Do You Think Hong Kong Artist Can Sing?

[SkineePanda]

Ivana Wong, Khalil Fong and Hins Cheung are the only new people that seem to have talent and worth listening to.

Everyone else just seem to blend into mediocrity.

[arachidonic]

I don't know about the new artists; never exactly listen to them now. But Janice and Twins deserves an acknowledgement, and there are still some old singers who are still in the business that can sing; Leo Ku, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng, Sally Yeh etc

[MrIllusion]

No, but there was this time in the West called the "60s"...and during that halycon time, people really believed that art and pop could be one and the same. This was the era that gave the world the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, etc.

While it might not be so true today, at least the West had an era when it was. I don't think Hong Kong pop could claim the same.

I'm sure most people who consider themselves musicians would argue that music is an art-form for them. Whether we believe them or not is a different story.

A number of artists from HK do come to mind, like:

Emil Chou - wrote some of his own songs
Jacky Cheung - performed in a musical
Beyond - rock band without the drugs and bad attitude

[big master]

Emil Chou - wrote some of his own songs

i really like emil! he is talented and has got such a nice personality too always very cheerful

[flyingfox2002]

I'm sure most people who consider themselves musicians would argue that music is an art-form for them. Whether we believe them or not is a different story.

A number of artists from HK do come to mind, like:

Emil Chou - wrote some of his own songs
Jacky Cheung - performed in a musical
Beyond - rock band without the drugs and bad attitude

Yeah, Wong Ka Kui (Huang Jia Ju) was one of the greatest talent to come out of HK in a while. Wonder how his career would have progressed. When he died, Beyond was becoming very popular. KK had vowed to go back to the hardcore rock n' roll sound after they gained mainstream acceptance by being more commercial sounding.

It's just a shame that a great talent had to be the one to go. HK could have done without one of those idols. I won't name any names, but there sure isn't a shortage.

[LuNaR]

Yeah, Wong Ka Kui (Huang Jia Ju) was one of the greatest talent to come out of HK in a while. Wonder how his career would have progressed. When he died, Beyond was becoming very popular. KK had vowed to go back to the hardcore rock n' roll sound after they gained mainstream acceptance by being more commercial sounding.

It's just a shame that a great talent had to be the one to go. HK could have done without one of those idols. I won't name any names, but there sure isn't a shortage.

hehe another beyond fan i like beyond too

If we're using singers like Mariah Carey et al as a benchmark, then obviously Asian idol-types will appear sub-par. This isn't even up for discussion. But I find it pointless to compare budding Asian idols who aren't known for their singing with well-established song devas who are known for their powerful vocals.

In order to get a real feel for the situation, you need to compare Asian idols with Western idols. If we keep the comparison realistic, you'll find that the difference isn't really that great after all.

I mean, are the Spice Girls really miles ahead of SHE?

i agree

i prefer twins over the cheetah girls and anita mui over mariah carey. what u mean hk singers cant sing???

[KeongJai]

most of the HK singer has this particular style where they never go into the higher notes, for the male they just sort of staying in the mid range then flat out, for the female they go in what i would describe as a "female falsetto" so they will totally avoided the high notes with power, this is something where you never see in a Euro/American style of singing.

I agree with warlock. Most asian artists aren't really artists, just idols being churned out of a factory, HK especially. There hasn't many artists with range and dynamic talent especially this side of the century. The only ones I can think of that qualify off the top of my head are Eason Chan, Jacky Cheung, LeeHong from Taiwan and it shows in the variety of genre types they can sing in.
I can't think of any female performers that are on the same level as these guys, but I think maybe that S.H.E girl with the deep voice could do it if she wasn't shaped to be an idol type product but a proper performer instead.

Beyond couldn't sing(not that it's an important requirement in rock music), but they had much more to bring in their musical composing and songwriting talent- that and the fact that they were/are the only rock group in the region. Jay Chow and David Tao also aren't top level singers, but their composing ability can't be argued.

[christinatran]

I think after the early nineties, few talented singers were groomed. Instead idol stars were being promoted like crazy. I since stop listening to any new cantonese songs. I only listened to old classics of the 80s and early 90s. There some mandarin songs that are pretty good. It's a shame we now have to be tortured with talentless but cute singers such as Twins, Joey, Jill Vidal, Alex Fong, and etc.

I still couldn't understand what happened that cause a 180 degree turn. I remember singers back in the olden days really have to proof their stuff in order to survive in the business. Now, as long as you're cute and have the connections, that's all it matters.

Now people like the Twins who sing like cats screechings can actually win awards is simply embarassing.

[0-0-0]

i dun think edison's good, but then again, never heard much of him. I thought Twins were HEAPS crap when the first came out, but now they improved though I won't exactly say they're brilliant.

they have improved. the first live performance of theirs that i heard was utter crap, i couldn't believe they secured a singing contract. Now they sound ok live.

[LuNaR]

I think after the early nineties, few talented singers were groomed. Instead idol stars were being promoted like crazy. I since stop listening to any new cantonese songs. I only listened to old classics of the 80s and early 90s. There some mandarin songs that are pretty good. It's a shame we now have to be tortured with talentless but cute singers such as Twins, Joey, Jill Vidal, Alex Fong, and etc.

I still couldn't understand what happened that cause a 180 degree turn. I remember singers back in the olden days really have to proof their stuff in order to survive in the business. Now, as long as you're cute and have the connections, that's all it matters.

Now people like the Twins who sing like cats screechings can actually win awards is simply embarassing.

look @ american music.... ppl uttering swear words every second can win award.. its called rap. on top of that, theres people that scream like 10 words and they call that a song... metal. its not that much better... cause for pop its hilary duff and she is pretty bad

[0-0-0]

i like to see someone sing clay aiken's The way, i can't believe a geek like that got that kindda voice

i know this is off topic, but i think he has the dreamiest voice. i just LOVE listening to him sing. I've never watched him in American idol, but i think he did a performance somewhere and i heard his voice and fell in love!

PS, I know Faye Wong has a reputation as a talented singer, but I don't like her singing style at all.

i'm not a big fan of Faye's singing style either, but she sounds quite good live, which is more than i can say for most hong kong singers.

[kidd]

I can't vote. I want a 'some can sing' option.

[kidd]

i like to see someone sing clay aiken's The way, i can't believe a geek like that got that kindda voice, i never watched him on american idol until recently when they did a comparison of Blake Luis and him singing the same song as their performance "Mack The Knife"... i got to say, the geek got a voice. Another singer on american idol that i think has a good voice is Kelly Clarkson, the girl is crazy strong in voice, in particular i listen to alot of different music in different languages, I have seen "good" from asia, but not "great" like some of the american artist, not sure if it's the culture that built these people or because of the teaching/style they learn from. I dislike Rubin Studdard, Kerry Underwood, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks, this season winner is also not as good as some of the other season, I don't watch alot of American Idol but i do tune in for the finally because it's always a good show ...

I don't think loud=good. I've never warmed up to Kelly Clarkson's belting. Yes, she can definitely belt, but her voice doesn't sound nice when she belts. I like it more when she sings soft. Voice quality wise, I think Carrie Underwood has a more beautiful voice.

Clay Aiken as a wonderful voice, but he tends to oversings too sometimes.

[KeongJai]

the old faye wong songs were quite good, then she went through this experimental phase which was ... weird, but also ok. she's still heaps better than any of the new people out today.

[kidd]

the old faye wong songs were quite good, then she went through this experimental phase which was ... weird, but also ok. she's still heaps better than any of the new people out today.

The old Faye Wong's songs are generic pop songs. It's her new experimental songs that becomes her signature and defines her.

[kidd]

Btw, I think Don Li is a good singer. He can really sing live (he was a guest in an episode of 'The Unforgettables'). Too bad he's stuck with songs that don't let him display his vocal ability. Bad EEG.

[KeongJai]

still, faye's generic pop songs of the 80's are still miles ahead of the generic HK pop of today. I don't know, some of her weird songs just didn't sound that great, but some were pretty good. She's also had that pitchy voice all along which I didn't really like and the experimental stage just emphasised it more. I liked the music during that phase, just not her voice.

[LuNaR]

still, faye's generic pop songs of the 80's are still miles ahead of the generic HK pop of today. I don't know, some of her weird songs just didn't sound that great, but some were pretty good. She's also had that pitchy voice all along which I didn't really like and the experimental stage just emphasised it more. I liked the music during that phase, just not her voice.

miles ahead? i dont think so...

i like joey yung - i can fly
miriam yeung - big city small problem (something like that)
leo ku - love too late
eason - that song in jade solid gold
etc etc, dont wanna list em all

i agree that faye is better, but not miles ahead... maybe a few inches or feet

[KeongJai]

woops i should have said, in general the generic pop songs of the 80's is still miles ahead of the generic pop songs of today.

Wong faye was not the best of the 80's/90's so she shouldn't be compared to the best of today's artists.

joey yung can't sing live for nuts. especially that i can fly song.it's composed well, but not well sung.
Miriam isn't much better live. ps: it's small city big problem
i've already given my opinion on eason that he's among the top of today's singers and I'd class leo close to him but still below.
Also, I was really thinking of the new singers of today. all these good to semidecent came out around 10 years go

[Canuck21]

look @ american music.... ppl uttering swear words every second can win award.. its called rap. on top of that, theres people that scream like 10 words and they call that a song... metal. its not that much better... cause for pop its hilary duff and she is pretty bad

To you it may be just screaming but others may like it. It's just a different artistic expression. Whether it's metal, punk or rap, it's a question of taste. When it comes to talent though, one has to be objective. Like I'm no fan of rap but I can say that Eminem has talent. I'm no fan of heavy metal either but some bands are really good musicians. Can you say the same thing about Hong Kong artists nowadays? What I like about music in the West is that you have all kinds of genre and various degree of talent, much more so then in Asia. Can you name me one Asian artist that is popular and can write his or her own music and lyrics?