Cantopop (Chinese: 粵語流行曲) is a colloquial portmanteau for "Cantonese popular music". Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with an overall density of some 6300 people per square kilometre The Culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then leaned West for much of the 20th century under constructive Population census in Hong Kong ( a collection of demographic data in Hong Kong, is conducted by Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with an overall density of some 6300 people per square kilometre The Hong Kong Identity Card (abbreviation HKID, ID card) is an official Identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong The issue of who has the right of abode in Hong Kong prompted a fierce debate at the end of the 20th century and tested the One Country Two Systems policy in China The Culture of Hong Kong can best be described as a foundation that began with China, and then leaned West for much of the 20th century under constructive The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the Cinema of China The cuisine of Hong Kong is Cantonese cuisine with extensive influences from parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China (especially Chaozhou, Dongjiang, Public holidays in Hong Kong are Holidays designated by the Government of Hong Kong. The majority of the population in Hong Kong are descendants of migrants from Mainland China. Shopping in Hong Kong have been categorized from "social activity" to a "serious sport". Manhua ( are Chinese Comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties The Music of Hong Kong is an eclectic mixture of traditional and popular genres Religion in Hong Kong is part and parcel of the Culture of Hong Kong. Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China 's Cantonese culture. Sports in Hong Kong, as in other countries are important part of the culture Hong Kong's highly favorable geographical position and Entrepot trading opportunities are wealth-generating assets Education in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernized by the The Geography of Hong Kong primarily consists of three main territories Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories Hong Kong began as a coastal Island geographically located in southern China. Politics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by People's Republic of China, its own legislature the Chief Executive A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech, writing or Paralinguistics. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure It is also referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National C-pop () is an abbreviation for " Chinese Popular music ". Cantopop draws its influence not only from other forms of Chinese music, but from a variety of international styles including jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, electronic music, western pop music and others. The Music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artefacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure By and large, cantopop songs are almost invariably performed in Cantonese. Boasting a multinational fanbase, Hong Kong is the most significant hub of the genre. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders ^[1]

History

Origin

Western-influenced music first came to the Republic of China in the 1920s, specifically to Shanghai. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million ^[2] Artists like Zhou Xuan acted in films and recorded popular songs, and was possibly the first Chinese popstar. Zhou Xuan ( -) was a popular Chinese singer and Film actress By the 1940s she had become one of the Seven great singing stars. The split would come in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established by the communist party. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the One of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce pop music as pornography. The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of Sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer ^[2] Beginning in the 1950s massive waves of immigrants fled Shanghai to destinations like North Point. 1950s in Hong Kong began after the Japanese rule ended in 1945 with Sovereignty returning to the British. North Point is a mixed-use urban area located at Eastern District Hong Kong. ^[3] Because many of the first generations of artists and composers were originally from the city, Hong Kong cantopop owes its origin to Shanghai. ^[2]

1960s: Cultural acceptance

By the 1960s, Cantonese music available in Hong Kong was still limited largely to traditional Cantonese opera and comic renditions of western music. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China 's Cantonese culture. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Tang Kee-chan (鄧寄塵), Cheng Kuan-min (鄭君綿), and Tam Ping-man (譚炳文) were among the earliest artists releasing Cantonese records. The baby boom generation at the time preferred British and American exports, as well as Mandarin music. A baby boom is any period of greatly increased birth rate during a certain period and usually within certain geographical bounds and when the birth rate exceeds 2% of the population The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Western culture at the time was a mark of education and sophistication,^[4] and Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Beatles were the main attraction. John Royce "Johnny" Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American Singer of Popular music. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 ^[2] Conversely, those who preferred Cantonese music were considered old or uneducated. Cheng Kum-cheung (鄭錦昌) and Chan Chai-chung (陳齊頌) were two popular Cantonese singers who specifically targeted the younger generation. Cheng Kum Cheung (Chinese: 鄭錦昌 was a Malaysian Chinese Singer in the 1960s and 1970s Connie Chan Po-chu (陳寶珠) is generally considered to be Hong Kong's first teen idol, mostly due to her career longevity. Connie Chan Po-chu was born in 1947 in Guangdong, China to impoverished parents and at least 8 other siblings ‎ Teen idols refers to someone idolized by teens a teen idol is often young but in many cases no longer teenaged Josephine Siao (蕭芳芳) is also another artist of the era. Josephine Siao Fong-Fong MBE is a Hong Kong movie star who became popular as a child and continued her success as a mature actress winning numerous awards including

Roman Tam, the godfather of cantopop^[5]

1970s: Rise of the industry

Pre-Canto Pop era in the 1960s laid seed to the creation of Hong Kong's new pop music. Roman Tam, known by the stage name Lo man (羅文 nickname Law Kee (蘿記 was a renowned Cantopop singer Many local bands mimicking British and American bands became recording artistes. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Two types of local Cantonese music recordings appeared in the market nearly concurrently in 1973 in Hong Kong. One type cashing-in on the popularity of TVB's drama series were based on more traditional music and lyrics styles. Television Broadcasts Limited ( commonly known as TVB, was the first over-the-air commercial Television station in Hong Kong. Programmes broadcast by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB form a major part of Popular culture in Hong Kong Yet the type of musical cross-overs that made foreigners recognised and coined HK music as "Canto Pop" came largely from Polydor Hong Kong, a foreign label established in Hong Kong in 1970 by acquiring Diamond Music, the local record company that had most of the 60s artists in Hong Kong. Polydor Records is a Record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

Beginning with the 1970s, TV was a technological marvel mostly available to the rich, and broadcasted contents were highly valued and respected. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Soap operas were needed to fill air time. Many popular Cantonese songs became TV theme songs. ^[2] Around 1971, Sandra Lang (仙杜拉), a minor singer who had never sung Cantopop before, was invited to sing the first Cantonese TV theme song "The Yuanfen of a Wedding that Cries and Laughs" or "Tai Siu Jan Jyuan" (啼笑姻緣). Sandra Lang was a Taishan Cantopop singer in the 1970s During the late 1960s her career began under the HK English pop group named the The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio program, Television program, or Movie. Yuan (缘 or Yuanfen (缘份 Pinyin: yuán fèn Vietnamese: duyên phận is a Buddhist -related Chinese concept that means the This song was a collaboration between the legendary songwriter Joseph Koo (顧嘉煇) and the songwriter Yip Siu-dak (葉紹德). Joseph Koo Ka-Fai SBS (born January 1, 1933 in Suzhou, China) was one of the most respected composers in Hong The song was ground breaking and topped local charts. In Popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list&mdasha Chart &mdashof top ^[2]

Samuel Hui, the lead singer of the band Lotus from late '60s signed to Polydor in 1972. Samuel Hui Koon-kit, usually known as Sam Hui, is best known for being a star in the Cantopop and movie industry in Hong Kong 's from the 1960s The Lotus was a popular English pop/rock band in Hong Kong in the 1960s The song that made it happen was the theme song to the movie Games Gamblers Play (鬼馬雙星), which also starred Sam himself. Games Gamblers Play ( is a 1974 Hong Kong Film directed by Michael Hui. The recording produced by in house producer Ricky TC Fung was a giant success that paved way to a whole new genre of foreign sounding Cantonese language pop tunes for others to follow.

Another TV promoted group was the Four Golden Flowers. The Four Golden Flowers was a TV Theme song musical performance group in the early 1970s. The star of TV theme was Roman Tam (羅文), whose singing earned much praise. Roman Tam, known by the stage name Lo man (羅文 nickname Law Kee (蘿記 was a renowned Cantopop singer Two of the most famous TV soap opera singers were Liza Wang (汪明荃) and Adam Cheng (鄭少秋). Dr Elizabeth Wang, formally known as Dr Wang Ming-chun Elizabeth S Adam Cheng Siu-Chow (born February 24, 1947 in Hong Kong) is a popular TVB Actor and Singer in Hong Kong. ^[2] The Wynners and George Lam also amassed a big fan base with their new style. The Wynners are a Hong Kong pop band formed in the 1970s The five-piece is made up of Alan Tam (vocals Kenny Bee (vocals Bennett Pang (guitar Danny Yip (bass George Lam Chi Cheung, also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong based veteran Cantopop singer Sam Hui continued to dominate the charts and won consecutive two times the Centennial Award (Best Sales awards) in the first and second IFPI Gold Disc Presentations (1977, 1978). Polydor became PolyGram in 1978. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945

1980s: Beginning of the Golden age

During the 1980s, cantopop scaled to great heights with artists, producers and record companies working in harmony. 1980s in Hong Kong marks a period when the territory is known for its wealth and trademark lifestyle Cantopop stars such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, Priscilla Chan and Danny Chan quickly became household names. Anita Mui Yim-fong ( October 10, 1963 - December 30, 2003) was a popular Hong Kong Singer and Actress. Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing ( September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003) nicknamed elder brother (哥哥 was an Actor and Musician Alan Tam Wing-Lun, MH is a famous Hong Kong Cantopop singer and film Actor. Priscilla Chan Wai-han is a female Cantopop Singer in Hong Kong. Danny Chan Bak-keung (September 7 1958- October 25 1993 was a popular 1980s Cantopop singer composer and actor in Hong Kong. The industry effectively used cantopop songs in TV dramas and movies. Some of the biggest soundtracks came from timeless film such as A Better Tomorrow. A Better Tomorrow ( Chinese 英雄本色 Pinyin: Yīngxióng běnsè Jyutping: Jing1 hung4 bun2 sik1 literally True Colors of a Hero In part, the success came from progressive economical developments. Sponsors and record companies became comfortable with the idea of lucrative contracts and million dollar signings.

One great endorsement of Cantopop was the crossing over from the most successful Chinese female recording artist so far, Queen of Mandarin songs Teresa Teng 鄧麗君. She achieved in both artistic strides and great commercial success by her original Cantonese Hits (Polygram Label) in the early '80s.

As Cantopop gained big following in all Chinese communities, Hong Kong entrepreneurs' ingenious use of the then new LaserDisk technology produced yet another explosion in the market, the Karaoke market was dominated by Cantopop.

The Four Heavenly Kings in a tribute to Leslie Cheung (2003)

1990s: Four Heavenly Kings era

In the early 90s, a number of Cantopop stars decided to semi or fully retire. 1990s in Hong Kong marks a transitional period and the last decade of Colonial Hong Kong. Those Cantopop stars included Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Samuel Hui, Priscilla Chan and Joseph Koo. Alan Tam Wing-Lun, MH is a famous Hong Kong Cantopop singer and film Actor. Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing ( September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003) nicknamed elder brother (哥哥 was an Actor and Musician Samuel Hui Koon-kit, usually known as Sam Hui, is best known for being a star in the Cantopop and movie industry in Hong Kong 's from the 1960s Priscilla Chan Wai-han is a female Cantopop Singer in Hong Kong. Joseph Koo Ka-Fai SBS (born January 1, 1933 in Suzhou, China) was one of the most respected composers in Hong These retirements came as they decided to emigrate from Hong Kong after Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Emigrate is the name of a band led by Richard Z Kruspe, guitarist and founder of Rammstein. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two Cantopop needed new talent to fill the gaps left behind, this led to the emergence of the "Four Heavenly Kings" (四大天王) of Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai. Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau is a Hong Kong Singer and Actor from the mid-1980s to the present Not to be confused with film director Andrew Lau. Andy Lau Tak-Wah MH, JP (born September 27 1961 is a Hong Kong Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing (born October 26, 1965) is a popular Hong Kong Singer and film actor. Leon Lai is a Hong Kong -based Actor and Cantopop Singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau They dominated all levels of media from magazines, TV, cinema to music. New talents such as Beyond would also emerge as contenders. Beyond was a famous rock band in Hong Kong that was founded in 1983 Successful crossing over alternative music elements by Sandy Lam, Shirley Kwan and Faye Wong were also important to the era. Sandy Lam, also known as Lam Yik Lin is a Cantopop Singer who sings in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese Shirley Kwan, Kwan Suk’E, or Kwan Suk Yee is an idiosyncratic Hong Kong Cantopop singer best known for her unique vocal and progressive music Faye Wong (born August 8 1969) is a Chinese Singer, Songwriter, Actress and model.

The tension and economic instability from the 1997 handover also created a culturally challenging atmosphere for the industry. The transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, often referred to as the Handover Establishment of Basic Law and language ordinances made the adoption of Mandarin official. The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the Constitutional document Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan ^[6]

After 1997, there emerged a younger generation of singers after the half-retired 4 kings. Singers like Sammi Cheng, Joey Yung, Eason Chan and Kelly Chen began dominating until and even after the turn of the century. Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop Singer and actress. Joey Yung Cho-Yee ( Traditional Chinese 容祖兒 Simplified Chinese 容祖儿 Cantonese Yung Cho-Yee Mandarin Pinyin: Róng Zǔ'ér (born Eason Chan Yik-Shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong 's music industry Kelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop Singer and actress. She is also credited as Chen Huilin Wai-Lam Chan Kelly Chan and Wai Lun Chen

Current

Faye Wong, an artist known in all of Greater China and overseas Chinese-speaking communities. Faye Wong (born August 8 1969) is a Chinese Singer, Songwriter, Actress and model. After the release of this 1999 album, she was recognised as Best Selling Cantopop Female. Only Love Strangers (只愛陌生人 sometimes translated Lovers and Strangers, is a 1999 album by Chinese pop artist Faye Wong. ^[7]

Gillian Chung of the Twins was caught in a major scandal possibly at the height of the group's popularity

2000s

At the turn of the century, Cantonese is still dominant in the domain of Chinese popular music. Gillian Chung (born January 21 1981 is a Hong Kong -based actress and singer Twins was a Hong Kong -based female Cantopop duo created in the summer of 2001 by Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG The Edison Chen photo scandal involved the illegal distribution over the Internet of intimate and private photographs of Hong Kong actor Edison Chen with various women C-pop () is an abbreviation for " Chinese Popular music ". ^[8] Though the deaths of stars Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui in 2003 rocked the industry. Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing ( September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003) nicknamed elder brother (哥哥 was an Actor and Musician Anita Mui Yim-fong ( October 10, 1963 - December 30, 2003) was a popular Hong Kong Singer and Actress. The Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop performed a tribute at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards. ^[9] Along with the downturn of the economy, few can deny cantopop was at a low point in the early 2000s.

The industry was mostly in a transitional phase with overseas-raised Chinese artists such as Sally Yeh, Nicholas Tse and Coco Lee gaining recognition. Sally Yeh sometimes written as Sally Yip or Sin-Man Yip is a Cantopop singer in the Hong Kong music industry and an actress in the Hong Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung is a Hong Kong based Singer-songwriter, Actor and Musician. Ferren Lee-Kelly (born January 17 1976) popularly known as As a result cantopop is no longer restricted to Hong Kong, but has become part of a larger Pan-Chinese music movement.

Since 2005 the industry has began a new upswing with many of the newer artists gaining in popularity. The two major companies that drive much of the Hong Kong segment appears to be East Asia Entertainment & Amusic and Emperor Entertainment Group. Amusic is the Record label of East Asia Record Production Co Ltd Emperor Entertainment Group ( EEG) is one of the largest entertainment groups in Hong Kong. The more veteran singers like Andy Hui, Joey Yung, Denise Ho, Eason Chan along with newer artists like Janice Vidal, Twins, Justin Lo have played a major role in the upswing. Andy Hui Chi-On is a Hong Kong popstar and a movie actor He is the First Runner-up in the 5th Annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1986 Joey Yung Cho-Yee ( Traditional Chinese 容祖兒 Simplified Chinese 容祖儿 Cantonese Yung Cho-Yee Mandarin Pinyin: Róng Zǔ'ér (born Denise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC CC and Goo is a famous Hong Kong Cantopop Singer. Eason Chan Yik-Shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong 's music industry Janice M Vidal, often credited as Janice, is a Female Cantopop, Jazz and R&B Singer based Twins was a Hong Kong -based female Cantopop duo created in the summer of 2001 by Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG Justin Lo (born July 1, 1976) is a Hong Kong-based Chinese American Singer-songwriter, Actor and Record producer Many are also on the rise including Hins Cheung, Vincy Chan, Stephanie Cheng, Kay Tse, Charles Ying, Jill Vidal. Hins Cheung is a Cantopop Singer and Songwriter in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Vincy Chan is a Female Cantopop Singer from Hong Kong. She was signed by Emperor Entertainment Group, and debuted with the album Stephanie Cheng is a female Cantopop Singer in Hong Kong introduced by Go East Music (consolidated with Universal Music in 2003 Kay Tse is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer She was a newcomer to the music industry in 2005 and is known for her versatile vocal range and expertise in various Charles Ying is a Cantopop singer from Hong Kong. After singing the theme song Do I Still Love You of the film Leaving me Loving you, he was Jill Vidal, mostly referred to by fans as just Jill or Wei Si, is a female Singer in Hong Kong. The new era also saw an explosion of groups such as at17, Soler, Sunboy'z, Hotcha. at17, consist of Eman Lam and Ellen Joyce Loo, is a Hong Kong based Cantopop and Folktronica Girl band managed under production Soler is a Rock band based in Hong Kong formed by twin brothers Julio Acconci (lead vocals and Dino Acconci (guitar/vocals Soler made their Sun Boy'z is a Hong Kong Cantopop duo that was formed by EEG with the members of Steven Cheung (張致恆 and Dennis Mak (麥子豪 HotCha is a Hong Kong Cantopop trio group presented by Newaystar entertainment As this became a new trend in promoting groups, often many of the artists later end up going solo such as Kary Ng or Kenny Kwan. Kary Ng (born June 9, 1986) is a Pop rock singer in Hong Kong. Kenny Kwan Chi-Bun ( December 30, 1980) is a Hong Kong Singer and Actor, under the music label Emperor Entertainment Group

In January 2008 Gillian Chung won the "Asia Pacific Most Popular Artist Awards" from Jade Solid Gold following the success of Twins. Gillian Chung (born January 21 1981 is a Hong Kong -based actress and singer Jade Solid Gold ( Chinese: 勁歌金曲 literally "powerful song golden song") is a music show on the TVB television channel Twins was a Hong Kong -based female Cantopop duo created in the summer of 2001 by Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG ^[10] In just a short month, the Edison Chen photo scandal would rock the Hong Kong entertainment industry. The Edison Chen photo scandal involved the illegal distribution over the Internet of intimate and private photographs of Hong Kong actor Edison Chen with various women Local actor Edison Chen and a number of highly publicized female celebrities like Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan and Cecilia Cheung were caught in sexual acts with the nudity photos spread across the internet worldwide. Edison Koon-Hei Chen is a Hong Kong -based Canadian movie actor, Rapper, singer and Pop icon. Bobo Chan Man-Woon is a former Hong Kong singer and model She was also an actress in several movies and TV-series Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi is a Eurasian Actress and Cantopop singer based in Hong Kong. The event garnered the attention of international media including including CNN,^[11] MSNBC,^[12] and The Guardian. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ^[13] The scandal raised a number of questions regarding legal issues and netizen's online rights that went far beyond the usual music discussion. A Netizen (a Portmanteau of Internet and Citizen) or cybercitizen is a person actively involved in Online communities

Characteristics

Instruments and setups

Early cantopop was developed from cantonese opera music hybridized with western pop. Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China 's Cantonese culture. The musicians gave up traditional Chinese musical instruments like zheng and erhu fiddle in favor of western style arrangements. Traditional Chinese musical instruments comprise a wide range of string wind and percussion instruments The guzheng, also spelled gu zheng or gu-zheng ( or zheng (箏 ( gu-, 古 means "ancient" The erhu ( also called nanhu ( 南[[wikt 胡|胡]] "southern fiddle" and sometimes known in the West as the "Chinese Cantopop songs were usually sung by one singer, sometimes with a band, accompanied by piano, synthesizer, drum set, guitar, and bass guitar. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the They are composed under verse-chorus form and are generally monophonic. Verse-chorus form is a Musical form common in Popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s In Music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of Melody without accompanying Harmony. Practically all cantopop songs feature a descending bassline. A bassline (also spelled bass line) is the term used in many styles of Popular music, such as jazz blues funk and electronic Music for the low-pitched

Lyrics

Cantonese language is one of those pitch sensitive languages. The word carries different meaning when sung in a different relative pitch. Matching Cantonese lyrics to Western music was particular difficult because of such musical scale has 12 semi-tones. Through the work of pioneers like Sam Hui, James Wong and Lo Kwok Jim, those that followed have more stock phrases for reference. Cantonese lyricists play a great part in advancing Canto Pop.

Classical Chinese lyrics

The first type is the poetic lyrics written in literary or classical Wenyan Chinese. Classical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of Written Chinese based on the Grammar and Vocabulary of ancient Chinese In the past, cantopop maintained the Cantonese Opera tradition of matching the musical notes with tones of the language. A tonal language is a language that uses tone to distinguish words Relatively few cantopop songs use truly colloquial Cantonese terms, and fewer songs contain lyrics. Songs written in this style are usually reserved for TV shows about ancient China. Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era Since the 1980s, increasing numbers of singers have departed from this traditional, though some big names like Roman Tam stayed true to traditional techniques. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

Modern Chinese lyrics

The second type is less formal. The lyrics written in colloquial Cantonese make up the majority with compositions done in modern written Chinese. Written Chinese comprises the written symbols used to represent Spoken Chinese and the rules about how they are arranged and punctuated TV shows filmed under modern contexts will utilize songs written with these lyrics. Most songs share an overriding characteristic, in which every last word of a phrase is rhymed. This article is about the poetic technique For the form of ice see Rime ice.

The following is an example from the song "Impression" (印象) by Samuel Hui. Samuel Hui Koon-kit, usually known as Sam Hui, is best known for being a star in the Cantopop and movie industry in Hong Kong 's from the 1960s The last word of every phrase ends with '–oeng'.

Foreign compositions

Since the 1970s, many western and Japanese traditional and pop compositions have been translated to Chinese. Jyutping (sometimes spelled Jyutpin) is a Romanization system for Standard Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK Western music is the genres of Music originating in the Western world (Europe and its former colonies including Western classical music, American Historically the practice is done for business reasons of filling up albums and re-capitalizing on songs with a proven record. By definition hybrids are still considered Cantonese songs due to Cantonese lyrics, though the rights borrowed varies country to country. A right is a legal or moral Entitlement or Permission. Rights are of vital importance in theories of Justice and deontological ethics Songs like "Tomorrow sounds like today" (明日話今天) by Jenny Tseng, "Life to seek" (一生何求) by Danny Chan, "Snowing" (飄雪) by Priscilla Chan, and "Can't afford" (負擔不起) by Jade Kwan were originally composed outside of Hong Kong. Jenny Tseng mostly known in Cantonese speaking regions as Yan Nei, is a Macau -born singer based in Hong Kong for much of her career Danny Chan Bak-keung (September 7 1958- October 25 1993 was a popular 1980s Cantopop singer composer and actor in Hong Kong. Priscilla Chan Wai-han is a female Cantopop Singer in Hong Kong. Jade Kwan is a Cantopop singer in Hong Kong. About Jade Kwan entered the New Talent Singing Awards Vancouver Audition 1999 (新秀歌唱大賽溫哥華選拔賽

Industry

Cantopop stars

From the inception of Canto Pop to the late '80s, Hong Kong had seen many original talents developed to super stars status, each with unique singing style and easily recognisable voice. Due to emergence of Karaoke style of singing which displaced originality, CD piracy from the '90s that forced shorter investment cycles, pop idols that appear to have a better chance of generating revenue from different exploition modes became the target of development.

Usually talent is secondary to the success of a cantopop singer in Hong Kong. Most of the time, the image sells the albums, as it is one of the characteristic of mainstream music similarly mirrored in the US and Japan. Mainstream is generally the common current of Thought of the Majority. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Publicity is vital to an idol's career, as one piece of news could make or break one's future. Almost all modern cantopop stars go into the movie business regardless of their ability to act. They immediately expand to the Mandarin market once their fame is established, hence pure cantopop stars are almost nonexistent. Outside of the music sales, their success can also be gauged by their income from various sources. For example, according to some reports, Sammi Cheng earned HK$46M (around US$6M) from advertisement and merchandise endorsements in the month of January 2003 alone. Sammi Cheng Sau-Man is a Hong Kong Cantopop Singer and actress. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been

Labels

Due to rise of Canto Pop and the control of music piracy in Hong Kong from 1978, aside from already existing PolyGram and EMI in Hong Kong, Sony, Warner and BMG established their Hong Kong company one after another from 1979. Meanwhile, local record companies such as Crown Records 娛樂唱片, Wing Hang Records 永恆, Manchi Records 文志 and Capital Artists 華星,each invested heavily and became very successful local labels that compete well in the market. As TV drama theme lose favour from the middle of the '80s, market power soon drifted to the multi-national labels. PolyGram also established CinePoly (originally a JV with Cinema City) which remains a major local label until now with many top local artistes. After the sale of PolyGram to Universal Music in late '90s, the company name was replaced by Universal Music.

Since 2000, a number of local record labels have emerged such as Emperor Entertainment Group and East Asia Record & amusic (included its partly-owned subsidairy, Go East Gold Label Records, which acquired the cantopop business of EMI). In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Emperor Entertainment Group ( EEG) is one of the largest entertainment groups in Hong Kong. Amusic is the Record label of East Asia Record Production Co Ltd Gold Label Records is an independent Hong Kong -based entertainment company launched with the support of EMI. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Sales are tracked at the IFPI HK Annual Sales Chart. ^[14]

Variety

The taste of much of Hong Kong's youths are quite similar. As a result, most stars tend to sing songs with similar topics with emphasis on "maudlin love ballads". But there are still many sideline musicians like Beyond and Tat Ming Pair (達明一派) whose songs reflect the darker side of society. Beyond was a famous rock band in Hong Kong that was founded in 1983 Tat Ming Pair is a Hong Kong singing group which consists of Anthony Wong Yiu Ming (Lead Singer and Tats Lau (劉以達 Guitarist and Composer A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions In recent years, the presences of The Pancakes, LMF, At 17 etc added freshness to the industry. The Pancakes is a Hong Kong based award winning one-girl band consisting of independent Singer-songwriter Dejay Choi " At Seventeen " is a 1975 song by Janis Ian, appearing on Between the Lines, her seventh studio album Their songs express youth attitudes and beliefs with similarities to cutie pop or hip hop cultures. Hip hop is a Subculture, which is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa

Artists

Male

Female

Groups

Major awards

Cantopop radio stations

See also

• Music of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong musical tongue twister
• Hong Kong English pop
• Chinese hip hop

References

External links

• C-Pop Fantasie - Online resource for c-pop, providing lyrics, downloads, video shows, and more.
• Pop Saves Hong Kong, in Tofu Magazine #2
• Hong Kong Vintage Pop Radio
• Cantopop News Blog
• www.hkmusic.cn: Cantopop song listings (in chinese)
• www.mysongspage.com, lyrics and chords for Cantonese, English & Mandarin songs.