Chic Chak 10th Anniversary
Theme Song for CR's Radio PlayThe Story of BuddhaRefusing InterviewsCR2 InterviewHongkong Return to China
ShowThe Making of Happy
Together VCDWong on Cutting Out Shirley's
Part in Happy TogetherNew Album Empathy ReleasedShirley Starring in Puppy
LoveShooting in ArgentinaStarring in Wong Ka Wai's New
MovieFinal Music UnionPolyGram 88 Ultimate Fidelity
Series - Shirley Kwan Goes Triple PlatinumShirley - "I never intended
to quit."Appearance in Out of the
BlurNew Contract With PolyGramNew Compilation ReleasedContract MatterNew Compilation Due SoonTransferred to PolyGram's New
Subsidiary?The Contract With PolyGram Has
ExpiredWork on the Upcoming Album Completed
A Long Time AgoIn Tat Ming's Upcoming ConcertRemake of Tat Ming's Song on
CR2Shirley in Wong Kar Wai's
Next Movie?In Salem's ConcertAsking For Millions?Shirley in Lau Yee Tat's "concept
album"Shirley in PolyGram's The
World Concert Laser DiscPolygram - "We've Been Talking
for 6 Months"Contract Renewal With PolyGram
ContinuedHolding Concerts and Renewal
of the Contract Are UnrelatedStill PreliminaryLosing Sleep Over the Contract
ProblemContract Renewal With PolyGramConcert Next YearLunar New Year TraditionsNew Song with Vivian ChowMetro's Gold Hearts Love
Song Awards 96'Moved in with Chow Man Kin?Concert February 22 - 24Metro Radio Music AwardsNew Song Talking To
Oneself Online in RTHK's Chinese Pop Chart ProgramMore New Duets To ComeShirley Doesn't Want To Get
Unjustified PrizesOn CR AwardsShirley Bagged the An Award
from CRShirley Thinks Faye Wong is
the Best Female Singer of the YearKa Wai Law, Commercial Radio's director of productions, expresses Sally Yeh and Sandy Lam has already agreed to take part in the gala. Others, like Wah Kin Chow, George Lam, Anthony Wong, Aaron Kwok and Sammi Cheng are being contacted. Faye Wong, Beyond, Ekin Cheung and Shirley Kwan would be invited as well.
As of today, Shirley still has not signed a contract with any record company. It has been suggested that she is currently negotiating with former WEA senior executive Paul Ewing's Wing Records. Allegedly, her main demands are freedom in creativity and limited promotional work.
Alan Tam, who would also be starred in the show, talked with her in private for a while. Shirley relunctantly allowed a few pictures to be taken before she returned to work. When asked what the conversation was about, Tam replied, "We were just chatting. I asked her if she's decided on which company she's going to work for next, but she said they're still negotiating. Although we know each other pretty well, I didn't have her any advice. She's a smart girl. It would be a pity if she does not sing anymore."
In an interview during Wyman Wong's Are You Game? [«Y«}ª±úÅ] radio program two days ago, Shirley talked about how she feels about being cut out of the movie Happy Together [¬K¥ú¥E¬ª]. "In the beginning, I was thinking I'm helping out a friend, so we didn't signed any contracts. I was told I would have to spend two weeks in Argentina, end up spending two months there. Kai Wai Wong doesn't use a script for his movies at all. When my friends asked me if I was going to play the role of someone's wife, I didn't even know what's going on. But as an actress, I was prepared to have some parts removed in the final release," she said.
What Shirley is not happy about with is the fact that, till this date, her contact still have not given her an explanation of what happened. She adds, "he (the contact) only mentioned it to my friend, and told her to tell me that all my parts in the movie were cut. My friend is neither my agent nor my assistant, so she told him to speak with me himself. But to this date, he still haven't discuss it with me."
Shirley will appear in the Hongkong Return to China Show to be held at the Hongkong Stadium on July 1, 1997 15:00. Eddie King, Alan Tam, etc., will also perform in the show.
Source from a DJ at Metro 997's (Banana Club) June 8, 1997.
Wong Ka Wai announced yesterday his newly-founded Spring Light Record Company will release original movie soundtracks for his works and alternative music, with Rock Records as the distributor. Also coming soon is The Making of Happy Together VCD [¬K¥ú¥E¬ª»s§@¯S¿è VCD], which will include footage of Shirley's part in the movie.
After receiving the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival, Wong Ka Wai talked about cutting out Shirley's part in the movie Happy Together [¬K¥ú¥E¬ª]. He explained that was necessary due to the length of the film, and Shirley is an actress that shows potential. He looks forward to working with her again.
A new album of Shirley's has been released yesterday. This is her last album working under PolyGram. It was completed at the beginning of 1996, but due to contractual problems, it has been put on hold until now. About 10 new songs were recorded, but only two of them, Dancing on the Clouds [¶³¤W»R] and Infection [¶Ç¬V], were included in Empathy [¤ßÆF¬Û³q].
Yesterday when asked about how she feels about her work finally seeing the light, Shirley replied, "the cover was made in 1995, and the songs were ready in 1996. It's only released in 1997, it certainly feels quite dated. I don't have any special feelings about this."
She declined to comment on the rumor that she is considering starting a production house with the record labels acting as the distributor.
On a related note, Hok Yuen Cheung, Shirley's image consultant and a good friend of hers, responed to the rumors claiming $15 million per contract is too high a price for her. "Those are irresponsible reporting. Shirley never set an asking price with the record companies. It's them who offered to pay as much. If she is doing it for money, she would have signed on already."
Shirley will take part in Got Man Fai's latest movie, Puppy Love [ªìÅÊ]. Other actors includes Kam Sing Mo, Li Wai Wai and Got himself, with Wong Ka Wai as the producer. The movie has a budget of $14 million, and scheduled to be completed at the end of February. The release date has not be decided, however.
Wong Ka Wai's new movie, [¬K¥ú¥E¬ª], is shooting on location in Argentina. This section is scheduled to complete at the end of the month. However, a number of changes had been made to the script. While Leslies Cheung returns to Hongkong as planned, Tony Leung will still be staying in Argentina, until the shooting of the whole movie is completed.
All the information about the film released so far are focused on the two actors, with no mention of the actresses at all. Rumors circulated before the start of the shooting said that the female leading role will be played by Faye Wong, Maggie Cheung or Anita Yuen, but all three are busy in their own ways, with no confirmation of their involvement of the movie.
The latest news is that Shirley Kwan had already flown to Argentina for the shooting of this movie. When the reporter tried to verify this claim with her assistant, she did not deny, and confirmed that Shirley is indeed in Argentina at the moment. However, she declined to comment on whether the trip is related to the film.
In the past six months, there had been little news about Shirley. The main reason is that her contract with PolyGram (HK) Ltd. had expired, and she still has not signed with other companies yet. Reportedly, talks with Fitto is underway.
Regarding her part in the movie, she was recruited by the director himself. So only she has all the details. Further information will have to wait until she returns to Hongkong.
After Shirley's contract PolyGram expired in June, there has not been much news about her. But negotiations with a number of record companies and film houses are underway. Fitto is said to be interested in bringing her under their record label.
In Wong Ka Wai's [¤ý®a½Ã] upcoming movie [¬K¥ú¥E¬ª], Shirley will play the leading role, as the wife of Tony Leung Chiu Wai. The search has been going on for some time, and other actresses like Carina Lau Ka Ling, Faye Wong and Anita Yuen Wing Yee were considered. The choice turns out to be quite a surprising one.
Wong has always appreciated Shirley's talents, exhibited by his use of her remake of Forget Him as the theme song of his last movie, Fallen Angels.
Reportedly, Shirley has already left town and is on her way to join Wong's team in Argentina.
A farewell party for Music Union was held last Sunday. Music Union is a gathering place for local music lovers. Four years after its inception, it has to face its closure because of financial difficulties.
A total of 33 units, including Shirley Kwan, Anthony Wong Yiu Ming, Tat Lau Government Primary School (a team led by Tat) and a number of local bands attended the party.
Authors' Note:
CR2's Anything Goes concert, held last year, was initiated by
Music Union. In the concert, Shirley performed with a band called UBE.
According to Chu Ho Tong, a manager in PolyGram(HK), the sale of Shirley's new compilation, PolyGram 88 Ultimate Fidelity Series - Shirley Kwan [Ä_ÄRª÷ 88 ·¥«~µ¦â¨t¦C . Ãö²Q©É], has reach triple Platinum. Approximately 150,000 copies were sold.
Since early June, she had travelled to the States, Beijing and Shanghai. While she had been to these places for work before, the stays were brief and she never had the chance to do any sight-seeing whatsoever. She finally had the time to do this now, and the trips were very relaxing. She said she was still in holiday mood.
She feels as if she had been working like a computer in the years at PolyGram. Too much information was "fed" to her, and she needs the time to "erase" it and make room for new ideas.
Shirley's contract with PolyGram has expired. Negotiation with a number of record companies, with the exception of the PolyGram, are under way. When asked about if keeping a low profile would be one of her terms, she replied that it is difficult to say want she wants. Cutting back on exposure is not a must. The music industry is in the state of flux, and it is not appropriate to categorize work as "high profile" or "low profile". She would be glad to do any promotion that is necessary. On claims that will never give interviews anymore, she countered that she has never made such statement. And she promise she would keep the press informed of her decision regarding her new contract.
Since Shirley disappeared in the past few months, there has been rumors that she will leave the industry. "I never intend to quit. But I don't know as time goes by. In fact, I spent too little time with my family when I's doing the albums, and the trips were good chances for me to compensate," she replied.
"My sincerity to music hasn't diminished at all. Right now, my will is still being a singer."
Shirley knows that her fans miss her, but there is only so much that she can do. Of course, she would like to have control over the release of her albums, but that is impossible in reality.
Speaking of romance, is she currently in a relationship? Shirley said she is not, and it was warm to go on trips with her family. It does not matter whether she has a boyfriend or not. She does not give too much thought to it, and would play as it goes.
Since it is sponsored by PolyGram, some artists under the record label and its subsidiaries stars in the film, including Shirley Kwan, Jacky Cheung, Tat Lau, William So, Anthony Wong, Vivian Chow, etc.
Indeed PolyGram planned to release her latest Cantonese album in late June. All the new ten songs in the album were finished long time ago. Only if Shirley agrees to sign the new contract, a number of promotional activities can begin immediately.
However, the fact is, Shirley likes to hide herself. Apart from hiding from the press, she tries to escape from those who in PolyGram's. On the other hand, there are also rumors that Chan Yu Hung [³¯¦¼¶¯], the director of PolyGram Far East, called Shirley directly urging her to seriously consider staying in PolyGram. Although she said she would renew the contract, no action has been taken so far. Besides, she is angered by the one who disclosed her new phone number to others.
To validate the allegations above, the reporters of Apple Daily tried to contact Mr. Chan. However, Mr. Chan refused to give any comments, stating that he had to go to a conference. Neither William Kwan Wai Lun [ÃöºûÅï], the manager who is responsible for the contract matters with Polygram's singers, nor Shirley Kwan herself could be reached.
Although Shirley is not currently working under any record label, she has no reason to worry. Music Impact and Go East, a subsidiary of PolyGram (HK), are very interested in having Shirley as one of their singers. "Although she is not on the top in the industry, the sale figures of her albums are very stable. None of her albums has lost money so far. For sure, record companies should be interested in such kind of singers," an insider in the records industry analysed.
Shirley is now preparing for her part in director Wong Ka Wai's upcoming movie, No Frills Products [µL¦L¨}«~]. She will be the "second leading actress" in the movie.
After attending the 30-Hour Famine [ÄÈÄD¤T¤Q] in April, it was said that Shirley left Hong Kong for trip. However, Shirley refused to disclose where she visited.
The production of her upcoming album was finished a long time ago. The cover design was completed in last December. The image and the hair style in this album are likely to be similar to the ones she appeared during the Tat Ming A Pair Again Concert [¤Ñªá¶Ã»E¤§¹F©ú¤S¤@¬£µ¼Ö·|]. (That is, like in the album "Ex" All Time Favorites.)
The tickets are not available for sale.
| Date & Time: | June 19, 1996. 8:00PM |
| Venue: | Hong Kong Colesium |
| Tickets: | $280, $200, $120, $60. |
| Produced by: | Newart Production Ltd. Galaxy Production House Engineering Impact Limited |
| Music Director: | Kai Sung Chow |
| Inquiries: | 2517-8698 |
| Reservations: | 2734-9009 |
Tickets are available at URBTIX ticket sales centers. Other guests include Joyce Lee, Chi Lam Cheung, Andy Hui, Vivian Lai, Danny Summer, Wing Leung Lun, Tak Cheung Chan, Zen, part of Taichi, Kwok King Ng and Kai Sung Chow.
Shirley remarked that whenever an artist's contract is up for renewal, rumors like this are bound to come up. She too had read the article in question, but what it says is not exactly true. She said how much an artist worths depends on his potential, not just what is immediate apparent. Besides, they are not items on auction, being appraised by everybody. Those inaccurate reports are unfair to both PolyGram and herself.
How is her contract renewal talk with PolyGram going? She said the conditions are quite good, but given its sensitivity nature, she cannot comment any further. Also, she has been approached by several other companies. Which one offers the highest bid? She said it is different for each company, and the most important thing is that it should give her a sense of security and a good working environment. Support is also very important, and she hopes she can have more flexibility.
Shirley admitted she still has a deep feeling for Polygram, but what means most to her is her producer Joseph Ip. He is very important in her life, and they are very close.
Author's Note
The track Are There Any Real Friends in Life [¤H¥Í¥i¦³ª¾¤v] is
even better than the one in the concert LD. Don't miss it.
"Indeed we haven't had detailed discussion and thus I can't say the probability of reaching an agreement. The most important issue is whether Polygram is still sincere to cooperate with me. The conditions which Polygram offers are also taken into consideration", she said. Polygram announced that they are going to hold concerts for Shirley and Vivian Lai next year. Would it be considered as one of the terms of the contract?
"I think the renewal of the contract and holding concerts are two independent issues. My concert last year concert was well-received. A number of production companies contacted Polygram for the next concert. However, I don't know why Polygram did not go for further discussions", Shirley stated.
On the other hand, Shirley expressed gratitude to Polygram. She feels Polygram is a democratic company.
"I prefer to keep things slow and not to rush through it. There are also some reasons that I can't disclose", Shirley explained. She thinks one company should protect the singers and permit experimentation with different kinds of music. There is rumor that after the return of Priscilla Chan, Polygram seems to concentrate on her and pay less attention to Shirley. She did not answer directly. "I have a plan but don't know whether the company would back me up. Therefore, I haven't propose it to them yet." She does not think that the delay of her new Cantonese album is related to the contract problem.
Shirley does not sleep well because she is so anxious about the contract and the seek for a new agent. She wants somebody who can share her workloads. Chan Ka Yin [³¯®a·ë] (Faye Wong's agent) seems to be the right person. However, she is already busy for working for Faye, and Shirley worries Miss Chan might not provide enough time for her. On the other hand, she finds there are no good agents in Hong Kong. "Big company" is not her cup of tea because she thinks they cannot provide sufficient support to the artists.
A recent example is the song Talking To Myself [¦Û¨¥¦Û»y]. Polygram plugged the song to radio stations last December, but no other new songs was available for "backing up". The promotion of the duet Blessed Mary [¸UºÖº¿§Q¨È], with Anthony Wong, was done by Wong's record company, Go East, not PolyGram.
In addition, her latest Cantonese album was scheduled for release in March. However, due to the production and the contract problems, it is postponed to April or May, at the earliest. As this is not the first time such things happen, she has really lost confidence in her company. She needs further considerations as to whether she should continue her stay. PolyGram claims it is very concerned about keeping Shirley as one of their singers. With the proposal of a concert in 1997, they hope Shirley will stay with them.
The reporter tried to contact the PolyGram's Productions Director William Kwan Wai Lun [ÃöºûÅï] for further information but he is not currently in town. So the manager Au Moon Choi [°Ïº¡°]] was brought in for comments. Mr. Au said, "Shirley is discussing the renewal of her contract with us. Since I am not responsible for the contracts with singers, I can't give any comments."
She feels the festive atmosphere is not as strong as that in the past. There are less decorative lights, and nowadays people tend to leave town [Áצ~] during this time. There are no kids playing around the block anymore. Even though she only has two days off during Lunar New Year, she still spends some time with her family and have a meal together [¹Î¦~]. Her favorites are parsnip cakes and almond puddings.
Are her relatives urging her to get married? She said people tend to marry late now, and those who do are deemed more "desirable" [¬á¶Q]. She does not care too much about marriage. It is better to let it take its own course.
She said after her concert last year her health keeps getting worse. Maybe she worked too hard for it. At that time, she was exhausted and finished it almost only by sheer will. She fell ill right afterwards, and it is now time to have a real rest. Since she did not feel well months ago, people thought Shirley pretended to keep a low profile.
When she took an X-ray after the concert, there was a shadow in her throat. She thought it was a tumor, and it bothered her for quite some time. When the report came out, it was determined as a swelling only.
After being teased by "Ah Lak", she went after him in embarrassment. Regarding this, she said, "Of course I'd to make some response! He's only joking. Every artists are asked about their rumors as they go on stage. It's okay for easing up the atmosphere."
She added, "frankly, I'd rather he talked about him [Michael] than many others."
As the awards were given out on the Valentine's Day, all the winners had to answer a question about love. When asked what she would like to get for this special occasion, Shirley replied, "a passionate kiss."
This year, Shirley received a number of presents from friends and co-workers, but no flowers. She said she was not disappointed. In fact, she did not spend the past few Valentine's Day with a lover already. In Western societies, Valentine's Day is considered a day to express love, both the romantic kind and not. But in Hongkong, people are only concerned about their lovers. She feels strange that she still have not met a man that gives her a "special feeling". Her friends countered that she is locking herself up. How can she meet anybody if she does not go out at all? Shirley insists it is a matter of destiny.
Her song Forget Him was named as one of the Top Ten Golden Heart Love Songs.
| Shirley Kwan New Year Concert [µ´¹ïÃö²Q©É·s¦~µ¼Ö·|] | |
|---|---|
| Tickets : 80, 130, 170, 220. (Half price for full-time students and seniors) | |
| Date & Time | Venue |
| February 22, 1996. 8:00PM | Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium |
| February 23, 1996. 8:00PM | Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium |
| February 24, 1996. 8:00PM | Tuen Mun Town Hall Auditorium |
Special guests include Chan Hiu Ton [³¯¾åªF] and Cheng Ka Wing [¾G¹Å¿o]. Tickets
are available now at URBTIX.
Author's Note
The said concerts were later described as "Lunar New Year events starring
Shirley Kwan, Chan Hiu Ton and Cheng Ka Wing", not mini-concerts of Shirley
Kwan as originally suggested.
"We don't have any ideas yet. I like to sing with others because we can have something new", she said.
People always think that Shirley's style is kind of "alternative", and she maintains a low profile deliberately. Her supercilious outlook is hardly found agreeable by others. Shirley said all these claims are not true.
"I don't think there are any 'alternative singers' in Hong Kong. My songs just differ slightly from those people are used to. With regard to maintaining a low profile, this is my trait. When I was still a new-comer, all I did were just for my job. Now, I only do promotions when new songs are out. This is my preference", Shirley explained. Maybe she is too "cool" on stage that people have such misconceptions.
In addition, none of the songs by Shirley appeared among the 90 candidates for the Top Ten songs awards. So, Shirley is not going to get any prizes from the Gold Songs of RTHK this year.
"In this case you'd ask Yeung Wai Hong (a former staff in Polygram). He was responsible for the promotion affairs last year. The position has just been filled recently," Shirley said.
There are rumors saying that Shirley does not have a good relationship with RTHK. Thus, she will not get any prizes from RTHK. "This is not reasonable", Shirley responded, "if it is really true, does it mean those who get their prizes only because they have good relations with RTHK?"
When asked to name the best female singer of the year, Shirley said she would
pick Faye Wong Ching Man. She believes Faye has excellent singing techniques
and a great voice. Besides, Faye gives listeners a "feel" that is hard to
find in local music industry.
