Rui En removes all posts from her Instagram account -- but it's not an April Fool's Day joke

Nathaniel Fetalvero
The New Paper
Apr 01, 2024

Local actress-singer Rui En sparked intrigue among her fans on April 1 when she deleted all the posts on her Instagram account.

About an hour later, a single post appeared on her profile – a pixelated reel with the caption “1.4.24 2100”.

Followers commented on the Instagram Reel, expressing their disbelief.

“Empty? So many beautiful pictures gone? My weak heart can’t stand this shock,” wrote a follower.

“Posts all gone.. not an April Fool's joke, right?” commented another.

Rui En told TNP that she will be partnering with local celebrity photographer and creative director Walter Tan on a project she dubs The (RE)naissance.

In their collaboration, the duo aim to use creative visuals and light-hearted content to inspire and provoke conversations around mental health, leveraging the actress-singer’s Instagram account with its 106,000 followers as a platform.

“It’s kind of a refresh for me, social media-wise,” said Rui En.

“Walter is a younger guy who uses TikTok and that kind of thing. He’s convinced me to step out of my comfort zone and do some short Reels to entertain my audience.”

Tan, who was notably the creative mind behind the social media content of local actor Desmond Tan, said he is excited to showcase Rui En’s “edgy side” and leveraging a variety of content formats, from fashion photography to viral video formats.

“It is a lot easier to reach more people with social media,” he said.

“This is where I am particularly keen and motivated to create content, both staying true and organic to her, and exploring content that can reach new audiences through sharing.”

Rui En revealed that the inspiration for this project comes from a deeply personal place.

“I have always been very passionate about mental health, I’ve always advocated for it,” she said.

“I got on social media to let my friends and followers know that they’re not alone, because I’ve been there and I know how dark that place can be.”

Rui En first created her Instagram account in August 2021, when she announced that she would be managing herself after dropping Artiste Networks.

Within six hours, she amassed more than 19,000 followers.

Since then, Rui En has shared openly about her own struggles with mental health through her posts – something she hopes to continue.

“I’ve always been vulnerable about the things I struggle with in my Instagram posts, and that is not going to change,” she said.

“This doesn’t mean that I re-brand and totally change my content. It’s the same Rui En and nothing has changed, but it’s just that right now, I have a little bit more of a professional team behind me.”

Having already begun shooting content for her Instagram 2.0, Rui En says the collaboration with Tan has been a refreshing change of pace.

“When you’re doing your own content, your mind becomes an echo chamber,” she shared.

“The thing I love about Walter is that I can bounce ideas off of him and not be judged. There isn’t a power imbalance where it’s a manager telling me to post this or post that.

“I really appreciate it that Walter respects the boundaries or lines I’m not willing to cross. It’s been enjoyable.”

To fans curious about The (RE)naissance, Rui En said: “Expect things that maybe I’ve never done before, content- or even career-wise.”