He wanted to be ‘the next Andy Lau’. Instead, he wrote and produced Cantopop hits for Sandy Lam, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui. Now he’s penned a history of the genre

Songwriter and producer Clarence Hui, who penned hits for stars including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau and Sandy Lam, looks back on his career in a new book

‘My love letter to the Hong Kong music industry’, he calls the Chinese-language book, which puts the hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s in context for today’s pop fans

Reading Time:3 minutes

Having worked with and written songs for stars including Leslie Cheung, Jacky Cheung and Priscilla Chan, Clarence Hui (above) explores the history of Cantopop in his new book “Half a Foot off the Ground”. Photo: Well Lee

Published: 7:45am, 1 Jul 2023Updated: 3:28pm, 3 Jul 2023

Veteran Hong Kong music producer Clarence Hui seems to possess the Midas touch. Over the years, and especially in the 1980s and ’90s, almost every song or album he worked on would become a hit.

“I just kind of have this magic finger,” he says jokingly. “Me and mega-hits have a good relationship. We have destiny.”

Few would argue with that. Hui wrote the hit “In My Lifetime” for Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing; produced the critically acclaimed concept album Wildflower (1991), under his record label Stardust Music, for Sandy Lam Yik-lin; and acted as a coach for Sam Hui Koon-kit’s musical comeback.

And he collaborated with a host of other major Cantopop stars, including Anita Mui Yim-fong, Priscilla Chan Wai-han, George Lam Chi-cheung and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau.

Cantopop producer Clarence Hui has worked with some of the biggest Cantopop stars, and was involved in many hits. Photo: Well Lee

The 57-year-old reflects on his decades-long career in a new book that offers an insider’s view of the history of Hong Kong’s Cantopop scene.