Ian Chan

In 2018, Chan's entertainment company suggested that he participate in the ViuTV Good Night Show — King Maker competition.[14] With his university graduation approaching and knowing it would be difficult to have a career as an athlete in Hong Kong, Chan retired from the national volleyball team in order to focus on his career as a performer and to participate in the show.[11]

Throughout the show, Chan exhibited his musical talents, singing in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, as well as performing with a guitar and a piano. Chan finished in second place with a score of 16.3%.[15]

On 3 November 2018, Chan debuted as a member of MIRROR alongside 11 of the other participants from the show under the management of Ahfa Wong.[16]

During a MIRROR 100問 video, when a staff member asked what each of the group members called their personal fans, Chan responded "Hello".[17] As a result, his fans became known as Hellosss, although Chan later remarked that he did not know when that name had become official.[18]

On 9 June 2019, Chan debuted as a solo artist with his first single "二期大樓" (Phase II Building) and held his first solo mini concert called "Ian Chan Better Me Mini Concert". His fellow group members came out to support him in celebration of his 26th birthday.[19]

On 2 September 2019, Chan released his second solo single "另一個諾貝爾" (Another Nobel), coinciding with the release of Keung To's "亞特蘭提斯" (Atlantis).[20] The two also worked together for their music film Love Before Birthday, released on 6 September.[21]

Chan was asked if there was competitive pressure releasing music at the same time as Keung, since the two were often compared, being the top two finalists of Good Night Show — King Maker. Chan responded that he and Keung instead believed that promoting together was mutually beneficial, hoping that it could get more fans to discover and listen to both their songs. In addition, he felt their styles were different and did not necessarily compete.[22]

Chan participated in the songwriting for "另一個諾貝爾" (Another Nobel), working with Cousin Fung and Lam Bo. Chan suggested that when one hears the word "nobel" (Chinese: 諾貝爾; Jyutping: nok6 bui3 ji5), one might first think about the Nobel Prize rather than Chernobyl, in Chinese: (Chinese: 諾貝爾獎; Jyutping: nok6 bui3 ji5 zoeng2) and (Chinese: 切爾諾貝爾; Jyutping: cit3 ji5 nok6 bui3 ji5), respectively.[22] This bias is analogous to when a person only looks at the positive side of things without also considering the negative.[20] Conversely, when a person loses someone or something precious, they may come to realise and to appreciate its value only after it has been lost.[20][22] Chan expressed that these two possible readings can be applied to the song's central theme about relationships. He also noted that it was difficult getting the feel for the song when he first started recording, but later got a better grasp of the intended emotion after watching Battle Angel (OVA).[22]

In December 2019, Chan and fellow group members began filming for We are the Littles, portraying volleyball players who work together to overcome adversity and become the best team. Chan stated it was like destiny that the first drama he got to act in was one similar to his past life as a volleyball player.[23] His past volleyball experience also allowed him to be a body double for his fellow cast members.[24] We are the Littles began airing on ViuTV in November 2020.

On 14 February 2020, Chan released "正式開始" (Officially Begin) as a Valentine's Day present for fans. In the music video, Chan brings the fans on a trip in Japan, as if filmed from first-person perspective. Chan noted that the hand in the music video was not his manager Wong but another crew member.[9]

On 29 July 2020, Chan released "鯨落" (Whale Fall), his first song where he is credited for both the music and the lyrics.[25] Chan drew inspiration from an article he read about whale fall, a phenomenon where when a whale dies far away from land, many organisms come along and feed off its body for years as it slowly sinks into the depths of the ocean. Chan expressed that although it is unfortunate that a whale dies in such a way, it is extraordinary it can still support other organisms in its habitat after death. Chan creates the imagery of using water as a coffin and converting one's body into dessert as an analogy for one's willingness to self-sacrifice if it means it will help others succeed.[25][26] Coincidentally, Chan wrote the song by the ocean while he was filming We are the Littles.

Chan participated in writing the music for "蝸牛" (Snail), performed by his group member Anson Kong. In September 2020, the duo released their duet version with an accompanying music video.

On 18 November 2020, Chan released his second self-written song "背伴" (Betrayal). Chan combines the word betrayal (Chinese: 背叛; Jyutping: bui3 bun6) with the homophonous first character of companion (Chinese: 伴侶; Jyutping: bun6 leoi5) to portray a love story where one's companion secretly betrays them behind their back (Chinese: 背; Jyutping: bui3).[27]

On 29 March 2021, Chan shifted away from his usual dark and serious music style with the release of his upbeat love song "DWBF".[28]

In April 2021, Chan starred in Generation Slash on ViuTV with co-stars Amy Lo and Himmy Wong. The drama centres around three young adults struggling to figure out what they want in life in the face of uncertainty. Chan's character embodies the "generation slash", having the desire for flexibility and freedom, taking up many different jobs, such as becoming an actor / artist / cook / delivery courier.[29] The trio start up a small detective business to solve miscellaneous problems (as Chan's character says, they will do pretty much anything, as long as it does not break the law). The drama touches upon topics such as abandonment, grief, honesty, integrity, self-determination and choosing one's chosen family.[30] It was during the drama production when Chan started dating his co-star Amy Lo,[31] but the couple has since broken up as of November 2022.[32]

On 18 April 2021, Chan attended the 2020-2021 Chill Club Awards and was awarded the bronze award for Male Artist of the Year. In addition, his duet with Kong, "蝸牛" (Snail), was chosen as the 6th Top Song of the Year.[33]

In June 2021, Chan appeared in Be a Better MIRROR, where the members of MIRROR attended a teamwork-building camp to learn more about themselves and each other. Chan's manager Wong expressed her desire for Chan to open up more. Chan expressed that he is quite introverted and felt that he did open up more and became more talkative since becoming a performer. At the same time, he felt he has also become more guarded about his inner thoughts.[34]