[2023.04.13] JOSEPH KOO WILL BE HONORED WITH THE "GOLD SONGS HONORARY AWARD"

Joseph Koo

Karen Tong 
courtesy of on.cc

"Broadcasting 95th anniversary Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards " held a press conference yesterday
courtesy of singtao.com

Karen Tong and Albert Au perform a tribute to Joseph Koo

Janees Wong performs HEART DEBT and MAN IN THE NET
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards would take place on May 6th at the Hong Kong Coliseum. The event yesterday held a press conference and announced the "Broadcasting 95th anniversary Gold Songs Honorary Award" recipient would be the late music godfather Joseph Koo Ka Fai.

The event has a history of honoring music pioneers who have made excellent achievements and numerous contributions to Hong Kong Chinese popular music. This year the special "Broadcasting 95th anniversary Gold Songs Honorary Award" was set up. At the press conference the broadcasting authority deputy chief (radio and programming strategy) Lee Hing Wa announced the award would be presented to the "music godfather" of a generation Koo Ka Fai for his contributions to music.

Albert Au Shui Keung, Karen Tong Bo Yu, DEZ Yu Chung Yiu and Janees Wong Lok Yin at the press conference performed tributes to Brother Fai. Au Shui Keung first opened the press conference with a medley of Brother Fai's classic hits and shared the story of how Hong Kong and Brother Fai "met in their childhood", savoring many good songs that Hong Kong people grew up with. He also sang with Tong Bo Yu the Brother Fai's disciple Tsui Yat Kun written MISSING EACH OTHER IN THE RAINSTORM. Music newcomers Yu Chung Yiu and Wong Lok Yin performed WHO CAN CHANGE, PAST YEAR LOVE, HEART DEBT and MAN IN THE NET as a salute to the elder.

Tong Gei at the press conference performed MAD TIDES. She expressed that she started in 1992 and regretted not having the chance to receive Brother Fai's music. DREAM was her first contact with Brother Fai's work. "During the era in which Brother Fai released his work, I was just born. My Ma really like this song DREAM, but I was able to work with (Michael) Lai Siu Ting which was already very sharp. If I was able to collect Brother Fai's work too then it would have been good."

Easing out of music in recent years, Tong Gei said that since participated in the 20th award show she stopped attending music awards. Only in the past six or seven years did she start to return to music awards. Speaking of Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs being called behind the times as many hits did not qualify, she said, "I don't know, every media has its own standard. I don't know whether it is counting airplay rate or popularity level, but it is still supporting Cantonese songs." As for many more new comers, she felt, "New comers would have to take it slow. In the past we rely on record company to push us. Now newcomers have to have their own platforms to promote hard. It's hard. Last year when I released a new song, at the time I did a little promoting and I already thought it was very tough." Would she sign with a record company again? Tong Gei said no. "Freedom is hard to come back, I can choose to do what I want to do."

She also said that she has paid attention to music new comers, among them she saw Gigi Yim Ming Hay and Mike Tsang Pei Tak as stars of tomorrow. Her 16 year old son also liked to go to concerts. Most recently she got her son tickets to JJ Lin's show.