Jacky Cheung is incontestably the most famous and successful recording artist in Cantonese pop's short history - and he's still going at it. A quiet and humble family man, how did Jacky Cheung become the king of Chinese love songs?
With
his rich, robust voice and captivating melodies, his
popularity swept through Hong Kong and Taiwan like a
vivacious tornado. Dubbed one of the 4 Heavenly Kings and known as the "singing" king, Jacky has the largest collection of love ballad hits that
can rival Alan Tam. Since his Form 7 days in school, Jacky never
ceased to sing for the public. It was no accident that
he was discovered by Polygram Records (now
Universal Music Group), who offered him a contract
after he participated and won a singing contest in
1984. Thrilled by this prospect, Jacky wanted to get
started, but he had a difficult time grabbing his
audience's interest. Unable to gain recognition, Jacky
needed a hit song to launch his
career. Finally in 1991, "Love You A
Little More Each Day" emerged, propelling him to
superstar status. His cheery personality and
infectious smile caught fans running to his feet.
Audiences love his carefree style and the positivity
in his songs. Unwilling to become another singer
meshed into Cantopop's fast-paced industry, Jacky took
on different opportunities and directions. Showing his
audiences that he is not just a typical actor or
singer, Jacky took on a challenging role of producing
and taking a lead role in the Cantopop musical "Snow
Wolf Lake" alongside another veteran singer Sandy Lam and newcomer Kit Chan.
Together, they took the stage for more than 43
performances to a full house at the Hong Kong
Coliseum.
Because of many years of hard work and the frustrations he endured, Jacky Cheung feels he has the responsibility to uplift the current Hong Kong
music industry, in which he feels is facing "imminent collapse. It saddens me to see that during the 90s the industry kept going downhill." Jacky can do many good for the Cantopop industry, not only by continuing to
record and push the limits of the songwriters who pen his albums, but to use his personal vision to help return "to the basis of making good music." (Interview with Clarence Hui, Cash Flow Magazine)
To many, Jacky has a great voice, but his
powerful drive to use his talent in many ways is what
makes him a legend.
Career Highlights:
• 62 albums released overall from 1985-2003.
• 1984 - Jacky won first prize for the song,
"Fatherland," in "The 18 Districts Amateur Singing
Contest," competing with more than 10,000 contestants.
Signed a contract with Polygram Records shortly
afterwards.
• The song, "Loving You A Little More Each Day" ranked
number one on most pop charts and ranked number one on
the Ultimate Song Chart of Commercial Radio
• 1993 - His mandarin album, Goodbye
Kiss, was released in Taiwan and South East Asia at
the same time, which sold a record-breaking 3 million
units.
• 1993 - First singer to be the Top Ten Best Selling
Singer for Polygram Records. He became the best
selling singer in Asia for three more years.
• 1993 - Attracted worldwide attention for his 25
performances of "Jacky and Friends Live Concert 1993",
34 performances of "Jacky Live Concert 1993," and
close to 100 performances of "Jacky in Concert" in
over twenty countries and cities.
• 1995 - Jacky sold over 5 million albums overall.
• 1995 - Jacky received the "Chinese Artiste of The
Worldâ in Monte Carlo at the World Music Awards.
Where Is He Now?
On Friday, September 12th, Jacky Cheung won an award
for Pan-Asia male artist of the year during the
CCTV-MTV Awards.
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