Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent pioneers that shaped the identity of Cantopop during the 1980s and became known for his flamboyant, often outrageous stage appearance. His venture into acting in the 1990s was recognised for his portrayal of queer characters in a then-conservative film industry. His career was marked with both praise and criticism, with numerous public discussions focusing on his sexual orientation and androgynous persona.
Cantopop or HK-pop is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hong Kong popular music from the middle of the decade. Cantopop then reached its height of popularity in the 1980s and 1990s before slowly declining in the 2000s and experiencing a slight revival in the 2010s. The term "Cantopop" itself was coined in 1978 after "Cantorock", a term first used in 1974. In the eighties Cantopop has reached its highest glory with fanbase and concerts from all over the world, especially from Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. This is even more obvious with the influx of songs from Hong Kong movies during the time.
Sammi Cheng Sau-man is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dubbed by the media as the "Cantopop Queen". Having success in entertainment industry for over three decades, Cheng is also best known for her roles in Hong Kong rom-com films in the early 2000s that were box office hits.
Faye Wong is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter. Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong. Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and her debut album Shirley Wong (1989) came to public attention in the early 1990s by singing in Cantonese, often combining alternative music with mainstream Chinese pop. Since 1994, she has recorded mostly in her native Mandarin. In 2000, she was recognised by Guinness World Records as the "Best Selling Canto-Pop Female". Following her second marriage in 2005, she withdrew from the limelight, but returned to the stage in 2010.
Joseph Koo Kar-Fai was a Hong Kong composer. He used the pen name Moran (莫然) for Mandarin songs early in his career. According to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Koo was one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong.
Jacky Cheung Hok-yau is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and multimillion-selling albums. His successful music and acting career has made Cheung one of Hong Kong's icons. He was elected by Time Magazine as one of the "25 most influential people in the New Hong Kong". Cheung set the Guinness World record for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months during his "Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century World Tour", with 2,048,553 audience members.
Danny Chan Pak-Keung was a Hong Kong singer, songwriter, records producer and actor. He is widely recognised as the first modern day pop idol in Hong Kong, gaining fame alongside performers Alan Tam, Anita Mui, and Leslie Cheung, who were collectively known as "Three Kings and a Queen" (三王一后) or "Tam Cheung Mui Chan" (譚張梅陳) in the 1980s. He actively engaged in various charity shows and activities. His innate fashion sense was renowned in Hong Kong show business. Chan is best remembered for his Cantopop romance ballads and soul touching music compositions. His most renowned works include "Waiting", "Life Expectation", "Ripples", "Loving You Alone" and "Cherish Tonight". Chan passed away on October 25, 1993, after being in a coma for 17 months.
Eason Chan Yick Shun is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Chan was ranked sixth in the 2013 Forbes China Celebrity Top 100 List.
James Wong Jim was a Cantopop lyricist and songwriter based primarily in Hong Kong. Beginning from the 1960s, he was the lyricist for over 2,000 songs, collaborating with songwriter Joseph Koo on many popular television theme songs, many of which have become classics of the genre. His work propelled Cantopop to unprecedented popularity.
Deanie Ip is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She has won the Hong Kong Film Awards once for Best Actress and three times for Best Supporting Actress. Deanie also won the Golden Horse Awards once for Best Leading Actress and twice for Best Supporting Actress; she also won a Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. Her Cantopop albums were released by Universal Music Group and several local labels. A Hakka of Huiyang ancestry, she speaks Cantonese, Dapeng dialect, Mandarin and English.
Jade Solid Gold is a music show on the TVB Jade television channel in Hong Kong. It has been running since October 10, 1981.
Anthony Wong Yiu-ming is a Hong Kong singer, songwriter, actor, record producer and political activist. He rose to prominence as the vocalist for the Cantopop duo Tat Ming Pair during the 1980s before embarking on a solo career. He also performed and collaborated with the theatre group Zuni Icosahedron. Wong is the director for music production company People Mountain People Sea. He also co-founded the LGBT rights organization Big Love Alliance and the non-profit charitable organization Renaissance Foundation.
Shirley Kwan, Milo Kwan, Bik Luik Kwan, Kwan Suk'E, or Kwan Suk Yee is an influential Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. Kwan first shot to fame in 1989 with the hit, "Happy Are Those in Love" (難得有情人) and was widely popular throughout the early to mid-1990s. She is noted for her distinct, whispery vocal style and known equally for singing mainstream ballads and more alternative songs.
Tat Ming Pair is an experimental Cantopop duo formed in Hong Kong in 1985 by composer Tats Lau (劉以達) and vocalist Anthony Wong Yiu-ming (黃耀明). Their blend of Cantopop, synthpop, new wave and electronic dance music with lyrics that reflected contemporary social, political, and literary themes, made them one of the first alternative and most influential bands of the 1980s Hong Kong music scene. The band enjoyed critical and commercial success until a hiatus in 1990. After their breakup, Wong proceeded as a solo artist while Lau went into acting although the duo have reunited several times over the years.
Denise Ho Wan-see is a Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer and actress. She is also a pro-democracy and Hong Kong human rights activist. In 2012, Ho came out as lesbian, the first mainstream Cantonese singer to do so. In 2014, Ho was blacklisted by the Chinese government and by the luxury brand Lancome for her participation in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Ho is a Canadian citizen.
Eman Lam Yee-man is a Hong Kong singer and songwriter. Lam and Ellen Joyce Loo were part of the vocal duo at17.
The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s. The group consists of Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Bennett Pang, Danny Yip (bass), and Anthony Chan (drums).
Chan Fai-young is a Hong Kong Cantopop composer. Chan was born in Macau in 1970. He attended Berklee College of Music, an American college in Boston, Massachusetts.
Kawai Wong is a magazine editor, writer and fashion stylist. She started her Hong Kong journalism career with Time Out Hong Kong in 2010 and went on to edit the Shopping & Style section. Wong helped to re-invent the section by adding new regular fixtures such as Things We Love About... and Style Agenda. Her notable works include a one-on-one interview with Tom Ford in 2011 and a six-hour interview with the "King of Asian Pop" Eason Chan in 2012. Wong also contributed to the official website of Hong Kong Tourism Board and translated articles for the arts webzine City Reborn. She had worked with Sasha Slater at London Evening Standard and Hilary Alexander at The Daily Telegraph. Wanderlister+ dubbed Wong a "tough as nail interviewer" in 2012.
Peter Lai is a Hong Kong lyricist and actor.
