Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing in ‘Days of Being Wild’ (1990) by Wong Kar-wai (Photo: Getty Images)
Cover Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing in ‘Days of Being Wild’ (1990) by Wong Kar-wai (Photo: Getty Images)

The Cantopop star is teaming up with pianist and composer Daniel Chu and singer Walter Kwan for a concert that features music by the legendary Leslie Cheung, who passed away 20 years ago next month

It has been 20 years since Hong Kong singer and actor Leslie Cheung, affectionately known as Gor Gor (“brother” in Cantonese) to his fans, died by suicide in 2003. This month, Janice Vidal, one of the headliners at PopFest, West Kowloon’s first pop music festival, will collaborate with composer and pianist Daniel Chu and vocalist Walter Kwan to perform a tribute concert dedicated to this local icon.

The concert, I Am What I Am, will include some of the three artists’ favourite pieces by Cheung, but reinterpreted and rearranged into various musical styles. Despite the levels of anticipation for the show, featuring some of the biggest names in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry today, Vidal says it will be an intimate concert at Freespace, which can only accommodate 450 seats.

Tatler Asia
SUZHOU, CHINA - 1996/01/01: Chinese movie actress Gong Li with Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing during the filming of 'Temptress Moon'. (Photo by Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Above (From left) Leslie Cheung and Gong Li on the set of “Temptress Moon” (1996) (Photo: Getty Images)

Cheung, who was a heartthrob in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s, was best known for his youthful looks, energetic dance moves and catchy, fun and sometimes sentimental love songs. It wasn’t long after he launched his singing career in 1977 that he also started acting. During his short but impactful career, he met Anita Mui, another Cantopop legend, and the two quickly became firm friends and frequently co-starred together on different projects, including Rouge (1978). Besides Mui, Cheung also acted opposite other on-screen legends in Days of Being Wild (1990), which starred Maggie Cheung, and Farewell My Concubine (1993), starring Gong Li.

Sadly, Cheung jumped to his death from the Mandarin Oriental on April 1, 2003, leaving behind a note explaining his struggles with depression. He was 46 years old.

Today, Cheung is still widely celebrated and fondly remembered for his contributions to Cantopop by music lovers from Hong Kong and beyond—including Vidal, Kwan and Chu, who wanted to celebrate his legacy with a tribute concert.

Vidal and Chu chatted with Tatler ahead of the concert, which will be held from March 30 to April 1, on their memories of this legend and how their concert celebrates Cheung’s life and music.

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Tatler Asia
Above Janice Vidal (Photo: courtesy of the artist)

What inspired this concert?
Chu:
First of all, it was my love for Leslie’s songs and his artistry. I was discussing with Kung [Chi Shing, the head of contemporary performance, performing arts at West Kowloon] if there is anything I could do as an instrumentalist and musician at PopFest and the first thing that popped up in my head was Leslie, because I’ve been playing his songs in my own solo piano jazz gigs all over the city for years. So it wasn’t because this is the 20th anniversary [of his death]. I just thought it would be a great idea to work with two artists I love [Vidal and Kwan]. I feel very privileged to work with them on this tribute concert, and it also means a lot to Walter and Janice personally.

Vidal: What captivated me [was the opportunity] to work with Daniel and Walter, [and through] this group decision to [pay tribute to] Leslie, I came to appreciate and love him more by researching about his life, personality and music.

Kwan: For me, I used to work backstage. I arrange music and I’m a keyboardist for shows. When Daniel called me to ask if I wanted to be the one of the leading artists for Leslie’s tribute show, it was a no brainer for me.

Tatler Asia
Above Daniel Chu (Photo: courtesy of the artist)

What is your best memory of Cheung?
Chu:
It’s definitely the long-haired period [in 2000].

Vidal: Me too.

Kwan: For me, it’s his appearance in Steven Chow’s movie, All’s Well, Ends Well (1992).

What can we expect from the show?
Kwan:
Definitely more than ten songs, [including] For Your Heart Only and I Am What I Am.

Why did you choose to perform at Freespace?
Chu:
We wanted it to be a more emotional tribute. I wasn’t thinking about how big the venue was but how fitting it would be. The Box at Freespace is great because of its sound system, proximity to the audience and set designs that [allowed us to make the possibilities we envisioned a reality]. It has a more theatrical vibe.

Read more: Mirror’s Edan Lui and Keung To performing at West Kowloon’s Popfest alongside other A-list stars in March

Tatler Asia
Above Walter Kwan (Photo: courtesy of the artist)

How does your music arrangement celebrate Cheung’s songs while presenting your own styles?
Chu:
The arrangements will be sticking to the spirit of the originals. I’m not going to change them to the point where the audience don’t recognise the songs anymore, but the originals will be delivered with a personal touch from Walter’s and Janice’s voices. We have some new interpretations in different formats [though, so] not every song is being sung—some will just be instrumentals and others will become piano solo pieces. This is to echo Leslie’s personality as someone who loved music and a musician who preferred things to be simple and minimalistic.

You will see a lot of real instruments in action because, sonically, [many remember Cheung’s songs as being played on a CD]. So, it’ll be very interesting to see [his songs performed live with musicians], and not just the sound of the synthesiser.

Vidal: As a vocalist, when I was running through the songs, I didn’t want to switch them up too much. But then there are parts that get repetitive and I do want to add some sass to them. Ultimately I’m not trying to be too fancy with the songs but really retaining, as Daniel said, the essence of the song itself. I think the audience wouldn’t want to hear something too far out topsy turvy either.

Kwan: For me, [my presentation of the songs] is going to be pretty natural. I’m singing and playing a few songs on the piano but I’m going to add my personal touch to those songs.

Tatler Asia
Above Daniel Chu (Photo: courtesy of the artist)

How do you know one another?
Vidal:
I knew Daniel from when he was small. 

Chu: At about 12 years old.

Vidal: But we had never performed in a full-length show together [with him as] the music director. We’ve sung together a couple of times in different venues, but not on this scale. And I know Walter from when he played in my band for a concert I did last year.

Chu: Janice has played a huge part in my [musical journey] growing up and [exposure to] R&B music. She showed me the good stuff. As for Walter, we’ve known each other since [we studied together at Berklee College of Music in the US]. We’ve always admired each other’s music and I also know that he arranged some of Leslie songs for other artists. That’s how I knew he definitely knows certain repertoire of Leslie’s music. When West Kowloon approached me to do this full-fledged tribute concert, I thought of Walter immediately. And I wanted Janice on our team because of our friendship. This is a celebration of our friendship as well.

Tatler Asia
Above Janice Vidal (Photo: courtesy of the artist)

How are rehearsals going so far?
Chu:
We’ve only rehearsed the show once. All the musicians I found for this band are really good, [but that means they’re very much in demand]. For example, this week, we already have two musicians who are out of town playing for other celebrities and artists. So there’s a lot of trust from both Walter and Janice: they trust my artistic instincts and tastes, and I really trust the band and the musicians.

How do you think Cantopop has evolved since Cheung’s time?
Chu:
It has always evolved, and I’d like to specify that it’s not just a genre of music that is evolving but a community of people: musicians, audiences... the whole community.

Vidal: Back in Leslie Cheung’s days, people listened to music differently. They were listening to CDs, vinyls and cassette tapes and there wasn’t any social media, so artists back then were so much more revered. It was like spotting a unicorn and there was such an enigma around them. Now with social media, all the artists seem more accessible. It’s interesting to see how the culture has changed because of how people listen to music.

Kwan: A lot of times when people ask me what style of music I write or play, it’s hard for me to tell. I always say that it’s a mixture of a lot of stuff, including Cantopop and Mandopop. Cantopop music has definitely affected me a lot in writing and singing. Although back in Berklee I spent more time listening to American music, when I [returned to Hong Kong] to write music, [I found that] Cantopop music is in my blood.

Tatler Asia
A Date With Leslie Cheung Memorial gathering at HKCEC Old Wing, Wan Chai. 12 SEPTEMBER 2004 (Photo by K. Y. Cheng/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
Above Leslie Cheung's memorial gathering in Wan Chai in 2004 (Photo: Getty Images)

Are there other Cantopop legends you want to pay tribute to?
Kwan:
The first name that comes up is Sam Hui. I love his music, and he was a pioneer.

Chu: For me, it would be Danny Chan. He’s a singer-songwriter, and it was very rare to have a singer-songwriter back in those days [1970s to 1990s]. 

Vidal: I want to cover Eason Chan because I like his music. Or Sandy Lam.

What upcoming plans do you have?
Kwan:
[I have] four extended plays coming out. The first one is expected to be in April.

Chu: Two things: first, I was going back to Boston [from New York, which] inspired me to do more collaborations with artists and musicians I love from the East Coast. I plan on doing this kind of dually based lifestyle in the next few years. And Janice and I have always talked about doing a concert—not a tribute concert, but something groovy, and with the sounds we’d love.

Vidal: I’m planning to get away from Hong Kong for a while: take a few vocal performance courses in Los Angeles and [work on] some music production, and then watch a whole bunch of shows to get inspired. I’ll then come back at the end of this year for a concert [Chu and I have] been talking about.

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