cantopop

Cantopop (Chinese: 粵語流行曲) is a colloquial abbreviation for "Cantonese popular music". It is also referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. Cantopop draws its influence not only from other forms of Chinese music, but from a variety of international styles including jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, electronic music, western pop music and others. By and large, cantopop songs are almost invariably performed in Cantonese. Boasting a multinational fanbase, Hong Kong is the most significant hub of the genre^[1].

History

Origin

Western-influenced music first came to the Republic of China in the 1920s, specifically to Shanghai^[2]. Artists like Zhou Xuan acted in films and recorded popular songs, and was possibly the first Chinese popstar. The split would come in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established by the communist party. One of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce pop music as pornography^[2]. Beginning in the 1950s massive waves of immigrants fled Shanghai to destinations like North Point^[3]. Because many of the first generations of artists and composers were originally from the city, Hong Kong cantopop owes its origin to Shanghai^[2].

1960s: Cultural acceptance

By the 1960s, Cantonese music available in Hong Kong was still limited largely to traditional Cantonese opera and comic renditions of western music. Tang Kee-chan (鄧寄塵), Cheng Kuan-min (鄭君綿), and Tam Ping-man (譚炳文) were among the earliest artists releasing Cantonese records. The baby boom generation at the time preferred British and American exports, as well as Mandarin music. Western culture at the time was a mark of education and sophistication^[4], and Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Beatles were the main attraction^[2]. Conversely, those who preferred Cantonese music were considered old or uneducated. Cheng Kum-cheung (鄭錦昌) and Chan Chai-chung (陳齊頌) were two popular Cantonese singers who specifically targeted the younger generation. Connie Chan Po-chu is generally considered to be Hong Kong's first teen idol, mostly due to her career longevity. Josephine Siao is also another artist of the era.

Roman Tam, the godfather of cantopop^[5]

1970s: Rise of the industry

Beginning with the 1970s, TV was a technological marvel mostly available to the rich, and broadcasted contents were highly valued and respected. Soap operas were needed to fill air time. Many popular Cantonese songs became TV theme songs^[2]. Around 1971, Sandra Lang (仙杜拉), a minor singer who had never sung Cantopop before, was invited to sing the first Cantonese TV theme song "The Yuanfen of a Wedding that Cries and Laughs" or "Tai Siu Jan Jyuan" (啼笑姻緣). This song was a collaboration between the legendary songwriter Joseph Koo (顧嘉煇) and the songwriter Yip Siu-dak (葉紹德). The song was ground breaking and topped local charts^[2]. Another TV promoted group was the Four Golden Flowers. The boom of cantopop is credited to both the respect for rich entertainment like television and timely TV theme songs.

Usually the theme songs are written in classical Chinese for programs with an ancient historical setting, and in colloquial Cantonese for programs based on modern life. One of the most well-known theme song stars was Roman Tam (羅文), whose singing earned much praise. Samuel Hui (許冠傑) also started out as a western musician. Several of his box office hits began in 1974. His songs, written in colloquial Cantonese, mirrored the life of common everyday citizens. Although he was not the first to do this, he was the first to gain widespread appeal locally. Two of the most famous TV soap opera singers were Liza Wang (汪明荃) and Adam Cheng (鄭少秋)^[2].

1980s: Beginning of the Golden age

During the 1980s, cantopop scaled to great heights with artists, producers and record companies working in harmony. Cantopop stars such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, Priscilla Chan and Danny Chan quickly became household names. The industry effectively used cantopop songs in TV dramas and movies. Some of the biggest soundtracks came from timeless film such as A Better Tomorrow. In part, the success came from progressive economical developments. Sponsors and record companies became comfortable with the idea of lucrative contracts and million dollar signings.

The Four Heavenly Kings in a tribute to Leslie Cheung (2003)

1990s: Four Heavenly Kings era

In the early 90s, a number of Cantopop stars decided to semi or fully retire. Those Cantopop stars included Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Samuel Hui, Priscilla Chan and Joseph Koo. These retirements came as they decided to emigrate from Hong Kong after Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Cantopop needed new talent to fill the gaps left behind, this led to the emergence of the "Four Heavenly Kings" (四大天王) of Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai. They dominated all levels of media from magazines, TV, cinema to music. Hacken Lee also developed a relatively large fanbase. New talents such as Beyond would also emerge as contenders. Successful crossing over alternative music elements by Sandy Lam, Shirley Kwan and Faye Wong were also important to the era.

The tension and economic instability from the 1997 handover also created a culturally challenging atmosphere for the industry. Establishment of Basic Law and language ordinances made the adoption of Mandarin official^[6].

Current

Faye Wong, an artist known in all of Greater China and overseas Chinese-speaking communities. After the release of this 1999 album, she was recognised as Best Selling Cantopop Female.^[7]

2000s

In recent years the popularity of Cantopop has declined due to the continuation of poor sales and the lack of newcomers. The popularity of karaoke culture also out-competed the quality of mainstream products. New song compositions and originality have also been questioned. The late multi-talented lyricist/songwriter/musician/scholar James Wong pointed out that cantopop may share the same fate as classical music.

The deaths of stars Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui in 2003 rocked the industry. The Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop performed a tribute at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards^[8].

It is noticeable that Mandarin songs now appear in HK charts more regularly than before. A number of Mainland-born entertainers, such as Faye Wong and Hins Cheung, have shot to success by mimicking cantopop style or directly appealing to Hong Kong audiences. Overseas-raised Chinese artists such as Sally Yeh, Nicholas Tse and Coco Lee have also been recognized. As a result cantopop is no longer restricted to Hong Kong, but has become part of a larger Pan-Chinese music movement.

Alternatively people of all ages continue to enjoy songs from the Golden Age, especially with such artists as Liza Wang, Adam Cheng and Leslie Cheung. In the 2000s record labels companies began promoting substance over hype by featuring raw talent instead of image. For example, Janice Vidal and Justin Lo started their careers as backing vocalists and later became solo singers; within a year of beginning public performances, they were nominated by Commercial Radio 2 for Best Singer at the 2005 Hong Kong Music Awards.

Characteristics

Instruments and setups

Early cantopop was developed from cantonese opera music hybridized with western pop. The musicians gave up traditional Chinese musical instruments like zheng and erhu fiddle in favor of western style arrangements. Cantopop songs were usually sung by one singer, sometimes with a band, accompanied by piano, synthesizer, drum set, guitar, and bass guitar. They are composed under verse-chorus form and are generally monophonic. Practically all cantopop songs feature a descending bassline.

Lyric

Classical Chinese lyric

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 traditional, though some big names like Roman Tam stayed true to traditional techniques.

Modern Chinese lyric

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 utilize songs written with these lyrics. Most songs share an overriding characteristic, in which every last word of a phrase is rhymed.

The following is an example from the song "Impression" (印象) by Samuel Hui. The last word of every phrase ends with '–oeng'.

Foreign compositions

Since the 1970s, many western and J-pop compositions have been translated to Chinese. Historically the practice is done for business reasons of filling up albums and re-capitalizing on songs with a proven record. In recent years, the same phenomenon has been witnessed for Korean pop music. By definition hybrids are still considered Cantonese songs due to Cantonese lyrics, though the rights borrowed varies country to country. Songs like "Tomorrow sounds like today" (明日話今天) by Jenny Tseng, "Life to seek" (一生何求) by Danny Chan, "Snowing" (飄雪) by Priscilla Chan, and "Can't afford" (負擔不起) by Jade Kwan were originally composed outside of Hong Kong.

Industry

Cantopop stars

Usually talent is secondary to the success of a cantopop singer in Hong Kong. Most of the time, the image sells the albums, as it is one of the characteristic of mainstream music similarly mirrored in the US and Japan. Publicity is vital to an idol's career, as one piece of news could make or break one's future. Almost all modern cantopop stars go into the movie business regardless of their ability to act. They immediately expand to the Mandarin market once their fame is established, hence pure cantopop stars are almost nonexistent. Outside of the music sales, their success can also be gauged by their income from various sources. For example, according to some reports, Sammi Cheng earned HK$46M (around US$6M) from advertisement and merchandise endorsements in the month of January 2003 alone.

Labels

Around the world, the cantopop music industry is dominated largely by record labels owned by record industry giants such as Sony, EMI, Polydor, and Philips. Since 2000, a number of local record labels have emerged such as Emperor Entertainment Group and East Asia Record & amusic (included its partly-owned subsidairy, Gold Label Records, which acquired the cantopop business of EMI). Sales are tracked at the IFPI HK Annual Sales Chart^[9].

Variety

The taste of much of Hong Kong's youths are quite similar. As a result, most stars tend to sing songs with similar topics with emphasis on "maudlin love ballads". But there are still many sideline musicians like Beyond and Tat Ming Pair (達明一派) whose songs reflect the darker side of society. In recent years, the presences of The Pancakes, LMF, At 17 etc added freshness to the industry. Their songs express youth attitudes and beliefs with similarities to cutie pop or hip hop cultures.

Artists

Male

Female

Groups

Cantopop radio stations

References

See also

• Music of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong musical tongue twister
• Hong Kong English pop
• Chinese hip hop

External links

• Pop Saves Hong Kong, in Tofu Magazine #2
• Hong Kong Vintage Pop Radio
• Cantopop News Blog
• www.hkmusic.cn: Cantopop song listings (in chinese)

zh-yue:粵語流行音樂

Donate to Wikimedia