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Introduction
Hong Kong pop songs developed rapidly in the 1980s and mid-1990s but experienced a decline towards the end of 1990s. In the late 1990s, the popularity of Internet, electronic information and MP3 and the prevalence of European, American, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean and Malaysian pop songs in Hong Kong have affected the development of the local recording industry. Moreover, the renowned singers quitted the industry while there was a lack of new talented singers. As a result, the development of Hong Kong pop songs was stuck. However, the prevalence of Internet has provided a platform for composing and publishing songs for the public. A number of independent musicians pop up and this brings in new energy to Hong Kong pop songs. In order to earn a living, local musicians started selling their work in single form. Besides, they try to compose with different music elements, for example, using instrumental music of piano, and stringed instruments as accompaniment, or cooperate with foreign musicians to bring in new power to local pop songs. Composers, lyricists, singer-songwriters and musicians who are active from the 2000s until present will be introduced in the following.
Composers
• A famous Hong Kong composer born in Macau in 1968. • After graduated from Pui Ching Middle School (Macau), Chan learnt piano at Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou and then studied recording, music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston, America. Chan started being a composer in Hong Kong after he graduated from university. • Chan has learned and loved Western classical music since he was young. Therefore, he is good at integrating the narrative feature in Western music to his personal work. As a result, the style of his work differs from that of Koo Ka Fai. "Chan may be a composer who is able to create a new song style as well as a system of his own just like Koo Ka Fai", Mingpao Weekly commented him. • It was "終身美麗" sung by Sammi Cheng and "暗湧" sung by Faye Wong that made Chan famous. He has then worked with Jacky Cheung, Eason Chan, Joey Yung and Miriam Yeung. He has also received many awards like the Best Music Producer, the Best Composer and the Best Arranger awards at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation and the Best Compositions at the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation for many times. • Works (Composition): "給愛麗斯", "爭氣", "破相", "火鳥", "告別我的戀人們", "愛到透明", etc.
• A famous Asian musician born in 1956 in Singapore. Apart from composing and singing, Lee takes part in diversified music production work like writing songs for musicals and movies. • Lee formed a band with his friends when he was 15 years old. The band has won various talent contests and released the first album three years later. In 1990, Lee moved to Japan and started working on music production in places like Japan and Hong Kong. In 1997, he participated in the production of the Hong Kong original musical "Snow. Wolf. Lake" and about 70% of the songs were written by him. Lee then became well-known in Hong Kong. • Lee has written songs for top singers including Anita Mui, Jacky Cheung, Leslie Cheung and Andy Lau. He was awarded the Best Original Movie Theme Song of Hong Kong Film Awards, Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize – Arts & Culture Prize, Singapore Cultural Medallion and so on. • Works:
• Kwok Wai Leung, a Hong Kong famous composer, music producer and singer born in 1974 in Hong Kong. • Kwok learned violin when he was young. At the age of 13, he moved to America with his family and started learning electronic piano. He was more interested in music. He has already written lots of songs when he was studying journalism and communication at University of California, • Kwok became a contracted composer with the help of his father after he had returned to Hong Kong. His eighth song "有個人" was appreciated by Jacky Cheung and became the hit song of Cheung's album. It was popular among the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan because of the fame of Jacky Cheung. This was the turning point of Kwok's career. • Kwok has once formed a band, Swing (formerly known as Snowman), with Jerald. The songs of the band aim to achieve their music ideals so the style of work is diversified, including jazz, R&B, electronic music and hip-hop. The songs are of high quality and appreciated by the industry. This proves that he has the talent of producing different kinds of music work. After the dissolution of the band, he mainly works backstage as a composer, music producer, etc. • His songs "十面埋伏" and "夕陽無限好" have won the Best Melody and the Best Song Award at the CASH Golden Sail Music Awards. He also got the silver award of the Best Singer-songwriter Award at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation. • Works:
Lyricists
• Leung Wai Man, a famous Hong Kong lyricist born in 1961 in Hong Kong. He has been a lyricist since the 1980s and is notable for composing lyrics very quickly. • Lin majored in Translation at the School of Chinese, University of Hong Kong. In 1986, he won the Asian Pacific Song Writers Quest with his song "吸煙的女人" and became well-known. Then he started being a professional lyricist until now. • Lin is familiar with Chinese literature and creative so he has written over 3000 songs with different subject matters until now. • He has been awarded the Best Lyricist at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation for nine years in a row from 1995 to 2003 and four years in a row from 2006 to 2009. Besides, the movie theme songs which he wrote the lyrics have won the Best Original Movie Theme Song at Hong Kong Film Awards. Moreover, he was awarded the Golden Needle Award at the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Concert and the CASH Hall of Fame Award for his contribution to Hong Kong music industry. • Works:
• Chan Siu Kei, a famous Hong Kong lyricist, record producer and concert producer and planner. • Chan studied graphic design after graduated from secondary school. After meeting Tats Lau and Anthony Wong, he started writing songs for Tat Ming Pair. Then he wrote songs for other renowned singers like Anita Mui, Roman Tam and David Lui with the help of Michael Lai. Until now, he still works with singers like Eason Chan, Twins, and Stephanie Cheng. • Chan writes both Cantonese and Mandarin songs in different subject matters. Besides, he wrote lyrics for four songs of the first jazz album, "Private Corner" of Jacky Cheung, in Cantonese pop music. • Chan has been awarded the Best Lyrics Award for many times. Also, the theme song "畫心" for the movie "Painted Skin" written by him won the award of the Best Original Movie Theme Song at Hong Kong Film Awards. • Works:
• A renowned Hong Kong lyricist born in 1969 in Hong Kong. • After graduating from the Department of Social Work, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wong worked as a DJ on radio. In 1991, he started writing lyrics and became famous after his song "(你沒有) 好結果" got the Best C-pop lyrics award in 1995. • The subject matters of his lyrics are very special which put emphasis on grammar and wordplay. Some of his work is interrelated and can be seen as a series like "垃圾五部曲" ("垃圾", "絕", "漩渦", "破相" and the last one is incomplete) and "五行系列" ("水花四濺", "沙", "木紋", "金剛經", "惹火"). • Wong has been awarded the Best Lyrics at the CASH Golden Sail Music Awards for four times and the Best Lyricist at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation. His song "歡樂今宵" which is the theme song of the movie "Seeking Love Period" has won the Best Original Movie Theme Song at Hong Kong Film Awards. • Works (Lyric writing): "囍帖街", "陀飛輪", "鋼鐵是怎樣煉成的", "重口味", "天窗", "無朋友", etc.
Singer-songwriters
• A renowned Hong Kong singer-songwriter born in 1976 in Hong Kong. • Lam is a self-taught guitar player. He has learnt composition and lyrics writing skills by himself. He has already participated in many performances and won in many music competitions during his school days. When he was studying at City University of Hong Kong, where he studied business administration, he has already written his first song "像我的人", which was sung by Julian Cheung. After graduation, he worked in the music industry. • In 2002, Lam released "The Best is Yet to Come" on a website for network singers and it was appreciated by the public. Also, he formed a band with other DJs and released albums. As a result, he became more and more recognizable. In 2003, he set up LYFE studio and released his debut Cantonese album "Pillow Songs". • The style of Lam's songs is urban folk which is not a mainstream music form in Hong Kong. He writes lyrics in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. • The song "迴旋木馬的終端" composed by Lam has got the Best Original Film Song at the Golden Horse Awards. Besides, he was awarded the Best New Artist, the Best Music and the Best Folk Singer in Hong Kong and the mainland. • Works:
• A famous Hong Kong singer-songwriter born in 1979 in Hong Kong. • Wong's parents were amateur singers and have performed in operas. After Form 5 graduation, she studied Economy in a Canadian university. At that time, she started composing and writing lyrics and was recommended by Harry Ng to become a singer-songwriter. • In 2000, Wong won the CASH Song Writers Contest with the song "是一個誤會沒甚麼可悲" which was all composed by her. But it was not until 2005 did she make her debut when she returned from Canada. • Wong's voice and songs are fresh and she is regarded as a singer-songwriter with strength in the Chinese music industry. She is also appreciated by renowned lyricist Lin Xi. Meanwhile, she has made compositions for other singers. • At the beginning of her career, Wong has already rewarded many Best Female Newcomer Award as well as Best Singer-songwriter Award. Besides, she has got a lot of awards in Chinese and the mainland music industry. • Works:
• A renowned Hong Kong singer-songwriter born in 1981 in Guangzhou. • Cheung performed in pubs as a part time job at summer vacation when he was studying at secondary school in Guangzhou. In 2001, he released his first album "Hin's First" in Guangzhou. Then, he released his second album "Hins My Way" at another recording company in 2002 and started working as a singer-songwriter in Hong Kong music industry. • The melody of Cheung's songs consists of elements of jazz, R&B and soul music. His songs can not only cater to the market, but also include his own music style. • Cheung has got awards in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, the mainland and even Mandopop, including Male Singer Award at Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation, the Best Singer-songwriter Award, and the Best Chinese Song Award. • Works:
• A famous Hong Kong singer-songwriter born in 1983 in Hawaii, the United States. • Fong has lived in Shanghai and Guangzhou and completed high school with an American distance learning course. He moved to Hong Kong in 1998 and was self-taught on guitar and piano. At the age of 17, he started composing Chinese songs. He then released his debut album "Soul Boy" in 2005 and won a number of the Best Prospect Male Newcomers awards in the same year. In 2007, he successfully entered the Taiwan music industry. • Fong's songs are affected by European and American music and consist of the spiritual song style while his performance is more like R&B. He writes songs for himself as well as other singers. Since he only learned Cantonese when he lived in Guangzhou, he only writes songs in English and Mandarin in order to present the work well. • He has got pop song awards in Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan, Singapore (Mandopop), Canada (Mandopop), including the Best Songwriter awards, the Best Chinese song awards, the Best Vocal Performances, etc. • Works:
Musicians
• A famous Hong Kong pop song composer, arranger, producer born in 1969 in Hong Kong. He is an all-round musician who has also composed soundtrack for movies. • When Lui was studying civil engineering at Imperial College London, he has already participated actively in music composition. He was appreciated by Wong Jim and thus became a musician. At first, he usually composed soundtrack and was later focus on composing pop songs. • Lui has worked with many renowned singers, including Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Kelly Chan, Andy Hui, Miriam Yeung, Leo Ku, Janice M. Vidal, Justin Lo, RubberBand, etc. His work is appreciated by Hong Kong people and won a number of music awards, including the Best Compositions at Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation of many years, CASH Best Composer, Arranger and Producer awards, Gold Song Composition award at Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Concert, etc. • Work:
• A famous Hong Kong pop song composer, arranger, record producer and concert inspector born in 1967 in Hong Kong. He also composes soundtrack for movies. • After graduating from St. Joseph's College, Chiu met Michael Lai at a music competition. Lai employed him as a record producing assistant and this was the beginning of Chiu's music life. • Chiu has been the composer, arranger and producer for many renowned singers like Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Jacky Cheung, Hacken Lee, Sammi Cheng, Eason Chan, etc. In 1996, he composed soundtrack for the movie "Comrades: Almost a Love Story" and won the Best Original Film Score at Hong Kong Film Awards. When he was 30 years old, his career reached the climax when he became notable for being the conductor of the local original musical "Snow. Wolf. Lake". • In recent years, Chiu mainly worked as a concert inspector and record producer and the number of pop song compositions has decreased compared to the beginning of his career. • Chiu has been the concert inspector for singers and bands including Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Faye Wong, Kelly Chan, Hacken Lee, Joey Yung and F4. His musical works include:
• A famous soundtrack composer, composer, pop song producer born in 1961 in Hong Kong. • Kam moved to America when he was 14 years old and studied music at San Francisco State University. Later, he studied composition and arrangement at Dick Grove School of Music. After graduation, he came back to Hong Kong and started his music career. • At first, Kam dubbed in background music at an advertising company and later composed incidental music for films. His work became more well-known and has even won the Best Original Film Score at Hong Kong Film Awards for seven times. Meanwhile, he is a pop song composer and producer and has worked with singers like Sammi Cheng, Jordan Chan, Juno Mak and Jason Chan. • Kam's song "如果·愛" was awarded the Best Song at CASH Golden Sail Music Awards. Also, the song he composed for the movie "Isabella" has won the Best Original Film Score at Hong Kong Film Awards and Silver Bear, Film Music at Berlin International Film Festival. • Works: |