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SCMP Reporter

Harlem Yu Ching-hing, 48, recently went through a divorce, but the Taiwanese singer-songwriter said his passion for life remains strong.
In March, Yu (right) announced  he was divorcing singer-actress Annie Shizuka Inoh. The two  dated for 14 years before tying the knot in 2000. They have a seven-year-old son, Harry, who lives with Yu. 
The single father has been keeping his private life low profile, but his upcoming concert series at the Coliseum in January is titled Deep and Endless Love.   Does the tagline suggest that he may have recovered from his last relationship? 
Are you hinting at something with that title?
Just that I'm a very passionate person. It's not easy for me to fall for someone, but once it clicks, I go as far as I can for  that person. This is my character. I don't know how to hold back; my love is endless.
Even after going through a divorce?
I have not been thinking about starting a new relationship. Many people have asked me if I  will remarry, and I  don't know how to answer that question. You can't control who you meet, and how things develop. But now I'm more interested in what I can control, like raising my son,   making  albums, staging concerts and  other jobs.    
Your ex-wife has spoken about your marriage publicly. Why have you stayed silent? 
I have never been good at opening up and  expressing my feelings, except through songs. There were things that I should have said [to my wife] before but I didn't, and now  it's in the past, and I see no point  in saying anything more.  It's best for everybody to let bygones  be bygones.
Is it hard to be a single father?
No, I'm actually really enjoying spending time alone with my son.  I think I'm drowning him with love. He has only two rules to follow: to eat his meals and do his homework. Like most parents, I want my son to see me as a friend, not a father, and I want him to tell me what's on his mind and know that I'll be there if he has any questions. I hope we can stay in this friend-relationship until he reaches his puberty when things can get a lot more difficult.
How was your relationship with your father?
My dad was a bit of a 'mix' between the traditional type of father and the more open-minded kind, which  had a lot to do with his upbringing. He was raised in a traditional family, but went to study in France when he was 10. So he held up Chinese family values, but at the same time he had the mind of a  Westerner. When I first started playing music  in junior high, I spent  so much time playing my guitar and listening to records  that I neglected my grades and did badly in school. Some traditional parents  would immediately confiscate their child's guitar and stop him from playing music,  but my dad and I made a deal  that as long as I got passing grades, I could continue to play music for as long as I liked. I think I learned my parenting style from my father. He gave me a reasonable goal to achieve;  instead of asking me to jump from 30 marks to 100, which would have been unrealistic, he was clever enough to set a target that I could  reach. And I thank him for not hindering my passion in music, otherwise, I don't think I could  have been as successful in any other career. 
Your son will be growing up in the shadow of his celebrity parents. How optimistic are you about his chances of having a normal, happy childhood?
I can only hope for that, can't I? I try to separate my work and private life. My mother was a famous Peking opera singer. At home, she was a regular mother, but on stage, she was a superstar. I think my passion for the stage could have come from watching my mother's performances at a young age, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it turned out to be what I truly love.  But  as a father, I want my son to be able to choose what he likes  without being forced to follow  in my footsteps. I never take him  on set or to my recording studio. I don't want him to think of that as the environment he grew up in and thus his fate.  I want him to find  what he truly loves on his own. I believe only when you are genuinely in love with something,  can you put your heart into it and do it well.
How much time do you spend with your son?  
I try to get all of my work done during the week and reserve the weekends for my son. And during the week, I make sure that I am with him from the minute he comes back from school, until  I tuck him into bed at night.  Once he's asleep, I  start  my own work, writing songs, recording albums. So I think I actually dedicate more time to my son than most parents. 
You will be staging your concert tour soon, which will last for several months.  How  will you deal with being apart from your son?
It's my job and I can only hope  that he  will understand. And  I may bring him along for concerts on  the weekends. 
And  the setting for this concert  will be quite different from your previous ones?
Yes, we will bring the audience  into a deep blue sea.  In Putonghua, my surname, Yu, and fish  are pronounced the same, so Harlem Yu is Harlem Fish and I want to take  the audience to the world of this Harlem fish and let them experience  the mysterious ocean and learn to treasure this  giant natural resource of ours. 
How will you be incorporating the ocean theme into the concert?
We are still designing the stage, but we probably won't have real water in the Coliseum or else we'll have to hand out raincoats in advance. We're thinking  of decorating the venue to create an oceanic scene. We will also have dancers, crew members and even the security guards dress up, wearing snorkel masks  or  crab claws to match  the theme. As for the audience,  we are thinking of handing out  identification cards as they come in  that state  which species of sea  creature they are representing.  I find  Hong Kong  audiences a bit more uptight at concerts than  crowds in Taiwan. But if they are coming to my  shows, I want them to be part of  the experience.  
Harlem Yu Concert 2010, Jan 9-10, 8.15pm, Hong Kong Coliseum, Hung Hom, HK$180-HK$580 Urbtix.  Inquiries: 2730 8080



Q&A: Harlem Yu