Following the smash hit "Cold Joke", Fiona Sit releases her new single "Farewell", which is burning up the charts!
Over the last year, Fiona has made great strides in her musical career. Her vocals as well as musical style have sharpened and matured, showing she will be the star and diva of tomorrow. This latest plug joins the streak of great singles Fiona has been releasing.
"Farewell" is a beautiful and phenomenal ballad. Its musical composition is lovely and pleasing to the ears, with a sound that is slightly reminiscent of 90s Cantopop. The instruments and musical elements blend together beautifully. The lyrics, which talk of falling in love with someone you know you will have to say goodbye to, are emotionally sung and executed gracefully by Fiona. The pacing of the song is very nice, as it is neither too slow for a ballad nor too fast. "Farewell" also gives a more sophisticated musical direction and image to Fiona.
In addition, the music video is nicely executed with tasteful artistic direction, and as a result compliments the song very well. There is a melancholic feel to it, allowing the song to touch you more. Everything about the song comes together so effortlessly and beautifully.
Overall, "Farewell" is a heartfelt and stunning song, and one of the more memorable ballads I've heard. It continues to show how Fiona is improving and maturing, as well as on her way to becoming one of the brightest and biggest singers in Cantopop. This is definitely my new favorite song from Fiona (which I seem to say every time she releases a new single nowadays?), and I'm sure there is more great material to come.
Ella Koon is back with "So In Love", her first single under Warner Music HK! "So In Love" is written and composed by none other than her fellow Warner label mate, popular singer songwriter Khalil Fong.
Although "So In Love" possesses a relatively simple melody and lyrics, it is catchy, fun, and sweet. There's nothing extraordinary about "So In Love", but it is such a feel good song that easily makes you smile, especially if you are feeling "so in love" yourself. The sound is fresh and upbeat with its blend of synthetic pop beats and musical instruments, and makes you want to just get up and dance around your room.
The music video lets Ella's bubbly and sweet personality shine! The colorful backdrop, outfits Ella wears, and various props allows the video to be a little creative and fun. It looks like Ella herself was able to customize the set to her liking, which slightly resembles the inside of a doll house. Instead of looking too silly or random, the set and Ella playing around shows the happiness, good mood, and positive outlook of a girl sweetly in love.
Am I blown away by "So In Love"? No, but that doesn't stop me from loving this song. It's not impressive, but nevertheless a very fun and sweet song that shows Ella's lovely personality and warm vocals. It also possesses a fresh sound (most of Warner Music HK's music does) that is sure to be a hit with radio viewers and young HK people. I'm very happy to see Ella part of the Warner family now, and I'm sure this will only help her to finally win the popularity and recognition she deserves!
I've wanted to write a post on Terry for a while now, but I wanted to wait until his album was released and yay! It's finally here ^_^.
As of right now, one of my favourite Hong Kong singers is Terry Zou. I'm aware that not a lot of people know him because he is still relatively new but here goes...
Terry Zou Man Jing (鄒文正) is a Hong Kong singer who debuted back in 2011. He's back with his second album this year in 2013 called "Terry Zou Album 2013". He is from Guangzhou, China, which makes him fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese. If I'm not wrong, he was already a singer before he was signed to his music company Gold Typhoon. Terry can play the guitar, the piano, the drums, the violin and the Chinese instrument, Er-hu.
In case you're wondering, the first time I noticed Terry was on TV. His MV was playing, and I quite liked the song so I Google-d it; because he was a new face, I was curious to who this singer was and where he came from.
Terry's a big fan of rock music. He fell in love with rock music because of his dad. His dad was in a band and he would bring Terry along with him when he was on tour. This influenced Terry a lot, because once he was in high school, he joined bands making him a good guitarist, drummer and pianist. He still mentions his dad a lot in his interviews nowadays. =) In his first album, he incorporated rock music into a couple of songs.
Terry Zou Debut Album tracklist
01. 我是人
02. 城中人
03. 留低她於廁所
04. 肚餓
05. 盲目
06. 我只是童鞋
07. 城市人 (國語)
The first track, "我是人", is a playful, whimsical song that I really like. This was the first song he plugged. The second song, "城中人", was arranged and produced by HK band Rubberband. The song is quite slow at the beginning, but it gradually speeds up with its rock elements. "城市人" is the Mandarin version of "城中人". The first MV I saw of Terry's was actually "城中人"!
The third track, "留低她於廁所", is a song with an unusual song title. He wrote the lyrics for this song, if I remember correctly. The MV for this song is quite interesting too. The song's pace is kind of the same throughout but still a catchy song!
"肚餓", which translates to "Hungry" in English, is a catchy rock song that I really like. Track 5, "盲目", is my absolute favourite song of Terry's! It might sound like a typical love song, but I love it. It is one of his most popular songs amongst them all. "我只是童鞋" is also one of my favourite songs by Terry. The song showcases his singing skills very well because of the long notes at the end and I love how sweet it sounds. It is actually a remake of a Korean song.
Earlier this week, Terry FINALLY released his second album (it was postponed several times). I am quite disappointed since there are only 7 songs on the album, and 4 of them I've already heard beforehand, but nevertheless, I still really like the songs from this album overall.
"Inhuman Life" was released last year, around 6 months ago, so it's actually quite old. Funny story, I actually thought the song was kind of boring when it first came out, but I think it's one of those songs that grow on you after a while.
Live version of "Because It's Precious" on 360 music show
"Tea or Coffee" MV
The songs "Because It's Precious" and "Tea and Coffee" were also released last year along with their MV's. My favourite out of the three is "Because It's Precious". I loved it from the first time I heard it! "Tea or Coffee" is a cute upbeat Mandarin song with AOA.
Live version of "Irrelevance". The album version of this song has different lyrics now.
Live at press conference
My favourite song out of his new album at the moment is "Irrelevance". I loved it the first time I heard him sing it, which was on Music Cafe. There's just something about this song that makes it different from the rest. I like the softness in his voice in this song. I highly recommend this! "Ruin" is a song that I also highly recommend and I think this is the song he will plug next. "Wrong Timing" is the Mandarin version of "Ruin" and I have to be honest, I think the Mandarin version sounds better but I still like both versions.
"Final Warning" is a rock song (so his style). I'm glad he included a rock song because it's a style of music he likes and this song is pretty fast compared to the rest. I remember he mentioned in an interview that people like him singing slow songs more, so that would explain why there are more slow songs in this album.
I think Terry needs more exposure because he's a very good singer (he sings well live too ;)), and I feel that more people should know who he is. A lot of people call him the "pirated" version of Raymond Lam (in terms of look), but I don't see the resemblance.
Terry also was in an episode of Music Cafe with new duo group GoldEN (he recently recorded his own episode of Music Cafe!) and covered songs by Eason Chan and Sandy Lam. I really like the Eason song he covered.
And one more clip of Terry singing Faye Wong's "A Love Letter to Myself". I'm a fan of this song and I just love the fact he sang it even if it was just a tiny bit of the song and he didn't know all the words.
Terry's already filmed the MV for "Irrelevance", and he's filming another MV for "Ruin". This means there might be another version of his 2013 album coming out soon, considering the fact that it has no MVs included at the moment. Anyway, I do hope his album sells well! Let's support this talented Gemini male together ;)
If you're interested in following his news, here's his weibo: http://weibo.com/terryzou
If you've gotten this far...thanks for reading ^_^ If do you end up listening to his songs, please do comment in the section below and tell me what you guys think!
With Eric Suen's latest album "Never Said Goodbye", the singer finally returns to Taiwan and releases his first Mandarin album in 9 years. While not as creative and fresh as 2010's critical and commercial success "Man in the Mirror", "Never Said Goodbye" is a great collection of the emotional ballads he's come to be known for as well as some fun and experimental tracks.
A more in-depth look...
The album opens with the upbeat and fun "Count On Me", where Eric is rocking out with a soft rock sound. It's refreshing to see this youthful side of him and experimenting with different styles. The song shows his vocal range while being catchy. In the music video, Eric looks very cute with the "rocker" look despite being nearly 40 years old. He looks like he's having so much fun!
The title track "沒有說再見/Never Said Goodbye" starts off on a lighter tone, and is representative of the overall feel of the entire album. The verses sound sweet and gentle. As it moves into the chorus, it speeds up and becomes more emotional and feels rather bittersweet. It develops into a fast ballad. I'm very fond of the music in the verses as it possesses a serene and sweet feel. It is a moving track and I love how it builds up.
"You and I" finds a wonderful balance between the emotional ballads Eric is most known and fitted for and the fast paced songs he likes to record every now and then. The song is about love and how he's found that special person. It is sweet, uplifting, and mellow, and unlike any song he's released before. The atmosphere the song creates is so light and airy, resulting in a very relaxing and serene song. (Side note: I wonder if Eric wrote this song about girlfriend Macy Chan?)
In my opinion, "不屬於我的淚/Not Part of My Tears" is the most touching song on the album. Eric always sings with so much emotion, but it is most evident here and you can feel the pain in his voice as he sings the lyrics. The music and emotions here are just beautiful and full of sadness.
With the presence of an electric guitar and just a hint of angst, "When I See Your Face" is the rock ballad of the album. Eric hits several high notes through out the chorus well, creating a pleasant vocal sound. Out of the non-singles of the album, "When I See Your Face" is my favorite.
"最好的安排/The Best Arrangement" is another ballad gushing with emotion, but does not feel as sad as "Not Part of My Tears". As a result, it's not as "heavy" but still retains Eric's trademark emotional vocals.
After "Not Part of My Tears" and "The Best Arrangement", the album transitions into "真的真的/Really, Really", the fastest and most upbeat song on the album. This gives listeners a nice break from the slow song and ballad dominated record. The intro with the main speaking is whimsical and amusing. The production behind the song with the upbeat piano and drums and Eric's happy vocals creates such a playful and fun sound! Eric's best music is still definitely his emotional ballads, but this is one of his much better upbeat songs and a whole lot of fun to listen to.
"你變了沒有/Have You Changed" is another slower song that transitions into more of a mid tempo and uplifting feel. The chorus flows very nicely, and boots a hint of optimism.
With a mid tempo, "失落的輝煌/Loss of Glory" is more upbeat and instrument heavy. The song is a good break from the slow ballads of the album and brings something a bit different to the table without becoming too fast.
"Never Said Goodbye" closes with "愛的下一頁 /Under a Page of Treasures", which sets itself apart from the other slow songs beautifully. It starts off with a soft and comforting piano intro before flowing into the first verse with Eric's soothing vocals. With its musical composition, the closing track achieves a stunning sound. This is shown most at the end of the chorus, where he gently sings a long high note. It gradually speeds up, then slows down with a repeat of the verse. It then quietly drifts away with the piano, closing the album nicely.
Overall
This is yet another superb album from Eric. It is a bit too heavy on the ballads, and to be honest they do start to blend together. The slow pace of the majority of the songs makes them harder to distinguish them from each other. Yet, each song is still wonderfully produced, lovely, and brings something a bit different. The few more upbeat songs also divide the ballads nicely. As his comeback to Taiwan, the album shows his vocal range and emotion in a collection of 10 beautifully produced, composed, and sung songs. My personal favorites from the album are "You and I", "Never Said Goodbye", "Not Part of My Tears", "When I See Your Face", and "Under a Page of Treasures". "Never Said Goodbye" though, is one of those rare instances where I love each of the tracks. There are the tracks that stand out more, but none of them come close to being a "filler". "Never Said Goodbye" is a beautiful and consistent album. Not that I ever doubted it, but this album once again proves to me how talented of a singer, musician, and artist Eric is and justifies why he is my favorite singer.
