Re: [新聞] In the key of E

看板KhalilFong (方大同)作者rururuby (rururuby)時間17年前 (2008/07/18 23:15)推噓7(7推 0噓 2→)

留言9則, 6人參與討論串2/2 (看更多)

幫上顏色 ※ 引述《jucht (jun6)》之銘言： : The sheer dominance of Canto-pop in Hong Kong during the past 30 years makes : it easy to forget it has roots in western pop of the 1960s, when : groups such as the Wynners presented repertoires heavily influenced by the : Beatles and others. But English-language music seems to be enjoying a : comeback in the city, with young singers and bands dipping into western : songbooks. : TVB's introduction of a foreign-language segment on Jade Solid Gold, the : premier music programme on the broadcaster's Chinese channel, reflects the : trend. The senior manager of TVB's variety and musical department, Philip : Chan Ka-yeung, attributes it partly to performers' hopes of broadening their : appeal. : In the past singers were mostly concerned about local audiences. But with the : internet and other new media available, they realise the market outside is : really big, and they don't have to sing in Cantonese to express themselves, : he says. : [The new Canto-pop singers] have foreign music idols and, given the chance, : they are keen to try [performing in other languages]. : Eason Chan Yik-shun, for instance, included an English number entitled Aren't : You Glad on his Putonghua album released last month. Jason Chan Pak-yu also : recorded a locally composed English track, Moonlight Express, on his newly : released Cantonese album. Such choices are natural for many of the younger performers educated abroad or raised in a western setting, says singer-songwriter Khalil Fong Dai-tung. : Jason Chan moved to Canada with his family at the age of seven and returned : to Hong Kong in 2005 to pursue a music career. And Hawaii-born Fong, who plans to include an English-language track on his next release, writes and performs most of his demos in English before translating the lyrics into Chinese. Popular culture is becoming a melting pot thanks to the internet, says Fong, citing animated feature Kung Fu Panda, which blends Chinese martial arts with Hollywood slapstick, as an example. And just as Taiwanese singer Joanna Wang has an English album, Avril Lavigne has a single which she performs in different languages, including Putonghua. The internet has connected us, says Fong. I think this is the beginning of a new global trend. : It has clearly benefited the local band scene, which has become bigger and : more international, says Phil Benson, a professor at the Hong Kong Institute : of Education who is studying English-language pop in Hong Kong. : He estimates there are now about 200 bands performing in English. Most are : not professional, but there is enough happening to support them. So it's : quite a healthy scene, says Benson. : Some groups, such as Audiotraffic, are getting considerable exposure on local : radio and TV, although Canto-pop continues to prevail. English is more of a : universal language, especially for music, says Audiotraffic guitarist Don : Cruz. : Happy?, a single from Audiotraffic's eponymous album, reached No2 on : Commercial Radio 903's international chart in May. Winners of the Hong Kong : section of the World Battle of the Bands contest in 2004, Audiotraffic were : also invited to perform on Jade Solid Gold. : The growing number of international bands playing in the city in recent years : also helped boost the appeal of English-language music among young : Hongkongers, says Cruz. It seems to me there are now more local people : listening to international music rather than just Canto-pop. They are : broadening their horizons in music. : Thanks to the popularity of blogs, and exposure on YouTube and MySpace, local : musicians don't even have to sign with a label to market their music : overseas. : The internet helps us a lot. It's free of charge and you can work things out : as long as you have the passion, says Innisfallen guitarist Sam Tsang : Kai-sum. : The Britpop-influenced group have even sold copies of their debut album, : REALlusion, to listeners in Europe through their website. : Many indie bands in Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Japan : perform in English. I think there's a niche market [for English-language : music by Asian indie bands], Tsang says. : Local musicians who perform in English are beginning to see the possibility : of reaching out to a worldwide audience as young people are now more : globally-orientated, Benson says. : Their world is not confined to Hong Kong. They are not trying to be famous : ... but because of the internet, a local band with a song on MySpace can get : responses from people overseas. : Websites such as Alivenotdead.com play an active role in promoting local : English-language acts such as Audiotraffic as well as groups with : international appeal. : Alivenotdead was launched as a resource link for local musicians but has : since evolved into a network for various artists, including action film star : Jet Li Lianjie. : We don't aim specifically at [music lovers abroad], but because our user-base : is worldwide and a significant portion of them speak English, our website : helps these bands develop a fan base overseas, says Raffi Kamalian, a member : of the team running the site. : By giving these bands a platform to connect with new fans, to promote : themselves through blogs, videos and photo albums, they can find fans in : other parts of Asia, North America and Europe. : Hip hop group 24 Herbs, for instance, has found through the site buyers from : around the world for its mix of colloquial Cantonese and English rap. We have : people in Toronto, Sydney and London listening to our music, says J. Brian : Siswojo, aka Sir JBS, of the multicultural group. They e-mailed and told us : they like our music. These people may never have been to Hong Kong. : The internet also generates opportunities for indie bands performing in : English to work with overseas artists. For instance, local punk outfit Hard : Candy collaborated with award-winning Italian filmmaker Marco Marchesi to : produce a music video for their song 11 Happy Tricks. The clip, which was : posted online last year, helped them develop a reputation in Europe. : [Marchesi] found [the band] on the internet and offered to help us make a : music video, says Pang Yan-yan, who writes the group's English lyrics. I : invested ??150 [HK$1,850] and he paid the rest. We only found out afterwards : that he has been making music videos for bands in Europe and is quite famous. : We still haven't met him in person. : Performing in English has taken us farther down the road in music, he says. : Hard Candy have played several Asian cities, and earlier this year performed : in a series of concerts in the Philippines with other groups. : But for many record companies in Hong Kong, English-language releases are a : way to bring in new revenue as record sales slump to an all-time low. : Fewer people buy records now, especially Canto-pop, says Keith Yip Kin-wah, : director of label Rock In Music. As a result, we now focus on producing : albums with sound quality for hi-fi enthusiasts. You need to invest a lot of : money to promote pop songs, but [marketing] singers to audiophiles doesn't : involve large-scale promotions. : Hence the steady success of singers such as Susan Wong Chui-san, whose : distinctive vocals have won her a following among English music lovers and : hi-fi fans in the region. : Close to You (2002), her collection of English pop covers aimed at : audiophiles, became a top seller in Hong Kong and countries such as Singapore : and Indonesia mostly through word of mouth. Someone Like You, an album she : released last year, sold more than 7,000 copies in its first week, on par : with many heavily promoted Canto-pop releases. : Wong also says there may be a generational factor. Canto-pop is for people : aged between 16 and 25 or 26. Beyond that age, you have more experience in : life and begin to look to other types of music. : 第一次為文字加上顏色, 希望會成功T.T -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 219.79.239.51