A Titus Low Interview
Genius?
Note: We chatted 29 Jan 2022.
M: How’re you coping?
T: Life’s different. I was used to doing what I’d been doing for the past 7 months. I’ve had to change, adapt, find different ways of doing things. But it’s life. Things don’t last very long. I’d continue OF if I could. I’m still new, young.
M: “Adapt”. What’s the before and after?
T: No one restricted me. I feel handcuffed now.
M: What’s a week-in-the-life-of?
T: Say I wake up at 10am. I’ll work out. Schedule some business things. My full-time job is creating, posting content. I keep my fans engaged.
M: Do you plan your days?
T: I plan them based on my liking. But I can’t be lazy. My schedule is tight.
M: You work hard.
T: Yes. I’d like to achieve more.
M: “You’re the average of the 5 people you hang out with most”. Who’re the 5 people you hang out with most?
T: My housemate, who teaches me how to buy stocks, what I should say to the media, etc. My gym buddy. My close friends.
M: Is “housemate” code?
T: We’re friends. We share rent. He has a girlfriend.
M: Will we know who he is?
T: He’s not sociable.
M: Public vs private life.
T: Online, I post content focused on myself. Maintain a good image. Won’t do things people may think is bad. Don’t provoke anybody. If I have something to say, I’ll say it in-person, not online.
M: Do you have a substantial private life?
T: My life is free. But it’s hard to nitpick.
M: Did you become an influencer by chance?
T: Yes.
M: Can you name a more well-known OF creator in Singapore?
T: There aren’t many guys doing it. There’re too many girls doing similar things. It’s easy to mix them up.
M: Was the goal always to be the top?
T: I want to be the best in everything I do.
M: Do you see being an influencer and OF creator as separate?
T: Being an influencer is a journey. There are different directions to take: OF, TikTok, YouTube, etc. When I started, I posted about lifestyle and fitness. With Instagram eye-candies, fans tend to want to see more. I wouldn’t have started OF if only 10 people wanted it.
A sex tape is more exciting when you have an online presence.
M: Are you an OF consumer?
T: I’m only a creator, but get free subscriptions from other creators who say I’m their idol.
M: But you had an inkling people were doing well from OF?
T: OF was a tough first step to make. I didn’t want to make it “official”. On my third month, I started posting nudes, did interviews, shared more about my cars. I like to do things my way, be in charge; compared to being a model, for example.
M: Was there a game plan?
T: To try different things. I was actually becoming a property agent until I decided to focus on social media.
M: What was the first content you posted on OF?
T: A video of me flexing.
M: Do you create social media calendars for OF?
T: I film in advance. I do what I feel like doing.
M: How do you decide how much a fan should pay?
T: How much they think I’m worth.
M: I understand there’re payment tiers: fans pay a subscription fee to access general content. Afterwards, they can pay more for more content.
T: Imagine OF is a cafe. You pay an entry fee. You pay a bit more to sit in a special room.
M: Did you know you would eventually post nudes?
T: Artistic, teasing visuals.
M: When did you go beyond that?
T: When I felt comfortable.
M: How long did it take?
T: It feels normal to create content. I prefer to post at night.
M: When content platforms reached out for interviews/collaborations, did you ask “Why me?”
T: Because I’m daring. Some OF creators don’t show their faces, want anonymity, privacy. People have short attention spans.
M: How did your quick rise to celebrity affect you?
T: I had to adapt, try to get used to it. I have to be wary of what I say.
M: You mentioned in a video that being an OF creator is difficult. Why?
T: It’s not easy to be okay seeing your content online. It was was difficult when people leaked my content. With OF, I’m exposed to judgement. It affects my dating life too.
In October, the police came to my house. They asked me to stop my OF. I was four months in; other OF creators had been active for years. I thought it must be a joke; continued my OF.
I was charged in court for several offences. I’ll know next month [March] more updates. My case is precedential on whether OF creators in Singapore like me can continue creating content, or we’ll be banned from posting “obscene” content.
M: There was reaction to the Mothership article featuring you and Josephine Teo in the banner image.
Your reaction?
T: OF is not banned in Singapore, but creators are not allowed to post obscene content. No one visits PornHub for cooking videos.
Prostitution is legal, but I can’t post my content on OF. That’s funny.
M: The case is still open?
T: I’ve been told not to access my OF account. But there’re weird points about my case being questioned, e.g. will overseas OF creators who visit Singapore be considered criminals if they post similar content too?
M: Can people still subscribe to your OF?
T: Because of the size of my case, OF is reviewing my account.
M: The verdict of your case will decide the fate of OF operating in Singapore moving forward.
T: Other media platforms are in communication with OF. OF may say something if I’m slapped with serious sentencing, e.g. jail.
M: Fashion seems to play a part in your identity.
T: I want to be cool. Luxury sports cars, tattoos, dress to impress. It’s the culture I grew up in.
M: What do you want now?
T: Maybe jewellery. Limited-edition watches. 100K stocks versus a 100K watch. Nobody can see stocks.
M: Some have the impression you come from money.
T: I did a lot of work myself. Everything I own now is self-made.
M: You left home when you were 18.
T: I wanted to direct my own life.
M: Did you always have the relationship with your parents that you have now?
T: It’s restricting. Living on my own helps me to express myself.
M: What was the dream?
T: Living in a nice house with my pets, friends, family in the future.
M: Are you impatient?
T: In some ways.
M: Do you represent 2020s influencer culture?
T: Most influencers are mainstream, conventional, fearful. I do what I want. I’m daring.
M: Is “daring” what motivates you?
T: To do what other people don’t dare to will help me be better than them. If I don’t take chances, I’ll never know how far I can go. I’m still trying to find what’s best for me.
M: Are you a long-term thinker?
T: Yes.
M: Who are your peers?
T: YouTubers like Jian Hao, Naomi Neo, Dee Kosh. They don’t just post photos of themselves. They do Instagram, and something else. TikTokers.
M: What do you think about gay-for-pay, queerbaiting, the pink dollar?
T: It depends on how comfortable you are and what you want in life.
M: Are there things you won’t do for likes?
T: I’m still figuring it out.
M: 2021 in one word.
T: Adventurous.
M: Your hope for 2022 in one word.
T: Peace.
M: Can Titus Low and peace go together?
T: As long as the government doesn’t knock on my door.
