ANITA Mui Yim-fong is not making a comeback. And, she'd like that known from the outset. To all intents and purposes, the big sister of Canto-pop said, she never left the scene in the first place.
''When I announced my 'withdrawal' from the music scene, I never said I would not release any more albums,'' said the singer/actress who last month released That Is, her first album in almost three years.
''The fact that this album was so long in the making was because we [Mui and producer Anthony Lun Wing-leung] wanted to take our time in choosing only the best songs for it. And, now, everyone is calling it my return to singing. Technically, it's not a comeback.'' ''Technically'', of course, Mui is right. Despite not having released an all-new album in such a long time, she has had frequent sessions in the studio recording theme songs for some of her movies, such as The Heroic Trio, which her recording company lost no time in inserting in one of a series of compilation albums released last year.
And, despite not having held any solo concerts since she waved goodbye to the crowd in 1991, 30-year-old Mui has made public singing appearances and held a charity concert in Toronto last October.
Then, of course, there have been rumours about her having signed up for more than 50 shows in China, and for August 26 and 27 at the Hong Kong Stadium before Ronald Leung Ding-bong threw a spanner in the works by announcing an indefinite ban on pop concerts at the venue last month.
''When I announced my partial retirement in 1991, I distinctly remember saying that I did not rule out holding my own concerts again for charity and for those who really enjoy my songs,'' Mui said.