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{{Short description|Genre of popular music in the Cantonese language}}{{EngvarB|date=May 2016}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}{{Demographics and Culture of Hong Kong}}

factoids

|s=粤语流行音乐|p=YuèyÇ” liúxíng yÄ«nyuè|tp=Yuè-yÇ” lióu-síng yin-yuèYüeh4-yü3 liu2-hsing2 yin1-yüeh4}}yue.3l2x2yin.4}}|bpmf=ㄩㄝˋ ㄩˇ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄧㄣ ㄩㄝˋ}}Cantopop (a contraction of “Cantonese pop music“) is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese.JOURNAL, Chu, Yiu-wai, Leung, Eve, Remapping Hong Kong popular music: Covers, localisation and the waning hybridity of Cantopop, Popular Music, 2013, 32, 1, 65–78, 10.1017/S0261143012000554, 162777037, Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=nZ0KgRcdLVUC&pg=PA227, Global America?: The Cultural Consequences of Globalization, Ulrich Beck, Natan Sznaider, Rainer Winter, 227, Liverpool University Press, 2003, 978-0853239185, 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 shrinking in the 2010s. The term “Cantopop” itself was coined in 1978 after “Cantorock”, a term first used in 1974.WEB,news.hkheadline.com/figure/index.asp?id=128, HKheadline.com, zh:Beyond 一代搖滾班霸, 27 December 2010, zh-hk, WEB,tw.twent.chinayes.com/Content/20130402/kh77sz20770cg.shtml, Leslie Cheung’s Popularity in Korea, Tw.twent.chinayes.com, dead,tw.twent.chinayes.com/content/20130402/KH77SZ20770CG.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20130403193854tw.twent.chinayes.com/content/20130402/KH77SZ20770CG.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20130403193854tw.twent.chinayes.com/content/20130402/KH77SZ20770CG.shtml, 3 April 2013, In the 1980s, Cantopop reached its highest glory with fanbase and concerts all over the world, especially in Macau, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. This was even more obvious with the influx of songs from Hong Kong movies during the time.Besides Western pop music, Cantopop is also influenced by other international genres, including jazz, rock and roll, R&B, disco, electronic, ballad and others. Cantopop songs are almost invariably performed in Cantonese. Boasting a multi-national fanbase, the genre has gained popularity in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Additionally, it has found following in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi in southeastern mainland China. Hong Kong remains as the significant hub of the genre.China Briefing Media (2004). Business Guide to the Greater Pearl River Delta. China Briefing Media Ltd. {{ISBN|988-98673-1-1}}.

History

1920s to 1950s: Shanghai origins

Western-influenced music first came to China in the 1920s, specifically through Shanghai.Broughton, Simon. Ellingham, Mark. Trillo, Richard. [2000] (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides Publishing Company. {{ISBN|1-85828-636-0}} Artists like Zhou Xuan () acted in films and recorded popular songs.When the People’s Republic of China was established by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, one of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce pop music (specifically Western pop) as decadent music. Beginning in the 1950s, massive waves of immigrants fled Shanghai to destinations like North Point in Hong Kong.BOOK, Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island, Wordie, Jason, 2002, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong, 962-209-563-1, As a result, many first generation Cantopop artists and composers hail from Shanghai.

1960s: Cultural acceptance

By the 1960s, Cantonese music in Hong Kong was still limited largely to traditional Cantonese opera and comic renditions of western music. Tang Kee-chan, Cheng Kuan-min (), and Tam Ping-man () were among the earliest artists releasing Cantonese records.The generation at the time preferred British and American exports. Western culture was at the time equated with education and sophistication,Wiltshire, Trea. [First published 1987] (republished & reduced 2003). Old Hong Kong – Volume One. Central, Hong Kong: Text Form Asia books Ltd. ISBN Volume One 962-7283-59-2 and Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis and The Ladybirds were popular.Conversely, those who did not prefer Cantonese music were not considered fashioned or educated. {{ill|Cheng Kum-cheung|zh|鄭錦昌}} and Chan Chung-chug () were two popular Cantonese singers who specifically targeted the younger generation. Connie Chan Po-chu is generally considered to be Hong Kong’s 657th teen idol, mostly due to her career longevity. Josephine Siao is also another artist of the era.

1970s: Beginning of the Golden Age (Rise of television and the modern industry)

Local bands mimicked British and American bands. Two types of local Cantonese music appeared in the market nearly concurrently in 1973: one type cashed in on the popularity of TVB’s drama series based on the more traditional lyrical styles. The other was more western style music largely from Polydor Hong Kong (). Notable singers from the era include Liza Wang and Paula Tsui. At the same time, television was fast becoming a household must-have that offered free entertainment to the public. For example, The Fatal Irony () and Games Gamblers Play () took the local music scene by storm as soon as they were broadcast on the radio and television.馮應謙.(2009). 歌潮．汐韻－香港粤語流行曲的發展.香港次文化.Soap operas were needed to fill TV air time, and popular Cantonese songs became TV theme songs. Around 1971, Sandra Lang, a minor singer who had never sung Cantopop before, was invited to sing a Cantonese TV theme song “A marriage of Laughter and Tears” (). This song was a collaboration between songwriters Yip Siu-dak () and the legendary Joseph Koo. It was ground-breaking and topped local charts. Other groups that profited from TV promotion included the Four Golden Flowers.Sam Hui is regarded by some to be the earliest Cantopop star. He was the lead singer of the band Lotus formed in the late 1960s, signed to Polydor in 1972. The song that made him famous was the theme song to Games Gamblers Play (), also starring Hui.WEB,www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/papers/tian-ci-%E2%80%93-faye-wong-and-english-songs-in-the-cantopop-and-mandapop-repertoire/, Tian Ci – Faye Wong and English Songs in the Cantopop and Mandapop Repertoire, Tony Mitchell, Local Noise, dead,www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/papers/tian-ci-%E2%80%93-faye-wong-and-english-songs-in-the-cantopop-and-mandapop-repertoire/," title="archive.today/20120803181700www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/papers/tian-ci-%E2%80%93-faye-wong-and-english-songs-in-the-cantopop-and-mandapop-repertoire/,">archive.today/20120803181700www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/papers/tian-ci-%E2%80%93-faye-wong-and-english-songs-in-the-cantopop-and-mandapop-repertoire/, 3 August 2012, The star of TV theme tunes was Roman Tam. Three of the most famous TV soap opera singers were Jenny Tseng, Liza Wang and Adam Cheng. The Wynners and George Lam also amassed a big fan base with their new style. Samuel Hui continued to dominate the charts and won the Centennial Best Sales Award in the first and second IFPI Gold Disc Presentations twice in a row in 1977 and 1978. Polydor became PolyGram () in 1978.It was at this time that the term Cantopop was first coined. The Billboard correspondent Hans Ebert, who had earlier coined the term Cantorock in 1974, noted a change in its style to something similar to British-American soft rock, therefore started to use the term Cantopop instead in 1978.JOURNAL, Cantopop Songs on Emigration from Hong Kong, Joanna Ching-Yun Lee, Yearbook for Traditional Music, 24, 1992, 768468, 14–23, International Council for Traditional Music, 10.2307/768468, 193080106, In 1974, as the theme song of The Fatal Irony () was very successful, TVB sold to the mainland and other countries and Cantopop reached overseas audiences through drama series.馮應謙.(2009). 歌潮．汐韻－香港粤語流行曲的發展.香港次文化

1980s: The Golden Age of Cantopop

During the 1980s, Cantopop soared to great heights with artists, producers and record companies working in harmony. Cantopop stars such as Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Sally Yeh, Priscilla Chan, Sandy Lam, Danny Chan, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau quickly became household names. The industry used Cantopop songs in TV dramas and movies, with some of the biggest soundtracks coming from films such as A Better Tomorrow (). Sponsors and record companies became comfortable with the idea of lucrative contracts and million-dollar signings. There were also Japanese songs with Cantonese lyrics.The “Queen of Mandarin songs” Teresa Teng also crossed over to Cantopop. She achieved commercial success with her original Cantonese Hits under the Polygram Label in the early 1980s. Jenny Tseng was another notable singers, who was born in Macau.In the 1980s, there came the second wave of “band fever” (the first wave came in the 1960–70s, which was much influenced by the global Beatlemania at that time. Young people thought that forming bands was fashionable. Many new bands emerged at that time, such as Samuel Hui’s Lotus, The Wynners, and the Teddy Robin and the Playboys. However, the bands emerged in this first wave were just copying the western music style, mostly covering British and American rock songs, and prefer singing in English rather than Cantonese). Different from the first wave in the 60s, the “band fever” in the 80s did not show an obvious relationship with the global culture at the time being, but much related with the marketing strategy of the local record companies and mass media. Many independent bands and music groups were signed by big record companies, and this made a positive impact to the Hong Kong pop music world, as their works were highly original, with strong individuality, and they were all devoted to writing songs in local language, i.e. Cantonese. The subjects of their works were different from the mainstream (which was mostly love ballads). Politics and social life were popular subjects for the bands in their creation. The “band fever” also brought variety in musical style to the Hong Kong mainstream music world (which was almost monopolised by Pop-ballad for a long time). Styles like Rock, Metal, Pop-Rock, Folk, Neo-Romantic, Pop and some experimental styles (e.g. Cantorock) were introduced. Among them, Beyond and Tat Ming Pair () gave the greatest impact to the Hong Kong music world. Some renowned bands and groups included: Beyond, (:zh:Raidas|Raidas), Tat Ming Pair, Tai Chi (), Grasshopper (), (:zh:小虎隊 (香港)|Little Tigers) (), (:zh:夢劇院 (香港)|Paradox) (), (:zh:藍戰士|Blue Jeans) (), (:zh:Echo (香港)|Echo), (:zh:風雲|Wind & Cloud) (), Citybeat ().The second wave of “band fever” also brought a group of new music lovers to the Hong Kong mainstream music world. Most of them were the just-grew-up generation, or the music lovers of the western Avant-garde music, also the Euro-American Rock-band lovers. This contributed to a great change in the population and age distribution of the music listeners from the 70s. Record companies were laying ever more stress on the buying power of these young new customers. The second wave of “band fever” emerged from the mid-1980s (around 1984) and reached its climax in 1986–87. However the “band fever” cannot put for a long time. Along with the death of the legendary Wong Ka Kui, the leader and co-founder of Beyond, in 1993, and the disband-tide emerged in the early 90s (Tat Ming Pair disbanded in 1990), the “band fever” gradually faded away and totally got down in the early 1990s.WEB, 馮禮慈,comebacktolove.blogspot.hk/2006/09/very1950-2002.html, zh:尋回耳朵——香港粵語流行曲VERY簡史（1950-2002）, , originally printed in Ming Pao Weekly, 2002.As Cantopop gained large followings in Chinese communities worldwide, Hong Kong entrepreneurs’ ingenious use of the then new Laserdisc technology prompted yet another explosion in the market.

1990s: Four Heavenly Kings era

In the 1990s in Hong Kong, the “Four Heavenly Kings” ()—Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok — dominated pop music, and coverage in magazines, TV, advertisements and cinema.WEB,www.gs.xinhuanet.com/jdwt/2007-05/29/content_10156535.htm, Xinhua News, 2 May 2007, zh:四大天王, 27 December 2010,www.gs.xinhuanet.com/jdwt/2007-05/29/content_10156535.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20110719143358www.gs.xinhuanet.com/jdwt/2007-05/29/content_10156535.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20110719143358www.gs.xinhuanet.com/jdwt/2007-05/29/content_10156535.htm, 19 July 2011, dead, WEB,ent.163.com/edit/020111/020111_111393.html, 163.com, zh:四大天王, 27 December 2010, They had wide audience across different regions, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia, and even South Korea. The female counterparts in this era were Faye Wong, Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen.The sovereignty handover created a culturally challenging atmosphere for the industry. Establishment of Basic Law and language ordinances made the adoption of Mandarin inevitable.cd1.emb.hkedcity.net/cd/scolar/html/finalreport_en.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20050405093748cd1.emb.hkedcity.net/cd/scolar/html/finalreport_en.pdf">“Action Plan to Raise Language Standards in Hong Kong”, Standing Committee on Language Education and Research. Retrieved 25 February 2007.In 2019, Andy Lau spoke of his desire for a reunion of the Four Heavenly Kings in an interview with the press.WEB, Andy Lau Wants An Epic Reunion For The Four Heavenly Kings - But Who’s Holding Them Back?,www.todayonline.com/8days/sceneandheard/celebrities/andy-lau-wants-epic-reunion-four-heavenly-kings-whos-holding-them, 2021-02-27, TODAYonline, File:TwinsConcert2007.jpg|thumb|Twins at the height of the group’s popularity]]

2000s: New era

At the turn of the century, Cantonese was still dominant in the domain of Chinese pop.Donald, Stephanie. Keane, Michael. Hong, Yin. [2002] (2002). Media in China: Consumption, Content and Crisis. Routledge Mass media policy. {{ISBN|0-7007-1614-9}}. pg 113 The deaths of superstars Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui in 2003 rocked the industry. In addition, with the Four Heavenly Kings fading out and the rise of Taiwan Mandopop singer-songwriter superstars like Leehom Wang, David Tao, Jay Chou and JJ Lin, influence of Cantopop started declining with fans turning to Taiwan Mandopop in the 2000s.During the period, a transitional phase also took place with many overseas-raised or overseas-educated artists such as Nicholas Tse, Coco Lee and Eason Chan gaining popularity and recognition. In 2006, Time magazine praised Eason Chan’s Cantonese album U87 as one of the “Five Asian Albums Worth Buying”.MAGAZINE, Garger, Ilya, Perry, Alex, Shum, Keane, Tedjasukmana, Jason, 2005-09-05, Five Asian Albums Worth Buying, en-US, Time,content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1101364,00.html, 2023-11-29, 0040-781X, Besides holding the record for winning the “Ultimate Male Singer - Gold” award (10 times) and “My Favorite Male Singer” award (9 conservative years) at the “Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation” in HK, Eason Chan also won numerous awards at major music award ceremonies locally and in other regions. He became one of the representative figures of Cantopop in the 2000s. Cantopop was not restricted only to Hong Kong, but became part of a larger music movement.In 2005, Cantopop began a new upswing. Major companies that drove much of the HK segment included Gold Typhoon Music Entertainment (EMI, Gold Label), Universal Music Group, East Asia Entertainment () and Amusic and Emperor Entertainment Group.The decade was also dubbed a “People’s singer” era (), as most performers were frequently seen promoting publicly, in contrast with the 1990s when that era’s “big-name” singers () seemed unapproachable. episode 3{{full citation needed|date=December 2018}}A number of scandals struck some of stars later in the decade. In 2008, the Edison Chen photo scandal, involving Edison Chen and Twins singer Gillian Chung among others, was the subject of explicit photos uploaded online. The scandal occupied the front pages of the local press for a solid month, and also garnered the attention of international media.NEWS,edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/02/05/lustout.hong.kong.sex.photos.cnn, Celebrity Sex Scandal, CNN, 5 February 2008, 11 February 2008, WEB,worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/14/665099.aspx, Sex scandal rocks Hong Kong, MSNBC, 14 February 2008, 15 February 2008, dead,worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/14/665099.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20080215200804worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/14/665099.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20080215200804worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/14/665099.aspx, 15 February 2008, dmy-all, NEWS,www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/13/china.news, China riveted by stolen sex photos of Hong Kong stars, The Guardian, 13 February 2008, 15 February 2008, London, Jonathan, Watts, The scandal tarnished the image of the previously “squeaky-clean” Twins, and resulted in their going into hiatus in late June 2008, four months after Gillian was caught up in the scandal.JOURNAL, Twins will reunite, says Choi, Clara Mak, 5 July 2008, South China Morning Post,www.scmp.com/article/644040/twins-will-reunite-says-choi, Other events include the street fight between Gary Chaw and Justin Lo.WEB,orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20090924/00174_001.html, Orientaldaily.on.cc, zh:側田曹格肉搏街頭, zh-hk, 2 September 2009, 2 January 2010, In 2009, Jill Vidal and her singer boyfriend Kelvin Kwan were arrested in Tokyo on 24 February 2009 over allegations of marijuana possession.NEWS,www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=79043&sid=22965555&con_type=1, Pot idols on Tokyo rap, Nickkita Lau, The Standard, Hong Kong, 4 March 2009, 5 March 2009, dead,www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=79043&sid=22965555&con_type=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20090311045239www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=79043&sid=22965555&con_type=1,">web.archive.org/web/20090311045239www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=79043&sid=22965555&con_type=1, 11 March 2009, Kwan was released without charge after 32 days in jail,Patsy Moy, Drug rap Wei Si in Tokyo jail as Kwan flies home {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006213543www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=80236&sid=23281812&con_type=3&d_str=20090330&sear_year=2009 |date=6 October 2013 }}, The Standard, 30 March 2009 while Vidal later pleaded guilty in Tokyo court to heroin possession, and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for three years.NEWS,www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=13906, Prison relief as Wei Si admits heroin possession, The Standard, 24 April 2009, dead,www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=13906," title="web.archive.org/web/20151222155405www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=13906,">web.archive.org/web/20151222155405www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=13906, 22 December 2015, dmy-all, NEWS,news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090427-137776.html, HK singer returns after 2-month detention, Asia One News, 28 April 2009, dead,news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090427-137776.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131015112622news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090427-137776.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131015112622news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090427-137776.html, 15 October 2013, dmy-all, NEWS,www.hkatvnews.com/v3/share_out/_content/2009/04/24/atvnews_128748.html, zh:衛詩藏海洛英被日本法院判入獄兩年緩刑三年, HK ATV, 24 April 2009, dead,www.hkatvnews.com/v3/share_out/_content/2009/04/24/atvnews_128748.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120303100816www.hkatvnews.com/v3/share_out/_content/2009/04/24/atvnews_128748.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120303100816www.hkatvnews.com/v3/share_out/_content/2009/04/24/atvnews_128748.html, 3 March 2012, dmy-all,

2010s: Decline

In the 2010s, Cantopop market shrank with fans, particularly the youth, turning to K-pop and Mandopop.Mandarin became more important as a result of fast growing culturally and economically in China, the influence of Cantonese became vulnerable. Nevertheless, in addition to the 7 million people of Hong Kong and Macau, the genre continues to enjoy popularity among a Cantonese-speaking audience of in excess of 100 million in southern China, plus 10 million Cantonese-speaking diaspora in Canada, Australia and the United States.WEB,www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1313210/20160526-sounds-good-cantopop-still-riding-melodic-tide, Sounds good: Cantopop still riding a melodic tide EJINSIGHT - ejinsight.com, Ejinsight.com, 22 November 2020, In 2010, a proposal that Guangzhou Television station should increase its broadcast in Mandarin led to protests in Guangzhou.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=mCOOHHDvV_wC&pg=PA147, Lost in Transition: Hong Kong Culture in the Age of China, Yiu-Wai Chu, 147–148, State University of New York Press, 2013, 978-1438446455, While the authorities relented, this event reflects attempts at marginalising Cantonese and the ascendency of Mandopop.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=mCOOHHDvV_wC&pg=PA131, Lost in Transition: Hong Kong Culture in the Age of China, Yiu-Wai Chu, 131, State University of New York Press, 2013, 978-1438446455, In the 2010s, Cantopop industry still had outstanding singers and musicians who achieved success beyond the local market and made a mark in the Chinese music scene. Eason Chan is one of the most popular and influential Cantopop superstars. He captures wide audience across different regions, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia, UK, North America, Australia etc. He successfully held world tours in these regions in the 2010s. He was the first Chinese/HK singer who held solo concerts in London’s O2 Arena and Beijing’s National Stadium (Bird’s Nest). In 2019, Eason Chan’s Cantonese album “L.O.V.E.” was successful in Taiwan’s 30th Golden Melody Awards, winning nominations to three major awards: Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year, Album. Ultimately, the album’s producer, Carl Wong, won the “Producer of the Year, Album” award. This was the first time in the history of the Golden Melody Awards that a Cantonese album won this award, making history in Cantopop.In the 2010s, there was revival for boy groups and bands in Cantopop with the rise of C AllStar, RubberBand, Supper Moment, Dear Jane, etc.JSG Best Ten Music Awards Presentation was highly controversial with the ongoing HKRIA royalties case. The case was reportedly solved in early 2012 though. In January 2012, the JSG Awards 2011 was again controversial since one of the biggest awards, Song of the Year, was handed to Raymond Lam with his unpopular song “Chok”.In 2015 and 2018, the Commercial Radio Hong Kong’s “Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation ” handed “My Favorite Male Singer” award to James Ng and Louis Koo respectively, which were also controversial. Since then, the credibility of the Award has greatly declined.In 2018, Eason Chan released an album “L.O.V.E.” (mainly in Cantonese), which was successful in Taiwan’s 30th Golden Melody Awards, winning nominations to three major awards: Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year, Album. Ultimately, the album’s producer, Carl Wong, won the “Producer of the Year, Album” award. This was the first time in the history of the Golden Melody Awards that a Cantonese album won this award.

2020s: Resurgence of Idols

File:MIRROR members 2020-07-07 am730.jpg|thumb|Mirror in 2020]]Interest in Cantopop was renewed in the early 2020s in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, which led to border closures and restriction of travel. In addition to the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and the passing of the Hong Kong national security law in June 2020, the resurgence of Hong Kong pride had led many Cantonese natives to support local music artists.NEWS, Wang, Vivian, 29 June 2021, ‘A Form of Brainwashing’: China Remakes Hong Kong, en-US, New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/world/asia/hong-kong-security-law-anniversary.html, 28 July 2021, The Cantopop boy group Mirror, which was formed through the ViuTV singing competition in Good Night Show - King Maker in 2018, skyrocketed in popularity during this time due to their distinctively local image. Media had described them NEWS, Quartz, Hui, Mary,qz.com/2010206/hong-kong-boyband-mirror-is-the-voice-of-a-city-under-crackdown/, “Never give up:” A Hong Kong boy band has emerged as the voice of a city under crackdown, 31 May 2021, 28 July 2021, as a “Mirror phenomenon.” Yet, their lacking in vocal skills has sparked controversy and disapproval among the public.WEB, Kong, Dimsumdaily Hong, 2023-09-20, Hong Kong boy band MIRROR faces ongoing vocal controversy and lack of recognition in Mainland China,www.dimsumdaily.hk/hong-kong-boy-band-mirror-faces-ongoing-vocal-controversy-and-lack-of-recognition-in-mainland-china/, 2023-11-29, Dimsum Daily, en-US, In February 2021, Hong Kong’s biggest television broadcaster, TVB, historically lifted its ban on four of Hong Kong’s biggest record labels, opening the doors for non-TVB artists to perform on the network. The move was described by local media as “reviving the Cantopop music industry.“NEWS, HK01, Lai Ka-kit,www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E5%A8%9B%E6%A8%82/591472/%E6%9B%BE%E5%BF%97%E5%81%89%E4%BF%83%E6%88%90%E8%88%87%E5%90%84%E5%A4%A7%E5%94%B1%E7%89%87%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E7%A0%B4%E5%86%B0-%E5%BD%A2%E5%AE%B9%E4%BC%BC%E6%83%85%E4%BE%B6%E5%98%88%E4%BA%A4-%E5%94%94%E5%8F%AA%E4%BF%82%E4%B8%80%E6%8B%8D%E5%8D%B3%E5%90%88, 曾志偉促成與各大唱片公司破冰 形容似情侶嘈交：唔只係一拍即合, zh-hk, 24 February 2021, 28 July 2021, In 2023, Eason Chan released a new album titled “Chin Up!”, which included a Cantonese song “Homo Sapiens“（人啊人） with lyrics written by Chow Yiu-fai（周耀輝）. This song made Chow won Taiwan’s 34th Golden Melody Awards - the Best Lyricist, marking the first time in the history of the Golden Melody Awards that a Cantonese song was nominated and won the award. This achievement created a historical record for Cantopop.In 2024, at the age of 79, the renowned Temple Street King, Wan Kwong (尹光）, was voted to the final five of the “My Favorite Male Singer” category at the “Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation,” marking a record in the Cantopop industry. This was also the first time in over fifty years after his debut that he transitioned from performing at Temple Street to appearing at a major music awards ceremony. The “Wan Kwong phenomenon” caused a stir online, with fans appraising his continuous efforts in releasing his latest song, “Dear Myself,” which incorporated AI elements while others voting for him as a counterbalance to the idol genre because they had been sick of Mirror individual members’ live performances and Mirror fans’ behavior in the poll.WEB, 金秀玲, 2023-11-14, 叱咤頒獎禮｜網民不滿MIRROR壟斷 呼籲全投74歲尹光贏我最喜愛,www.hk01.com/%E7%9C%BE%E6%A8%82%E8%BF%B7/961615/%E5%8F%B1%E5%92%A4%E9%A0%92%E7%8D%8E%E7%A6%AE-%E7%B6%B2%E6%B0%91%E4%B8%8D%E6%BB%BFmirror%E5%A3%9F%E6%96%B7-%E5%91%BC%E7%B1%B2%E5%85%A8%E6%8A%9574%E6%AD%B2%E5%B0%B9%E5%85%89%E8%B4%8F%E6%88%91%E6%9C%80%E5%96%9C%E6%84%9B, 2024-01-05, 香港01, zh-HK,

Characteristics

{{More citations needed section|date=May 2010}}

Instruments and setups

Early Cantopop was developed from Cantonese opera music hybridised with Western pop. The musicians soon gave up traditional Chinese musical instruments like zheng and Erhu fiddle in favour of western style arrangements. Cantopop songs are usually sung by one singer, sometimes with a band, accompanied by piano, synthesizer, drum set and guitars. They are composed under verse-chorus form and are generally monophonic. Practically all early Cantopop songs feature a descending bassline.

Lyrics

Cantonese is a pitch sensitive tonal language. The word carries a different meaning when sung in a different relative pitch. Matching Cantonese lyrics to Western music was particularly difficult because the Western musical scale has 12 semitones. Through the work of pioneers like Samuel Hui, James Wong () and Jimmy Lo Kwok Tsim (), those that followed have more stock phrases for reference. Famous lyricists also include Albert Leung (林夕) and Wyman Wong (黃偉文).Tonal constraints have been blamed for the decline of Cantopop in the late 1990s, for source of creativity being “mined out”. Its ramification includes interpretive constraint, where singers have less room for ad-lib change of pitch without sacrificing intelligibility. As a result, pitch change often encountered in western pop music becomes foreign to most of Hong Kong’s singers.

Classical Chinese lyrics

The first type is the poetic lyrics written in literary or classical Wenyan Chinese (). In the past, Cantopop maintained the Cantonese Opera tradition of matching the musical notes with tones of the language. Relatively few Cantopop songs use truly colloquial Cantonese terms, and fewer songs contain lyrics. Songs written in this style are usually reserved for TV shows about ancient China. Since the 1980s, increasing numbers of singers have departed from this tradition, though some big names like Roman Tam stayed true to traditional techniques.

Modern Chinese lyrics

The second type is less formal. The lyrics written in colloquial Cantonese make up the majority with compositions done in modern written Chinese. TV shows filmed under modern contexts will use songs written with these lyrics. Most songs share an over-riding characteristic, in which every last word of a phrase is rhymed.The following is an example from the song “Impression” () by Samuel Hui. The last word of every phrase ends with ‘–oeng’.{|class=“wikitable”! style="width:50%;“| Chinese original lyrics! style="width:50%;“| Lyrics Romanized in Jyutping valign=top|

1. 誰令我當晚舉止失常
2. 難自禁望君你能見諒
3. 但覺萬分緊張　皆因跟你遇上
4. 誰令我突然充滿幻想
5. seoi4 ling6 ngo5 dong1 maan5 geoi2 zi2 sat1 soeng4
6. naan4 zi6 gam1 mong6 gwan1 nei5 nang4 gin3 loeng6
7. daan6 gok3 maan6 fan1 gan2 zoeng1 gaai1 jan1 gan1 nei5 jyu6 soeng5
8. seoi4 ling6 ngo5 dat6 jin4 cung1 mun5 waan6 soeng2

Covers of foreign compositions

Cantopop was born in the 1970s and became a cultural product with the popularity of two popular TVB drama’s themes songs in the early 1970s: “Tower Ballad” ((:zh:鐵塔凌雲|鐵塔凌雲), 1972) and “A marriage of Laughter and Tears” ((:zh:啼笑姻緣|啼笑因緣), 1974).Chik, A. (2010). Creative multilingualism in Hong Kong popular music. World Englishes. 29(4). 508–522 The majority of “hit” Cantopop, however, is not entirely local produced but the cover versions of “hit” foreign melodies. Since the 1970s, covering “hit” external songs mainly from Japan, Korea, Taiwan or other Western countries became a common practice among Hong Kong record companies. At that time, Hong Kong’s constantly growing music industry acknowledges simply by using those hits, whose already gained popularity, will be the easiest way to reach success in the market. Cover versions were also widely used as a solution to address the shortage of the local hits due to the lack of local composers. Another reason for the use of cover versions is to minimise the production costs. The practice is also done for business reasons of filling up albums and re-capitalizing on songs with a proven record.Chu, Y.W. & Leung, E. (2013). Remapping Hong Kong popular music: covers, localisation and the waning hybridity of Cantopop. Popular Music, 32, 65–78The Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, which is one of the major music awards in Hong Kong since 1979, can reflect the great reliance on Japanese melodies in Cantopop. During the 1980s, 139 out of 477 songs from weekly gold songs chart were cover versions, and 52% of the cover versions were covers of Japanese songs. Numerous legendary songs of Cantopop superstars Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, for example “Craziness” (1983), “Monica” (1984), “Foggy Love” (1984), “For Your Love Only” (1985), “Evil Girl” (1985), “The Past Love” (1986), “The First Tear” (1986), and “Fired Tango”, were cover versions of Japanese hits,{{Verify source|indeed were cover versions of Japanese hits|date=June 2017}} showing that covers contributed to the success of superstars to a certain degree.Yau, H.Y.(2012). Cover Versions in Hong Kong and Japan: Reflections on Music Authenticity. Journal of Comparative Asian Development. 11(2). 320–348By definition hybrids are still considered Cantonese songs due to the Cantonese lyrics, though the rights borrowed varies country to country. Songs like “Tomorrow sounds like today” () by Jenny Tseng, “Life to seek” () by Danny Chan, “Snowing” () by Priscilla Chan, and “Can’t afford” () by Jade Kwan were originally composed outside of Hong Kong. Many critics disapprove of the practice of covering foreign music and consider it lacking in originality, and many albums promoted themselves as “cover-free”.

Canto-jazz

on January 29, 2010, Jacky Cheung released his Private Corner album coining the phrase “Canto-jazz”, to describe the concept of the album and the musical style of the songs.WEB, Jacky Cheung: A Classic Tour: January 11–29,www.theloophk.com/hong-kong-events/jacky-cheung-january-11-29/, 2021-02-27, The Loop HK, en-US, WEB, Jacky Cheung: A Classic Tour {{!, Music in Hong Kong|url=https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/music/jacky-cheung-a-classic-tour|access-date=2021-02-27|website=Time Out Hong Kong|date=29 October 2018 |language=en}}WEB, Jacky Cheung Tickets,www.stubhub.com/jacky-cheung-tickets/performer/137460/, WEB, YESASIA: Private Corner CD – Jacky Cheung, Go East (HK) – Cantonese Music – Free Shipping – North America Site,www.yesasia.com/us/private-corner/1022312160-0-0-0-en/info.html, 2021-02-27, yesasia.com, In The South China Morning Post, Rachel Mok described “Canto-jazz” as a “unique fusion of the two music styles” of “light jazz” and canto-pop creating a fresh sound with a uniquely local flavour”. She cited Jacky Cheung’s Private Corner and Karen Mok’s “Somewhere I Belong” among artists who have recorded Cantonese language albums in the new jazz genre coined “canto-jazz”.WEB, Mok, Rachel, 8 July 2013, Canto-jazz is a unique fusion of the two musical styles,www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1276143/canto-jazz-unique-fusion-two-musical-styles, 27 February 2021, South China Morning Post, en, An educational study traced the development of jazz in Greater China and explored the cross-cultural issues in rearranging a cantopop song for big band or jazz combo arrangement.BOOK, Chen, Chi Wai, The New Awareness of Canto-Jazz in the Jazz Arrangement Project, 2013, Creative Arts in Education and Culture,repository.eduhk.hk/en/publications/the-new-awareness-of-canto-jazz-in-the-jazz-arrangement-project-5, Creative Arts in Education and Culture: Perspectives from Greater China, Landscapes: The Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, 13, English, 69–81, 10.1007/978-94-007-7729-3_6, 978-94-007-7728-6,

Industry

Cantopop Stars

Talent is unusually secondary to the success of a Cantopop singer in Hong Kong. Most times, image sells albums, as it is one of the characteristics of (wikt:mainstream|mainstream) music similarly mirrored in the United States and Japan. Publicity is vital to an idol’s career, as one piece of news could make or break a future. Almost all modern Cantopop stars go into the movie business regardless of their ability to act; however, the reverse may also occur with actors releasing albums and embarking on concerts regardless of singing talent. They immediately expand to the Mandarin market once their fame is established, hence pure Cantopop stars are almost nonexistent. Outside of music sales, their success can also be gauged by their income. For example, according to some reports, Sammi Cheng earned HK$46M (around US$6M) from advertisement and merchandise endorsements in one month alone.WEB,entertainment.big5.anhuinews.com/system/2003/02/18/000247633.shtml, AnhuiNews.com, zh:是星就不愁沒錢 鄭秀文一個月賺1022萬, 1 February 2003, 2 January 2010,entertainment.big5.anhuinews.com/system/2003/02/18/000247633.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20110707143542entertainment.big5.anhuinews.com/system/2003/02/18/000247633.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20110707143542entertainment.big5.anhuinews.com/system/2003/02/18/000247633.shtml, 7 July 2011, dead, Many artists, however, begin with financial hardships. For example, Yumiko Cheng owed her company thousands of dollars. Others include Elanne Kong crying in public with only HK$58 left.WEB,hk.news.yahoo.com/article/080927/4/8fzi.html, zh:鄭希怡：江若琳得,8不慘, Yahoo News Hong Kong, 3 January 2010,hk.news.yahoo.com/article/080927/4/8fzi.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110605001753hk.news.yahoo.com/article/080927/4/8fzi.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110605001753hk.news.yahoo.com/article/080927/4/8fzi.html, 5 June 2011, dead, Cantopop superstars include 70s: Sam Hui, Paula Tsui, Roman Tam, Frances Yip; 80s: Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Beyond; 90s: Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Sammi Cheng, Faye Wong, Kelly Chen; 00s-10s: Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Miriam Yeung, Leo Ku. They successfully held world concert tours, e.g. Jacky in New York ‘s MSG, Faye in Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, Eason in London’s O2 Arena and Beijing’s National Stadium (Bird’s Nest).

Labels

PolyGram, EMI, Sony, Warner and BMG were established in Hong Kong since the 1970s. Local record companies such as Crown Records (), Wing Hang Records (), Manchi Records () and Capital Artists () in the past have become successful local labels. As TV drama themes lost favour in the mid-1980s, market power soon drifted to the multi-national labels. Sales are tracked at the IFPI HK Annual Sales Chart.IFPI HK Annual Sales Chart. “IFPIHK {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227194120www.ifpihk.org/www/public/dcm/dis_dcmcontent.php?langsel=0&catid=3&rkey=salesaward&awardyear=2006 |date=27 December 2008 }}.” International Federation of Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 7 April 2007.“>

Major awards{|class“wikitable”

! style="width:35%;“| Award! style="width:20%;“| Organiser! style="width:10%;“| Year started! style="width:10%;“| Year abolished! style="width:10%;“| Origin{{illlt=華僑晚報十大歌星金駱駝獎}} Wah Kiu Yat Po >1970 rowspan=2Hong Kong| National Lacquer and Paint Products Company (國民漆廠)IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales AwardzhIFPI (Hong Kong)zh| 2017RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards >RTHK >till present}}Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards >TVB >till present}}Ultimate Song Chart AwardszhCommercial Radio Hong Kong >till present}}Metro Radio Music AwardszhMetro Broadcast Corporation >till present}}{{illlt=四台聯頒音樂大獎}} RTHK rowspan=42010| Commercial Radio Hong Kong| Metro Broadcast Corporation| TVBCASH Golden Sail Music AwardszhComposers and Authors Society of Hong Kong >till present}}KKBOX Hong Kong Music AwardsKKBOX香港風雲榜KKBOX >till present}}Chill Club AwardszhViuTV >till present}}{{illlt=香港金曲頒獎典禮}} RTHK rowspan=22022| TVBA record chart which includes all genres of C-pop is the Global Chinese Pop Chart.“>

Cantopop radio stations{|class“wikitable”

! style="width:20%;“| Station! style="width:20%;“| Location! style="width:50%;“| Frequencies and PlatformCommercial Radio Hong Kong>CRHK Radio 2 Hong Kong 90.3 FM Available on My903.com and their other channel 88.1 during non-talk shows happen. Radio Television Hong Kong>RTHK Radio 2 Hong Kong 94.8 FM, 95.3 FM, 95.6 FM, 96.0 FM, 96.3 FM, 96.4 FM, 96.9 FM, and Internet live streaming (channel 2)Chinese Radio New York >|1480AMWNWR >Philadelphia >| when it is not doing the news and talkshowsKEST >| 1450 AMKMRB >| 1430 AMKVTO >| 1400 AMCHMB >Vancouver >| 1320 AMFairchild Radio >Vancouver >| 1470 AM, 96.1 FMFairchild Radio >Toronto >| 1430 AM, 88.9 FMFairchild Radio >Calgary >| 94.7 FMMusic FM Radio Guangdong >Guangdong >| 93.9 FM, 99.3 FM and internet stream mediaSYN FM >Melbourne >| 90.7 FM – Cantopop show as part of Asian Pop Night.2AC 澳洲華人電台 >| (proprietary receivers)2CR China Radio Network>2CR Sydney Melbourne (proprietary receivers)

See also

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Music of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong musical tongue twister
• Hong Kong English pop
• Hong Kong television drama
• C-pop
• Hokkien pop
• Mandopop
• Chinese hip hop
• Taiwanese hip hop
• J-pop
• K-pop
• V-pop

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

External links

• www.c-pop.net/" title="web.archive.org/web/20160115072323www.c-pop.net/">C-Pop Fantasie – Online resource for c-pop, providing lyrics, downloads, video shows, and more.
• Pop Saves Hong Kong, in Tofu Magazine 2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227081323www.tofu-magazine.net/newVersion/pages/popshk.html |date=27 February 2020 }}
• www.hkvpradio.com/" title="web.archive.org/web/20150105215316www.hkvpradio.com/">Hong Kong Vintage Pop Radio
• hkmusic.cn/" title="web.archive.org/web/20140101074220hkmusic.cn/">www.hkmusic.cn: Cantopop song listings (in Chinese)
• www.mysongspage.com, lyrics and chords for Cantonese, English & Mandarin songs. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021044741mysongspage.com/ |date=21 October 2020 }}
• robokon1234567.hp.infoseek.co.jp/5080.htm" title="web.archive.org/web/20080928114405robokon1234567.hp.infoseek.co.jp/5080.htm">香港50–80年代粵語流行曲唱片目錄 Disc index
• Come back to love blog
• Lee HC’s 黑膠樂園 Disc index
• ent.fightclub.com.pk/text/t-45118-p-1.html" title="archive.today/20130417011852ent.fightclub.com.pk/text/t-45118-p-1.html">香港樂壇25年的發展 article
• web.e077.com/viewthread-3694.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20110710161614web.e077.com/viewthread-3694.html">[音乐评论&93;[粤语流行四十年&93;

{{Pop music}}{{Hong Kong topics}}