Hong Kong Pop Industry
Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the Hong Kong pop industry has not changed over the years, and pretty much remains the same as it was during its formative years. Although many people (mainly outsiders) see Hong Kong's pop industry as dire, and completely devoid of musical talent, it is nevertheless, one of the biggest entertainment markets in Hong Kong. Sales generally reach billions of dollars every year, and it is a commodity that is eagerly consumed throughout South East Asia, and the numerous Chinese communities littered across the world.
Cantonese Pop (or Cantopop for short) had its influences from the West, and the music is usually a hybrid of local and international pop material, but it is the feel good taste of the saccharine ballads that dominates the market. Cantopop is likened to a business venture, as many see it as nothing more than to make lots of money - musical freedom is usually thrown out of the window. This is easily seen in a package society like Hong Kong, where the product (and packaging) is the priority. That is why Cantopop is created, packaged and marketed to an eager audience, whose obsession with their pretty idols (many of whom are talentless) is seen as an unlimited goldmine for producers and music companies.
Stars are literally made, and not born; their grooming to the top of the pyramid has been tried and tested, and usually never fails. This golden formula in which normal people can be turned into stars overnight has made Hong Kong's hit factories very rich indeed. Stars can generate million selling records, masses of souvenir merchandise, and sell-out concerts, attended by obsessive groupies who, like their Western counterparts, devote their lives to supporting their idol. Even though the music is usually dismissed by critics as mundane, fans still lap it up, and no wonder why, as albums usually include a plethora of bonus items, such as calendars, posters, photos etc. to cover up the fact that the songs are pretty much awful to listen to.
The success of Cantopop could be seen as an inexplicable phenomenon, but insiders know that it is due to the fact that marketing of Cantopop has been honed to an exact science, a brilliant strategy that has made this industry increasingly profitable. Face it, the companies are happy, the consumers are happy - everyone's happy. Why change a winning formula?
Music labels such as Sony, Warner, Polygram and Capital regularly send out scouts to find the next Jacky Cheung, or the next Faye Wong, and they usually look among the various talent contests, to the masses of actors, models, and television presenters. A lot who become singers are most likely because they were popular at the time, due to a hit television show or a movie, but whether they have the talent to sing is another thing, and many fade from the limelight before long.
Potential stars are usually groomed in a delicate way, and their road to fame is meticulously planned. Wardrobes are selected for them, they may have their names changed, their appearances altered to make them more accessible to the public, and they are coached into how to sing, act and behave in a manner appropriate for a star. When the time comes, they are let loose in a fanfare of huge publicity stunts and advertising deals, appearing non-stop on television programmes, radio shows, and showcase concerts.
CANTOPOP EXPLODES
Hong Kong's popular music during the mid 1900s were mainly songs inspired by Chinese classical opera, and usually sung in Mandarin. But the time came when Hong Kongers demanded songs in their own language - Cantonese.
This
was when Sir Run Run Shaw, owner of Hong Kong's biggest broadcasting network,
TVB, saw an opportunity to provide the Hong Kong people with local stars
and local music. He sent out people to scout for promising people, and
hired a songwriter to produce theme songs for his TV drama serials, which
eventually became more popular than the serials themselves. One singer
emerged during the 70s, Sam Hui Kwoon Kit, who is now considered to be
the God of Cantopop.
Sam Hui came from a working-class background, and he reflected this in his songs, mostly singing about the lives ordinary people live: going to work, earning money, falling in love etc. Sam loved Western music, and he adapted that into his own music, and needless to say, he became a huge star in Hong Kong. Hearing Western music in Hong Kong was common during the 70s, but it was a first that Western style music had Chinese lyrics attached to them.
And
as with most things popular, imitators would appear before long - one
of which was a band called The Wynners, an homage to the Beatles (about
names misspelled). The lead singer of this motley crew, Alan Tam, became
an even bigger hit than Sam Hui when Tam went solo during the 80s. His
popularity was unsurpassed as he dominated the music scene for a whole
decade. He had competition of course, and there were many to challenge
him for the Pop Crown.
One such as these was the boy wonder, Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing - a young upstart with a golden voice and even better boyish looks. Cheung had won a singing competition with a Japanese rendition of the song "Monica", and soon became a heart-throb with tens of thousands of adoring teenage girls. Fan clubs were set up and the first fan wars emerged. Fans of both sides literally attacked each other, physically and emotionally, and it became such a big controversy that both Tam and Cheung decided to retire from the business to stop the nonsense.
Singers
love to sing, and adore the attention they receive. Tam and Cheung could
not resist coming back to the industry, but their comebacks during the
early 90s were overshadowed by the Big Four. When they first retired in
1989/90, a search was on to find the next generation of superstars, but
why have one star when you can have four?
It was an ingenious idea, and in 1991, four men were given the grandiose title of "Grand Heaven King". A superficial title if there ever was one. However, it was a very intelligent marketing coup, and suddenly overnight, newspapers, magazines, and every other media imaginable plastered photos of the fabulous four all over their pages and screens. These four suddenly found themselves catapulted into the majestic realms of superstardom.
These four men were Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai and Andy Lau. They were a varied bunch, but because of successful marketing, they soon dominated the music business in the 90s, and still going strong into the new millennium. Their persistence, hard work, and the self-belief that they can become successful made them what they are today - the four biggest stars in Hong Kong's history.
