HE may not have the angular, good looks of Andy Lau, the doe-eyed dreaminess of Leon Lai or the youthful exuberance of Aaron Kwok, but Jacky Cheung makes up for it with a friendly, boyish grin and a voice his counterparts would probably cheerfully kill for.
While the other three Canto-pop ''kings'' are often tagged as idol singers, Cheung is the one who has the rare distinction of being described as the ''the talented one'', the one who can ''really sing''.
If that isn't enough to convince anyone, record-breaking sales of his albums, laser discs, and numerous singing and song awards showered on him in the past two years should be testimony enough.
Yes, life is good at the top for the singing superstar who has just finished making his first movie after a year's break. ''The literal translation of the film's name is 'Very Detective' and I play a private investigator,'' said 33-year-old Cheung.
Having watched Cheung scoop one prize after another at the latest round of pop award presentation ceremonies, it is difficult to imagine his singing career ever scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel, but hit rock bottom he did, from 1988 to 1989.
Cheung reckons those years formed the lowest point of his life. A lot of people wrote him off as a flash in the pan, but he has picked himself up and fought back.
''I'm no longer afraid of failure. My career started on a high note, then plummeted to icy depths before rising again. I think I have an added advantage over others in handling strife,'' he said.
