AE Experience's 2015 Playlist: The Best of Cantopop, Mandopop, and K-pop

We are back with our playlist of favorites for 2015!

*Please note that this list reflects our favorites from the music we listened to this year (and we sadly have even less time to keep up with music now), and does not take into consideration all material released in 2015.

This post will be updated with Niki's picks for Taiwanese music/Mandopop and K-pop.

Iris' Top 10 Picks in HK Music/Cantopop:

#10: Mr. - 雙面人 (Double Faced Person)

It was nice to hear another angsty song from Mr. the beginning of the year. I like that the song has a more dark and mysterious feel to it, and the music video further brings it out. My favorite part though are the verses, and how Alan’s voice goes deeper as he transitions into the chorus.

#9: Jude Tsang - 格拉斯哥流浪 (Glasgow Rangers)

Jude is truly a newcomer to look out for and as a talented singer-songwriter involved in her own music, she is just what HK’s music industry needs more of. The pop rock style of this song is right up my alley with just enough edge and spunk.

#8: Robynn & Kendy - 想怎樣 (Think How) (Featuring Rocky Chan and Tang Siu Hau)

This collaboration between Robynn, Kendy, Rocky Chan, and Tang Siu Hau is dynamic with their four voices and very uplifting to listen to. It’s a feel-good and fun song full of energy that has some great vocals that work well together.

#7: Pakho Chau - 小白 (Little White)

Pakho continued his pattern of releasing two albums/EP’s a year while juggling his acting career (I seriously don’t know how he does it), but it was this song he released from the very beginning of the year that remains my favorite. The subject matter of the song is different from others as it is about the loss of a pet. Pakho’s vocals are solemn and heartfelt, making it a touching song. The MV is also quite whimsical and creative. The ending with his “Oh’s” allows the song to come to a satisfying and bittersweet end.

#6: G.E.M. 於是 (Therefore)

G.E.M.’s comeback album “Heartbeat” consisted of many great songs, but “Therefore” in my opinion does the best job of balancing both Western and Hong Kong music influences (“Goodbye” and “Away” sound like American pop songs sung in Mandarin). It is full of passion and emotions despite being an upbeat electronic/dance-influenced song. It gets a few points off for the not quite necessary and slightly awkward English rap, but it is one of the best electronic pop songs I’ve heard from an HK artist. The MV gives a simple yet artistic representation of the song.

#5: Jude Tsang - 密室謀殺事件 (Chamber of Secrets Murder)

She may be a rookie, but Jude has seriously gotten my attention from just her first two singles. Female HK singers overall tend to be much less experimental and adhere to a more mainstream pop sound, so it’s great to see that Jude is capable of pulling off different styles. With her passion and involvement in her own music and more edgy sound, Jude reminds me of a female version of her labelmate Pakho. It seems Pakho and Warner has noticed too, as Jude and Pakho released a mash up music video. The song is eerie and dark with a more grunge sound. I love the arrangement of the music and how it incorporates various sounds. Coupled with Jude’s vocals, the song sounds mesmerizing and a little haunting.

#4: Khalil Fong - 聽 (Listen)

It may very well be physically impossible to stay still while listening to this song. Whether you mean to or not, you’ll probably find yourself bobbing your head or tapping your foot along. Khalil just keeps getting better and “Listen” finds the talented artist at a musical sweet spot. The production on this song is top notch, pleasing to the ears, and hopelessly catchy.

#3: Supper Moment - 幸福之歌 (Happy Song)

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a male singer in Hong Kong with vocals that are more heartfelt and full of depth than Supper Moment’s lead singer, Sunny. The song is uplifting and moving and Sunny’s vocals bring so much compassion into the lovely and soothing melody. This is a ballad full of substance and hope without being the least bit boring.

#2: Juno Mak and Kay Tse - 羅生門 (Rashomon)

The title “Rashomon” refers to the contradictory interpretations of the same event by different people. In this case, the song is about a man loving a woman for 10 years, but realizing she wasn’t who he thought she was. Kay sounds lovely as always, and her and Juno’s voices blend well towards the end. I don’t listen to a lot of duets so this was a wonderful surprise, and I enjoyed that the song felt like an emotional and bittersweet confrontation between two people. Juno has come a very long way from the rough and turbulent beginnings of his career and become a respectable and talented even if not well-known artist in the HK music industry.

#1: Dear Jane - 咖啡因眼淚 (Caffeine Tears)

In the last few years, Dear Jane has either released catchy and simple upbeat songs such as “Yellow Fever” or heartfelt ballads such as “Never Be Alone,” but they strike a perfect balance with “Caffeine Tears.” The song shows off the band’s pop punk sound while being a meaningful song about living life with no regrets. From the edgy verses to the slowed bridge and powerful guitar solo, “Caffeine Tears” is an exciting and thematic ride that proves upbeat songs don’t always have to be simple and repetitive, and songs with meaning don’t always have to be ballads. It quickly became my new favorite song from Dear Jane when it was first released, and it remains my favorite song of the 2014.

Khalil Fong - Dangerous World Album Review

Khalil is back again after 2012's "Back to Wonderland" with "Dangerous World", a collection of jazz and R&B soul. The album contains both upbeat songs and slower ones, giving almost every listener something they will like. However, it is the upbeat songs on "Dangerous World" that makes the album memorable.

Niki: On a sillier note, his introduction track, "Welcome", left a very scarring impression on me. I first listened to this album out of order, so before the track came on I had been listening to a slow ballad and was feeling just a little bit sleepy. I lost interest for a minute and failed to notice that the track had ended and the next thing I heard was a deep demonic-like voice saying "Huan yin ni", freaking me out.

Iris: The album officially opens with lead single and title track "Dangerous World/危險世界" , a grand and cinematic-like single unlike anything he has released before and unlike anything you hear in C-Pop normally. It is an infectious and unique song you can't help but start moving to. The instrumental breakdown with the beats is fun and sounds particularly good with headphones or loud speakers, but runs about 2 minutes long.

Niki: This song is definitely a worthy title track, despite it's lengthy instrumental ending. Khalil's ability to create a mini-movie within a song with the infusion of different music genres and vocal techniques speaks to his creativity as an artist. It also displays how much he's grown over the last 10 years.

Niki: "Peace" is a funky R&B track that will get your head-bobbing. The collaboration with Tia Ray adds a new level of dynamic to the song. Although, it suffers the same weakness of being longer than necessary and becoming repetitive.

Iris: You can easily tell Khalil had a grand 'ol time recording "Peace" through the enthusiasm and energy he shows through his rapping. I'm pleased to be seeing Khalil making use of his rapping skills.

Iris: "Xiao Fong/小方" is easily my favorite song off the whole album and showcases Khalil's musical strengths such as smooth vocals, soulful style, and slick rapping skills. The whole song is catchy and unlike many of the other songs on the album, does not suffer from being too long.

Niki: Like Iris this song is easily my favorite song in the album. It's sleek, funky, and a complete representation of who Khalil is as an artist. What I like most about this song is the straightforward yet heartfelt lyrics and the fact that it differs from other artist's typical "thank you" songs (which are usually ballads or pop tracks). It's a track that is uniquely Khalil.

Iris: "Black White and Grey/黑白灰 " is another funky upbeat song that is uniquely Khalil while serving as his homage to his musical inspirations. The mix of jazz and R&B creates a very catchy product and the MV is memorable for being the first we saw Khalil dance in.

Niki: This song is a prime example of Khalil's ability to incorporate two different musical genre into something that's both amazing and unique. Every time I listen to this song I envision a chase sequence in a classic comedy and it invokes the same emotion of amusement. Needless to say Khalil's dance sequence in the mv was the highlight of my day when I first saw it.

Iris: "Love Blossoms/桃花運" and "Special Person/ 特別的人" both fail to stand out, and I find the former very boring and too slow. Is it relaxing? Yes, but more in a way that makes me want to fall asleep. "Special Person" fares better but still isn't a very interesting ballad.

Niki: "Love Blossoms" doesn't contain any hook to capture the listeners attention. Furthermore it sounds like Khalil's voice was muted by the music, since the music was very soft and consistent it easily makes a person feel sleepy. I liked "Special Person" a lot more than "Love Blossoms". In "Special Person" you can hear Khalil's voice better and there's a lot more flexibility in it. It also sounds like he's trying to tell a story through song, which makes it a lot more interesting to me. However, both ballads still fall short from his upbeat songs.

Iris: "Mr. Weather/天氣先生" possesses a tempo that is neither too slow or too upbeat, which is more similar to his past works. However, though an interesting blend of Mandarin and English, it fails to set itself apart from Khalil's older songs and can become quite repetitive.

Niki: Although it may not be Khalil's most outstanding work, it's still one of the better mid-tempo songs in the album, in my opinion. It possesses a simple but catchy melody that I find myself humming to from time to time and is calming without leaving me sleepy or bored.

Iris: After a short instrumental comes "Autumn Leaves/楓葉做的風鈴", a relaxing and mellow R&B song that is very Khalil-like composition. It has a serene and romantic feel so while it is not incredibly memorable, it is a smooth and enjoyable listen, and one of the better slow songs on "Dangerous World."

Niki: "Autumn Leaves" is the one ballad in this album that I like. It's soft and relaxing without boring me because there's more variety in the notes and fluctuations in the melody, unlike the other ballads.Listening to this song makes me envision a 1950s romantic movie which makes me feel happy inside.

Iris: "Paris/巴黎 " is initially catchy but quickly gets old, stretching over 4 minutes long. It would've worked better as a 2 and a half minute track. In terms of composition, this is definitely one of Khalil's weakest, as there is very little if any variety in notes and very repetitive. Things pick up though and we flow to the upbeat and fun "No Love", featuring Miss Ko. It is one of the more dynamic non-singles of the album and worth repeated listens.

Niki: After the "No Love/ 愛不來 Feat. Miss Ko葛仲珊 " we have Zombie, another pleasant surprise. The song has a very distinctive beat that matches the songs peculiar title and theme. Through the changes in tempo and fluctuations in notes within the song Khalil was able to paint a rather dynamic scenario in my head, making it all the more fun to listen to. He includes another surprise at the end of the song with the addition of an electric guitar infusing a rock element into the song, finishing it strong. This song may be one of the most dynamic and creative song of his in this album. The only shame is that it is not one of the title tracks. I would love to see the mv that would match this song.

Iris: "Zombie/僵屍 " is my favorite song after "Xiao Fong", but was unfortunately never released as a single. It is so dynamic and infectious it has a cinematic feel and Khalil at his creative best. I also love how when the song starts to fade out it tricks the listener into thinking it has ended, when it hasn't. The mix of R&B and rock elements was phenomenal.

The album closes with "Lights Up" ,another 4 minute song that would have benefitted from a cut. It is catchy and fun, but quickly becomes too repetitive. Two choruses could easily have been edited out. Nevertheless, it is still an enjoyable and feel-good track.

Conclusion: Khalil's album "Dangerous World" leaves us with some mixed feelings. While some tracks showcase his creativity and strength as a composer and artist, others sound strikingly similar to his past works and fails to leave any lasting impression. The album could also use some reorganizing as most of the slower songs are clumped together in the middle of the album making it seem draggy at times, especially after listening to a chain of up-beat songs in the beginning. However, while there were definitely some low points, songs like "Zombie", "Black, White, and Grey", and "Dangerous World" definitely make up for the disappointment by displaying Khalil's abilities at their best.

AEE HK Music Awards

Cantopop has long lost its level of prestige with the dozens of different award shows that give out countless awards. It starts to become hard to tell which awards are really an "honor" and which are just pork chop awards. At the same time, still so many artists and songs go unrecognized. The same people win every year (Joey, Eason, I don't doubt you're very talented, but someone else deserves to win!) until it loses it's meaning. The year of 2012 was quite a great year for Cantopop, and the first ever AEE HK Music Awards hopes to recognize the people who may have not gotten the attention or accolades they deserve without giving out so many awards their meaning is lost.

Song Awards

Top 10 Songs of the Year

#10 - "The End/到此為止" by Shiga Lin

Ballads are nothing unfamiliar to the world of Cantopop, and although "The End" is nothing groundbreaking, it's still a beautifully composed and sung song. Shiga's vocals are gorgeous and full of heartbreaking emotion. The song is very personal and full of meaning, as it signified Shiga acknowledging, learning from, and moving on from a damaging scandal that hit her early last year. She deserves all the accolades she's received for this song, and does not go unnoticed here either.

#9 - "BB88" by Khalil Fong
Upbeat songs are not too common (and quite often they're not good either) in the HK music industry. Khalil released the most upbeat single of his career with "BB88", a pleasant surprise because it stays with his signature R&B sound, while also very creative, catchy, and fun!

#8 - "Drenched" by Wanting Qu
Although written in English by a China-based artist, "Drenched" became a huge hit following being used in the HK movie "Love in a Buff". The song is magical and absolutely beautiful with Wanting's deep and soulful vocals and the moving musical composition, so it just can not go unrecognized here!

#7 - "Cold Joke/冷笑話" by Fiona Sit
After a year of consistently releasing great singles, Fiona capped off the year with "Cold Joke", her most mature and best work yet. The song, from the lovely musical composition to her vocals, is full of so much emotion that you know it is very special to Fiona. There is feeling in every breath. The song is delivered with so much grace.

#6 - "Frail/孱弱" by Kelvin Kwan
Kelvin found his niche sound this year in alternative/rock influenced songs, and "Frail" is the cherry on top of a great year of experimenting with the new musical style. The song is gripping, slightly gritty, and full of angst, not something many Cantopop singers can pull off. It allows him to showcase his vocal abilities while keeping it fresh and original instead of the typical love ballad.

#5 - "So Dry/疗Dry" by Eric Suen
Eric finally returned with a new album again and completely took us by surprise with "So Dry". It's unlike anything he's ever written before. It's catchy, upbeat, but also creative, whimsical, with a message that's easy to relate to. Rarely is an upbeat Cantonese song that good! "So Dry" is the new working people's theme song.

#4 - "Death Row/斬立決" by Pakho Chau
Perhaps no other song leaves as much of an emotional impact following listening as "Death Row", as it honestly does leave you in a state of sadness. The song touches on the issue of cyber bullying and depicts the horrors through its well-written lyrics, a haunting melody, strong vocals by Pakho, and evokes so much emotion.

#3 - "Goodbye" by Dear Jane
After a year of sweeping up awards for "Yellow Fever", "Goodbye" is still a little shining gem that went mostly unnoticed and undecorated by awards. It is a phenomenal song that is heartfelt, moving, powerful, serene, wonderfully produced and polished. Tim sounds his best vocally with his gentle yet powerful delivery, and the instruments come together beautifully.

#2 - "Yesterday/昨天" by Mr.
Mr.'s "Yesterday" is hands down the best rock ballad of the year. It is a beautifully and wonderfully arranged. At a long length of 5:15, the song does not drag on, but continues to deliver to the very end and leaves an impact. The song is powerful, thoughtful, and meaningful. Alan's vocals anchor the song, and the instruments shine, particularly during the guitar solo.

#1 - "Non-Vegetation/人非草木" by Kary Ng
Taking the top song honor is Kary with "Non-Vegetation". The composition and arrangement of the song (which consists of both piano and strings) coupled with Kary's soft but strong vocals is breathtaking and enchanting. Both a bit of sadness and sweetness is evoked. The song says that humans are not like vegetables and meant for living, which is exactly what Kary has been doing: living the life. "Non-Vegetation" is the best song of the year, and Kary's best yet.

Songs that narrowly missed getting placed or ultimately removed included G.E.M.'s "Someday I'll Fly" (meaningful, but in the end sounded generic), Raymond Lam's "Because of You" (lovely, but not outstanding), and Eason Chan's "Heavy Taste" (unique and catchy, but already heavily awarded).  I also really wanted to include Kary's "Ferociously", Fiona's "Better Me", and Pakho's "Irreversible", but excluded them as I didn't want to include more than one song from an artist.

Genre-Specific:

Best Ballad: "The End/到此為止" by Shiga Lin
The most beautifully composed and sung ballad of the year with a story behind it. Although ballads are vastly overdone in Cantopop, Shiga breathes a breath of fresh air into the type of song.

Best Dance Song: "Ferociously/狠狠" by Kary Ng
Dance songs in Cantopop are often poorly done, full of autotune, or just not catchy. Kary's "Ferociously" is catchy, funky, refreshing, with great choreography.

Best Rock Song: "Yellow Fever" by Dear Jane
Rock has found its way back into the mainstream Cantopop industry, a feat worth celebrating. Dear Jans's "Yellow Fever" is a catchy, infectious rock song with a great hook and intertwines dub step well.

Best Duet: "Lone Ranger Companion/獨行俠侶" by William So and Kay Tse
A great collaboration between William and Kay. The song has a lovely melody and the two talented artist's voices blend together and compliment each other very well, making it a more memorable duet.

Music Video Awards

Best Music Video: "Confessions/告白" by Kary Ng
The best music videos don't take away from the song, but compliment it and make it even better. In Kary's first attempt at directing, the MV of "Confessions" acts out the story and message in the lyrics. It depicts the emotional despair of a person who cheated in a relationship, and the one cheated on. The different shots and settings used done and chosen well. Everything from the shots of Kary resting her head on her boyfriend by the sea, to the ones of them hanging out happily in the past, to her singing as her dress flows with the wind are fantastic. The entire video does a spectacular job of boosting the emotion of the song.

Honorable mentions include Kelvin's "People of My Generation" for it's concept, Pakho's "Death Row" for it's art direction, and Eric's "So Dry" for it's creative use of animations. In general, I saw quite a few great music videos this year.

Album Awards

Album of the Year: "My January" by Kary Ng
"My January" went largely unrecognized by awards and deserves a lot more love.  "My January" is a collection of Kary's personal stories of love and life that flows smoothly from track to track until the very end.  It shows her maturation into a fine and talented young lady with songs that show her talent, feeling, and grace.

2nd Place: "Back to Wonderland" by Khalil Fong
Khalil returned to the funkier and retro sound and concept of his popular 2007 album "Wonderland", and it worked.  There's still the same R&B/soul style we know him for, but with a more upbeat and funky twist.  It's an album brighter and quicker in pace than his past works, and one that will have you swaying your head to the music.

3rd Place: "Self-Portrait" by Raymond Lam
Raymond genuinely surprised me with "Self-Portrait", a mature and creative piece of work that exhibited many different musical styles that all worked well with him.  Raymond may be known as more of an idol and not taken very seriously as a singer, but many overlook the fact that "Self-Portrait" is still a fantastic album and his best one yet.

Artist Awards

Most Promising Artist: Shiga Lin
Shiga showed potential as a newcomer, and over the last year has polished up her vocals to the point she's now one of the most beautiful and controlled young voices in HK. She did well with ballads such as "The End" and "Movin' On", and also the midtempo and inspiring "Run". She proved she is also strong and capable of overcoming hardship, which shows she can last a long time in this cutthroat industry. She breathes fresh air into the HK music industry, which is in need of youthful talent like her, so expect to see a lot more of her.

Most Improved Artist: TIE, Fiona Sit and Kelvin Kwan
Fiona first debuted back in 2004 as a singer with potential, but her vocals weren't always too reliable and she had trouble gaining success.  Yet, her voice and control has improved heaps and bounds over the years and she found lots of momentum in 2012 and exerted many different musical styles in her album "Filicious".  All the singles released were hits, and she was able to hold her own concert at the HK Coliseum for the first time.  She too, is steadily becoming a young lady worthy of respect as an artist and will soon emerge as one of the best.

It has been an exciting and impressive year for Kelvin.  He made a comeback to the industry last year, but successfully shed his image and past this year.  He's no longer someone to be associated with his scandal back in 2009, but as the man and talented young artist he is today.  His "Occupation" EP showed he is capable of many musical styles and found a niche in a more gritty and rock influenced type of music.  He has involved himself in the creative process of his music and tried his hand at directing one of his music videos.  This may not have been expected, but Kelvin has vastly improved and is quickly becoming one of the most talented and worth noticing young singers in Hong Kong.

The best singer/band awards are the top honors of the AEE HK Music Awards.  They're judged by the performances of the artists this year, which include the quality of material they've released and the success they achieved, as opposed to just whose the most popular.

Best Band: Dear Jane
Dear Jane was the rising band of 2012 as they achieved great critical and commercial success, sweeping up countless awards for "Yellow Fever", putting them on the map.  They're helping bring rock to the mainstream Cantopop with their more unique punk influences and honest and passionate music.  It's been great seeing them see reach new heights this year, and it's only expected that 2013 be an even better year for them.

Best Female Singer: Kary Ng
Winning the top song award, best dance song, best music video, and best album, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as Kary grabs the top honor of Best Female Singer.  It's truly been a fantastic year for her and it showed the completion of her transformation into a young woman and musical artist.  She's became one of the shining stars of the Cantopop industry, since she has both years of experience and youth (she is only 26 years old but has been in the industry since around 15).  Mark my words, she is going to become the next pop diva.  Move over Joey Yung!

Best Male Singer: Kelvin Kwan
This may come as a surprise to some people and met with mixed response, but it's been an exciting and impressive year for Kelvin.  He made a comeback to the industry last year, but successfully shed his image and past this year.  He's no longer someone to be associated with his scandal back in 2009, but as the man and talented young artist he is today.  His "Occupation" EP showed he is capable of many musical styles and as mentioned above, found a niche in a more gritty and rock influenced type of music.  He has involved himself in the creative process of his music and tried his hand at directing one of his music videos.  This may not have been expected, but Kelvin is quickly becoming one of the most talented and worth noticing young singers in Hong Kong. ***Update 11/2/13**** I had intended to update this a LONG time ago, but then...life happened, so I never got the chance. This comes awfully late, but I thought it was worth changing before the next awards comes around.

Best Male Singer: Pakho Chau
After I had originally posted this, I had listened to Pakho's music more in-depth and was blown away by the material he released in 2012, as well as all he had accomplished. Pakho has gone from a fresh-faced idol in his early days to an accomplished singer, songwriter, composer, and occasionally music video director (he directed Shiga Lin's "Time for Love" MV). He has evolved into one of the most respectable and versatile young artists today, and is a force to be reckoned with. The singles he released this year were all among the best of 2012.  "Death Row", "Imperfect","無力挽回/Irreversible", and "只有一事不成全你/There's Only 
One Thing I Won't Help You With" were all phenomenal singles that showed his talent, passion, artistic touch, 
and maturity. Pakho topped off his strongest year yet with his much anticipated first HK Coliseum concert as 
well as a compilation album, both titled "Imperfect." He has truly come far and secured himself as a staple of 
the Cantopop music industry. With Pakho, there is hope for continuous fresh and high quality Cantonese music 
as he continues to take the industry by storm.

This wraps up the first AEE HK Music Awards!  The results may look much different than the existing award shows, but my goal was to recognize those who usually do not receive the awards I think they deserve.  What do you think was the best of 2012?  Comment with your thoughts!

Song Review: Khalil Fong's "BB88"

And Khalil Fong is FINALLY back with a new song and MV!  His latest plug "BB88" was uploaded by himself this morning, and I'm taking a break from studying from my finals to review this song ASAP.

For "BB88", Khalil keeps things fresh and interesting by composing a song that retains his signature R&B style and soulful voice but is fun, upbeat, and catchy.  As much as I love Khalil's mellow music, this funky tune is refreshing and contains great hooks.  Parts of the song remind me of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" as both possess the slightly funky and upbeat yet soulful feel.  This song has not got out of my head since I first listened to it this morning and has been on repeat.

Already a song that puts a smile on your face, the MV proves to be even more entertaining.  The video finds Khalil running away from several violent and oddly costumed girls, presumably caricatures of his ex-girlfriends in an abandoned warehouse.  The colorful clothes, from Khalil's baby blue suit to the girl's get ups create an eyecatching contrast to the video's setting.  It ends with him meeting up with another girl (newcomer Diana Wong) in an old boxing ring, and the two engage in an amusing pillow fight. Fans of Khalil's "adorkable" charm will be pleased, as he is cuter than ever here with his action choreography and facial expressions.  The MV is a bit odd, but extremely entertaining, vibrant and matches with the playful feel of the song.

It's great to have one of Asia's most talented musicians back!  "BB88" is a fantastic song that makes you smile and want to move!  Can't wait to hear more new material, Soul Boy!

Khalil Fong and Fiona Sit Perform on RTHK's "Music On the Move"

Close friends and WarnerHK label mates Khalil Fong and Fiona Sit performed and were interviewed on RTHK's "Music on the Move" on June 2nd.  The performances were exceptionally enjoyable due to the simplicity and raw feel.  The lighting and candles also created a wonderful atmosphere.

For her live performance, Fiona sang her song "甜蜜蜜/Sweet Honey" as Khalil played guitar for her in the background.

Fiona's live singing has improved so much!  She sounds very sweet here and had good voice control.   The high notes were done well too.  I love how Khalil is such a down to earth and nice person with a passion for music that he's willing to do something as simple as play guitar to another singer.  The friendship between the two is too cute!

Of course, Khalil was able to take center stage too, and performed two songs. He performed a short cover of Stevie Wonder's song "Lately".  Along with singing, he also played a piano accompaniment.  His performance was near flawless, as his voice was controlled yet so soulful and soothing.  

In addition, Khalil sang his hit "好不容易/Finally", from the successful album "15".  It was short, sweet, and simple.  With so much talent and soul, Khalil does not need more than just a guitar or piano and his voice to impress!

Great performances from both Khalil and Fiona.  I hope to see them perform together again in the future.  I would've loved to see them perform "All You Need is Me" and for Fiona to finally sing "Better Me" live, but it wouldn't fit the mellow and relaxed atmosphere they had going.  Soon please?

Broadening the Horizons: The Start of Interest in Asian Entertainment

Asian Entertainment Experience turns three months old today! :D

In celebration of the three month anniversary of Asian Entertainment Experience, we are writing a special edition of "Broadening the Horizons". Instead of focusing on a specific artist, this time, we will share how we got into Asian entertainment in the first place. Everyone's story is different, including ours. We hope that you will share your story as well!

Iris' story: How I got into TVB Dramas, C-Pop, and Korean music

How did I get into TVB dramas? I was not interested in them growing up, like many other kids. The main reason was probably because I spoke and understood no Cantonese at the time. I mostly watched little kid programs when in elementary school and then Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Something happened in 2008 when I was in the 7th grade though. With the downfall of the two networks, I became sick of the increasingly juvenile programming. At 12 years old, I still considered myself too young for prime time TV and was convinced there was too much sex and violence in American shows. I wanted a balance between the two.

With my mom starting to watch TVB dramas again by downloading and exchanging DVDs, I started becoming exposed to them once again. The first TVB series I was sucked into was "Forensic Heroes II". Two of my closest friends and I all followed it and talked about it. There was no turning back from there, as I started watching TVB series in my free time. I enjoyed the characters, plots, etc. My other early TVB series included "Catch Me Now", and "War of In-Laws II", which are still two of my favorites to this day. Since I didn't understand Cantonese, I watched with English subtitles. My selection was limited, and I watched almost everything that was available.

Soon, just watching the series stopped becoming enough. I started researching the series, the actors, and TVB itself. I also wanted to read other people's thoughts, as well as share my own. I fondly followed TVB blogs, particularly the now closed TVB Musings. I was a silent reader and spent hours reading the blogger's in-depth, well written, and witty works relating to TVB. Shortly before he did his last post, I started commenting and we had discussions about the series and his posts. This became inspiration for me to create my own TVB blog. From that, TVB Interaction was born, an outlet for me to share my excessive thoughts. I still credit MetalAZNWarrior of TVB Musings for developing my interest in TVB, blogging, and writing. He is my "si fu"/mentor.

Due to watching TVB series, I naturally started becoming exposed to Cantopop music again. It started with downloading theme songs I liked, to slowly discovering actual Cantopop singers. Singers I first started listening are Eric Suen, G.E.M., Patrick Tang, and Kary Ng. These four are who got me into the genre, and remain my favorites to this day.

The quality of TVB's series continued to decline, and as a result, so did my interest in them. However, my interest in Hong Kong entertainment didn't die as I developed a new fascination: the artists themselves. Not in the gossip and scandals, but the real life personalities of TVB artists. This gave me more reasons to like them. As time elapsed though and the quality of TVB series gets even worse, I become even less interested. It is my favorite artists like Ruco Chan, Raymond Wong, Myolie Wu, Kate Tsui, Fala Chen, etc that retain the interest.

While I continued to listen to Eric, G.E.M., Patrick, and Kary, my interest in Cantopop itself slowed for a while. I listened to them when they came up on my iPod, but stopped actively looking up and downloading new Cantopop music. A couple months ago, the interest suddenly returned upon the release of Eric's album "Never Said Goodbye".  I started downloading new Cantopop music once again.  This time around, I started exploring more.  Instead of just listening to pop, I looked into rock, R&B, blues, etc.  Recently, I've been loving Kelvin Kwan for his experimental nature into different musical styles, Khalil Fong for his R&B and blues music, and the band Mr. for their rock sound.

For the longest time, I was turned off from K-Pop due to all the girl groups and boy bands, whose generally juvenile and cutesy styles were not my cup of tea.  Thanks to Niki and her great recommendations though, I have been slowly opening myself up to Korean music since the beginning of the year.  However, not the stuff that most international K-Pop fans are into.  I've been finding myself much more attracted to the lesser known and under appreciated solo artists Younha, known for her pop rock style, and the soulful ALi.  I also love the hip hop oriented Epik High and now inactive pop rock band Loveholic.  Of course, those who have been reading my posts, know I'm also a big fan of the fierce girl group Miss A.

Of course, my main interest remains Hong Kong entertainment, which includes dramas and music.  With this interest, I'm starting to understand and speak Cantonese (I can now watch TVB dramas without subtitles without getting too lost), and even starting to pick up a little Mandarin.  Being Chinese, I feel a more personal connection with it.  However, at the end of the day, I appreciate and can like anything as long as it's good.  My interest in Asian entertainment has not died, it continues to grow.

Niki's Story: How I got  into all things Asian Entertainment.

I grew up exposed to dramas from Hong Kong and Mainland China. Being Viet I watched them dubbed and for the longest time thought they were Vietnamese (despite the obvious contrast in the dialogue and mouthing). I was particularly fond of ancient series and loved the cool fighting and powers the characters had. Knowing that the series were set in China (even though I still thought it was a Viet product xP), I developed an interest in Chinese. After growing up realized that the dramas weren't originally in Vietnamese, so I did some research and found out about english subtitle.

By that time, I was mesmerized by Taiwanese dramas so I spent the summer of 6th grade clearing out all the dramas that were available to me. Soon I had gone through most (if not all) Taiwanese dramas available at that time. I moved forward to something new and found out about TVB. I found out by searching up my old dramas that I loved when I was a kid. At first, I wasn't used to Cantonese, being more exposed to Mandarin, so I felt awkward with the change. As a result, I trailed away from TVB for a while and tried watching Japanese dramas. I watched several dramas, but didn't get too into it, so I ended up going back to TVB. Only then did I get hooked onto TVB. Same as Iris, one of the first TVB dramas I had watch (subbed) was FOH2. I had watched the first one dubbed and fell in love, when I saw the second one I was immediately hooked again. From then on I continued in my TVB marathon and once again was running out of dramas to watch.

Because of the lack of dramas I turned to music. I became involved with Taiwanese music first, most of the songs came from the dramas I had watched. Slowly I discovered the artists and learned more about them. From there I was addicted to Fahrenheit and later S.H.E., the two bands that til this day are my favorites.

Also as a supplement I picked up on mangas. My first series was Sakura Card captor. I remember going to the library every week and checking out several book, making sure that I didn't skip any volume. As my interest in mangas grew I started watching animes and picked up on Japanese music along the wa. Most of the music, again, came from the shows.

At this point I had no interest in K-pop or K- dramas, but a trip to Viet Nam quickly changed that. My two cousins were both very interested in k-pop and they soon pulled me into the K-pop world. They first showed me Big Bang's "Haru Haru," Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry" and "It's You", and SNSD's "Gee." I found myself completely addicted by the catchy melodies. I spent the entire summer reasearching and learing more about the artists. That was in early 2009, and I soon learned all there was to learn about K-pop. I also found myself getting more and more disappointed by the new groups.

During freshman year I met Iris and found out our mutual interest in TVB. As we got to know each other better she introduced me to her blog, TVB Interaction. Seeing Iris' blog made me want to start a blog of my own. However, I was hesitant in doing so. After starting the Korean Entertainment Club with Dani and Pinki at our school, I decided to ask Iris to help me create the blog for our club.

Through the blog, Iris and I got to know each other even better. We started to talk about music and exchanged the artists we like to one another. As a result I got into Canto-pop. From Iris' recommendations I  got to know G.E.M., Eric Suen, Kary Ng, and several other artists as well. On the other hand I introduced Iris to Epik High, Younha, and ALi. As I introduced her to Epik High I found myself mesmerized by their music. Iris and I continued to research other types of music and found an interest in something other than pop. (Iris: I also got her into Kelvin, Khalil, and Mr.'s music as well! ;))

Throughout my life I was surrounded by Asian Entertainment and culture, so there's no surprise that it would become a big part of my life. The interest has definitively grown in the past years and will continue to grow.

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Author's Note: I hope I did not bore everybody with the story of how I got into Asian entertainment!  Niki and I have been meaning to do something like this for a while, and thought our three month anniversary would be a good time to do so.  For those wondering why we're celebrating our three month anniversary...it's because for the previous month milestones, we either forgot or could not remember in time to do anything.  So congratulations to AE Experience for making it to a quarter of a year!  In our opinion, this blog is only getting started and continues to develop!

Niki's Note: Thank you for supporting AEE this far and as Iris has said, our blog is still starting out and has a long road ahead.We have many things planned for the future so stay tuned! ;D

Song Review: Fiona Sit's "All You Need is Me" Feat. Khalil Fong

Fiona Sit returns with her new single "All You Need is Me", which was just released two days ago.  Making a guest appearance is Hong Kong's "Soulboy" Khalil Fong, Sit's real life good friend.  I love Khalil, and find the two's friendship very sweet and adorable.  As a result, seeing the two collaborate on a song again was a treat.

In "All You Need is Me" are two things you rarely see in a Cantopop song: a dance feel, and Khalil rapping.  The song has a very Western feel with its dance beat and techno influence.  There is definitely a club feel to it as well.  I wasn't fond of the song the first time around, but after repeated listens, it's really growing on me.  The sound is refreshing for Hong Kong music.

Everything about Khalil Fong here is different.  Known for his simplistic and casual sense of style, it's interesting to see him dressed in a flamboyant fashion, what with his gelled hair, sunglasses, and eye catching suit.  In fact, I wouldn't have recognized him if I didn't see his name beforehand!  Then he opens his mouth, and you know it's him.  His rapping was very fun, cheeky, and complimented the song well.

The music video is an interesting sight.  It has a very glamorous feel, and I like how it switches between the black and white color tone to the colorful sets.  It is a little too flamboyant for my taste, but it's nice to see Hong Kong putting more effort into creating an eye catching video instead of one that looked like it had next to no budget.  However, I think it could've done without the creepy scene at the end where Fiona was eating the cake.  Overall, one of the better videos I've seen in a while.

Fiona is a Westernized girl, and it's reflected in this song and music video.   Her vocals are decent and the beat is very catchy and upbeat.  I'm not a huge fan of dance music, but this song really grows on you.  It also marks another great collaboration between Fiona and Khalil.  It will be fun to see these two perform this song live!