When we talk about the most significant figures on the Hong Kong music scene over the years, a number of big names spring to mind. Superstars such as Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan and Alan Tam lit up Canto-pop showbiz in the 1980s, while the “Four Heavenly Kings” – Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok – dominated the local music scene in the 1990s. Many of my partners in music were involved in this song and, to me, this was very touching and memorable. I don’t know if there will be another chance like this in my life Eason Chan Since the turn of century we have seen singers such as Leo Ku, Miriam Yeung, Joey Yung and Twins, with their successes giving Canto-pop an influential role within the sphere of Chinese pop music in the 2000s. 5 things you need to know about K-pop star Mamamoo’s Hwasa In recent years, some have claimed Canto-pop is dead or dying because everyone has become preoccupied with K-pop, from South Korea, or Mando-pop, from mainland China and Taiwan. Yet some Hong Kong singers remain popular. Hong Kong-born Eason Chan Yik-shun – who celebrates his 45th birthday on Saturday – is definitely one such singer. Chan, arguably now one of the top music artists in Asia, has been praised by critics and his fellow musicians as one of the top singers of his generation. Dubbed the next “God of Songs” as a successor to Cheung, he released his debut album in 1996. Since then he has enjoyed great success as a singer, with a series of top selling albums, including, “U87” and “Don’t Want to Let Go”, and sell out concert tours. He has also starred in a number of hit films, including Twelve Nights in 2000, Naked Ambition in 2003 and the Wong Kar-wai film See You Tomorrow in 2016. 5 things you need to know about Selena Gomez Check out five memorable moments from Chan’s career, who is known not only for being a fine vocalist, but also for his versatility as a performer and his amiable personality. A new star shines Chan made his first stage appearance in the 1995 New Talent Singing Awards Competition, co-organised by Hong Kong broadcaster TVB and the Hong Kong-based record label Capital Artists. He performed the Cantonese song Moon Gazing (望月), originally sung by Cheung, in the competition. His excellent performance secured his the first prize award and an immediate recording contract with Capital Artists. He released his eponymous album, “Eason Chan”, in 1996. … and he’s a Madonna fan During American singer Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour concert at Studio City in Macau in February 2016, she spotted Chan dancing enthusiastically in the audience and he was invited up on stage to dance with her to the song Unapologetic Bitch . The “Queen of Pop” later claimed that she had not realised that this “random fan” was actually a Hong Kong singer and superstar. After the dance, Madonna jokingly ordered him to hand over all the money he had in his pockets and then handed him a prize of a banana for his dancing efforts. 12 things we didn’t know about Ed Sheeran An honorary doctor of arts Before his music career took off, Chan was an architectural student at Kingston University in England, although he cut short his studies. He also trained as a vocalist at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he received Grade-8 vocal certifications – the highest level of attainment for non-professional opera singers, orchestra members, and musical performers. To mark his accomplishments in the Cantonese music industry, his alma mater made him an honorary doctor of the arts in 2014. Chan delivered a speech during the ceremony which won applause from the audience when he said: “To me, success is having a very kind and loving heart and I think that’s the best: nothing beats that when you do anything.” He also broke into some impromptu singing during the event. The story of The Little Prince <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> 【睡前聽蕭叔叔講故事】同Eason講《小王子》The Little Prince Chok聲大叔請來靚聲界男神一齊tum大家瞓覺。 What exactly is love? And what is it that makes... Posted by 蕭叔叔英式英文學會 Uncle Siu's British English Club on Sunday, 4 November 2018 When he was of school age, Chan went to study in England and has been widely praised for his fine English accent. Last November, Chan was invited by Hoiyat Siu – a popular English educator best known his online persona, Uncle Siu, with more than 400,000 likes on his Facebook page – to tell the bedtime story of The Little Prince , the classic novella by French author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The video of his storytelling, which was divided into two episodes, has attracted more than 714,000 views on Facebook alone. Top 10 Instagram celebrities in South Korea His most meaningful song In November 2016, Chan was invited to be a guest speaker at the lecture series Hall of Wisdom, co-presented by the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong’s public broadcasting service, Radio Television Hong Kong. During the 90-minute meeting, Chan was asked by one member of the audience which song is his favourite work. Chan thought for a few seconds and said: “I would say that the most meaningful song to me is named Song.Praise (歌•頌), which was featured on the album “Solidays”, released in 2008. “Many of my partners in music were involved in this song and, to me, this was very touching and memorable. I don’t know if there will be another chance like this in my life.” He then burst into tears. With lyrics written by Albert Leung, Song.Praise is a song thanking all the producers who have loved and devoted themselves to music. The music video for the song was filmed in one long take with a single camera. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter