Kay Tse
Even before she rose to mainstream fame, Cantopop singer Kay Tse had a loyal following in indie music circles because her songs addressed myriad social issues, from Filipino maids to local poverty. She became a household name when her 2008 song “Wedding Card Street,” about the redevelopment of Wan Chai’s old-fashioned Lee Tung Street, became a major hit. Attacks from the media and problems with her record label, however, have made Tse’s road to stardom a rocky one. Ahead of a musical performance in Los Angeles, Tse speaks to Grace Tsoi.
I entered the music industry in 2005. Wow, that’s seven years already! For me, I am still learning something new everyday. I love my job, and I get excited to meet different people and do different things. Not everyone is able to turn an interest into a career and still manage to feed oneself.
Seven years ago, I had just graduated from university, so I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I only felt that I could try different things.
When I was small, my classmates would usually write that they wanted to be doctors, or some kind of professional. I wrote that I wanted to work in every industry. I hoped that I could become a person who understood society.
I wanted to work in every occupation in Hong Kong. After graduation, I had some free time before my first album was released. I worked as a part-time piano teacher at that time, and I did think about getting a taxi driver license.
Even though I am known as a singer, my job is quite flexible. Sometimes I get to act, and you have the opportunity to observe others’ lives. When you produce a CD, you have to do a lot of research to understand society. You ought to have a sense of others’ lives if you want to produce sincere music.
My job has fulfilled part of my childhood dream. Even though I have not worked in every industry, I hope my music can be a comfort to people from all walks of life.