Rhythm - the Online Magazine to HKVP Radio

by Diane Lee, Joanne Lee

June 30, 2004 | Browse Intimate Portrait

Wong Ka-Kui: The Champion of Love

"Life is not about what you've gained, but what you've done with it." Sincere and unreservedly straightforward, this statement is attributed to Wong Ka-Kui, the late founder and lead vocalist of the Hong Kong band, Beyond. The above statement encapsulated Ka-Kui's outlook on life and fuelled by his passion, the manner in which he lived. From his formative years to the earliest days of the band, whether in music or in life, Ka-Kui was relentless in his dreams to achieve change in the Hong Kong music industry and also, to make a difference in the world.

Ka-Kui's emergence from a typical childhood and family background into a rock artist was marked by enthusiasm for music, a persistent nature and a drive to succeed. As a teen, Ka-Kui's imagination and interest were captured by the chameleonic David Bowie, whose unique voice and theatrical personas helped to open Ka-Kui's eyes to look beyond the local pop scene. At 17, Ka-Kui was given an acoustic guitar and he learned how to play by himself from books. Soon afterwards, he joined an amateur band as a rhythm guitarist where he suffered criticism about his playing skills. The criticism fuelled Ka-Kui's persistent nature and he swore to practice and become better than the band's lead guitarist - the person who doled out the harsh words, including the opinion that Ka-Kui would never amount to anything in life.

In 1983, only 4 years after he received his first guitar, Ka-Kui formed Beyond with friends and entered a competition sponsored by Guitar Magazine to walk away with the "Best Band" award. Over the next few years, the band focused on writing songs, held small-scale local performances and experienced shifts in their member lineup. In 1986, Beyond self-published "Goodbye Ideals" on cassette tape - an album of energetic hard rock music with a punk edge, balanced with melodic and cerebral songs. They also held a live performance at which Leslie Chan was in attendance and became impressed enough to invite Beyond to sign with Kinn's Music, representing a turning point in the underground band's short life. As time progressed, disappointing album sales and an obligation to Kinn's bottom line presented Beyond with a dilemma. The struggle between commercialization and Beyond's dream (of progressing the music industry) was planted, and continued to weigh on the band throughout their career and even to the present day.

With the formation of Beyond and their growing listener base, Ka-Kui now had a vehicle to hone his innate musical talents as well as express his opinions - which were in reaction to, and drawn from, his environment. Several recurring themes would emerge in his lyrics, including commentary on social and political issues, war and peace, love for his culture, pursuing dreams, perseverance and the strength to never give up. Ka-Kui believed in the words that he sang and in fact, embodied much of the messages - a trait that solidified his credibility and garnered respect.

"Glorious Days" addressed racism and was dedicated to Nelson Mandela, the political leader who was imprisoned for opposing South Africa's minority government on its policy of apartheid. Not content to simply sing about the problem, Beyond travelled to Africa for firsthand knowledge of the situation and to see how they can contribute in improving conditions. As a direct result of this trip, the Beyond Third World Foundation was created (with profits from the redistribution of an early album donated) and Ka-Kui wrote "Amani", a song about peace. It is perhaps these actions that inspired Bakufu-Slump, a Japanese rock band, to write a tribute song to Ka-Kui following his accidental death entitled, "The Champion of Love".

Awareness of social issues aside, Ka-Kui held another dream - to help Hong Kong's local musicians. Along with the other members of Beyond, a foundation offering assistance to aspiring artists in creating and publishing their work was established. As the leader of Hong Kong's only band to have transitioned from the underground scene to the mainstream, Ka-Kui has been cited as influential and inspiring by many of today's crop of musicians and bands. In addition, Ka-Kui has often been credited as a positive force in Hong Kong's music industry along with the Godfather of Cantopop, Sam Hui - both noted for creating and setting standards.

While Beyond was certainly not the first band ever in Hong Kong, their emergence and success came at a time when the music scene was dominated by covers of Japanese and American pop songs. Original music with a message was Ka-Kui's passion and an area in which he excelled - listeners who were looking for more than just Cantonese lyrics to foreign songs found Beyond and their contemporaries a refreshing change.

While it does not necessarily adhere to the styles popularized by vocalists and other singers in Hong Kong, Ka-Kui's voice conveyed many characters and emotions. The hard, toughness in how he approached certain songs revealed a personality that was affected by his environment and in some ways, a rebellion against it. Yet at the same time, Ka-Kui was able to deliver and share his messages in a tender and soothing manner, exposing the sensitive and vulnerable sides listeners knew existed (based on his music, lyrics and actions). There are music fans today who still recall how exciting it is to hear Ka-Kui sing so powerfully and with something to say - whether he was encouraging them to not give up, celebrating their cultural heritage, struggling amidst an industry that favoured pop idols and the bottom line, or dreaming about a better tomorrow where equality and peace existed.

An accident cut short Ka-Kui's life at the age of 31, but his achievements and influence continues to live. For many, Wong Ka-Kui will forever remain an inspirational young man - his passion for music remembered, the spirit and outlook with which he approached life revered. As the late Brandon Lee once said, "the key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering".