one of the biggest challenges because nobody tells you what you need to do each day. You need to figure things out on your own. A lot of people I know are very structured and very disciplined. They plan out hour by hour what they want to do when they wake up, when they do their work, all that stuff. When working for yourself, I would say find what works for you, but definitely come up with some priorities each day so that you're achieving your dreams one small step at a time.

As an entrepreneur yourself, what advice would you give to someone else who wants to work for themselves?

My advice is to find out what you love doing and what you have a deep passion for, and then find a way to make that work. I'm still searching and exploring—I can't say that I found it yet. Yes, I’ve worked in the entertainment industry.  I’ve tried my hand at playing poker, but I’m not done. One of the best questions I find useful to ask myself is, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” before I take a risk. For example, for my American Idol audition, I thought the worst thing that could happen is not making it to Hollywood and I would just go back to school. No big deal. As for my other ventures like trading stocks or investing in small businesses, I look at how much I can afford to invest and if I’d be okay to lose it all. If this new venture doesn’t work out, will taking this risk make my life much worse than before? Even though I’m a big advocate for taking risks, it’s important to take smart and calculated risks.

What I'm doing, though, is that when my intuition tells me to go after something, then I go for that and give it my all. And then when I'm done, I look back at it and say, “Okay, great, I tried it. It's time to move on to something else or double down on this.”

Thanks for sharing your story with the Stride community, William!