Singer-Songwriter-Producer Alex Fung Says Cantopop is Not Dead
He's brought a breath of fresh air to the city’s music mainstream, thanks to his work with singers including Ivana Wong and Joey Yung. His latest album is a collection of instrumental 90s Cantopop classics.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I started learning to play the piano when I was around 3, because my dad loves music. At around 5 or 6 I started joining competitions and performances. My dad was very proud and wanted to show off my musical talent.
For a while, I hated music. So I tried my best to finish all the piano exams—when I was in Form One I already had my Performance Diploma. I felt great after the exam—because I didn’t have to keep learning classical.
I was very rebellious when I was around 12 or 13—I stopped playing or listening to music.Then by chance I heard a song by Radiohead. And then I heard songs by Portishead. I was like “Wow, music can be like this!” That’s when I fell back in love with music.
I was planning on going to Boston’s Berklee College of Music to study, but just before I flew there, I came down with a pleural effusion caused by tuberculosis. I had to go to the hospital every single day for nine months.Because of that, I stayed in Hong Kong and randomly picked something to study: I ended up studying electronic engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for one year. Yeah, it was totally out of nowhere.
When I could finally go [to Berklee], I got to learn all the music that I love: a little bit of jazz, a little bit of acid jazz, a little bit of funk, a little bit of alternative rock—and I also learned how to produce music. I didn’t think I’d come back [to Hong Kong].