HE is known as the 'slayer of kings', Canto-pop kings, that is. But, at 35, singer-songwriter Emil Chau Wah-kin is not your regular Canto-pop star. He is married with two young children and is not exactly in the same rugged-good-looks category as Andy Lau Tak-wah, nor can he boast the nifty dance moves of Aaron Kwok Fu-shing.
That isn't to say he doesn't have his own cheerful charm. Chau's slightly goofy smile has become a popular one in Hong Kong this year and, while the economy might have been slow, Taiwan-based Chau has been laughing all the way to the bank, leaving Hong Kong's four Canto-pop 'kings' in the wake.
His Mandarin and Cantonese albums have been consistently among the top sellers of the year and a series of concerts, scheduled to run from January 27 to February 8, have long since sold out, leaving many fans scouring the town for tickets.
Last month, Chau, who has just released his third Cantonese album, Full Chords, was also awarded the Billboard Asian Artistic Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in the Asian music industry.
While other singers revel in the limelight, fame is something that sits uncomfortably on Chau's shoulders. Compliments are accepted with an embarrassed laugh and mumbled thanks.
'I have been very lucky but, to be honest, I'm still not quite used to the fame and attention. I don't quite know how to manage it,' he says earnestly.