Shirley Kwan
Encyclopedia
Shirley Kwan, Kwan Suk’E, or Kwan Suk Yee is an influential Cantopop
singer from Hong Kong
. She first shot to fame in 1989 as a pop sensation with the hit, "Happy Are Those In Love
" (難得有情人) and was popular throughout the early to mid-90s. She is noted for her distinct, breathy vocal style, and known equally for singing ballads and for more alternative pop fare.
After a decade-long hiatus in the late 90s, she made a successful comeback in 2005 and is among the most acclaimed singers currently active in the Hong Kong music scene.
, along with Andy Hui
and Leon Lai
, but lost to both. Two years later, with the encouragement of a friend, she recorded a demo tape for the prestigious “Marine Blue” singing competition in Japan and won. She caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years. Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song “Borderless”.
. In March 1989, Kwan released her debut Cantonese album “Winter Love” (冬戀), with its R&B-influenced first single, “The Rebel” (叛逆漢子).
Her second album, “Happy Are those in Love
” (難得有情人), would produce her first major hit with its title track, which immediately propelled Kwan into Hong Kong stardom, and became the theme song to a popular day-time drama series on TVB. It was a No. 1 hit in various radio charts and a frequent request in Karaoke bars, making Shirley Kwan a household name, and its title becoming synonymous with Kwan's name for years to come. The album spawned four other hit singles such as the up-tempo “Lovers Underneath the Stars” (星空下的戀人), and had huge chart success. Being tipped as the next big thing in Cantopop, Kwan swept all the best-newcomer awards that year.
The following two years saw the release of four albums, in which Kwan started to develop a more individualistic style, incorporating elements from various musical genres. Though she scored another major pop hit in 1990 with 愛恨纏綿, she grew dissatisfied with only singing standard Cantopop fare, and wished to explore and diversify her own sound. Also evolving was her public persona, which matured from the early teen pop icon into a more sophisticated and mysterious artiste, noted for being fashion-forward with subtle hints of sex appeal. It is during this period that Kwan started covering New Age
music, such as the work of Gregorian
and Michael Cretu
. Kwan’s 1991 version of “Once In A Life Time”, renamed “Love Is Forever” (戀一世的愛) was presented back to back with the Gregorian original on the promo CD sent out to DJs, as a promotional strategy by PolyGram
.
From the same album, Kwan struck critics and audiences with her cover of Amina’s 1991 Eurovision winner, “Le dernier qui a parle”, renamed “Buddhist Chant” (梵音). With words written by legendary veteran lyricist, Andrew Lam
(林敏驄), the original Tunisian adventure was given an Eastern spin. Originally a sidetrack, “Buddhist” became a surprise hit as well as a memorable hit in Alternative Cantopop. It also represented her first struggles in artistic control, as she had had to fight long and hard with her production team to have the song included in the album.
Towards the end of 1992, the tabloid’s reception of Kwan has shifted dramatically. Years of relentless invasion into her private life has taken its toll, making Kwan increasingly indifferent towards the press. This unfortunately triggered even more media hostility as well as negative publicity. Disillusioned about her future as a public figure, Kwan took some time off to recover, only to return with yet another transformation.
In November 1993, Kwan released “The Story of Shirley” (真假情話), with the lead single “Solo” (一首獨唱的歌), followed by the minor hit “Fabricated Love Stories” (假的戀愛). This was another artistic breakthrough for Kwan, who was garnering increasing attention for her talents as a vocalist, pleasing critics who were surprised with a new and more polished sound.
Kwan further established her place as a critics' darling with her next album, “My Way
” released in the summer of 1994, which would be the last album containing all original Cantonese material until Shirley's Era in 2009. Singles included the acid-jazz influenced “Lost Legend” (逝去的傳奇) which sampled a riff from the Digable Planets
' 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick," and the immensely popular ballad “Cuddling Underneath the Stars” (繾綣星光下), which won numerous song awards at the ceremonies that year. Other songs included the traditional Chinese melody, “Arrow to the Heart” (心箭), the more techno influenced techno-influenced “Anxiety” (緊張) and “Out of This World” (驚世感覺), and another popular ballad “Farewell” (告別戀曲). The album, together with a new crew-cut look which has now become iconic, was one of the most celebrated albums in 1994, enjoying both commercial and critical success.
With increasing confidence in her musical style, Kwan had wanted to produce something musically coherent for her next album and asked producer Joseph Ip (葉廣權) and eight different sound engineers to rearrange ten of her favourite Cantopop songs which she handpicked for her new tribute album.
The result, was “'EX' All Time Favourites
,” released to much anticipation in February 1995. Familiar classics of Cantopop icons such as Anita Mui
(梅艷芳), Leslie Cheung
(張國榮) and Alan Tam
(譚詠麟) were reworked with psychedlic and electro influences, with Kwan singing in her trademark tone punctuated with breathy whispers. Much to Donald Ashley’s credit, the innovative reworking of Teresa Teng
(鄧麗君)’s “Forget Him
” (忘記他), released as the lead single, elevated Kwan to a new level of recognition in the industry. It was featured in Wong Kar-wai
(王家衛)’s 1995 arthouse feature “Fallen Angels
” (墮落天使). Interestingly, the same tune was reworked yet again in “What a Pity” (可惜), sung with new Mandarin lyrics and to spare acoustic accompaniment for the Taiwanese release of 'EX'. Achieving critical acclaim as well as commercial success, 'EX' is widely regarded to be one of the best Cantopop albums ever produced, and set off a wave of tribute album fever in Hong Kong.
In the summer of 1995, Kwan released her third compilation album, "Journey of Life" (世途上 新曲＋精選), containing two new singles, "He needs you, She needs You" (他需要你, 她需要你), a dreampop track which incorporated the traditional Chinese instrument Erhu
(二胡), and the minor hit, "Are There Real Friends in Life" (人生可有知己), a pop ballad which has since became a concert favourite.
Six years after her debut, Kwan finally held her first large scale solo concert in July 1995 at the Hong Kong Coliseum
(紅磡香港體育館). Presenting a balanced mix of hits and album tracks, "The One and Only Shirley Kwan In Concert" (難得有一個關淑怡演唱會) was enthusiastically received and capped the most successful year in her career. Kwan had to encore for an unprecedented four times in the last show, as fans refused to leave.
After 7 years at PolyGram, Kwan’s contract came to an end in 1996. A final PolyGram studio album was initially scheduled for release in summer 1996, containing three American collaborations, “Infectious” (傳染) and “Elusive Love” (愛難尋) written by Andy Goldmark, and “Mumbling” (自言自語 ) by Suzanne Fountain, along with seven other tracks. However, due to Kwan's departure, PolyGram released the material separately in 1997’s compilation “Connection” (心靈相通) and 1998’s EP “eZone”.
Kwan spent the second half of the 90s mostly away from the public eye, but managed to strike up some significant collaborations with friends and fellow contemporaries Lau Yee Tat (劉以達) and Anthony Wong Yiu Ming (黃耀明), formerly of the legendary Tat Ming Pair
(達明一派). The first of these included “Blessed Mary” (萬福馬利亞), a duet with Wong satirising Hong Kong's materialism; “Cuddle 28800BPS” (繾綣28800BPS), a collaboration with Lau, a song dealing with cyber love; and “Forget If It’s Him or Her” (忘記他是她) - a remake of the gender ambiguous Tat Ming classic, at their request. In 1997, Kwan lent her vocals to the theme song of a radio drama produced by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, “Take Me to a Dance” (帶我去跳舞) which featured a soprano backing vocal mixed in with a thumping dance beat. In 1999, she held a “Music Is Live” concert organized by Commercial Radio, sparking rumours of a possible come back, but to no avail.
(譚詠麟) in “Rekindle The Flame” (舊情復熾), a Cantonese remake of the French ballad “J'ai murmure va-t-en”. The news of Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong’s airwaves, and “Rekindle” took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.
Two months later, Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group (大國文化) by the famous producer, Frankie Lee Chun. The first single “About Me” (關於我) saw Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon. Bluntly autobiographical, it is an uncompromising account of her struggle against the paparazzi and hostility from the media in Hong Kong. Supported by extensive airplay, “About Me” steadily climbed to the top of various radio charts, and its limited-release special edition CD sold out within a day.
In early February 2006, the eponymous EP "Shirley Kwan" was released, introducing the second brand new single, “Evolution” (進化論). This coincided with the release of a 3CD-Karaoke plus DVD compilation by Universal Music (formally PolyGram
), entitled “All About Shirley,” which to fans' delight, contained side projects and rare tracks dating back to the very beginning of her career in Japan.
To much anticipation, three comeback concerts, “Being Shirley On Stage” (關於我 關淑怡演唱會) were held in late February, at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum. Performing her biggest hits in reverse chronological order, Kwan garnered positive reviews for the performance, which dominated entertainment headlines for a week. In the final encore, Kwan famously covered Eason Chan
(陳奕迅)’s “Today Next Year” (明年今日) to a standing ovation, and a sing-a-long audience of 30, 000.
As her work for Music Nation drew to a close, Shirley released two new songs in 2007 as an independent artist for songwriter Keith Chan (陳輝陽)’s multimedia musical “12 faces of woman” (十二金釵眾生花) at the 2007 Hong Kong Arts Festival. This included the theme song “All Living Flowers” (眾生花), released in February, which featured traditional Chinese and Western string instruments.
In March 2007, Shirley released the single “Just Once” (只得一次), which was the theme song to the primetime TVB sitcom series “Best Selling Secrets
” (同事三分親), and which went onto reach No. 1 on the TVB music charts.
2008 saw a new concert series, "Unexpected Shirley Kwan in Concert," held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 24–25 April 2008.
2009 saw the long-anticipated release of a full-length studio album, "Shirley's Era," which contains all radio singles released in 2007-2008, and newly recorded material. This marks her first Cantonese studio album since 1994's All Time Favourites.
2010 October, Shirley performed a live concert "One Starry Night" in Macau Venetian.
(王家衛) to make a guest appearance in Happy Together. She was flown to Argentina in five days' notice and ended up spending more than two months there. Starring opposite Tony Leung Chiu Wai
(梁朝偉) and Chang Chen
(張震), Kwan played Lai Yiu-fai's mysterious and lonely secret admirer and also recorded a cover of "Cucurucucu Paloma" (Song of Dove) for the film's soundtrack. However, her scenes were all deleted from the final version of the movie, for which Wong later went onto win Best Director at the Cannes
.
It took another three years for Kwan's scenes to surface, when they were included in the making-of documentary, "Buenos Aires Zero Degrees" (布宜諾斯艾利斯之攝氏零度). This documentary premiered at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival
out of competition, and was also shown at the 2000 Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
in Taiwan
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 Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She first shot to fame in 1989 as a pop sensation with the hit, "Happy Are Those In Love
Happy Are Those in Love (album)
Happy Are Those In Love is the best-selling studio album by Hong Kong solo artist Shirley Kwan, released in November 1989. The title track "Happy Are Those In Love" was one of the biggest hit in the history of Cantopop.Also see -Track listing:...
" (難得有情人) and was popular throughout the early to mid-90s. She is noted for her distinct, breathy vocal style, and known equally for singing ballads and for more alternative pop fare.
After a decade-long hiatus in the late 90s, she made a successful comeback in 2005 and is among the most acclaimed singers currently active in the Hong Kong music scene.
Early Years (1986-1988)
Kwan was born in Hong Kong, the middle-child to an affluent family. At age 15, she moved to Los Angeles, where she later studied fashion design in college. Kwan had her first taste of the limelight in 1986 when she became one of twelve finalists in TVB's New Talent Singing AwardsNew Talent Singing Awards
New Talent Singing Awards or NTSA for short, later re-organized into New Talent Singing Awards International Finals or NTSA International Finals for short), and most currently re-named TVB8 International Chinese New Talent Singing Championship is an annual singing...
, along with Andy Hui
Andy Hui
Andy Hui Chi-On is a Hong Kong singer and film actor. Hui was the First Runner-up in the 5th Annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1986. Hui has appeared in about 25 films....
and Leon Lai
Leon Lai
Leon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...
, but lost to both. Two years later, with the encouragement of a friend, she recorded a demo tape for the prestigious “Marine Blue” singing competition in Japan and won. She caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years. Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song “Borderless”.
PolyGram Period (1989-1995)
Kwan’s Marine Blue success in Japan quickly led to her discovery by PolyGramPolyGram
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:...
. In March 1989, Kwan released her debut Cantonese album “Winter Love” (冬戀), with its R&B-influenced first single, “The Rebel” (叛逆漢子).
Happy Are Those in Love (album)
Happy Are Those In Love is the best-selling studio album by Hong Kong solo artist Shirley Kwan, released in November 1989. The title track "Happy Are Those In Love" was one of the biggest hit in the history of Cantopop.Also see -Track listing:...
” (難得有情人), would produce her first major hit with its title track, which immediately propelled Kwan into Hong Kong stardom, and became the theme song to a popular day-time drama series on TVB. It was a No. 1 hit in various radio charts and a frequent request in Karaoke bars, making Shirley Kwan a household name, and its title becoming synonymous with Kwan's name for years to come. The album spawned four other hit singles such as the up-tempo “Lovers Underneath the Stars” (星空下的戀人), and had huge chart success. Being tipped as the next big thing in Cantopop, Kwan swept all the best-newcomer awards that year.
The following two years saw the release of four albums, in which Kwan started to develop a more individualistic style, incorporating elements from various musical genres. Though she scored another major pop hit in 1990 with 愛恨纏綿, she grew dissatisfied with only singing standard Cantopop fare, and wished to explore and diversify her own sound. Also evolving was her public persona, which matured from the early teen pop icon into a more sophisticated and mysterious artiste, noted for being fashion-forward with subtle hints of sex appeal. It is during this period that Kwan started covering New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
music, such as the work of Gregorian
Gregorian
Gregorian might refer to:* The thought or ideology of Pope Gregory I or Pope Gregory VII *Things named for Pope Gregory I:**Gregorian chant** Gregorian mass**Brotherhood of Saint Gregory...
and Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
. Kwan’s 1991 version of “Once In A Life Time”, renamed “Love Is Forever” (戀一世的愛) was presented back to back with the Gregorian original on the promo CD sent out to DJs, as a promotional strategy by 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:...
.
From the same album, Kwan struck critics and audiences with her cover of Amina’s 1991 Eurovision winner, “Le dernier qui a parle”, renamed “Buddhist Chant” (梵音). With words written by legendary veteran lyricist, Andrew Lam
Andrew Lam
Andrew Lam is a Vietnamese American writer. He was born in South Vietnam, where he led a privileged life as the son of General Lâm Quang Thi of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He attended Lycée Yersin in Dalat....
(林敏驄), the original Tunisian adventure was given an Eastern spin. Originally a sidetrack, “Buddhist” became a surprise hit as well as a memorable hit in Alternative Cantopop. It also represented her first struggles in artistic control, as she had had to fight long and hard with her production team to have the song included in the album.
In November 1993, Kwan released “The Story of Shirley” (真假情話), with the lead single “Solo” (一首獨唱的歌), followed by the minor hit “Fabricated Love Stories” (假的戀愛). This was another artistic breakthrough for Kwan, who was garnering increasing attention for her talents as a vocalist, pleasing critics who were surprised with a new and more polished sound.
My Way (Shirley Kwan album)
My Way is the ninth Cantonese studio album by Hong Kong solo artist Shirley Kwan, released in July 1994.-Track listing:...
” released in the summer of 1994, which would be the last album containing all original Cantonese material until Shirley's Era in 2009. Singles included the acid-jazz influenced “Lost Legend” (逝去的傳奇) which sampled a riff from the Digable Planets
Digable Planets
Digable Planets is an American alternative hip hop trio based in New York City, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler , Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving . They released their debut album Reachin' in 1993, and their follow-up album Blowout Comb in 1994...
' 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick," and the immensely popular ballad “Cuddling Underneath the Stars” (繾綣星光下), which won numerous song awards at the ceremonies that year. Other songs included the traditional Chinese melody, “Arrow to the Heart” (心箭), the more techno influenced techno-influenced “Anxiety” (緊張) and “Out of This World” (驚世感覺), and another popular ballad “Farewell” (告別戀曲). The album, together with a new crew-cut look which has now become iconic, was one of the most celebrated albums in 1994, enjoying both commercial and critical success.
The result, was “'EX' All Time Favourites
EX All Time Favourites (album)
'EX' All Time Favourites is a Cantopop/Mandopop tribute album by Hong Kong solo artist Shirley Kwan, released in 1995. It was published in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Japan, and later remastered in 1997.-Track listing: Hong Kong Release:...
,” released to much anticipation in February 1995. Familiar classics of Cantopop icons such as Anita Mui
Anita Mui
Anita Mui Yim-fong was a popular Hong Kong singer and actress. During her prime years she made major contributions to the cantopop music scene, while receiving numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout most of her career, and was generally regarded as a cantopop diva...
(梅艷芳), Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung
Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing , nicknamed elder brother , was a film actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".In 2000, Cheung was named Asian Biggest Superstar by China Central...
(張國榮) and 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...
(譚詠麟) were reworked with psychedlic and electro influences, with Kwan singing in her trademark tone punctuated with breathy whispers. Much to Donald Ashley’s credit, the innovative reworking of Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng
Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
(鄧麗君)’s “Forget Him
Forget Him
"Forget Him" is arguably the most widely known Cantonese pop song ever produced. Written by Hong Kong media maverick James Wong, it was originally sung by Teresa Teng and was included in her first Cantonese album, "势不两立" ....
” (忘記他), released as the lead single, elevated Kwan to a new level of recognition in the industry. It was featured in Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
(王家衛)’s 1995 arthouse feature “Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels (1995 film)
Fallen Angels is a 1995 Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Charlie Yeung and Karen Mok.Fallen Angels can be seen as a companion piece to Chungking Express...
” (墮落天使). Interestingly, the same tune was reworked yet again in “What a Pity” (可惜), sung with new Mandarin lyrics and to spare acoustic accompaniment for the Taiwanese release of 'EX'. Achieving critical acclaim as well as commercial success, 'EX' is widely regarded to be one of the best Cantopop albums ever produced, and set off a wave of tribute album fever in Hong Kong.
In the summer of 1995, Kwan released her third compilation album, "Journey of Life" (世途上 新曲＋精選), containing two new singles, "He needs you, She needs You" (他需要你, 她需要你), a dreampop track which incorporated the traditional Chinese instrument Erhu
Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
(二胡), and the minor hit, "Are There Real Friends in Life" (人生可有知己), a pop ballad which has since became a concert favourite.
Six years after her debut, Kwan finally held her first large scale solo concert in July 1995 at the Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum
Hong Kong Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena, in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.It was built by the Urban Council and inaugurated on 27 April 1983....
(紅磡香港體育館). Presenting a balanced mix of hits and album tracks, "The One and Only Shirley Kwan In Concert" (難得有一個關淑怡演唱會) was enthusiastically received and capped the most successful year in her career. Kwan had to encore for an unprecedented four times in the last show, as fans refused to leave.
Kwan spent the second half of the 90s mostly away from the public eye, but managed to strike up some significant collaborations with friends and fellow contemporaries Lau Yee Tat (劉以達) and Anthony Wong Yiu Ming (黃耀明), formerly of the legendary Tat Ming Pair
Tat Ming Pair
Tat Ming Pair is a Hong Kong singing group, which consists of Anthony Wong Yiu Ming and Tats Lau . The group was formed in 1985 and enjoyed success until 1990 when the group decided to disband. Anthony proceeded as a solo artist while Tats went into acting. The group had a short reunion stint in...
(達明一派). The first of these included “Blessed Mary” (萬福馬利亞), a duet with Wong satirising Hong Kong's materialism; “Cuddle 28800BPS” (繾綣28800BPS), a collaboration with Lau, a song dealing with cyber love; and “Forget If It’s Him or Her” (忘記他是她) - a remake of the gender ambiguous Tat Ming classic, at their request. In 1997, Kwan lent her vocals to the theme song of a radio drama produced by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, “Take Me to a Dance” (帶我去跳舞) which featured a soprano backing vocal mixed in with a thumping dance beat. In 1999, she held a “Music Is Live” concert organized by Commercial Radio, sparking rumours of a possible come back, but to no avail.
BMG Period (2001)
In 2001, Kwan signed a contract with BMG in Taiwan, and published the critically acclaimed Mandarin album, Freezing Flame. However, after the extravagant press conference announcing Kwan's partnership, BMG soon ran out of money for promotion and the album sold poorly. Kwan was already pregnant at the time and left for America shortly after on an indefinite break.Music Nation Period (2005-2006)
In fall 2005, Kwan stepped into the recording studio once again and duet with music veteran Alan TamAlan 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...
(譚詠麟) in “Rekindle The Flame” (舊情復熾), a Cantonese remake of the French ballad “J'ai murmure va-t-en”. The news of Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong’s airwaves, and “Rekindle” took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.
Two months later, Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group (大國文化) by the famous producer, Frankie Lee Chun. The first single “About Me” (關於我) saw Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon. Bluntly autobiographical, it is an uncompromising account of her struggle against the paparazzi and hostility from the media in Hong Kong. Supported by extensive airplay, “About Me” steadily climbed to the top of various radio charts, and its limited-release special edition CD sold out within a day.
In early February 2006, the eponymous EP "Shirley Kwan" was released, introducing the second brand new single, “Evolution” (進化論). This coincided with the release of a 3CD-Karaoke plus DVD compilation by Universal Music (formally 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:...
), entitled “All About Shirley,” which to fans' delight, contained side projects and rare tracks dating back to the very beginning of her career in Japan.
Eason Chan
Eason Chan Yik-shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop...
(陳奕迅)’s “Today Next Year” (明年今日) to a standing ovation, and a sing-a-long audience of 30, 000.
As her work for Music Nation drew to a close, Shirley released two new songs in 2007 as an independent artist for songwriter Keith Chan (陳輝陽)’s multimedia musical “12 faces of woman” (十二金釵眾生花) at the 2007 Hong Kong Arts Festival. This included the theme song “All Living Flowers” (眾生花), released in February, which featured traditional Chinese and Western string instruments.
In March 2007, Shirley released the single “Just Once” (只得一次), which was the theme song to the primetime TVB sitcom series “Best Selling Secrets
Best Selling Secrets
Best Selling Secrets is a TVB modern sitcom series broadcast from March 2007 to August 2008.The sitcom is about office politics in an advertisement company, as well as family and romantic relationships amongst the characters....
” (同事三分親), and which went onto reach No. 1 on the TVB music charts.
Star Entertainment Period (2007- Present)
In June 2007, longtime friend and veteran producer Herman Ho (何哲圖) recruited Shirley to his the new company “Star Entertainment Ltd.” (星娛樂有限公司), which is financed by Neway Karaoke Box (Neway卡拉OK).2008 saw a new concert series, "Unexpected Shirley Kwan in Concert," held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 24–25 April 2008.
2009 saw the long-anticipated release of a full-length studio album, "Shirley's Era," which contains all radio singles released in 2007-2008, and newly recorded material. This marks her first Cantonese studio album since 1994's All Time Favourites.
2010 October, Shirley performed a live concert "One Starry Night" in Macau Venetian.
Shirley Kwan on Film
In early 1997, Kwan was chosen by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-waiWong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
(王家衛) to make a guest appearance in Happy Together. She was flown to Argentina in five days' notice and ended up spending more than two months there. Starring opposite Tony Leung Chiu Wai
Tony Leung Chiu Wai
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is a Hong Kong film actor and former TVB actor. A major film star since the 1990s, Leung has won nine Hong Kong Film Awards and three Golden Horse Best Actor awards...
(梁朝偉) and Chang Chen
Chang Chen
Chang Chen is a Taiwanese actor, born in Taipei, Taiwan. His name is sometimes seen in the Western order . He is the son of a Taiwanese actor Chang Kuo Chu and brother of a Taiwanese actor, Chang Han .-Career:...
(張震), Kwan played Lai Yiu-fai's mysterious and lonely secret admirer and also recorded a cover of "Cucurucucu Paloma" (Song of Dove) for the film's soundtrack. However, her scenes were all deleted from the final version of the movie, for which Wong later went onto win Best Director at the Cannes
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
It took another three years for Kwan's scenes to surface, when they were included in the making-of documentary, "Buenos Aires Zero Degrees" (布宜諾斯艾利斯之攝氏零度). This documentary premiered at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
out of competition, and was also shown at the 2000 Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962, by Government Information Office, Republic of China...
in Taiwan
Filmography
| Release Date | Title | Title in English | Role |
| 1992 | 九二神鵰之痴心情長劍 | Saviour of the Soul II Saviour of the Soul II Saviour of the Soul II is a 1992 Hong Kong film. Although the film shares the same Chinese title as Louis Cha's The Return of the Condor Heroes, it is unrelated to the novel... |
Supporting Actress |
| 1994 | 鐵拳無敵孫中山 | The Invincible Dr Sun | Cameo Appearance |
| 1996 | 廢話小說 | Out of the Blur (silent, short feature film) | |
| 1997 | 春光乍洩, 收錄於「攝氏零度．春光再現」/「布宜諾斯艾利斯之攝氏零度」 | Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together | Leading Lady; All scenes deleted from Happy Together, but included in this documentary |
Personal life
In September 2005, Kwan revealed in an interview on RTHK that she is a proud single mother, and has a 5 year old son. She, however, declined to disclose further details about the boy's father and called on the media to respect the privacy of her family.Criticism
Apart from the long string of hostility and spats between Kwan and the media, her critics often found it ironic that Kwan's most celebrated work was a tribute album rather than an "original" piece of art.Trivia
- Kwan has never had a manager.
- Before becoming famous, Kwan used to work in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as a fashion designer in the 80s for two years. - "Happy Are Those In LoveHappy Are Those in Love (album)Happy Are Those In Love is the best-selling studio album by Hong Kong solo artist Shirley Kwan, released in November 1989. The title track "Happy Are Those In Love" was one of the biggest hit in the history of Cantopop.Also see -Track listing:...
" was originally written for another PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram 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:...
CantopopCantopopCantopop 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, Priscilla ChanPriscilla ChanPriscilla Chan Wai-han is a female Cantopop singer in Hong Kong.-Background:Chan has a younger brother and sister. Her father is a retired senior officer of Hong Kong Immigration Service. She attended Marymount Secondary School in Happy Valley, Hong Kong...
.
- "Out of This World" (驚世感覺 ) sampled a dialogue from the 1991 Chinese movie "Raise the Red LanternRaise the Red LanternRaise the Red Lantern is a 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. It is an adaption by Ni Zhen of the 1990 novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong...
" between the third mistress and the fourth mistress (played by Gong LiGong LiGong Li is a Chinese film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States....
): "你知道我和她生孩子的事吗？我们俩是差不多时间怀孕的。" Translation: Do you know about our pregnancies? We conceived around the same time! - When the 1995 tribute album was conceived, Kwan wanted to call it 'Ex', but record executives worried that it might be too abstract for the record buying public.
- Kwan was invited to perform in front of Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in a dinner banquet in Japan back in November 1995, along with other pop stars from Japan and Taiwan. - Kwan has stated that she was not upset by the exclusion of her scenes from the 1997 movie "Happy TogetherHappy Together (film)Happy Together is a 1997 Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, that depicts a turbulent romance between two men...
", as the whole unscripted filming experience was more of an experiment to her and she was only lending a help hand to a friend. - Kwan's wardrobe for the 2006 "Being Shirley On Stage" concert was partly sponsored by Christian DiorChristian DiorChristian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
. - Kwan's wardrobe for the 2010 "One Starry Night" concert was sponsored by Versace
- Artists who have influenced Kwan: Elizabeth FraserElizabeth FraserElizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins...
(Cocteau TwinsCocteau TwinsCocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
), BjörkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, William OrbitWilliam OrbitWilliam Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
, MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
http://www.suk-e.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=423&highlight=有誰共鳴
