| 關淑怡 |
//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/SK_903concert.jpg
|
| 女歌手 |
| 英文名 |
Shirley Kwan |
| 出生 |
1966年8月15日 (1966-08-15)（45歲）
 英屬香港
|
| 語言 |
粵語 |
| 音樂類型 |
華語流行 |
| 唱片公司 |
日本Apollon (1989 - 1990)
寶麗金 (1989 - 1996)
BMG (2000-2002)
大國文化 (2005 - 2006)
星娛樂 (2007 - 2009) |
關淑怡（英文：Shirley Kwan，日本藝名：シャーリー・カーン，1966年8月15日－），廣東南海人，香港著名女歌手。早年憑參加日本歌唱比賽奪冠而投身香港及日本兩地樂壇，她的成名作《難得有情人》唱至街知巷聞，也是當年卡拉OK在香港興起時最熱門的點唱歌曲。成名後，關淑怡逐步減少商業化歌曲作品，並於音樂上作出多方面嘗試，逐漸建立出一套獨特的唱腔及強烈的個人風格。1995年舉行了首個個人演唱會「難得有一個關淑怡演唱會」，同年更獲得叱吒樂壇流行榜女歌手銀獎。但當歌唱事業步入高峰時，與寶麗金唱片公司約滿並退隱樂壇。2001年在台灣復出，發行《冷火》國語大碟，但不久因懷孕而與唱片公司解約。2005年9月，關淑怡再次復出，並於2006年2月尾舉行三場“關於我 關淑怡演唱會”及2008年4月舉行兩場“unexpected 關淑怡演唱會2008”。現時仍活躍於香港樂壇。關淑怡是一位單親媽媽，她於2000至2001年間秘密誕下了一名兒子，獨力養育他。
出道 （1986-88年）
1986年，剛滿20歲的關淑怡參加第五屆新秀歌唱大賽（該屆冠軍：文佩玲、亞軍：許志安、季軍：黎明），參賽歌曲為Madonna的＜Crazy for you＞，但最終未能晉身決賽。之後，修讀時裝設計的她，重回美國當服裝設計師。1988年，在朋友的游說下，她參加了於日本神奈川縣舉行的第五屆「Marine Blue 音樂節」歌唱大賽。參賽的歌曲是由她的一位日本朋友創作，名為〈We〉。主辦單位在聽過過萬張參賽碟後，發現關淑怡的聲音和歌曲本身非常突出，最後，她獲得總冠軍(Grand Prix Award)。
獲獎後，關淑怡簽約日本「APOLLON 唱片公司」成為歌手，同時亦簽約香港寶麗金唱片公司，正式進軍香港、日本兩地流行樂壇。
日本期 （1989-90年）
《Honolulu City Lights》CD single
關淑怡以"シャーリー・カーン"作為藝名投身日本流行樂壇，並將印有"SK"字樣的貓型圖案作為個人標誌。在1989至90年期間，她推出了《Say Goodbye》和《Borderless》大碟，及3張日文single。在當時，由於與德永英明於同一個歌唱大賽獲獎及同屬一間唱片公司，出道模式一模一樣，關淑怡於日本樂壇有「德永英明之妹」之稱號。[來源請求]1989年，關淑怡推出第一張日本唱片《Say Goodbye》，無論在封面形象及曲風都帶著濃厚的日本都市氣息。大碟內除了翻唱德永英明的歌〈あなたのために〉外，與大碟同名歌〈Say Goodbye〉亦是德永英明為關淑怡所作的歌曲。大碟內當然亦有抒發香港情懷的歌曲〈Hong Kong Sight〉。當時，唱片公司在宣傳上，把關淑怡視為日本本地歌手一樣去推廣。
1990年，關淑怡則以「新音樂女歌手」形象推出第二張日本唱片《Borderless》，大碟流露出美國鄉土情懷。除唱片封套硬照以荒漠作背景，在烈日下拍攝以營造美洲原野氣氛外，大碟選曲亦加入大量的英語元素。大碟內有翻唱Keola & Kapono Beamer的名曲〈Honolulu City Lights〉，這首歌表現出夏威夷風情，故此成為當時美國福特汽車在日本的廣告歌。而與唱片同名歌〈Borderless〉，歌詞以日、英語填寫外，在歌曲裡，關淑怡更以英語、粵語及法語與另一位外籍歌手對話，又以英語「Rap」了數句，雖然「Rap」的歌曲在80年代的美國已經很流行，但在亞洲樂壇來說是非常新鮮及前衛。另外，〈Heat of the night〉及〈Moonlight〉在編曲上則帶有「東方主義」色彩。
關淑怡曾經表示，在日本發展的寶貴經驗使她得益不淺。當時，唱片公司的政策，是一年製作一張大碟，品質上會控制得較嚴謹。此外，她與身邊不同的工作人員的合作，以及音樂製作上所學到的知識，都對她日後的歌唱事業，打下了良好基礎。
走紅期 （1989-90年）
在香港，正值陳慧嫻宣佈留學美國而暫別樂壇以及鄺美雲他投，樂壇新人關淑怡即成為寶麗金唱片公司的力捧對象，塑造成為新一代的樂壇偶像。
1989年3月，關淑怡推出首張個人廣東大碟《冬戀》，即達金唱片銷量，主打快歌〈叛逆漢子〉中一句「Andy！Andy！……」令香港聽眾開始注意這位新人，另一主打歌〈冬戀〉是一首慢板情歌，關淑怡在演繹上把握得恰到好處，聽眾亦頗為受落，兩首歌在商業電台叱吒樂壇流行榜最高位置分別為第六位及第八位，而大碟中的〈再會〉則成為眾電台DJ的推介歌曲。全碟內快慢中板歌曲平均，選曲上較為進取，對新人來說，關淑怡亦演繹得相當稱職，故此被樂評人一致看好。
同年11月，關淑怡推出第二張個人廣東大碟《難得有情人》，成績驕人，衝破白金銷量。這張專輯對於她或80年代末的樂壇，都可以說是一張重要的大碟，專輯內的主打歌〈難得有情人〉除了成為當年香港電台十大中文金曲最佳中文（流行）歌曲獎 之外，也是卡拉OK最熱門的歌曲。在1989年音樂頒獎禮中，她差不多囊括了所有最有前途女新人獎。這張專輯更於1999年被所屬唱片公司選為「20世紀最強中文大碟」之一。
1990年7月，關淑怡推出廣東大碟《真情》，亦錄得白金銷量。當中主打歌〈愛恨纏綿〉為無線電視劇《回到未嫁時》的主題曲，後來成為TVB1990年度十大勁歌金曲之一。而大碟內〈患難建真情〉是繼〈難得有情人〉後另一首卡拉OK熱門歌曲。但要說到樂迷最喜愛的歌曲, 則非〈當世界無玫瑰〉莫屬。
蛻變期 （1990-93年）
及後，關淑怡推出了《夜迷宮》、《金色夏季》、《戀一世的愛》及《製造迷夢》大碟，當中的歌曲風格非常豐富，快歌如〈夜迷宮〉、〈午夜狂奔〉；抒情慢歌如〈一切也願意〉、〈戀一世的愛〉、〈現在愛我〉等。在美國成長的她接觸過種類繁多的音樂，由於她並不安於只唱卡拉OK流行曲，爭取唱一些注入了電子化、R&B及異國風情的音樂。她唱過多首別樹一格的歌曲，如改編自某突尼西亞女歌手的〈梵音〉，帶有濃烈的阿拉伯風格，與說佛的歌詞碰出新風格；還有像〈卡繆〉玩味性甚重的歌曲等，由於她更兼唱和音，令歌中總是彌漫著飄逸的感覺。
此外，專輯《金色夏季》的封面是由著名的美術指導張叔平設計，一改她長髮的外表，以短髮（頭套）、性感而中性的形象出現。綜觀這個時期，在多張個人大碟當中，她不斷改變其個人形象。一系列專輯令她由初熟，演變為成熟的味道，大部份歌曲中繼續訴說女子對愛情所抱的憧憬及期望；大碟內亦包括電視劇、電影主題曲及插曲，令她的知名度也日漸提高，而她亦因應陳慧嫻回歸樂壇之故而出現石破天驚的轉變。
天后期 （1993-96年）
1993年10月續約寶麗金唱片公司後，11月推出《真假情話》專輯，而她亦把張信哲的《愛如潮水》改編成林振強絕響作《無盡的愛》，關淑怡在此專輯開始轉用了與以往截然不同的唱腔，把聲樂中的“共鳴”技巧運用於流行曲。另外，“氣”的聲音也較以前明顯。
1994年7月，關淑怡推出大碟《MY WAY》，此大碟顯現出關淑怡强烈的個人風格，特別是碟內由林敏驄作詞的歌曲《緊張》和《驚世感覺》，大量融入了Techno和House元素。而其慢歌《繾綣星光下》唱至街知巷聞（TVB1994年度十大勁歌金曲之一），成為她的另一首代表作，令其唱功一再得以肯定，亦同時奠定了她的天后地位。同年亦進軍國語市場，推出首張國語專輯《難得有情人》，台灣本土銷量超過三十萬。
專輯《'EX' ALL TIME FAVOURITES》
關淑怡的歌唱事業到了1995年更上一層樓：包括翻唱了黃霑80年代作品——鄧麗君名曲《忘記他》，這歌更是王家衛電影《墮落天使》的主題曲之一。全是改編歌的個人專輯《'EX' ALL TIME FAVOURITES》好評如潮，大碟銷量高達三白金；後來更被《聽見2000分之100》一書選為“公元2000年內最出色的二十張中文唱片”之一。推出國語大碟《亂了》，台灣本土銷量超過三十萬。形象方面，她以“Skin Head”亮相在其專輯《MY WAY》內，當時無不令香港人嘩然，後來更被獲選為第一屆香港唱片設計大賞—最佳髮型大獎。1995年6月，她在香港體育館舉行自己的首個演唱會，名為“難得有一個關淑怡演唱會”，合共四場。
退隱期 （1996-99年）
關淑怡在寶麗金約滿七年後，宣佈不會續約。合約內最後一隻專輯在約滿前已經造好，原本定於1996年7月推出，收錄美國著名作曲家安德·哥特馬克特別為關淑怡而作的《傳染》和《愛難尋》，不過十首新曲被切割出售，最後收錄於《心靈相通 新曲+精選》及EP《eZONE》。 雖然《eZONE》內只得6首歌，亦大受歡迎，更有歌迷網頁以專輯名字命名。其中《大地之母》一曲被譽為關淑怡迷幻風格最成熟的作品。
在1997年，關淑怡為商業電台38週年台慶劇《新人類年代記》唱主題曲《帶我去跳舞》，以歌劇唱腔和女高音和音襯托下，成功帶出歌詞中“華麗宇宙”的意境，成為另一經典。其後她已絕少露面，逐漸退出樂壇。
第一次復出 （2001年）
2001年，關淑怡在台灣復出，加盟BMG，跟當地著名的製作人包小松、薛忠銘和林明陽合作。在11月推出國語專輯《冷火》。
主打歌《冷火》和《是誰》，大量使用了弦樂和電子混音。《記號》則近乎清唱。此專輯被MTV中文網站評為全年國語唱片中數一數二的水準之作。但不久，關淑怡因懷孕而與BMG解約，到北美隱居。及後在2003年為陳奕迅的專輯《Live For Today》內的一首歌《謊言》，以客串形式唱了一句。
再次復出 （2005年—）
闊別香港樂壇十年後，關淑怡在2005年簽約“大國文化”，再次復出。於9月與譚詠麟合唱《舊情復熾》，這首歌不久便於 TVB“勁歌金榜”、香港電台“中文歌曲龍虎榜”及“新城勁爆本地榜”攀升至第一位，榮登三榜冠軍。及後推出一千張《關於我》精裝限量版單曲碟，而這首歌亦成為商業電台「叱吒903 專業推介」冠軍歌。
在2006年2月末，關淑怡在紅磡香港體育館舉行了三場“關於我 關淑怡演唱會”。舉行前，傳媒輿論大量負面傳聞湧現，指她完全沒為演唱會做過排練準備，亦有指演唱會門票滯銷。[來源請求]受到種種的壓力下，關淑怡表現超水準，在演唱會最後一場第二度encore時，更因受到歌迷熱情所感動而唱至泣不成聲，繼而引發現場觀眾萬人大合唱《難得有情人》的場面，為關淑怡接續代唱。
2007年，關淑怡受邀為香港作曲家陳輝陽所製作的《十二金釵眾生花》專輯演繹主題曲《眾生花》，陳輝陽表示這首歌是表達“女性的總和”，而關淑怡演繹得恰到好處，陳輝陽更認為關淑怡的唱腔像中國書法的草書，如行雲流水般。而專輯大碟中另一首歌《三千年前》更是與李香琴合演，是兩把不同年代女聲的結合，而這對組合更成為一時佳話，並奪得香港作曲家及作詞家協會 (CASH) 金帆音樂獎 最佳另類作品。另外關淑怡受香港無綫電視台邀請，為處境喜劇《同事三分親》主唱 片尾曲《只得一次》，亦成為城中熱唱歌曲。
關淑怡在年中加盟新成立的唱片公司“星娛樂”。
2008年，關淑怡於演唱會前推出兩首主打歌，分別是《山水》及《天規》，在2008年4月24日至25日，關淑怡在紅磡香港體育館舉行二場“Unexpected Shirley Kwan in concert”， 及後又為TVB台慶劇《珠光寶氣》主唱 主題曲《鑽禧》，並於2009年6月15日推出睽違13年的廣東大碟《Shirley's Era》。
2010年，關淑怡為香港遺傳性乳癌家族資料庫舉辦之"關.乳.愛"灌錄主題曲《女人想什麼？》，與泳兒，陳逸璇合唱。
2010年，10月9日於澳門威尼斯人酒店金光綜藝館舉行"ONE STARRY NIGHT An evening with Shirley Kwan 關淑怡澳門演唱會"，是次演唱會之選曲有別於 Shirley 其他個人演唱會，多選唱其他歌手之歌曲，如：譚詠麟的<幻影>，李克勤的<藍月亮>，草蜢的<失樂園>，王菲的<我願意>，郭富城的<我為何讓你走>等。
2012年，關淑怡與麥浚龍合唱《鎖骨》。
2012年，關淑怡、劉德華、陳曉東、陳僖儀、胡渭康、張繼聰及太極樂隊的鄧建明合唱《同願同行》。
音樂成長路
在關淑怡的成長路途中，音樂就是她不可缺少的元素；聽音樂，可以說為她的生活帶來無比的“溫暖”感覺。在父母兄長的感染下，她自小便能接觸不同類型、不同語言、不同時代的歌曲：父親最愛英文歌及來自不同國家的音樂；母親最愛聽懷舊國語歌曲，如周璇等風格完全不同的調子；而兄長最喜歡 Beatles等流行曲，這充分擴闊她的音樂界限，耳濡目染下，也形成了她對音樂的一份觸覺。到自己開始選擇聽音樂時，剛好是80年代，“New Romantic” 的時代，此外，對於當時創新利用電子合成器玩的音樂，她亦非常愛慕；Hip Hop、Alternative、爵士樂等等的音樂亦接觸不少，這就是她日後無論選曲，或者是表達不同風格的歌曲，都能夠洽到好處地找到神髓的原因。
個人生活
關淑怡的個人感情生活一直都是傳媒爭相採訪的對象，她和多位歌手傳出過緋聞，如：（李克勤及關淑怡在寶麗金時代，兩人曾經合唱過不少名曲；如《劃星》、《一切是創造》、《依然相愛》和《只想你會意》等。雙方日久生情下，曾傳出姊弟戀，不過兩人都否認。）。雖然在後來的訪問中一一澄清，但緋聞卻越吹越濃。直到2005年夏天末，她再次復出之時亦表現得小心翼翼（如：拒答記者問題等），免得傳媒又再炒作。
2005年9月，關淑怡接受香港電台訪問，首次為過去種種傳聞解釋。她承認自己是單親母親，獨自撫育四歲的兒子，關淑怡拒絕透露兒子父親身分，只強調對方並非圈中人，兩人是在加拿大相識的。
音樂大碟
註：當年之唱片銷量計算方法為 香港：２５０００張（金唱片），５００００張（白金唱片） 台灣：１０００００張（白金唱片）
電視劇歌曲
電影歌曲
- 1990年：患難建真情（《龍鳳茶樓》插曲）[1]
- 1990年：怒（《小心間諜》插曲）Maria Codero、蘇珊合唱
- 1990年：さよなら、こんにちわ （日本電影《さよなら、こんにちわ》主題曲）
- 1990年：別要我再等（《朋黨》主題曲）
- 1990年：無名的哀愁（《朋黨》插曲）
- 1990年：難得有情人（《朋黨》插曲）
- 1992年：地老天荒（《雙龍會》主題曲）
- 1993年：迷/迷（國語）（《笑俠楚留香》插曲）
- 1995年：請你入綺夢（《追女仔95之綺夢》主題曲）
廣告歌曲
- 1989年：纏綿不盡（《G2000》廣告歌）
- 1990年：Honolulu City Lights（《福特 Festiva》日本廣告歌）
- 2009年：男左女右（《Neway MegaBox CEO》廣告歌） 古巨基合唱
所獲獎項
| 年份 |
所得獎項 |
| 1988年 |
「第５回 オートラマ・マリンブルー音楽祭」グランプリ賞
第五屆日本「Marine Blue 音樂節」歌唱大賽 總冠軍
（第１回：Ｃ-Ｃ-Ｂ 第２回：徳永英明 第３回：山本英美 第４回：瀬藤正則 第５回：關 淑怡）
|
| 1989年 |
香港作曲家及作詞家協會 (CASH) 最佳中文(流行)歌曲獎《難得有情人》(盧東尼) |
| 1990年 |
香港電台第十二屆十大中文金曲最有前途新人獎銀獎, 勁歌金曲最受歡迎新人女歌手獎, 十大勁歌金曲獎《難得有情人》, 商業電台叱咤樂壇生力軍女歌手金獎 |
| 1991年 |
十大勁歌金曲獎《愛恨纏綿》 |
| 1992年 |
商業電台叱咤樂壇女歌手銅獎、新城勁爆大躍進女歌手獎、勁爆女歌手銅獎 |
| 1993年 |
十大勁歌金曲最佳音樂錄影帶獎《熱力節拍 Wou Bom Ba》 |
| 1994年 |
第一屆香港唱片設計大賞 -- 最佳髮型 [My Way], 香港電台第十七屆十大中文金曲《繾綣星光下》, 新城精選金心 魅力情歌鑽石大獎(女)《繾綣星光下》、十大勁歌金曲獎《繾綣星光下》、最佳填詞《繾綣星光下》(周禮茂) |
| 1995年 |
商業電台叱吒樂壇女歌手銀獎、香港勁爆成人時代歌謠《人生可有知已》 |
| 1996年 |
新城精選金心女歌手銀獎、十大金心情歌《忘記他》 |
| 2007年 |
香港作曲家及作詞家協會 (CASH) 金帆音樂獎 最佳另類作品 關淑怡／李香琴《三千年前》 |
| 2008年 |
第八屆華語音樂傳媒大獎 評審團特別評選推薦 專業精神獎 關淑怡／李香琴《三千年前》 |
電影作品
電視劇演出
外部連結
Shirley Kwan
關淑怡 |
Shirley Kwan before her 2007 concert in Toronto
|
| Chinese name |
關淑怡 (Traditional)
|
| Chinese name |
关淑怡 (Simplified)
|
| Pinyin |
Guān Shúyí (Mandarin)
|
| Jyutping |
gwaan1 suk9 ji4 (Cantonese)
|
| Ancestry |
Nanhai, Guangdong
|
| Origin |
Hong Kong |
| Born |
Hong Kong |
| Occupation |
Singer, dancer, actress
|
| Genre(s) |
Cantopop |
| Label(s) |
Apollon, PolyGram, BMG, Music Nation, Star Entertainment |
| Years active |
1986-1995, 2005-present |
| Influences |
Roxette, Enigma, Cocteau Twins
|
|
|
Shirley Kwan, Kwan Suk’E, or Kwan Suk Yee is an influential Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. She first shot to fame in 1989 as a pop sensation with the hit, "Happy Are Those In Love" (難得有情人) and was popular throughout the early to mid-90s. She is noted for her distinct, breathy vocal style, and known equally for singing ballads and for more alternative pop fare.
After a decade-long hiatus in the late 90s, she made a successful comeback in 2005 and is among the most acclaimed singers currently active in the Hong Kong music scene.
Music career
Early Years (1986-1988)
Kwan was born in Hong Kong, the middle-child to an affluent family. At age 15, she moved to Los Angeles, where she later studied fashion design in college. Kwan had her first taste of the limelight in 1986 when she became one of twelve finalists in TVB's New Talent Singing Awards, along with Andy Hui and Leon Lai, but lost to both. Two years later, with the encouragement of a friend, she recorded a demo tape for the prestigious “Marine Blue” singing competition in Japan and won. She caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years. Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song “Borderless”.
PolyGram Period (1989-1995)
Kwan’s Marine Blue success in Japan quickly led to her discovery by PolyGram. In March 1989, Kwan released her debut Cantonese album “Winter Love” (冬戀), with its R&B-influenced first single, “The Rebel” (叛逆漢子).
Her second album, “Happy Are those in Love” (難得有情人), would produce her first major hit with its title track, which immediately propelled Kwan into Hong Kong stardom, and became the theme song to a popular day-time drama series on TVB. It was a No. 1 hit in various radio charts and a frequent request in Karaoke bars, making Shirley Kwan a household name, and its title becoming synonymous with Kwan's name for years to come. The album spawned four other hit singles such as the up-tempo “Lovers Underneath the Stars” (星空下的戀人), and had huge chart success. Being tipped as the next big thing in Cantopop, Kwan swept all the best-newcomer awards that year.
The following two years saw the release of four albums, in which Kwan started to develop a more individualistic style, incorporating elements from various musical genres. Though she scored another major pop hit in 1990 with 愛恨纏綿, she grew dissatisfied with only singing standard Cantopop fare, and wished to explore and diversify her own sound. Also evolving was her public persona, which matured from the early teen pop icon into a more sophisticated and mysterious artiste, noted for being fashion-forward with subtle hints of sex appeal. It is during this period that Kwan started covering New Age music, such as the work of Gregorian and Michael Cretu. Kwan’s 1991 version of “Once In A Life Time”, renamed “Love Is Forever” (戀一世的愛) was presented back to back with the Gregorian original on the promo CD sent out to DJs, as a promotional strategy by PolyGram.
From the same album, Kwan struck critics and audiences with her cover of Amina’s 1991 Eurovision winner, “Le dernier qui a parle”, renamed “Buddhist Chant” (梵音). With words written by legendary veteran lyricist, Andrew Lam (林敏驄), the original Tunisian adventure was given an Eastern spin. Originally a sidetrack, “Buddhist” became a surprise hit as well as a memorable hit in Alternative Cantopop. It also represented her first struggles in artistic control, as she had had to fight long and hard with her production team to have the song included in the album.
Towards the end of 1992, the tabloid’s reception of Kwan has shifted dramatically. Years of relentless invasion into her private life has taken its toll, making Kwan increasingly indifferent towards the press. This unfortunately triggered even more media hostility as well as negative publicity. Disillusioned about her future as a public figure, Kwan took some time off to recover, only to return with yet another transformation.
In November 1993, Kwan released “The Story of Shirley” (真假情話), with the lead single “Solo” (一首獨唱的歌), followed by the minor hit “Fabricated Love Stories” (假的戀愛). This was another artistic breakthrough for Kwan, who was garnering increasing attention for her talents as a vocalist, pleasing critics who were surprised with a new and more polished sound.
Kwan further established her place as a critics' darling with her next album, “My Way” released in the summer of 1994, which would be the last album containing all original Cantonese material until Shirley's Era in 2009. Singles included the acid-jazz influenced “Lost Legend” (逝去的傳奇) which sampled a riff from the Digable Planets' 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick," and the immensely popular ballad “Cuddling Underneath the Stars” (繾綣星光下), which won numerous song awards at the ceremonies that year. Other songs included the traditional Chinese melody, “Arrow to the Heart” (心箭), the more techno influenced techno-influenced “Anxiety” (緊張) and “Out of This World” (驚世感覺), and another popular ballad “Farewell” (告別戀曲). The album, together with a new crew-cut look which has now become iconic, was one of the most celebrated albums in 1994, enjoying both commercial and critical success.
With increasing confidence in her musical style, Kwan had wanted to produce something musically coherent for her next album and asked producer Joseph Ip (葉廣權) and eight different sound engineers to rearrange ten of her favourite Cantopop songs which she handpicked for her new tribute album. The result, was “'EX' All Time Favourites,” released to much anticipation in February 1995. Familiar classics of Cantopop icons such as Anita Mui (梅艷芳), Leslie Cheung (張國榮) and Alan Tam (譚詠麟) were reworked with psychedlic and electro influences, with Kwan singing in her trademark tone punctuated with breathy whispers. Much to Donald Ashley’s credit, the innovative reworking of Teresa Teng(鄧麗君)’s “Forget Him” (忘記他), released as the lead single, elevated Kwan to a new level of recognition in the industry. It was featured in Wong Kar-wai(王家衛)’s 1995 arthouse feature “Fallen Angels” (墮落天使). Interestingly, the same tune was reworked yet again in “What a Pity” (可惜), sung with new Mandarin lyrics and to spare acoustic accompaniment for the Taiwanese release of 'EX'. Achieving critical acclaim as well as commercial success, 'EX' is widely regarded to be one of the best Cantopop albums ever produced, and set off a wave of tribute album fever in Hong Kong.
In the summer of 1995, Kwan released her third compilation album, "Journey of Life" (世途上 新曲＋精選), containing two new singles, "He needs you, She needs You" (他需要你, 她需要你), a dreampop track which incorporated the traditional Chinese instrument Erhu (二胡), and the minor hit, "Are There Real Friends in Life" (人生可有知己), a pop ballad which has since became a concert favourite.
Six years after her debut, Kwan finally held her first large scale solo concert in July 1995 at the Hong Kong Coliseum (紅磡香港體育館). Presenting a balanced mix of hits and album tracks, "The One and Only Shirley Kwan In Concert" (難得有一個關淑怡演唱會) was enthusiastically received and capped the most successful year in her career. Kwan had to encore for an unprecedented four times in the last show, as fans refused to leave.
After 7 years at PolyGram, Kwan’s contract came to an end in 1996. A final PolyGram studio album was initially scheduled for release in summer 1996, containing three American collaborations, “Infectious” (傳染) and “Elusive Love” (愛難尋) written by Andy Goldmark, and “Mumbling” (自言自語 ) by Suzanne Fountain, along with seven other tracks. However, due to Kwan's departure, PolyGram released the material separately in 1997’s compilation “Connection” (心靈相通) and 1998’s EP “eZone”.
Kwan spent the second half of the 90s mostly away from the public eye, but managed to strike up some significant collaborations with friends and fellow contemporaries Lau Yee Tat (劉以達) and Anthony Wong Yiu Ming (黃耀明), formerly of the legendary Tat Ming Pair (達明一派). The first of these included “Blessed Mary” (萬福馬利亞), a duet with Wong satirising Hong Kong's materialism; “Cuddle 28800BPS” (繾綣28800BPS), a collaboration with Lau, a song dealing with cyber love; and “Forget If It’s Him or Her” (忘記他是她) - a remake of the gender ambiguous Tat Ming classic, at their request. In 1997, Kwan lent her vocals to the theme song of a radio drama produced by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, “Take Me to a Dance” (帶我去跳舞) which featured a soprano backing vocal mixed in with a thumping dance beat. In 1999, she held a “Music Is Live” concert organized by Commercial Radio, sparking rumours of a possible come back, but to no avail.
BMG Period (2001)
In 2001, Kwan signed a contract with BMG in Taiwan, and published the critically acclaimed Mandarin album, Freezing Flame. However, after the extravagant press conference announcing Kwan's partnership, BMG soon ran out of money for promotion and the album sold poorly. Kwan was already pregnant at the time and left for America shortly after on an indefinite break.
Music Nation Period (2005-2006)
In fall 2005, Kwan stepped into the recording studio once again and duet with music veteran Alan Tam (譚詠麟) in “Rekindle The Flame” (舊情復熾), a Cantonese remake of the French ballad “J'ai murmure va-t-en”. The news of Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong’s airwaves, and “Rekindle” took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.
Two months later, Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group (大國文化) by the famous producer, Frankie Lee Chun. The first single “About Me” (關於我) saw Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon. Bluntly autobiographical, it is an uncompromising account of her struggle against the paparazzi and hostility from the media in Hong Kong. Supported by extensive airplay, “About Me” steadily climbed to the top of various radio charts, and its limited-release special edition CD sold out within a day.
In early February 2006, the eponymous EP "Shirley Kwan" was released, introducing the second brand new single, “Evolution” (進化論). This coincided with the release of a 3CD-Karaoke plus DVD compilation by Universal Music (formally PolyGram), entitled “All About Shirley,” which to fans' delight, contained side projects and rare tracks dating back to the very beginning of her career in Japan.
2006 Being Shirley On Stage
To much anticipation, three comeback concerts, “Being Shirley On Stage” (關於我 關淑怡演唱會) were held in late February, at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum. Performing her biggest hits in reverse chronological order, Kwan garnered positive reviews for the performance, which dominated entertainment headlines for a week. In the final encore, Kwan famously covered Eason Chan (陳奕迅)’s “Today Next Year” (明年今日) to a standing ovation, and a sing-a-long audience of 30, 000.
As her work for Music Nation drew to a close, Shirley released two new songs in 2007 as an independent artist for songwriter Keith Chan (陳輝陽)’s multimedia musical “12 faces of woman” (十二金釵眾生花) at the 2007 Hong Kong Arts Festival. This included the theme song “All Living Flowers” (眾生花), released in February, which featured traditional Chinese and Western string instruments.
In March 2007, Shirley released the single “Just Once” (只得一次), which was the theme song to the primetime TVB sitcom series “Best Selling Secrets” (同事三分親), and which went onto reach No. 1 on the TVB music charts.
Star Entertainment Period (2007- Present)
In June 2007, longtime friend and veteran producer Herman Ho (何哲圖) recruited Shirley to his the new company “Star Entertainment Ltd.” (星娛樂有限公司), which is financed by Neway Karaoke Box (Neway卡拉OK).
2008 saw a new concert series, "Unexpected Shirley Kwan in Concert," held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 24–25 April 2008.
2009 saw the long-anticipated release of a full-length studio album, "Shirley's Era," which contains all radio singles released in 2007-2008, and newly recorded material. This marks her first Cantonese studio album since 1994's All Time Favourites.
2010 October, Shirley performed a live concert "One Starry Night" in Macau Venetian.
Shirley Kwan on Film
In early 1997, Kwan was chosen by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai(王家衛) to make a guest appearance in Happy Together. She was flown to Argentina in five days' notice and ended up spending more than two months there. Starring opposite Tony Leung Chiu Wai (梁朝偉) and Chang Chen (張震), Kwan played Lai Yiu-fai's mysterious and lonely secret admirer and also recorded a cover of "Cucurucucu Paloma" (Song of Dove) for the film's soundtrack. However, her scenes were all deleted from the final version of the movie, for which Wong later went onto win Best Director at the Cannes. It took another three years for Kwan's scenes to surface, when they were included in the making-of documentary, "Buenos Aires Zero Degrees" (布宜諾斯艾利斯之攝氏零度). This documentary premiered at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival out of competition, and was also shown at the 2000 Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards in Taiwan
Media
Discography
Filmography
| Release Date |
Title |
Title in English |
Role |
| 1992 |
九二神鵰之痴心情長劍 |
Saviour of the Soul II |
Supporting Actress |
| 1994 |
鐵拳無敵孫中山 |
The Invincible Dr Sun |
Cameo Appearance |
| 1996 |
廢話小說 |
Out of the Blur (silent, short feature film) |
|
| 1997 |
春光乍洩, 收錄於「攝氏零度．春光再現」/「布宜諾斯艾利斯之攝氏零度」 |
Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together |
Leading Lady; All scenes deleted from Happy Together, but included in this documentary |
Personal life
In September 2005, Kwan revealed in an interview on RTHK that she is a proud single mother, and has a 5 year old son. She, however, declined to disclose further details about the boy's father and called on the media to respect the privacy of her family.
Criticism
Apart from the long string of hostility and spats between Kwan and the media, her critics often found it ironic that Kwan's most celebrated work was a tribute album rather than an "original" piece of art.
Trivia
- "Out of This World" (驚世感覺 ) sampled a dialogue from the 1991 Chinese movie "Raise the Red Lantern" between the third mistress and the fourth mistress (played by Gong Li): "你知道我和她生孩子的事吗？我们俩是差不多时间怀孕的。" Translation: Do you know about our pregnancies? We conceived around the same time! [1]
- When the 1995 tribute album was conceived, Kwan wanted to call it 'Ex', but record executives worried that it might be too abstract for the record buying public.
- Kwan was invited to perform in front of Bill Clinton in a dinner banquet in Japan back in November 1995, along with other pop stars from Japan and Taiwan. [2]
- Kwan has stated that she was not upset by the exclusion of her scenes from the 1997 movie "Happy Together", as the whole unscripted filming experience was more of an experiment to her and she was only lending a help hand to a friend. [3]
- Kwan's wardrobe for the 2006 "Being Shirley On Stage" concert was partly sponsored by Christian Dior. [4]
- Kwan's wardrobe for the 2010 "One Starry Night" concert was sponsored by Versace
- Artists who have influenced Kwan: Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Björk, Cyndi Lauper, William Orbit, Madonna [5]
| Persondata |
| Name |
Kwan, Shirley |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
15 August 1966 |
| Place of birth |
Hong Kong |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
英屬香港
