Kelvin Kwan
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Kwan is a cantopop
singer from Go East, a subdivision of Universal Music.
. His father is Hong Kong record producer William Kwan, an executive for the Hong Kong division of PolyGram
, who played in the band Teddy Robin and the Playboys
with his brother Teddy Robin in his youth. Due to the elder Kwan's close relationship with Hong Kong singer Alan Tam
, Tam became Kelvin Kwan's godfather. Kwan and Jill Vidal
shot to stardom by filming anti-drug commercials in Hong Kong.
, Kwan went on a trip to Taiwan
; after a night of karaoke
with his father's ex-coworkers, Kwan was offered an audition, and was signed to Universal Music's Taiwan division. A year later, he moved to Hong Kong. Tam immediately took Kwan under his wing, teaching him how to face the media and deal with their queries about his personal life, which began to arise in July 2006 after he was seen attending a concert with fellow Universal Music singer Gia Lin. Tam's relationship with Kwan continued to be a boost to Kwan's career; in August 2006, the pair recorded a music video of the duet "Big Cry Baby (大喊包)", which secured Kwan's popularity in the Hong Kong music industry. However, Tam has not been reticent in pointing out Kwan's flaws and errors publicly; in a September 2006 interview with the Sing Tao Daily
, he criticised Kwan's public speaking abilities and suggested he concentrate harder on singing during performances; Kwan reportedly felt awkward and hurt by Tam's words. Regardless, Kwan still credits a great deal of his success to Tam claiming that he would not be where he is today without his help and guidance.
Kwan's self-titled debut album was released on 11 October 2006. Among the songs on the album was Big Cry Baby, which only 5 days after the album's release was ranked as China's 4th most popular duet by China Central Television
.
took part in a "Anti-drug promotion" (禁毒滅罪耀北區) in Hong Kong's north district
.
were arrested in Tokyo over alleged possession of marijuana during an investigation into shoplifting
. The drugs were alleged to have been brought in from Hong Kong. Kwan's godfather, Alan Tam
, expressed disappointment with Kwan. On 28 March, he was released and he returned to Hong Kong On 2 April, he delivered a prepared speech where he expressed his "regret and remorse".
Kwan announced he would temporarily set aside his entertainment career. Baptist University journalism professor To Yiu-ming remarked that Kwan's press conference was a leaf out of Edison Chen's playbook, and that both "failed to show their courage and sincerity" by refusing to answer public questions.
Kwan would not return to the entertainment industry until more than a year later when he released his next album, Here I Am on 22 September 2010.
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
singer from Go East, a subdivision of Universal Music.
Family background
Born into a wealthy family, Kwan was raised in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His father is Hong Kong record producer William Kwan, an executive for the Hong Kong division of PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, who played in the band Teddy Robin and the Playboys
Teddy Robin and the Playboys
Teddy Robin and the Playboys was a 1960s HK English pop band. The most notable members were Teddy Robin , who has a successful career as a singer/songwriter and as actor/filmmaker; and Norman Cheng , who later in the 1970s went on to become a top executive in charge of the Southeast Asian...
with his brother Teddy Robin in his youth. Due to the elder Kwan's close relationship with Hong Kong singer Alan Tam
Alan Tam
Wing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
, Tam became Kelvin Kwan's godfather. Kwan and Jill Vidal
Jill Vidal
Jill Vidal, often referred to as Wei Si or simply as Jill, was a Hong Kong-based female urban pop singer. Vidal is of Chinese, Korean, and Filipino ethnicity with British nationality...
shot to stardom by filming anti-drug commercials in Hong Kong.
Music
In 2004, during the summer vacation after his first year of university in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Kwan went on a trip to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
; after a night of karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
with his father's ex-coworkers, Kwan was offered an audition, and was signed to Universal Music's Taiwan division. A year later, he moved to Hong Kong. Tam immediately took Kwan under his wing, teaching him how to face the media and deal with their queries about his personal life, which began to arise in July 2006 after he was seen attending a concert with fellow Universal Music singer Gia Lin. Tam's relationship with Kwan continued to be a boost to Kwan's career; in August 2006, the pair recorded a music video of the duet "Big Cry Baby (大喊包)", which secured Kwan's popularity in the Hong Kong music industry. However, Tam has not been reticent in pointing out Kwan's flaws and errors publicly; in a September 2006 interview with the Sing Tao Daily
Sing Tao Daily
The Sing Tao Daily is Hong Kong's second largest Chinese language newspaper. It is owned by Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, of which Charles Ho Tsu Kwok is the chairman. Its English language sister paper is The Standard...
, he criticised Kwan's public speaking abilities and suggested he concentrate harder on singing during performances; Kwan reportedly felt awkward and hurt by Tam's words. Regardless, Kwan still credits a great deal of his success to Tam claiming that he would not be where he is today without his help and guidance.
Kwan's self-titled debut album was released on 11 October 2006. Among the songs on the album was Big Cry Baby, which only 5 days after the album's release was ranked as China's 4th most popular duet by China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
.
Community service
Kwan and Jill Vidal participated in a number of community service activities aimed at preventing drug use and shoplifting. They were the spokepersons for the "Say no to drugs" campaign (向毒品說不), a program aimed to prevent the younger generation to avoid drugs. In 2006 and 2008 Kwan and Jill VidalJill Vidal
Jill Vidal, often referred to as Wei Si or simply as Jill, was a Hong Kong-based female urban pop singer. Vidal is of Chinese, Korean, and Filipino ethnicity with British nationality...
took part in a "Anti-drug promotion" (禁毒滅罪耀北區) in Hong Kong's north district
North District, Hong Kong
North District is the northernmost district of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the northwestern part of the New Territories. The new town of Fanling-Sheung Shui is within this district. It had a population of 298,657 in 2001. The district has the second lowest population density.It...
.
Arrest
On 3 March 2009, Kelvin Kwan and his girlfriend Jill VidalJill Vidal
Jill Vidal, often referred to as Wei Si or simply as Jill, was a Hong Kong-based female urban pop singer. Vidal is of Chinese, Korean, and Filipino ethnicity with British nationality...
were arrested in Tokyo over alleged possession of marijuana during an investigation into shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
. The drugs were alleged to have been brought in from Hong Kong. Kwan's godfather, Alan Tam
Alan Tam
Wing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
, expressed disappointment with Kwan. On 28 March, he was released and he returned to Hong Kong On 2 April, he delivered a prepared speech where he expressed his "regret and remorse".
Kwan announced he would temporarily set aside his entertainment career. Baptist University journalism professor To Yiu-ming remarked that Kwan's press conference was a leaf out of Edison Chen's playbook, and that both "failed to show their courage and sincerity" by refusing to answer public questions.
Kwan would not return to the entertainment industry until more than a year later when he released his next album, Here I Am on 22 September 2010.
Discography
- 2006-10-11: 關楚耀 首張同名專輯 (Self-titled Debut)
- 2007-11-20: 你當我什麼 (What Do You Take Me For)
- 2008-10-22: Hello...My Name Is
- 2010-09-22: Here I Am