Music & Movement Singapore

26/12/2024

14/02/2022

The stage was bursting with talents at Xingpop 2.0 ! It was heartwarming to see the gathering of old and new friends to bring the very very best of Singapore Chinese pop to an enthusiastic audience. Every song in the show was the work of local talents and musical director extraordinaire Goh Kheng Long did a marvelous job in breathing new life to many familiar hits. It was wonderful to be able to work in a performance venue again after two years but what made it sweeter was the friendly team at Esplanade and the camaraderie between all the performers. Beyond entertaining the audience, I hope the messaging behind the concert can inspire more people to come forth to share their music talents.

30/12/2021

BILINGUAL - Welcome 88
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The I.M.Pei designed Raffles City opened to the public in October 1986 and became an instant success for its massive “city within a city” concept. One year later they partnered with Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) to present the live telecast of the 1987 countdown party.

This was one of SBC’s first outdoor New Year’s Eve concerts and it attracted a huge turnout. I was lucky to be appointed the producer of the show.

To me, New Year’s Eve shows are very special because they are supposed to be both reflective and forward-looking while keeping the audience in a party mood. Hence, I crafted a program that could, hopefully, be a template for future New Year’s Eve shows.

Apart from performances of high energy items, I decided to add video summaries of the important entertainment news of that year and also featured live interviews with local personalities who have made headlines in Singapore with their achievements.

If done correctly, this kind of programme, like special year-end editions of magazines and newspapers, should be a reflection of a specific place in a given time and should be of great archival value. Given the high viewership, I thought it was important to feature up and coming new artists alongside the ones who were very popular. And, most importantly, the focus was on Singapore talents.

Welcome 88! was a big success and we were asked to produce the live telecast again the following year at Raffles City. Welcome 89 ! was even bigger in scope and I asked for not 1 but 2 linked stages to be built in the mall. Watching these old tapes made me miss the way we celebrated then.

Mediacorp subsequently did many more big events to ring in the new year but many of them placed too much focus on the foreign guest artists. I suppose the competition from live telecasts of regional New Year’s shows with big names on cable TV make this necessary but I still believe that there are ways to maintain formats and traditions that support our local agenda. Just look at the way NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, the Japanese Red-White Song Contest, survived for more than 70 years on a basic male vs female performance template.

The Pandemic brought about so many changes and top amongst them is the way celebratory events are muted in scale and format. It will be a long time before we can experience the same kind of mega concert events that we used to know. But, just for the sake of nostalgia, here is the almost complete Welcome 88! show as it appeared on SBC Channel 5 at around 10:30 PM on 31st December 1987. (*Some short segments are edited because of poor picture quality)

While it may be a fun trip for those who remembered the show, I hope it can also catch the interest of younger Singaporeans not only because it shows them the way we use to party but also highlight to them a time when local talents had an important place in the entertainment scene here. Enjoy!

The I.M.Pei designed Raffles City opened to the public in October 1986 and became an instant success for its massive “city within a city” concept. One year l...

15/12/2021

Asian Stars Singing In English 2
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Sandy Lam (林忆莲）– You’re My Man
Sandy is one of the few Asian artists who has recorded many English albums. Her Cantonese cover of this Viktor Lazlo’s song became a big hit for her in Hong Kong when she entered the “City Girl” phase of her singing career in the 80s. She did not record this song in English and so this is one rare occasion when she sang it at SBC’s 10th Anniversary show. It was also the first time that I worked with her and who is to know that years later, I would end up managing her for a period of time.

Sarah Chan （陈淑桦） - The Right to Sing
Sarah started recording in English only after she joined EMI in the 80s. She returned to her Chinese pop roots after EMI and had her career peak with Rock Records. She retired unceremoniously in the early 2000s. Fans are still hoping that she will make a comeback soon.

Teresa Carpio （杜丽莎） – Medley
Tracy Huang’s one-time label mate in EMI, Teresa started her career in Hong Kong clubs and became a popular recording artist after the overnight success of her debut EMI album. Her vocal prowess is unmatched and her recordings under that label are still some of the best in Asian styled English pop. She resides in Canada now but still performs around the world. She is also respected as a vocal trainer for many new Asian artists.

Eliza Chan (陈洁灵）- Medley
Eliza, another sought after vocal teacher in Hong Kong, was the lead singer in an HK band called The New Top Notes and they recorded several English cover albums under EMI (HK). After leaving the band, she became one of the popular Cantopop artists with numerous hits. These English songs were specially recorded for an SBC TV special that featured her as a guest artist.

Maggie Teng （邓妙华）– To Sir with Love
Maggie, Singapore’s first successful pop music export to Taiwan in the 80s, started her singing career when she was very young. In the early days, she recorded mainly in Mandarin but when Tracy Huang started the trend of English covers here, her recording company was quick to catch the trend by making her record in English as well. This is one of the songs from those early recordings.

Leslie Cheung （张国荣） – Even Now
Leslie started his illustrious recording career with his one and only English album. Although he spoke perfect English ( having been educated in England) and often sang in English at his live concert performances, he did not record another full English album. Even Now, a cover of Barry Manilow’s hit was taken from that debut English album. The video was shot in an empty radio auditorium in SBC @ Caldecott Hill. I had a wistful moment while watching the video, realizing that the venue is gone and the star has left us; leaving behind precious memories that make up a part of my youth.

Sandy Lam – You’re My Man Sandy is one of the few Asian artists who have recorded many English albums. Her Cantonese cover of this Viktor Lazlo’s song became...

19/10/2021

BILINGUAL - Asians Singing in English
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The 70s was a great time for English pop recordings by Asian artists. The scene was vibrant in Hong Kong with artists like Sam Hui, Agnes Chan, Teresa Carpio, Frances Yip, Chelsea Chan and The Wynners but the trend started in Taiwan only after Tracy Huang became a top seller for English cover songs in the region.

In Singapore, the excitement of the English pop recording scene in the 50s cooled off by the early 60s. It was not until the early 70s when Tracy Huang, who migrated to Singapore after she married a local businessman, shocked the music world by registering record-breaking sales for her English debut album, Feelings.

Suddenly, EMI, the record label, was signing and recording big local acts like Anita Sarawak, Matthew Tan and The Mandarins, Tony Terry and Spencer and the likes. Even local Chinese labels started recording English covers for their top Mandarin singers like Maggie Teng.

Soon, Taiwanese acts caught the wave and singers like Emile Chou, Jeff Zhang, Julie Su, Chyi, Alex Toh and so on were flying to Singapore to record their English albums; choosing to work with our top producer and studio engineer the late Reggie Verghese and Vincent Lim, the original team behind Tracy’s success.

This trend of Asian artists recording English hits continued till the 90s when the recording industry took on a different direction, but that’s a different story for another day.

At the peak of the trend, I had the opportunity to work with several of these artists and here are some of the clips that I produced during that wonderful period in the 80s.

Tracy Huang （黄莺莺） - Somewhere In time
Although Tracy made a big career with English covers, she occasionally recorded original materials in English, especially in her later catalogues. Somewhere In Time, the Christopher Reeve-Jane Seymour movie was a big hit in the region but the much-loved theme music did not have lyrics. So she invited local musician, Belinda Foo to penned some beautiful words and viola, you have this ultra-romantic ballad.

Emile Chou （周华建） – How Can I Believe
This is one of two original compositions on Emile’s 1988 debut English language album. Although there is a certain Asianness to the melody, the overall effect still works well as an English pop song. This is one of my favourite outdoor shoots with Emile and Jane Li ( the featured actress in the video). The beautiful weather gave a certain dream-like nostalgia to the song.

Frances Yip （叶丽仪）– In Your Eyes
Inexplicably, I always thought that there are similarities between Emile and Frances. Other than the fact both of them are from HK and are effectively trilingual, there is a certain down to earth approach to the profession that both share. This song was my only collaboration with Frances when I was at the station but fortunately, at M&M, I have the opportunity to produce many concerts for this ultra-professional and graciously elegant lady here and abroad.

Rowena Cortes （露云娜）– Fireflies
Rowena was a much sought after teenage idol for music and movies when she started her career in Hong Kong. She retired in the 90s and has recently just started returning to the stages in Hong Kong with concerts and TV appearances.

Teresa Teng （邓丽君）– Designer; Music/Stupid Cupid
One of the special allures of the late Teresa Teng is her ability to sing in many languages. She is seen here in a lively segment that she performed as a guest for the productivity series that I produced in the 80s.

Sally Yeh （叶倩文）– The Dolphin Song
Technically, Sally, who hails from Canada, did not put out a full English album but on her numerous Chinese recordings, English songs are often added as bonus tracks. Thankfully there are enough tracks for me to produce a full English TV special for her and this loving dedication to dolphins, originally by Olivia Newton-John, is one of them.

The 70s was a great time for English pop recordings by Asian artists. The scene was vibrant in Hong Kong with artists like Sam Hui, Agnes Chan, Teresa Carpio...

23/07/2021

BILINGUAL - Mandopop of the 80s 3
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Unlike their Western counterparts, the Chinese pop music business in the 80s did not operate on a singles chart system. Instead, the record label identifies 2-3 songs on an album that are considered main plugs and the promotion of the album project centred around these selected songs. The main focus of promotion was in Taiwan and usually, by the time the artists arrive in Singapore as part of the promotional tour, the bona fide hits are already created.

However, the music taste of Singaporean audiences can be quite different from Taiwan. Hence, the main plug songs occasionally may differ. To ensure strong sales, some companies even include extra songs to cater to the Singapore and Malaysian markets.

Artist’s promotional trips to Singapore and Malaysia usually last about a week. To ensure maximum exposure, the itinerary usually starts in Singapore before heading to Malaysia and returning to Singapore for the last burst on radio and TV.

It was the golden age of entertainment on TV and there were 6 live Chinese variety shows every week (one per night from Monday to Saturday). So, there were ample opportunities for promotional appearances by these artists. Naturally, the label executives always tried to prioritise the main plug songs on all the appearances. However, the top management at the TV station sometimes frown upon such blatant commercialisation and came up with rulings that restrict such repetition of songs, mandating that even though there is no limit to the number of programs an artist can appear in one week, they are not allowed to repeat any particular song more than once a week. So, the selection of the performance songs can sometimes be a matter of delicate diplomacy.

This ruling did not bother me too much because I preferred filming good non-main plug songs that had immediate appeal. That’s probably the reason why my edition of the program never achieved top ranking throughout its run.

This week’s selection of songs reflects all my preferred elements. New songs, old standards and wonderful songs that missed their chance for greatness by not being the main plug. Enjoy.

1. Fei Yu Qing 费玉清 – For Your Dream 只为你清清的梦
This is a lesser-known song from Fei, one of the top 2 male singers from Taiwan in the 80s (the other being Liu Wen Zhen – 刘文正) While he is more at home with slower ballads, this fast song shows off his versatility. Despite his gentlemanly demeanour, Fei is quite the consummate entertainer who excels in stage banter with the occasional lewd jokes to keep his female fans happy. He was very popular in the concert circuit around the world till his retirement two years ago.

2. Cai Qin 蔡琴 – The Wait 痴痴的等
Cai started out as a radio DJ and was one of the pioneers of the Taiwanese college folk song renaissance which changed the pop music scene in Taiwan. Her sensuous deep vocals also enabled her to create an image of a chanteuse of classic 50s and 60s Chinese standards. She is still actively performing in the concert circuit and her ability as a DJ made her concerts extremely entertaining.

3. Nana Jiang 江淑娜 – Misty Rain 烟雨濛濛
Nana is the sister of Jody Jiang (江惠), the top Female Hokkien (闽南语) singer in Taiwan. While she never attained the level of popularity as her sister, Nana did have a successful career with a variety of hits that include this theme song from a successful Taiwanese TV drama.

4. Happy Girls Group 开心少女组 – Innocent Romance 天真的爱情
Film stars usually do not have much time when promoting their movies in town. So, it was quite a privilege to have a full day of their time to film a music video. They are not an actual singing group even though they have several recordings. The albums are tie-ins to the Happy Ghosts series of movies created by Raymond Wong (黄百鸣). All three girls have their solo movie careers although May (罗美微), the one in pink, is probably best known as the better half of HK superstar Jacky Cheung (张学友).

5. Chris Hong Rong Hong 洪荣宏 – Mysterious Love 神秘的恋情
Being the top male Hokkien singer in Taiwan, he was already a superstar when he came to promote his first mandarin album (recorded decades after his debut in the Hokkien music scene. Surprisingly， he was incredibly humble and friendly. Although the mandarin recording did not take off, Chris is still highly respected by today’s pop music artists. Ah Pa 阿爸, his duet with Jay Chou (周杰伦) several years ago is the highlight of an all-star tribute album that celebrated the songs written by his father, Hong Yi Feng (洪一峰), one of the most revered pioneer composers of early Taiwanese Hokkien pop songs.

Unlike their Western counterparts, the Chinese pop music business in the 80s did not operate on a singles chart system. Instead, the record label identifies ...

26/06/2021

80s Mando Pop Part2 @楊慶煌@wyelengwong

While Hong Kong artists are widely known by their English names (think Alan, Kenny, Agnes, Chelsea, Anita, Jacky, Sandy, Pricilla, Leslie, and Danny), the sa...

24/06/2021

BILINGUAL - Mando Pop of the 80s 2
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While Hong Kong artists are widely known by their English names (think Alan, Kenny, Agnes, Chelsea, Anita, Jacky, Sandy, Pricilla, Leslie and Danny), the same cannot be said about their Taiwanese counterparts. Although there are exceptions, like Tracy, Julie, Sarah and Tarcy (I kid you not), most Taiwanese artists are more popularly known by their full Chinese names. Some research I did recently unveil their less-used English. So enjoy this second instalment of videos from Johnny, Henry, Roman, Jean, Jerry and Debby and join us next week for more, including a Nana and a Chris who, till today, is still regarded as the King of Hokkien pop.

1. Johnny Chiang 姜育恒 – Last Tenderness 最后的温柔
A Korean singer-songwriter who started his career in Taiwan by writing and singing in Mandarin. His melancholic ballads captured the hearts of young lovelorn kids in the 80s and made a comeback a few years back by touring extensively in China on the strength of his many hit songs. Last Tenderness is one of them.

2. Henry Yang 杨庆煌 – Green Schoolyard 菁菁校园
An actor who made a big splash in the pop music scene with a stunning debut album titled The Young Warrior (年轻战士). It helped that his sisters are already big names in the Chinese music scene. Henry left the music scene after a few years to concentrate on acting and can be still be seen in many Taiwanese TV drama productions today.

3. Roman Tan 罗文– I Love You
The late Roman Tam’s career started in the 60s when he sang on the soundtracks of many Hong Kong movies including those legendary Shaw Brother’s productions of the 70s. He made the switch to Cantonese songs in the 70s and became one of the top singers in the colony with his outspoken personality and outlandish costumes. In the 80s, he occasionally recorded in Mandarin again but they were not as popular as his Cantonese songs. This song, from his last few Mandarin albums, finds him in a more subdued mood.

4. Jean Shen Yen 沈雁 – Come Closer 靠近一些
Jean did not stay very long in the entertainment scene even though she recorded many hit theme songs for Taiwanese movies of that period. She was seldom heard again until earlier this year when the shocking news of her death from illness dominated the headlines of entertainment news in Taiwan. This is a tribute to the musical memories that she left behind.

5. Jerry Hsu Wei 徐伟 – Venus 维纳斯
Jerry, a bonafide teenage idol in the 80s, won the hearts of young girls and their mothers with his subtle androgynous charm, not unlike some of today’s K-pop singers. Fast forward several decades and a good friend who managed to locate him on the internet, convinced him to come out of retirement to stage a come-back concert in Singapore. It was an honour when she invited me to help her with some aspects of the concert production. It felt strange that, after so many years, he remained the quiet reticent artist on and off stage.

6. Debbie Zhou 周丹微 – I am A Flower 小花就是我
During this golden age of Chinese pop recording, it was a trend to have popular actresses record albums even though singing may not be their strongest suit. They include Tanny Tien Niu (恬妞), Terry Hu Ying Meng (胡茵梦), Grace Gwei Ya Lei (归亚蕾) and even Joey Wang (王祖贤) ( who recorded an album for a Japanese music label). Debbie was one such example and although she wasn’t the best singer around, her presence exudes tremendous confidence and star quality. I was so impressed with the images on her Taiwanese-produced press video kit that I incorporated them into the recording. Enjoy!

While Hong Kong artists are widely known by their English names (think Alan, Kenny, Agnes, Chelsea, Anita, Jacky, Sandy, Pricilla, Leslie, and Danny), the sa...

04/06/2021

BILINGUAL - Mando Pop of the 80s
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I was lucky to be working at the TV station during the golden age of Mando and Canto Pop in Asia. At that time, Singapore was considered an important market and SBC still had a monopoly of the Broadcasting media, so it is not surprising that many big Asian acts appeared in the station’s variety shows as part of their promotion campaigns.

During my seven years with the station, I had the opportunity to work with many of these big acts. I still remember the bravery of actress Joey Wong (王祖贤) who accompanied herself on a guitar while singing live on TV. That’s something that many experienced singers do not do on national TV. They mostly lip-synched.

Then there was Fong Fei Fei who spent an entire day shooting two music videos for me; one at a hotel swimming pool area and another on Nicoll Highway at midnight.

There was also the novel experience of producing my first live recording of the much-hyped Asian debut solo concert by Fei Xiang (费翔) who was the first ABC (American-born Chinese) to take Asia by storm. So much went into the preparation of this very well-promoted sold-out concert at the National Theatre that by showtime, poor Fei Xiang has lost his voice but courageously struggled through to the end. His fans certainly didn’t mind. Neither did the audiences who watched the two-part TV transmission several months later. The show also featured rare singing segments by the guest celebrity Hu Ying Meng (胡茵梦), a legendary actress known more for her many artistic and literary talents apart from singing and acting.

To top it all, I even had the opportunity of working with Japanese superstars like the late Hideki Saijo (西城秀树) and Shojyotai (少女队) who appeared on a live Saturday night variety show that I produced. It was indeed an eye-opener to witness the professionalism of the Japanese teams that came along with the stars.

Unfortunately, I have misplaced many of the recordings containing these performances. Thankfully, I did manage to find some of the rest and so, for the next few weeks, I will be sharing some of them here. For the uninitiated, watching them is akin to taking a course on 80s Mando-Pop 101 but for those who grew up on Mando Pop, maybe these videos will bring back some good memories.

我很幸运，真的很幸运。

在电视台的七年里，我有机会和当时最顶尖的歌手巨星合作。
那天找到以前在电视台带回来的一个文件夹，里面竟然是我制作的节目的production report。每一张报道都很清楚的记录了当时的节目表。甚至每一个节目的费用， 当然包刮了每一位上节目艺人的酬劳 。

以前没有太留意。 不过现在看到数目真的有一点吓到。 不管歌手唱几首歌，名气比较大的艺人一般可以收到一百块钱。 表演一整个四十五分的电视专辑的酬劳是两百元。不过令我最傻眼的是伴舞老师。无论他们伴几支舞，酬劳是同样的三十五元。 天啊！当时大家是怎样过活的！

所以如果当时没有大家对音乐和舞台表演的热爱，肯定我们的八十年代没有那么精彩和难忘！

1. Twilight Zone (迷离地带) by Kenny Bee (钟镇涛)
Popular Hong Kong singer-actor who started as one-fifth of The Wynners. This is one of the many Mandarin versions of hits from the Japanese group Anzen Chitai ( 安全地带) who was very popular throughout Asia in the 80s. Given the rather spooky nature of this video, it is a wonder that no one complained when I premiered it on the Chinese New Year Countdown Special.

2. Glass Heart (玻璃心) by Diana Yang Lin (杨林)
Popularly known as the Do-re-mi song, this song shot the Taiwanese singer-actress to instant fame. She became the visage of innocence that typifies the young female idol at that time. Her tall model-like stature compliments her star quality and is a strong reminder of Sally Yeh (叶倩文) who came to the scene a few years later.

3. Dreams Of The Past (回首的梦) by Angus Tung (童安格)
Angus wrote several hit songs for well-known singers before recording his albums. I remember Tracy Huang (黄莺莺) brought him to Singapore as a guest for her nightclub concert during the release of his debut album and I took the opportunity to record a few music videos with him while he was in town.

4. I am Still Young (我还年轻) Stella Zhang (张清芳)
Stella later became one of the top Taiwanese female singers who gave sold-out concerts all over the world. But this song was her break-out hit along with the duet with Fan Yi Wen (范怡文) which became massively popular with the younger set. This marked the beginning of the teenage pop music trend in Taiwan – songs written by young writers, performed by young singers for the young and young-at-heart.

5. From These Days (这些日子以来) Stella Zhang & Fan Yi Wen

I was lucky to be working at the TV station during the golden age of Mando and Canto Pop in Asia. At that time, Singapore was considered an important market ...

19/02/2021

BiLingual - Leslie Cheung
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Leslie was a bit of an enigma. The high-energy performer you saw on stage was quite different when he got offstage. Sensitive and unassuming, he was like a shy friendly neighbour who just happened to be a superstar at the same time.

I cannot say that I knew him well although our paths did cross many times during and after my stint at the TV station.

Our first project was for a 1986 television show in Singapore where he showcased several of his English songs from his one and only English album. In that programme, he also helped us promote the concept of Productivity in Singapore.

Owing to his busy movie filming schedule and the ban of dialect songs on SBC’s broadcasting platforms, he was rarely in town for any promotion.

On one rare occasion, while he was here for movie promotion, he managed to squeeze a few hours out for a pre-recording for me. It was a rare privilege and I grabbed it even though the confirmation came very late.

I had the studio for a live show that night and the rehearsal schedule was very tight. With insufficient time to set up a special set, I asked the props department for a simple sofa and some panels to be set up in the audience area. I was quite apologetic when Leslie arrived at the studio. He took a look and said “No Problem. Leave it to me”.

When the cameras rolled, he acted out the entire song with the ease that only a seasoned actor could do. That was one of the most touching performances in the music videos that I have ever produced.

“See you when I see you” had always been the attitude we adopted and when we did meet, the catching up is usually filled with fun and laughter because we had quite a number of friends in common.

A few months before he left us, I had dinner with him, his partner and our Japanese friend in Tokyo. He seemed more subdued but I thought he was just tired, having just arrived in Tokyo that day. Because I was leaving Tokyo the next day, there was no time for another meal. So, we said our usual goodbyes and "see you when I see you". Except for this time, there was no more chance of seeing him again.

Life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls at you. While you cannot turn back the hands of time to remove those unhappy events, you can always embrace the happier moments. For me, it was about the fun times; when he had to run like mad at Pierce reservoir to help me complete a one-shot sequence on the song "Daydreaming” and when he helped me turned a soulless set into a room of unrequited sad memories.

张国荣是一个有想法的人。

有想法的人会常常活在他们自己的世界里，看着他们想看的风景，听着他们想听的歌，梦着他们认为是美好的无暇的人生

对他们来说，这个世界应该是完美的如果遇到了不开心的事情，大不了可以跑进电影里音乐里，寻找短暂的安慰补充能量再回来面对必须面对的不完美

所以他会用一百分的力量，为了爱他的朋友来制造完美，无论在电影，音乐或演唱会里。
这是他的世界。不需你的认同，但绝对百分百邀请你和他分享。他的诚意就是他的自信的理由。

我记得有一次他来新加坡为电影作宣传。特别安排时间帮我的节目录影。因为一切来的很突然，我没有时间为他的歌曲安排特别的布景。只能从布景部门借来一张沙发和几片“墙”。当作是一间房间的一角。

张国荣来到摄影棚后，看到简陋的布景，脸上没有表情。在我还没有跟他道歉之前，他反而很有自信的对我说“不用怕。看我的！”

就这样张国荣涂上了一股淡淡的忧郁，穿过了简陋的棚景，带你到一个伤心的角落，唱出了一个男人的无奈和落寞，用了非常低调的情绪演出了一段令你痛心的好戏。这就是他独有的魅力。

我和张国荣不算很熟。不过在某个年代在某些地方，我们曾经合作过也曾经吃过饭喝过茶。因为他很少机会来新加坡工作，我们见面的地方反而是在国外–香港，东京–我们不常见面，不过每一次都会一见如故地无所不谈。反正我们互相认识的朋友也不算少，所以可以谈的题材永远不缺少。

我庆幸曾经认识这个非常特别的朋友。在他离开之前的几个月，我们曾在东京吃饭。当时发现他的话比以前少。还以为当时刚抵达东京的他很累。而因为我隔天就回国，就没有和他再约。以为我们还可以在香港见面。

世界上很多事情我们都不能预测。我遗憾无法和他再一起聊天。唯一的安慰就是借用这些音乐画面来见证过去的一些美好时光。

BiLingual - Leslie Cheung*Leslie was a bit of an enigma. The high-energy performer you saw on stage was quite different when he got offstage. Sensitive and u...

05/02/2021

BiLingual - Anita Mui
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I had the opportunity to work with many well-known celebrities in the 80s when I was with the television station and I found that, generally, the more famous the artist, the easier they are to work with. This had a lot to do with the respect they give to the business. Having risen from zero to hero usually in a slow, hard-earned way, they understood the value of hard work and team effort. They were less likely to complain even if it meant multiple retakes just to get the angle and lighting right for any given shoot.

Anita was one such artist. When I met her, she was already Hong Kong’s top diva. It was a little bit daunting to come face to face with a star of that magnitude.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by her friendliness and her willingness to cooperate in a time-consuming outdoor shoot even though she had a hectic back-to-back promotion schedule. That was for the song Dream Companion which was done in the interior of a local disco.

After that, she also appeared in a few more programmes I produced, singing in Mandarin and Japanese.

I worked with her a few more times after I left the station. The most unforgettable was a stage performance she gave to her fans in Canto, the biggest local Chinese disco at that time. The management of the club informed me that her management insisted that M&M produce that event for her. That made the team more determined to do the best for her.

The show proceeded very smoothly. However, towards the end of the show, she decided to have an impromptu audience request segment and the team had a frantic time, scrambling to locate the backing music of those unplanned songs from the unlabeled playback tape. On hindsight, it was good fun but one could tell that the type of friendly rapport she had with her beloved fans was the true secret to her success.

To this day, one of my biggest regrets is missing her farewell concert in Hong Kong. We were managing Sandy Lam at that time, and her management had invited Sandy to be a guest in one of the shows. I was invited to fly up to Hong Kong to attend the show. This late request clashed with an important meeting in Singapore and so I gave the trip a miss. It was her last performance and from the team who worked with her, I found that she was already ill then and had to pushed herself to complete the series of shows. This is truly the mark of a professional artist who devoted her life to the stage.

梅艳芳是亚洲娱乐圈的一个传奇！

我很庆幸有机会和她合作。发觉她成功的秘密就是对工作的敬业态度和对支持她的歌迷的那份爱和关怀。

在电视台期间，我替她拍了几首音乐录影带。最难忘的是拉队到本地的一家disco拍国语版的梦伴。
因为她逗留在新加坡的时间不多，活动被排得太紧凑。有时连吃饭的时间都没有。而在disco拍内景很费时间。每一个镜头单单是打灯就要几分钟。不过她一点也没有埋怨地配合拍摄工作。
可能因为在她的演艺生涯里，埋头苦干和慢慢耕耘已经是一种习惯。配合制作团队把眼前的工作尽力做得最好是一种很好的工作态度。

我记得在离开电视台之后有一个机会为她制作一场歌迷会。因为不常来新加坡，她在演唱会里表演的特别卖力。除了原来的歌单，还临时加了点唱单元。把45分钟的演出拉到一个多小时。慷慨大方的给了歌迷所要的。娱乐大家也娱乐自己。这种百分百的付出，是大牌歌手里难得一见的。

那这种态度的推动力又来自何方？我觉得应该来自她对喜欢她，支持她的朋友的那份责任感。一种江湖儿女所有的义气。你给一百分我还你两百。她对喜欢她的歌迷是万分的宠爱。退休后为了他们复出，也为了他们带重病把演唱会完成，为了就是给大家一个完美的回忆。

前年看了一部歌迷出钱为她拍的一部电影–拾芳。电影讲的不是她的成名史。而是她这一生给了这些歌迷的启示和对他们的影响。歌迷的故事里有她而她的故事里永远都不欠少爱她的歌迷。

BiLingual - Anita Mui*I had the opportunity to work with many well-known celebrities in the 80s when I was with the television station and I found that, gene...