Eman Lam
Eman Lam is not your average pop singer. She isn’t a skinny, bambi-eyed starlet typified by Hong Kong’s weight-obsessed music industry, but with her uniquely beautiful voice, she has still managed to find success. Two years after disbanding duet group, At 17, formed by Lam and Ellen Loo, she has come up with a more feminine image and is now releasing her solo album. She discusses femininity, weight and her elder brother, fellow singer Chet Lam, with Grace Tsoi.
I hate stereotypes of women. You have to be weak, you will get married eventually, you have to have long hair, being independent is aggressive.
“Kong girl” or “princess syndrome” is common in Hong Kong. Actually, girls in other cities also have such problems. This happens when consumerism overrides humanitarianism.
I am a humanist. I think it’s inhuman to impose stereotypes on women. As a human, you’ve got masculine and feminine sides at the same time.
When people find out how much money I spent on my CD [HK$800,000], they tell me that I am going to lose money. But I am my own boss now. If I don’t invest the best resources in myself, who will?
It’s cheap to fulfil one’s dreams with money. After all, a dream is very precious. The realization of a dream is not only about money. Eventually, we have to understand that money is not the most important thing.
I am a late bloomer, work-wise. Only after producing this CD, I found out what kind of artist I wanted to be. I hope that my voice will become a platform that attracts a lot of good songs.