(Exclusive) Beyond ‘Jayden’s Mommy’, Matthew is chasing a life in dance

Months after “Jayden’s Mommy” went viral, Matthew’s audience has grown, but his daily life has changed little.

“I’m still dancing and making videos, or dancing when I’m not making videos,” Matthew said.

When The Standard meets the Hong Kong content creator and waacking battler at his newly unveiled studio, a large mirror he had installed for dance practice stands against the wall, reflecting the two sides of his life.

But there is no doubt which one he would choose.

“I always tell people that I hope one day I won’t have to make videos anymore and can just survive by dancing,” he said.

From K-pop fan to waacking battler

Matthew started dancing seriously at 16 or 17, after a friend took him to a dance studio. He tried popping, house and show dance before coming across Korean waacking videos on social media.

He began training and competing seriously in September 2023, after returning from Europe.

His connection with Korea started well before that. A longtime K-pop fan, Matthew still has posters of Wanna One, one of his favorite groups, on the walls of his studio.

K-pop has also brought him into contact with people in the dance community and given him ideas for making content.

At the University of Hong Kong, Matthew studied Nutrition and Korean, graduating in January 2025. He then worked part-time for about six months before going to South Korea for another six months to attend a Korean language program and spend time in the local dance scene.

Watching dancers train in Korea made him rethink what it meant to work hard.

“I realized that thinking I was working hard was actually quite foolish,” he said.

The experience also gave him a different view of the two dance scenes. He describes Korea as more battle-oriented, while Hong Kong sits somewhere between Asian and Western approaches.

A creator by chance

Matthew never set out to become a content creator.

His first viral video came in July 2025, when he shared his JUPAS experience in a video posted at around 3am or 4am, just before the DSE results were released.

The response made him realize that people were interested in the way he told stories in Cantonese. Friends then encouraged him to keep making videos alongside dancing.

At the time, he was not thinking about becoming famous. If he could get one brand deal a month worth HK$5,000 to HK$6,000 — enough to cover a flight, accommodation and a dance competition — he would be happy.

Then came “Jayden’s Mommy.”

The idea came while Matthew was in South Korea. After seeing children running around in a café, he started imagining how their mothers might react if the same thing happened in a crowded Hong Kong restaurant.

The series began taking off around February and March 2026, around the time he returned to Hong Kong.

It brought him a much larger audience, along with collaborations and connections outside the dance community.

“It really gave me a lot of opportunities and allowed more people to get to know me,” he said.

In the following months, Matthew made more than 20 “Jayden’s Mommy” episodes, not counting commercial collaborations. But he does not want to keep making the same thing forever.

He has started trying other formats, including a series about students.

“I don’t want the audience to see only one type of entertainment,” he said.

Unfazed by the next chapter

Matthew is not too worried about what happens when the attention dies down.

He rarely searches his own name or checks comments. If friends send him something, he might read it, but he would rather spend his time watching battle videos or practicing.

“I don’t think traffic should define whether I’m a good content creator,” he said.

For him, a video is good if he likes it and feels it meets his own standards, regardless of how many views it gets.

He takes much the same approach to popularity.

“Flowers don’t bloom for 100 days,” he said.

Rather than worrying about when his popularity might fade, he would rather keep working on what comes next.

The attention has also given him a chance to influence younger fans. When they approach him for photos, he often reminds them to respect their parents and focus on their studies.

“If someone likes me and hears something from a person they admire, that influence can be very powerful,” he said.

For now, Matthew wants to keep improving as a waacking dancer, compete on bigger stages and eventually make a living from dance alone.

For all the attention “Jayden’s Mommy” has brought him, Matthew’s Instagram still tells a different story: his first three pinned videos are all about dance.

The Standard will continue to bring you exclusive interviews every Friday, offering a closer look at the people, stories and ideas making headlines in Hong Kong and beyond. 

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓