Are you still listening to the "Hong Kong Philharmonic"? These songs may be the most "out of the circle" Cantonese songs this year. Have you heard of them? The first song is "Emergency Contact" by Gareth.T Tang Lingshan. In February this year, Inter Miami, where star Messi belong

Are you still listening to the "Hong Kong Philharmonic"? These songs may be the most "out of the circle" Cantonese songs this year. Have you heard of them? The first song of

is "Emergency Contact" by gareth.t Tang Lingshan. In February this year, Inter Miami, where star Messi belongs, went to Hong Kong for a game. Tang Lingshan sang the song live as a guest performer. A large number of fans took videos and shared them online. The second song of

is "Do At least One Outrageous Thing" by Kiri T Xie Xiaoying. This song was covered by singer Wei Ruxuan in the live broadcast, saying that she "liked this melody very much", which triggered a large number of netizens to repost it.

The third song is "God Loves the World" by Deng Xiaoqiao. This is the first Cantonese song melody composed by singer Youjia Lin. He himself also sang this song in Cantonese at his concerts in Foshan and Hangzhou, and it was loved by many fans.

"The Hong Kong Philharmonic is dead" is a commonplace argument, and the debate usually focuses on the topic of "the old and new Hong Kong Philharmonic are in turmoil". But looking at several Cantonese songs released this year, they all have one thing in common, that is, someone is trying to break the information cocoon of "old and new Hong Kong music", on the one hand, to inherit Cantonese golden songs, and on the other hand, let the new generation of singers take over. Under the banner of the rise of "Hong Kong Philharmonic".

For example, Mango TV's "Continuous Sound·Greater Bay Area Season" premiered yesterday. Some people were moved after watching the first episode of the nostalgic stage; others raised the objection that "it is full of sincerity but lacks new ideas." So is "the Hong Kong Philharmonic dead"? Can producing HK Phil variety shows really promote the development of Cantonese songs?

As a loyal fan of Cantonese songs, Cheng Huajun will talk to you today about the popular "Continuous Sound·Greater Bay Area Season".

"Tan and Zhang Zhenghe" and "Thousands of Nights"

The afterglow of the Hong Kong Philharmonic is still delicate and moving

Whether you have witnessed the Hong Kong music scene in the 1980s, the names Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung must be familiar to your ears. With the opening of the Hung Hom Coliseum in Hong Kong in 1983, the concert culture emerged. It is no exaggeration to say that the audience queuing up to watch the concert were either fans of Alan Tam or those who went there for Leslie Cheung.

In those days, whether "I fell in love, but you were watching outside the Internet" was more popular, or whether "The wind continues to blow, I can't bear to stay away" was more popular, no one could easily draw a conclusion.

Tan and Zhang have also talked about their competitive relationship in interviews many times, saying frankly that "we are both competitors, but we also cherish each other." In the 1990s, after the peak period of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the two of them withdrew from the competition at major pop music awards ceremonies, leaving opportunities to the new generation of singers. The death of "brother" Leslie Cheung in 2003 not only saddened the Hong Kong music scene, but also represented the end of an era.

1 years later, in the first episode of "Continuous Sound·Greater Bay Area Season", "Principal Tan" who appeared as a flying guest, after singing two golden songs, affectionately sang Leslie Cheung's masterpiece "The Wind Continues" "Blow", and Chen Baiqiang's "What I Want in Life".

Another flying guest, Priscilla Chan, sang her masterpiece "Qian Qian Que Song" and Anita Mui's "Song of the Sunset" one after another. It was also a very profound planning. Both songs are covers of works by Japanese singers, with the same lyrics but different lyrics. In 1989, these two songs were released almost at the same time. Not only did they become the masterpieces of the two queens, they also triggered a battle for sales and awards, known as the "Qianxi Battle".

Although the sales of "Qian Qian Que Song" were higher, at the awards ceremony that year, "Song of the Sunset" won the Golden Melody Award, and Anita Mui won the most popular female singer. Later, Priscilla Chan quit the music scene and studied abroad. There have been rumors that she made this sad decision after her failed competition with Anita Mui. However, Priscilla Chan herself has stated many times that she just wanted to fulfill her dream of studying abroad.

In an era when the Hong Kong Philharmonic was highly discussed, stories like this were constantly being told, and now they are “all laughed at”.

If the Hong Kong Philharmonic is compared to the sun, many people may lament that its sun is declining. But the setting sun also has an afterglow, and the appearance of top-level singers like Alan Tam and Priscilla Chan on the mainland music stage is like the afterglow that is still creating heat for the audience.What's more, the song he sang was from a rival who had fierce competition back then?

turns "old beef" into a nostalgic night of "peace love". "Continuous Sound" will really make the audience cry.

The chorus is the soul of the concert

The Mesozoic of the Hong Kong Philharmonic is still seeking breakthroughs

At the press conference of "Continuous Sound·Greater Bay Area Season", Joey Yung, who is a regular guest this season, admitted that she had just experienced illness and lost her voice, and regretted that she would not I was able to successfully sing my masterpiece "Heartless" in the first recording session.

But after the first episode of the program was broadcast, an alternative version of "Heartless" that was difficult to reproduce was presented - the audience improvised a chorus and dedicated the song to the original singer himself. What's touching about this scene is that a classic Cantonese song that has been released for more than 21 years has already been integrated into the fans' emotional experience and growth trajectory. On the stage of "Continuous Sound", which is dedicated to revitalizing the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the passage of 21 years and the covers and recitations of singers are like a magical force, giving music a new charm again.

In recent years, problems such as "re-recording" and "tune-up" that have been criticized frequently by major music companies have now become perfection that does not need to be deliberately created. Because "imperfection" itself is touching enough, because the singer's 25 years of hard work and excellence have already shaken the hearts of fans.

The "Hong Kong Music Mesozoic" represented by Joey Yung, Miriam Yeung, Eason Chan, Leo Ku and others has been occupying the "Hong Kong Music Memory" of many people since the 1990s. Maybe not everyone born in the 60s and 70s can sing well, but among the fans born in the 80s, 90s and even the 00s, they have an influence that cannot be underestimated.

In this season's pilot film, the program team interviewed Miriam Yeung, a regular guest from last season. She mentioned that she rekindled her passion for the stage after participating in "The Sound of Life" and had the belief that "there is a word of courage in her heart" , decided to start a concert tour with thousands of people with a full Cantonese song list.

You must know that it is definitely a very bold attempt for a singer to sing only Cantonese songs on stages in major cities across the country, and he is likely to face a "box-office failure" outcome. Miriam Yeung, who is just 50 years old this year, is still as "brave" as she was in her twenties. The

tour received good news of sold-out tickets one after another. Especially when singing the relatively unpopular "The Rare Guest" in Chengdu, Miriam Yang realized something was wrong while singing. She took off her earphones and was shocked because she heard the whole audience singing a chorus. Everyone jokingly called her the "Queen of Sichuan and Chongqing," and she responded with her excitement and gratitude, "The audience's Cantonese is better than my Mandarin!"

The chorus is the soul of the concert. An excellent singer and an excellent song should convey the touch and energy of music to more people and reach further places in the chorus again and again.

It is worth mentioning that this season of "Continuous Sound" carefully restored the "four-sided stage" stage created by the Hong Kong Coliseum that year. When the lights converge, every chorus is a resonance of memory.

The song selection of the program is not only the focus of controversy

but also an opportunity for the new generation to express their talents.

"The song selection is outdated" and "does not conform to the current Hong Kong Philharmonic". This is an issue repeatedly discussed by the audience in the first season of "The Sound of Life". In addition to considering the content of the songs themselves, whether the song selection can impress the new and old Hong Kong music fans is a major test for this season's program team.

However, before the song list was announced, the first thing we noticed was the fresh faces in the guest lineup: Huang Zihongfan and Li Hao.

Huang Zihongfan is a new generation artist who has been active in major variety shows in recent years. Born in a musical family, he fell in love with listening to Cantonese songs when he was a teenager. This time he sang the Cantonese version of Andy Lau's classic work, "Thank You for Your Love" released in 1992 on the premiere stage of "The Sound of Life".

A new singer from a non-Cantonese speaking area sings a Cantonese song that is 7 years older than him. This in itself reflects the old and new heritage of Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Li Hao, who was born in Shunde, Guangdong, is a member of the popular variety show "Farming Bar" group "Ten Qintian".At the program press conference, some media asked him, "This is your fourth interview. You failed the first three times. What makes you so determined?" Li Hao's answer is probably something that all children born and raised in the Greater Bay Area will resonate with: "I came with a mission. I have loved the Hong Kong Philharmonic since I was a child. I have a small goal after my debut. I feel that I should sing more Cantonese songs for younger children.”

Cultural conservation and innovation require more young people to participate. The new generation of singers singing songs that are in line with the characteristics of the times and collective emotions is the best way to respond to criticisms such as "Mainland music selections need innovation."

"The Science of the Heart" was released in 2018 and is Joey Yung's popular Cantonese masterpiece in recent years. The theme of the lyrics is "love yourself" and "anti-pua" and other intimate relationship dilemmas that have been discussed most on the Internet in recent years. How can one person understand the whole thoughts of another person? This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult esoteric sciences to unravel.

"Some people pick up the moonlight, while others look down upon it. The probability of being loved is as dark as the universe."

Li Hao was quite courageous in choosing "Science of the Heart" for the first stage. On the one hand, the original singer Joey Yung was in the audience, and on the other hand, he also completed an expression of his values ​​as a new generation of Cantonese singer by choosing a song that best reflected young people's views on intimate relationships.

The quality of singing is judged by the audience. But choosing to step out of the comfort zone and try to approach the audience in the emotional resonance zone is exactly what Cantonese fans expect the new generation of singers to do.

Use music to connect the "Greater Bay Area"

Fans need to give more encouragement

After watching the first episode of "Continuous Sound·Greater Bay Area Season", City Painter remembered that he had interviewed the Chinese music halls from Hong Kong this year The top group Grasshopper, the hip-hop group Farmer Fama, and singer-songwriter Lin Yikuang. During the interview, we discussed with them the question of "whether the Hong Kong Philharmonic is dead?"

What impressed me most was Farmer C's answer: "Hong Kong has always had very good music producers, but people who listen to the music may be too impressed and don't care about unfamiliar names."

The subtleties of this answer The point is that caring about a music culture and caring about a person are similar in nature - as long as you care, he will always be there; if you don't care at all, it has nothing to do with you what he becomes.

I saw on the Internet that viewers of the show shared their notes after participating in the recording. On the day of the recording of "The Sound of Life", the director and the audience warmed up to each other. A fan of "Principal Tan" picked up the microphone and started singing the classic Cantonese song " "Friends": "The stars in the distant night sky are closely related to you and me, even if the road is paved with thorns, help me relieve the loneliness in my heart. Who understands me..." In this way, Cantonese fans not only from the Greater Bay Area but also from all over the world spontaneously sang in the waiting area.

This is the charm of Cantonese songs. It can always use simple and touching lyrics to connect people from different regions and different personalities.

is just like Joey Yung's description of the Hong Kong Philharmonic in the pilot film: "The Hong Kong Philharmonic is like a friend asking you out late at night, holding a (can of) beer in the early morning, and then telling you what's on your mind."

As viewers across the screen, we may need more patience and encouragement for Cantonese songs, our "good friends", and for music variety shows like "The Sound of Life" that are still working hard to promote Cantonese song culture.

Cheng Huajun

Editor Wu Yaofeng