Mirror: all you need to know about the Hong Kong Canto-pop ...

The boy band's popularity has led to a phenomenon known as the “Mirror effect” – which describes the group's positive impact on the Hong Kong ... discovernewsHongKongAsiaEnvironmentGlobalSportslifestyleFeaturesHealth&FitnessTravelFoodentertainmentMoviesTVTech&GamingMusicBooksadvicePersonaldevelopmentLivingMoneyRelationshipsyourvoiceOpinionLetterstotheEditorsStories&PoemsCompetitionsvideoYoungPostisaunitofSouthChinaMorningPostOverviewnews+lifestyle+entertainment+advice+yourvoice+videoYPDiscoverEntertainmentMirror:allyouneedtoknowabouttheHongKongCanto-popboyband,andhowtheycomparewithBTSPublished: 7:00am,1Aug,2022EmilyTsangKellyFung Mirrorshottofamein2018afterwinningViuTV’stalentcompetitionprogramme‘GoodNightShow–KingMaker’ HongKong’smostpopularbandhasbreathednewlifeintotheCanto-popgenre,accordingtoaculturalcritic EmilyTsangKellyFung|Published: 7:00am,1Aug,2022CommentCopiedLatestArticlesLifestyleRecipesNutritionist’sguidetoahealthierredbeanicedrink3Sep,2022LetterstotheEditorsEducationYourvoice:Thechallengeofstartinguniversity(shortletters)3Sep,2022LetterstotheEditorsEducationYourvoice:HongKongneedstoaddressitsnoisepollutionproblem(longletters)3Sep,2022OpinionFaceOffShouldschoolsmakeitcompulsorytostudyatleastoneforeignlanguage?2Sep,2022TVPopcultureWhatyouneedtoknowabout‘LordoftheRings:RingsofPower’TVseries2Sep,2022GlobalSocialmediaCaliforniapassesbillaimedatmakingtheinternetsafeforkids2Sep,2022MembersofCanto-popgroupMirror.Photo:FacebookTensofthousandsofMirrorfanswereleftshockedwhenagiantvideoscreencrasheddownontothestageinthemiddleofaconcertatHongKongColiseumonThursday,injuringtwomaledancersperformingwiththeCanto-popboyband.ChiefExecutiveJohnLeeKa-chiuonFridayorderedauthoritiestoinvestigatethecauseoftheincident,whichleftoneoftheinjuredperformersincriticalconditionandsparkedquestionsaboutthesafetyofthestage.TheaccidentalsoraisedquestionsabouthowthetragedymightaffectMirrorandtheirlegionsoffans.Here,thePostgivesaquickrundownoftheband,whatitmeanstoHongKongandhowitcompareswiththe“FourHeavenlyKings”,thecity’sbiggestsolostarsfromthe90s,andK-popsensationBTS:Morethan11,000HongKongMirrorfanssignonlinepetitionurgingsafetychecksafterFrankieChanfallsonstage1.WhoareMirror?TheyarecurrentlyHongKong’smostpopularCanto-popband.Comprising12membersmostlyintheir20s,thegroupshottofameduringtheCovid-19pandemicafterwinningViuTV’stalentcompetitionprogrammeGoodNightShow–KingMakerin2018.ThemembersareKeungTo,IanChanCheuk-yin,AnsonLoHon-ting,EdanLuiCheuk-on,AltonWongChi-tak,AnsonKongIp-sang,FrankieChanSui-fai,JeremyLauYing-ting,JeremyLeeChun-kit,LokmanYeung,StanleyYauSze-chunandTigerYauNgo-yin.Theirsongs,whicharemostlyupliftingtunes,arepackedwithCantoneseslangmixedwithasmatteringofEnglish.FansofMirrorgatheroutsidetheHongKongColiseumduringthefirstdayof“MirrorWeAreLiveConcert2022”.Photo:SamTsangIndividualmembersalsospecialiseindifferentareas.Somefocusonsingingandsongwritingandhavereleasedsolosongs.AfewmemberspreferactingandhavestarredindramasproducedbyViuTV,aswellaslocalfilmsandrealityshows.Whiletherearefanswhosupportallthemembers,eachcelebrityinthegroupalsohastheirownfanclubwhoalsohavespecificnicknamesforeachmember.Forexample:Keung’sfanscallthemselves“gingercandy”,sinceKeungmeansgingerinCantonese;Lui’sfansare“CheukSi”,whichmeans“birdpoo”;Kong’sfansare“SangFan”,meaningcornflourpower.HongKongCanto-popidolsMirrortakeonscalperswithreal-nameruleforbuyingconcerttickets2.Whatdotheyrepresent?In2021,Mirror’smostfamousmember,Keung,becametheyoungestpersontowintwocovetedlocalprizesatCommercialRadio’sUltimateSongChartAwardsPresentation.AccordingtoculturalcriticKennyLeung,thedaymarkedthemagicalrevivalofCanto-pop–adyinggenrethathadlongbeeneclipsedbytheriseofK-popandMandopop.ListeningtoCanto-popwaspopularamongChinesecommunitiesaroundtheworldduringthegenre’sheydayinthelate80sandearly90s,especiallywiththeriseofthe“FourHeavenlyKings”–soloistsAndyLauTak-wah,JackyCheungHok-yau,LeonLaiMingandAaronKwokFu-shing.The“FourHeavenlyKings”(fromleft)JackyCheung,LeonLai,AndyLauandAaronKwok.Photo:@andysunwan/InstagramCanto-poptookanosediveinthelate1990sduetoalackoftalentanddiversity,aswellastheobsoletemanagementstyleofrecordcompanies.Fortwodecades,fanscomplainedthatthelocalmusicwasdullandunexcitingasmusicproductionmostlycentredonsaccharineromancesandlovefantasies,withanaimtobeturnedintokaraoketunes.Musicaficionadostodaycravemorediversechoicesthatincludeinnovativeformsandthemes,suchasthoseinspiredbypost-protestsentimentandtheCovid-19pandemic.TheyalsofeelanurgencytoprotectCantonesecultureandidentity.Now,theyaremorethanreadytorestoretheirloveforthegenrethroughMirror,aswellasanewstreamofbloomingtalentwhohaveinfusedHongkongerswithasenseofunityandlocalpride–somethingthatwasinshortsupplyfollowingthe2019protestsandtheCovid-19pandemic.“After2019,audienceswerenolongersatisfiedwiththeformerorderanddemandedanewscene,”Leungsaid.KeungToreachesouttofatherofdisableddaughterwhorespondstothesinger’sCanto-pophit3.HowdoesMirrorcomparewithK-popbandslikeBTS?SouthKoreangroupBTS,whichhaslegionsoffansworldwide,hasservedasanexampleformanyaspiringboybandsaroundtheworld.IthasalsoinfluencedsomeaspectsofMirror.BTSpromotedthemselvesas“friends”tosupportersintheirearlydays.Unlikesuperstarssuchasthe“FourHeavenlyKings”ofCanto-pop,whoseemeduntouchableontheirgodlypedestals,BTSmemberswerededicatedtocreatingpersonalisedcontentonline,suchastheirownweeklyvarietyshowslikeRunBTSandBonVoyage,wherememberswouldpartakeincompetitionsanddotravelvlogs.Theywontheheartsofmanybygivinganintimatelookintothelifeofanidol,andkepttheirfans,knownastheBTSArmy,entertainedandconnectedthroughconstantupdatesonsocialmedia.FansofHongKongboybandMirrorgatheroutsideHongKongColiseumastheyholdupLEDsignsshowingthenameofgroupmemberAnsonLoHon-ting.Photo:SamTsangThe“friend”formulawasalsoemployedbyMirror.ThegrouphasdoneaseriesofvarietyshowslikeBeaBetterMirrorinwhichmembersrevealedamorepersonalsidebyopeningupabouttheirweaknessesandareasofimprovement.SimilartoBTS,thelocalgrouphasalsodonevarietyshowsinvolvingdaringchallengesandgames,suchasMirrorGo,wheretheytravelledtoSouthKoreaandJapantotakepartinaseriesoftasksinvolvingsports.Whenitcomestoperformances,evenMirrorfanshavesaidthebandistoonoveltocompetewithitsSouthKoreancounterpart,whilesomecriticshavearguedthatthelocalgroupshoulddevelopitsownpersonainsteadoffollowinginthefootstepsofotherbands.Canto-popsingerKeungToconfrontshisstruggleswithfameinreflectivesingle‘MirrorintheMirror’4.HowdidMirrorbecomealocalphenomenon?MirrorareHongKong’smostin-demandbrandambassadors.Imagesofthemareeverywhereinadvertisementsforfast-foodchainssuchasMcDonald’s,toluxuryfashionbrandslikeCartierandLongchamp,electronicproductsincludingwashingmachinesandmobilephones,andevendailynecessitiessuchastoothpaste.Fansclubsforthemembersoftensupporttheiridolsbybuyingupalltheproductspromotedbythegroupinthehopesthattheywillattractmoreadvertisers,growingtheirpopularityevenfurther.Sometimesfansfloodsponsorswithnotesormessagesonsocialmediatothankthemforfeaturingtheiridols.OnKeung’sbirthdayonApril30,itisbelievedfansspentmillionstosponsoradayoffreetramrides.FansposebesideaMirrordisplayatTheOneshoppingcentreinTsimShaTsui.Photo:XiaomeiChenForLo’sbirthdayonJuly7,supporterscelebratedwiththepublicbysponsoringfreeferryandbusridesinTsimShaTsuiandCentral.Theboyband’spopularityhasledtoaphenomenonknownasthe“Mirroreffect”–whichdescribesthegroup’spositiveimpactontheHongKongeconomyamidthecoronaviruspandemic.ThesuccessofMirrorhasalsobenefitedViuTV,whichexperienced152percentyear-on-yeargrowthinrevenuefromHK$317million(US$40.4million)in2020toHK$800millionin2021,withadvertisingrevenuemorethandoublingtoHK$615million.PCCW,whichownsViuTV,alsosawbusinessfromartistmanagementandeventssurgealmost10-foldlastyear.SignupfortheYPTeachersNewsletterGetupdatesforteacherssentdirectlytoyourinboxSubmitByregistering,youagreetoourT&CandPrivacyPolicyCommentSignupforYPWeeklyGetupdatessentdirectlytoyourinboxSubmitByregistering,youagreetoourT&CandPrivacyPolicySignupforYPWeeklyGetupdatessentdirectlytoyourinboxSubmitByregistering,youagreetoourT&CandPrivacyPolicydiscovernewslifestyleentertainmentadviceyourvoicevideoreportTEAMYPjournalismresourceslatestreportslearnlearningresourcescollege&unilifecareeradviceeventstrendingtopicsHKDSE-HongKongDiplomaofSecondaryEducationHealthandfitnessEnvironmentalLivingRelationshipsStudentlifeCareersEnglishexercisesVideogamesK-popMentalhealthCelebritiesMedialiteracyYPisaunitof SouthChinaMorningPost.SCMPAboutUsContactUsWriteforUsPrivacyPolicyTerms&Conditions©2022SouthChinaMorningPostPublisherLtd.Allrightsreserved.findusat