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SCMP Reporter

Super Band are unlike any music group ever to appear on the Asian music scene.  The band comprise  four veteran Chinese singer-songwriters-music producers:  Lo Ta-yu, 55, Jonathan Lee Chung-shan, 51, Emil Chau Wa-kin, 49, and Chang Cheng-yue, 35, who have dominated  the Chinese-language music market in different generations. They agreed to put their own careers aside and form a band, but for one year only.
In the past year, Super Band  have toured  more than 50 cities, and the reception they've received has surpassed their expectations.  'We planned to release one album and do one tour around Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland, maybe with about 20 to 25 shows.  We ended up doing  double that number. It has   been a surprise, but a pleasant one,' says Chau. 
How did  the idea of forming Super Band take shape?
Chau: It was the record label's idea but we were like  'OK, yeah right', and thought the idea would just disappear the next day but ...
Lee: But then the label  held a press conference  announcing  our band. Only then  did I figure it could really happen. We couldn't eat our words. 
Why did you  put a one-year time limit on the band?
Chang: We all have our own work and are sacrificing our own time to be part of this band. A year  seemed to be a reasonable length of time. 
The tour started on March 7 and will continue until January 30. How does it feel to have been away from home for so long?
Lee: At first, everything seemed so fresh and exciting, like we would take pictures of every hotel we stayed in but later on, every hotel room seemed the same and we stopped doing that.  
Chau: I have never missed my own bed  as badly as I do now, and I think my wife will leave me if I don't get home soon. 
What has been the most rewarding part of the tour?
Chau: We've all learned to look after ourselves better and try to avoid getting sick, because when you are down,  it affects the whole team. I don't think we have ever lived  such healthy lifestyles.
Lee: Well, my reward is also my big 'loss'. I have lost 13kg since the beginning of this trip. I couldn't really go on stage with my big belly while the other three are so fit.  
How does the age gap between members affect the band?
Lo:  I am the oldest  member of the band. I was born in 1954 and  Chang was born in  1974, so there is a 20-year gap between us.  But Chang brings his contemporary music to the band.  The wider the age gap between members, the wider the  band's musical range.  
Chau:  I used to think rap was for  people who could not sing but wanted to pretend they could.  But after getting to know  Chang's music better, I  discovered that there  is this magical chemistry that sparkles between the beats and the words in  rap music  that is more than just mumbling. Jonathan and I tried to rap too but we just couldn't keep up with the beats but  Chang has that in his blood.  It's given our band a nice mix.
Did you expect the tour to be as successful as it has been?
Chau: The outcome has  far exceeded our original expectations. I was especially surprised  to see people lining up for our shows in  smaller or faraway cities such as Guiyang and Kunming.  Some middle-aged couples who have been our fans since their youth  brought their teenage children to our concerts. It feels very cool and proves that good music is timeless. 
Lee: I didn't think that much about it. Every show to me is like visiting  old friends. I now focus on writing songs for others, so playing in  front of an audience makes me  feel nostalgic.  
What has been the toughest part of the tour?
Lee: The time spent on planes and waiting for delayed flights has driven me nuts.  But we make the best of the time by writing songs while we travel. One called Gui Lai [Return] expresses how we feel waiting for the next flight to take off, as if we'll never return home.
Any regrets so far?
Chau: Our tour almost covered Urumqi in Xinjiang province too,  but we didn't end up going there because of the riots earlier. If we did do that show, our body parts might still be there. 
Will you be sad to see the band   break up?
Lo:  I am living a dream now and can't really picture what will happen when that time comes.  
Chang:  Our band  may go but our spirit will remain. No one in Asia has ever done this crazy  thing before and we hope this will  encourage others to follow our lead.  
What is the first thing you want  to do after completing this  musical journey?
Chang:  I will go  surfing.  I am an avid surfer and I haven't surfed for a year now and I have put on 5kg.  
Lee: I will immediately go home and make my guitars. Usually I make 30 a year but I  only made eight this year and three of them were given to these guys. 
Super Band World Tour 2010 In Hong Kong, Jan 6-7, 8.15pm, Hong Kong Coliseum, 9 Cheong Wan Rd, Hung Hom, HK$180-HK$580 Urbtix; Inquiries: 2905 8134



Q&A: Super Band