Interview with lyricist Heung Suet Wai

The 7th Global Chinese Music Awards will be given out on June 30, 2007, former lyricist Heung Suet Wai (向雪懷) attended a function for the award ceremony and was later interviewed regarding the Hong Kong Music and Film Industry.

Heung Suet Wai, originally Chan Gim Woh 陳劍和, has been in the music industry for over 20 years. From 1998 to 2000, Heung Suet Wai was General Manager of BMG Records Hong Kong. From 1985 to 1997 Heung Suet Wai was with 寶麗金 records, starting off as a record producer and later became in charge of the promotion and signing of new artists. As record producer, Heung Suet Wai worked with artists such as Alan Tam, Paula Tsui, Teresa Teng, Sam Hui, Jacky Cheung, Hacken Lee, Sammi Cheng, Christopher Wong, Leon Lai, Vivian Lai, Karen Tong, Grasshopper, etc. Worldwide sales of the records he produced have exceeded 10 million copies.

Lyricist Heung Suet Wai's works include:

一人有一個夢想 - Vivian Lai

愛你多過愛他 - Vivian Chow

對不起我愛你 - Leon Lai

如夢初醒 - Cass Phang

朋友 - Alan Tam

一生中最愛 - Alan Tam

毋忘我的愛 - Yeung Choi Nei

愛一次便夠 - Grasshopper/Vivian Lai

你愛我什麼 - Vivian Lai

哪有一天不想你 - Leon Lai

一生最愛就是你 - Leon Lai

我和秋天有個約會 - Karen Tong

愛你這樣傻 - Vivian Lai

一生不變 - Hacken Lee

最傷心是誰 - Jeff Chang

Q (Interviewer): Why are there fewer and fewer good songs? Why are there fewer and fewer people willing to sing?

A (Heung Suet Wai): I don't think so. It's just the industry [as opposed to whole market] that has fewer good songs and fewer people who are willing to sing. Recently there has been a song that I really like, Miriam Yeung's 大城小事, I really liked it when Miriam performed it, but after Jacky Cheung performed it, I liked it even more, enough to not like Miriam's version anymore. Is it because Miriam did not perform it well? No, only because Jacky performed it better, better that it seems perfect. It is the first song after Jacky's 李香蘭 that gave me a really really comforting feeling. Which is why when a song meets its perfect singer it will have a liveliness; no matter how good a song is, if you don't perform it well then there's no use.

Q: A good song finding its perfect singer is hard? Why is it hard? Was this problem present during the "Four Heavenly Kings" era?

A: This problem was present in the past, but it is quite different in the past. There was only one scenario in production when an artist was popular: one album with ten songs will have eight good songs, and the more you listen to them the better they will become. Why was this scenario present? Because the creator will know about an artists' previous album and will know to choose good songs for the artist. And why was this scenario present? Because the previous creator took their time to create the album, in the present, they're creating too quickly. In the past an artist will have a 10 to 15 year career. Now? Three to five years and you never hear of them again, look at Cookies, how many of them are left? There is no way for creators to fully get to know the singers, so how can good music be made?

Q: Will Cantonese music ever have another "Golden Era"? In the present Hong Kong music industry, are there any male or female singers that you particularly like?

A: I don't dare speak about another "Golden Era" but there will always be good songs. At the moment, I particularly like Eason Chan he really is a hard working singer. He has battled for the past 6 to 7 years.

Q: But Eason is considered a veteran. Compared to the newer singers, he is considered old.

A: He is still considered young outside of Hong Kong. Right now he has two songs that are known outside of Hong Kong, 十年 and 富士山下. Eason is a representative of Hong Kong [outside of Hong Kong]. Hacken Lee's music selection is rather narrow and he has poor Mandarin, he can improve on that, but maybe not as fast as Eason. Leo Ku's voice is rather tender, if he sings tender songs, he will not out-sing Jeff Chang.

Q: Female singer?

A: Can't think of any at the moment.

Q: What about Joey Yung?

A: No. To be popular outside of Hong Kong you have to hold your own. If one day, you sing on the same stage with Liu Huan 劉歡, Han Hong 韓紅, Natasha Na (Na Ying) 那英, etc. and you don't sing as well as as they do, it's the end for you. Eason Chan and Jacky Cheung are the only ones that won't be out-done by them on the same stage.

Q: Are there any more young people that are willing to become singers?

A: Young people think becoming a singer is easy. Take movies for example, which of the younger generation actors are actually good actors? There's only one, Daniel Wu. If Daniel Wu is acting in a movie, it will interest me to consider watching. As for other actors, I will wonder whether it will work. Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Andy Lau film's I will watch, Jacky Cheung films I will watch. For the younger generation of actors, only Daniel Wu, Nicholas Tse movies I won't watch. It is hard to find a successor. The Hong Kong music industry, like the Hong Kong movie industry, is hard to find a successor.

Source: tianya.cn 6.15.2007