10 iconic Cantopop singers you should know - Localiiz

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Hong Kong has truly had some iconic legends in music, and here, we look back at 10 of the greatest singers in Cantopop music. chevron_leftBacktoCulture Culture 10iconicCantopopsingersyoushouldknow ByInésFung 19March2020 |LastUpdated15November2021 share: LivinginHongKong,youareboundtohavecomeacrossCantopop,whetheryougrewupwithitorifyouhaveoverheardsnippetsfromtheradio.Thegenrebecameassociatedwithlocalpopularmusicinthe1970sandreacheditsheightinthe1980sand1990s,withWesterninfluencesandinclusionsinsoundtracksfromtheboomingHongKongfilmindustry. Ifsomenamesinthislistsoundfamiliar,itmightbebecauseyouhavereadabouttheminouriconicactorsround-up,asitwaspopularforstarsfromdayspasttomaketheleapontothesilverscreen.HereisalistofsomeofthemosticonicCantopopstarsfromthegoldenageofthegenre,withsongrecommendationsinonehandyplaylistattheveryend. culture3 03784403 with-m ⇨RomanTam RomanTam—or“LawMan”(羅文)—ashe’smorecommonlyknown,istrulytheundisputed“GrandGodfatherofCantopop.”Hisillustriouscareerbeganin1962whenheimmigratedtoHongKongfromGuangzhouforbetteropportunitiesafterbeingrejectedbyaCantoneseoperaacademy.BeforebreakingintoCantopop,RomanTamwasfirstinanEnglishbandwithhisfriends,thenaMandarinduowiththeiconicLydiaShum. TamthensignedwithaJapaneselabelandbecamethefirstnon-JapanesesingertowintheAllJapanKayoChampionship,atelevisedsingingcompetitionwhichfinallyleadhimbacktoHongKong,whenhewasinvitedtorecordtheCantonesethemesongtoTVB’sbroadcastofthehitJapaneseshowBrighterFuturesin1976.Thepopularityoftheshowandthethemesongwastheboostneededtojumpstarthislegendarycareer,whereTamwentfromsinginganabundanceofwildlypopularTVshowthemetunestobecomingthefirstChinesepersontoperforminRoyalAlbertHall,MadisonSquareGarden,LincolnCenter,andO’KeefeCenter. Passionforglobalmusicwaswhatcreatedhisuniquesound;TamfusedhisbackgroundinCantoneseoperawithgenreslikejazzandbigbandandusedthatsamebackgroundtomagnifythehyper-clearenunciationofhistonesandvoice.Hewasalsoanavant-gardefashionista,whoexudedcharismaticandrogynyinhisflamboyantget-ups,aesthetic-forwardalbumart,andanopen-mindednessthatwasnotcommoninhistime.Hewasthefirstperformertodressandperformindragandtoposenakedforphotoshoots. ConsideredHongKong’sfirstoriginalsuperstar,LawManproducedover50albumsinthreedecades.Afterhisretirementin1996,hededicatedhistimetotrainingfamoussingerslikeJoeyYung,EkinCheng,ShirleyKwan,andHinsCheung.Healsodidcharitywork,andhisgenerosityinbothhispublicandprivatelifemadehimabelovedfigureinHongKong.Hisdeathin2002causedreverberatingmourningbothinthemusicindustryandHongkongersofallages.HeiscreditedasapioneerofCantonesemusicandaninspirationtomanyperformingartists. ⇨SamHui Knownasthe“GodofSongs,”SamHuiKoon-kitwascreditedwithpopularisingCantopopwithhis1974albumGamesGamblersPlay,whichwasalsothesoundtracktoafilmofthesamename.HefirstperformedpopularEnglishsongsduringhistimeasaTVByouthmusictelevisionshowhost,butgraduatedtobecomingaprolificsinger-songwriter. HuipreferredtowriteinvernacularCantoneseratherthanstandardwrittenChinese.Havinggrownupinworking-classDiamondHillasarefugeefromChina,hewasnotafraidtousehisvoicetohumorouslysatirisetheconcernsofworking-classHongkongersofthetime.Hisrelatabilityearnedhimtheaffectionatenickname“BrotherSam.” He’salsoknownforhisflamboyantbiker-stylewayofdressandguitarskills,aswellasartfuluseoftheCantoneselanguagetodeliverphilosophicalmessages.Huiretiredinthe1990s,buthasmadeappearancesinseveralcomebackconcerts,mostnotablyin2004whenhepaidtributetohisclosefriendsLeslieCheungandAnitaMui. ⇨GeorgeLam GeorgeLamisaveteranCantoneseartistwhoplayedapartinshapingthelandscapeofthegenre.Hegrewupexposedtowesterncinemaandmusicbyhisfamily,andwasalsoeducatedoverseas,whichinfluencedhismusic. “AhLam,”asheisknowncolloquially,taughthimselfhowtoplaytheguitar,aswellashowtowriteandproducehisownmusic.Notonlyishisvocalrangewideandhardtoimitate,butsoishisstyleofcomposition:Hisdiscographyencompassesdifferinggenres,frompowerfulrockballadstosoulfuljazzytunes.HesuccessfullytransitionedintobecomingasingerwiththereleaseofDiscoBumpkinsin1980,hisfirsthitalbumthatincludedarangeofinfluencesfromEuro-discotofolkmusic.WhilehisperformanceonDiscoBumpkinswascriticisedasbeing“tooWestern,”thealbumsolidifiedhismusicalstyleandstatusasaCantopoplegend. LamalsopioneeredtheCantopopmedleyin1985whenhewasfrustratedwithhowhewouldnotbeabletocoverallofhisfavouritehitsfromthe1980s.His10-minute-longtrack“10Songs12Inches”becameaninstanthit,andincludedsongslike“Monica”byLeslieCheungand“200Degrees”bySallyYeh(wholaterbecamehiswife). Lam’ssignaturebushymoustachehasbeenwithhimforaslongashehasbeenpopular,andhestillreleasesmusictothisday,thoughmostlywritingsongsforotherartists. Youmayalsolikethesestories👇 Culture HiddenHongKong:AhistoryofHongKongcine... ByCatharinaCheung 1March2020 Culture 10up-and-cominglocalHongKongartiststol... ByFayeBradley 13March2020 ⇨DannyChan DannyChanPak-keungwasoneofthosestarsthatjustpossessedacertainmagnetism.Hehashadapassionandtalentformusicsinceayoungage,teachinghimselfhowtosingandplaythepianodespitenotbeingabletoreadsheetmusic.Hisfather,anavidCantoneseoperaenthusiast,tooknoticeofthisinterestandsenthimtoCaliforniatopursuehismusicaleducation,whereChanproducedseveralsongslike“RockyRoad”and“Sunrise,”whichledtohimbeingnoticedbytheentertainmentindustryinHongKong. Attheageof21,ChansignedonwithEMIGroup,andhiscareeronlywentupfromthere.ThereleaseofhisbilingualdebutalbumFirstLovemadehimaninstanthouseholdname,sellingoutnotjustonce,but10times.ItwascommonpracticebackthentorewriteJapanesepopsongsintoCantonese,butChandecidedtopursuehisownstyleofmusic,incorporatingelementsofCantoneseopera,Westernpop,andtraditionalCantonesefolksongsintohismusic. Hispolishedandprettyappearancesonstage,aswellasonfilmsandtelevisionshows,alsogarneredhimamassiveyouthfollowing—bythemid-1980sitseemedlikeChancouldnotfallfromgrace.HoweverashispopularitybegantobeovertakenbystarslikeLeslieCheung,hefellintoadeepdepressionandhismusicaloutputbegantosufferaswell.Chanwastakenfromtheworldtoosoon,dyingofbrainfailureafterhewasfoundunconsciousinhisapartmentduringthelowpointofhiscareer. ⇨LeslieCheung PossiblythemostprominentCantopopstarthereeverwas,LeslieCheungisalegend.Nowconsideredoneofthe“FoundingFathersofCantopop,”Lesliewasasingerandanactorwhonotonlyswepttheworld,bystormwithhisiconicmusicanddedicationtohisroles.Hewasposthumouslyvotedthethird“MostIconicMusicianofAllTime”inapollheldbyCNN,wherehereceivedover100,000votes,onlyrankingbelowMichaelJacksonandTheBeatles. Itwasn’talwaysjustglitzandglamourforCheung.AftersigningwithPolydorin1977,hisalbumsandperformancesweremassiveflops,andhebrieflytookahiatusbeforejoiningCapitalArtistsin1982,whichleadtothereleaseofhisbreakoutalbumWindBlowsOn.Twoyearslater,heremadeahitJapanesesong“Monica,”whichbecamethebest-sellingsingleinHongKonghistory,bringinghimhead-to-headwithanothersuperstaratthetime,AlanTam. HehadoneadvantageoverTamthough:Cheungwasavanguardwhenitcametoself-expression.Herefusedtoletthemediaorsocietycensorhim,channellinghispredecessorRomanTam’smagneticenergyinhisdragget-ups,Jean-Paul-Gaultier-designedcostumes,andhisunashamedbisexuality. Cheungreleasedovertwodozenalbumsinhiscareer,cleansweepingawardceremoniesforbothmusicandacting,andbaskedintheloveoftensandthousandsoffansaswellashisfamilyandfriends.ButnoneofthefameandgloryhelpedthefactthatCheunghadbeensufferingfromclinicaldepressionforaslongashecouldremember.Hissuicideattheageof46shockedHongKongandtheworld,withpeopleignoringthe2003SARStravelbantocometothecityandattendhispublicfuneral.Tothisday,Cheung’slegacyremainsintheformofhisscholarshipfunds,charitywork,anddedicatedcelebrationsandexhibitionsheldbyhislegionofloyalfans. RomanTamhadcoveredthesong“Superstar”before,butCheung’sversionbecamethemostwidelylistenedto,especiallyafterhisdeath.ManybelievethatthesongisparticularlyhauntingasitseemslikeLesliehadalwaysknownhewouldtakehisownlifeandthatthissongwashiswayofsayinggoodbye. ⇨AnitaMui AnitaMuiwasLeslieCheung’sbestfriend,andalegendaryCantopopdivainherownright.Knownasthe“MadonnaoftheEast,”Anitachallengedthestandardsofbeingaperformer,earningthemoniker“TheEver-ChangingAnita”forherrepertoireofdistinctivevocalrange,commandingstagepresence,dazzlingcostumechanges,andaconstantlyevolvingimagethatwasdizzyingtokeepupwith. Muihadahardlifegrowinguponthestreets,wheresheworkedasastreetsingertomakeendsmeetforherfamily.Shewasostracisedasachildanddroppedoutofschoolwhenshewasjust13.Forfiveyears,sheperformedinbars,untilTVBhostedtheinauguralNewTalentSingingAwardsin1981.Anitadazzledthejudgesandwonbyalandslide,coveringPaulaTsui’s“SeasonsoftheWind”inhersignaturecontraltovoice. AnitaMuiexudedconfidenceinallherstageandscreenperformances,usingstrengthandboldnesstotakebackthe“songstress”titlethatbrandedheranoutcast,andinsteadchannelleditintoherloud,sexy,electriccareer.Shereleased50albumsandsoldover10millionrecordsaltogether.MuiwasoneoftheyoungestsingerstoholdaconcertseriesattheHongKongColiseum,andevenopenedthe1988SeoulOlympicswithJanetJackson. Shewasalsostunninginheractingwork,frequentlycollaboratingwithLeslieCheung.Shewasalsoaphilanthropist,personallyhelpingcauseslikeOperationYellowbirdwhichhelpedactivistsfleeChinaaftertheTiananmenprotests,openinganursinghomeinSanFrancisco(whichleadtothemayornamingApril18as“AnitaMuiDay”inthecity)andestablishingtheAnitaMuiTrueHeartCharityFoundation,whichcontinuestomakecontributionsintheartsaswellascancerresearch. Althoughnoonecouldcomparetohersuccess,Muiwastroubledbythetabloidsandbyherlackofluckinlove.Shehidhercervicalcancerdiagnosisfromtheworlduntilshenolongercould,holdingaseriesofeightshowsattheColiseumtosaygoodbyetothestagethatshehadlovedsomuch.AnitaMuipassedawayattheageof40on30December2002,butherlegacyneverrests. Youmayalsolikethesestories👇 Culture HongKong’smosticonicactorsthatyoushoul... ByCatharinaCheung 2December2019 Travel AbriefguidetotheotakuuniverseinTokyo ByGianniSimone 7January2020 ⇨PriscillaChan PriscillaChanisanotherfemalestarofthegenre,andstillperformsoccasionallyinHongKongandoverseas.Shewasdiscoveredasateenager,whensheoftencompetedinsingingcompetitions,andrecordedherfirstsongin1983,titled“ForgottenPromise.”HersolodebutalbumFeelingsofaStorywasreleasedin1984togreatacclaim,thuspromptingavoraciousoutputofhersignatureemotionallovesongsandupbeatdancemusic. Itwasn’tuntil1988,however,whenherCantoneseremakeoftheSpanishsong“LaLoca,”“SillyGirl,”wasreleasedthatherstatusasaCantopopiconwassolidified.Chanchosetosuspendhercareerattheheightofherpopularity,amovethatbaffledtheindustryandherfans,butshehadpromisedherfamilyshewouldcontinueheracademiccareer.Awomanofherword,shemovedtoNewYorktopursueadegreeinpsychologyatSyracuseUniversity. InherfarewellalbumAlwaysBeYourFriend,shereleasedahitsingle“ThousandsofSongs,”whichtrulyelevatedhertoheightsalongsideherpeersLeslieCheungandAnitaMui.Chanreturnedtohermusicalcareerin1995,releasingtwochart-toppingalbumsWelcomeBackandI’mNotLonely,whichputherbackinpublicfavour. Thetabloidswererelentlessinpryingintoherprivatelife,herfamilyandloveinterestswerecloselyscrutinised,andshehasspokenoutmanytimesontheficklenessoftheHongKongaudience.Nevertheless,shecontinuestoperformforherloyalfansandisveryactiveonsocialmedia. ⇨Beyond Cantopopwasn’tjustallsingers,andBeyondisperhapsthebestrepresentativeofthe“bandwave”thatcamewiththeriseofCantopop.BeyondisconsideredthemostinfluentialCantonesebandofalltime,experimentingwithdifferentgenresandoftenusingtheirmusictospeakoutoninjustice. LeadsingerWongKa-kuianddrummerYipSaiWingformedBeyondin1983,boundtogetherbyaloveforPinkFloyd’sprogressiverock,andworkingtogethertojoinamusiccontest.Beyondwentthroughashiftingline-upbeforefinallysettlingonthelegendarycomboofWongKa-keung—Ka-kui’syoungerbrother—asthebassistandPaulWongastheleadguitarist.Beforetheyweresignedtoalabel,Beyondwasthedefinitionofastrugglingband.Theyfinancedeverythingthemselvesandoftenplayedtoemptyrooms. ThebandrecordedtheirfirstalbumGoodbyeIdealin1986,andstartedtogainsometractionintheundergroundmusicscene.Theirsecondalbum,ArabianDancingGirls,becameacommercialhit,andfromthere,theirpopularitygrew.Thereleaseoftheir1989song“GreatLands”leadthemtotheawardsceremonies,andpropelledtheircareerforwardwithtrackslike“GloriousYears”(inspiredbyNelsonMandela)and“Amani”(inspiredbythewarinTanzania),whichstoodoutfromthebarrageoflovesongsthatCantopopwasknownfor. Theirgreatesthit,however,wouldbeWongKa-kui’slastwiththeband.“BoundlessOceansVastSkies”wasinspiredduringWong’striparoundAfricain1990,andflowedfromhisdisillusionmentwiththepopularmusicindustry.Ithassincebecomeananthemforlocalprotests,fundraisingcampaigns,andmanymoremovements,andisstillwidelypopulartothisday.Unfortunately,WongKa-kuidiedinanaccidentin1993duringanappearanceonaJapanesegameshow,whenhefelloffathree-metre-highstageandsustainedseverebraininjury. ThebandBeyondcontinuedtoreleasemusicafterhisdeath,withPaulWongreplacinghimastheleadsingerbeforeeventuallydisbandingin2005,onlyreunitingtoperformintributeshowsorcharityevents. ⇨Grasshopper Ontheothersideofthebandsspectrum,GrasshopperisaCantopop“boyband”knownfortheirlooksanddancingskills.GrasshopperconsistsofbrothersCalvinandRemusTsoiandtheirchildhoodfriendEdmondSo. ThemembersofGrasshoppergrewupinalow-incomepublichousingestatebuthadhighaspirations,withRemusTsoibeingtheleaderandoftenparticipatingintalentshows.TheynamedthemselvesGrasshopperaftertheirfavouritecocktailandtheiragilityonstage,andfinallycaughttheirbigbreakin1985whenAnitaMuitookashinetothemduringtheirauditionontheNewTalentSingingAwards.Theywereinvitedtoperformasback-updancersandsingersforMui,andshementoredthemwhilegivingthebandcopiousamountsofexposureonhertours. Grasshopperreleasedtheirself-titleddebutalbumin1988,acollectionofelectronicahits,andcontinuedtoperformasatrioandwithMui,evenasthethreealsopursuedactingcareers.Theflamboyantbandcontinuestotourtothisday,inadditiontohostingtheirownshowsandproducingmusicalsanddocumentaries.Theyhavesaidtheywillneverdisband,andwillkeepperforminguntiltheydie. Youmayalsolikethesestories👇 Culture HiddenHongKong:6iconicHongKonglandmark... ByCatharinaCheung 11November2019 Culture HiddenHongKong:AhistoryofHongKongcine... ByCatharinaCheung 1March2020 ⇨TheFourHeavenlyKings WecannotwriteaboutclassicCantopopwithoutmentioningtheFourHeavenlyKings.AndyLau,JackyCheung,AaronKwok,andLeonLaiwereallsuperstarsintheirownrights,butthefourwereoftenpromotedtogetherasasupergroup,andtheirclean-cutgoodlooksandundeniablecharismaandtalentmadetheChinesediasporaswoonfromthelate1980stotheearly2000s.Allfoursingersalsoforgedmega-successfulcareersasactors,andfilmsstarringanyoneofthefourwereguaranteedgreatboxofficereturns. JackyCheungisperhapsthemostlaudedofthefour,withmorethan25millionsolorecordssoldandalsosharingthetitleof“GodofSongs”withSamHui,thoughhehimselfhasstatedthathedoesnotdeserveit.Hehasarichbaritonevoicewithadramaticvibrato,whichlendsitselfwelltohisrepertoireofballads.Cheungwasthefirstofthegrouptobranchoutintodifferentmusicalstyles,andhisjazzalbumPrivateCornerbecamethefirstCantonesejazzalbumreleasedtocriticalacclaim.HewasalsothefirstCantopopandMandopopartisttocontributeitemstotheHardRockfranchisememorabiliacollection. AndyLauhasbeenoneofHongKong’smostcommerciallysuccessfulactorsandsingerssincethe1980s,andwasenteredintotheGuinnessWorldRecordsforthemostawardswonbyaCantopopmaleartist—numberingmorethan300.Heisalsoalyricist,oftenpenninghisownsongs.UnlikeCheung,hedidnothaveastrongvoicemadeforpopmusic,buthisworkethicandcharismacontributedtohissuccessasaCantopopicon.Hissongsaremainlyromanticballadsormoviecompanionsongs.Lauhasalsonevershedhisendearingheartthrobimage,usinghisevergreenfametoparticipateincharitywork.HewasawardedaBronzeBauhiniaStarandaMedalofHonourforhiswork. Consideredthemostgood-lookingofthefour,AaronKwokstartedhiscareerasamodelanddancer.Heinitiatedthetrendof“fastdancing,”largelyinfluencedbyMichaelJackson,andin1999,heevencollaboratedwithJanetJacksonandRickyMartinforherpromotionalsingle“AskforMore.”Hissongsliemostlyinthedance-popgenre,andit’simpressivehowtothisdayhestillmaintainsthesameenthusiasmandenergyinhisstageperformances.It’shardtoholdatuneanddothemoonwalkatthesametime,folks! LeonLaiusesthestagenameLai-ming—meaning“dawn.”Hewasthesecondrunner-upinthe1986NewTalentSingingAwards,andreceivedmentorshipfromlocalmusicallegendslikeDaiSiChungandMarkLui.HerosetoprominenceafterMarkLuiinfluencedhimtobranchoutintoelectronicmusic,andhiscollaborationswithotherfamousartistsinencouragingorromanticduetsarebelovedinHongKong.Laiisnowbestknownforhisillustriousactingcareerandcommitmenttocharitywork,andwasawardedtheSilverBauhiniaStarin2019. TheFourHeavenlyKingsarestillactiveinthescene,mentoringthenextgenerationofCantopopstars,andAndyLauinparticularhasexpressedhisdesireforthegrouptoreunite.Onecanonlyhope! culture3 03784403 with-m InésFung Part-timeeditor CurrentlybasedinHongKongbywayofCalgary,Inés hasalwayshadapassionforwritingandhercreativeworkcanbefoundinobscureliteraryzines.Whenshe’snotbusyscouringthecityforthebestgin-basedcocktail,shecanbefoundcurledupwithherjournalandfur-everfriendPeanut.Don’tbesurprisedifyoucrosspathswithherandshealreadyknowsallyourmates. 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