Hong Kong English pop
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Hong Kong English pop (
History
As English was the only
Pre-WWII
Many of the bandleaders and musicians were
1950s
In 1951, Frankie Laine recorded "Rose, Rose, I Love You" in Hong Kong, which is an English version of the popular Chinese song Mei gui mei gui wo ai ni composed by Chen Gexin (陳歌辛), and first recorded by Yao Lee in Shanghai 1940s.[1] In 1959 Tsai Chin recorded an English version of Yao Min's "The Second Spring", which featured in the London stage musical The World of Suzie Wong.[1]
1960s
Imported pop music in English language from the West such as The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Johnny Mathis enjoyed much popularity in the city.[3] Inspired by Western pop, Hong Kong artists started to produce Hong Kong's own pop music in English in the 1960s. The Kontinentals, a schoolboy band originating at King George V School, is often credited with being the first Hong Kong band to record original compositions in the style of British pop of the early 1960s. Lead singer and bassist Anders Nelsson and lead guitarist Roy Davenport, composed I Still Love You and I Think of Her, respectively, and the songs were chart-topping hits on the indie Orbit Records label owned by British jazz singer Gery Scott.
Prior to this most English-language recordings in the British Colony had been covers and with a few exceptions this trend continued through the 1960s. Nelsson continued as a singer songwriter with subsequent bands on the
Other Hong Kong English Pop artists include Judi Jim (詹小屏), D'Topnotes- 3 of their members include lead singer and bass player Christine Samson, drummer Michael Samson, singer Vikki Samson (the children of bandleader Lobing Samson), Michael Remedios and The Mystics, Danny Diaz & The Checkmates. Based in hotels and ballrooms, Hong Kong nightclubs featured both Filipino and Chinese dance bands often fronted by local female singers. At the upper end of the market,
Other bands include Giancarlo and his Italian Combo, The Corsairs, The Reynettes and The Fabulous Echoes, Mystics, the Zoundcrackers, the Downbeats, and the Side Effects, Mod East, Sons of Han, The Menace, Anders Nelsson, the Inspirations, The Menace and Joe Chen, The Black Jacks, The Quests (Mr. Rainbow) as well as folk songs by artists including Buddy Wong, the Willows, the Nautics, the Swinging Monstrels, The Young Men, the Gabriels.[1] and The Thunderbirds by
1970s
English-language pop imports remained very popular in the territory.
A Midsummer Night Festival concert at
1980s
The rise of Cantopop drew some English-language pop singers to Cantopop in 1980s, such as Rowena Cortes, Kenny Bee and Alan Tam of The Wynners, Roman Tam of Roman and the Four Steps. Beyond, formed in 1983 and later achieved decades long unparalleled success in Hong Kong, released some of their early works in English, such as"Long Way Without Friends" and "Myth". The Citybeat was formed in the 1980s and achieved brief moderate success before moving to Cantopop.
Modern times (2000s)
Today, pop music in English language remains popular among Hongkongers, second only to C-pop. While most Hong Kong artists now sing primarily in Cantonese, it remains common for Hong Kong artists to include English tracks in their albums. Some artists produce more English works than others, artists who produced substantial works in English include Wakin Chau, Chet Lam, Janice Vidal, The Pancakes, Ghost Style, etc.
Kelly Chen released the English language single Lover's Concerto in 1998, which became popular in South Korea in 1999. Faye Wong released the English language single Eyes on Me in Japan and later North America[6] as the theme song of Final Fantasy VIII which received global exposure and critical acclaim. <dr chan] released English album Touch of Love in 2000. Teresa Carpio collaborated with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, performed series of concerts and released a double disk English album.
Other artists who are fluent in English include
Notably, there has been a revival of the use of the English language in the indie and alternative scenes, the language of choice among bands such as Innisfallen, Hard Candy, 22 Cats, My Little Airport, Audiotraffic, etc.[1]
There is a surge in popularity with Hong Kong singers releasing audiophile CDs in English. The popular audiophile singers include Astor Fong, Susan Wong, Anders Nelsson and Mimi Lo. These audiophile CDs are mostly covers of jazz numbers or easy listening standards. Concerts and club gigs featuring Anders Nelsson, Teresa Carpio, Joe Junior and other singers from the 1960s and 1970s performing in English have been well attended. Some of these performances have been nostalgia concerts featuring hits from those decades but the trend is towards adding jazz and swing standards and rearranged versions of old hits to reflect the international popularity of light jazz.[citation needed]
One of the new Hong Kong's English Pop Stars to rise to fandom is rapper and Hong Kong local Lucas Scibetta, oft referred to by his compatriots and fellow gangbangers as "SkiBs the Kid". His rise to fame followed the release of his hit single Hong Kong Kids,[7] a beat-heavy anthem calling the children of Hong Kong to unite and "give it up" because they "don't give a f***".
Meanwhile, some local musicians in Hong Kong seek to connect with the outside world, collaborating with musicians from countries of the Western world. In 2019, local female singer-songwriter Gin Lee collaborated with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti, releasing an English-Italian single "Vale per sempre".[8] Local electronic music producer Zight collaborated with American singer Chris Willis and Italian DJ duo Maximals, publishing their single "Work It Harder" for the British music chart.[9]
2020s
Since the 2020s, many new musicians who focused on English pop songs have emerged in Hong Kong. In the
On the other hand, local
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hong Kong Institute of Education. "HKIedu." Article. Retrieved on 25 June 2008.
- ^ Chan Yuen-Ying (2000) The English-language media in Hong Kong World Englishes 19 (3), 323–335 , Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong
- ^ ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- ^ Web UK Online, Bruce Lee Articles In The Shadow Of A Legend – Robert Lee Remembers Bruce Lee by Steve Rubinstein
- ^ Trans World 60's Punk Hong Kong 60s Re-capture
- ^ Maeda, Yoshitake (1999). Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack (Limited Edition). DigiCube.
- ^ "Expat rapper Lucas Scibetta causes row with Hong Kong Kids video". 30 September 2012.
- ^ "EROS RAMAZZOTTI "Vale per sempre" insieme a GIN LEE".
- ^ "Zight Presents His Latest Release: "Work It Harder" with Chris Willis and Maximals". 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Tyson Yoshi九展騷採取實名制入場 四場門票開賣即售罄". am730 Newspaper. 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Gareth.T November Rain 2022". hkticketing.