Julian Cheung Chi-lam's boyish good looks made it easy for him to venture into film and television following a successful debut as a singer in 1991. That stood him in good stead a decade later as Canto-pop went into a decline, with Cheung shifting his focus to acting in mainland productions. And after becoming a father - his wife, actress Anita Yuen Wing-yi, gave birth to their son, Morton, about five years ago - he also enjoyed more quality time with his family.
In 2009, Cheung returned to music and released I Am Chilam, his first album in six years. The 39-year-old is now filming The Grandmasters, a new Wong Kar-wai movie also starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai. To mark his 20th anniversary as a singer, Cheung will stage his first solo concerts at the Coliseum this month.
How have you been preparing for the concerts? I started to do a lot of exercise while filming in Hengdian [in Zhejiang province] late last year. I was quite fit for a while but the weather there was very cold; I ate a lot and regained some weight. So after returning to Hong Kong in January, I hired a physical trainer to set up a fitness programme for me. Now, I spend three hours in the gym every day. The training is very tough, but I can see myself improving bit by bit.
The upcoming shows are your first solo concerts. How do you feel? When I signed to Neway Star in 2009, the concerts were among the projects in our collaboration. It's my 20th year in the industry and there are many songs that I want to sing for the audience. My record company is helping me realise this dream. I hope I can enjoy the experience and interact with the audience as if we're at a party. Some of my best friends such as the Grasshoppers and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing will be guest performers.
The Chinese title of the concerts is 'I'm an Alien' and you also sport an alien ear in the poster. Are you a UFO buff? Yes. I'm very interested in mysterious phenomena such as the pyramids, UFOs and aliens. They stir my imagination. While brainstorming for the concerts, we thought it would be quite interesting to introduce this element. I always look out for information about mysterious events on the internet and was really excited when I saw the news about a UFO sighting in Jerusalem. It was so cool!
I really want to see one myself. Chapman To [Man-cheuk] and I once filmed a scene on the mainland showing us wishing upon the stars. Suddenly, a glowing object shot across the dark sky. We were stunned. That was probably not a UFO but a meteor, but we were very excited.