Shirley Kwan Suk-yee (; born 15 August 1966) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Kwan first shot to fame in 1989 with the hit "Happy Are Those in Love" () and was widely popular throughout the early to mid-1990s. She is noted for her distinct, whispery vocal style and known equally for singing mainstream ballads and more alternative songs. She announced her retirement from the music industry in April 2020.
Early life
Kwan was born in British Hong Kong and moved to Los Angeles at the age of twelve. She studied fashion before venturing into the entertainment industry in 1986, at the age of 20.
Music career
1986–1988: Early years
Kwan had her first taste of the limelight in 1986 when she became one of twelve finalists in TVB's New Talent Singing Awards, along with Andy Hui and Leon Lai, but lost to both. Two years later, with the encouragement of a friend, she recorded a demo tape for the prestigious "Marine Blue" singing competition in Japan and won. She caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years. Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song "Borderless".
In 2003, she was requested by Eason Chan to record guest vocals for the track "Lies" () on his album Live for Today.
2005–2006: Music Nation period
In fall 2005, Kwan stepped into the recording studio once again and performed a duet with music veteran Alan Tam in "Rekindle The Flame" (), a Cantonese remake of the French ballad "J'ai murmuré va-t-en". The news of Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong's airwaves, and "Rekindle" took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.
Two months later, Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group () by the famous producer Frankie Lee Chun. The first single "About Me" () saw Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon. Supported by extensive airplay, "About Me" steadily climbed to the top of various radio charts, and its limited-release special edition CD sold out within a day.
In early February 2006, the eponymous EP Shirley Kwan was released, introducing the second brand new single, "Evolution" (). This coincided with the release of a 3CD-Karaoke plus DVD compilation by Universal Music (formally PolyGram), entitled All About Shirley, which contained side projects and rare tracks dating back to the very beginning of her career in Japan.
thumb|right|2006 Being Shirley On Stage
To much anticipation, three comeback concerts, "Being Shirley On Stage" () were held in late February, at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum. Performing her biggest hits in reverse chronological order, Kwan garnered positive reviews for the performance, which dominated entertainment headlines for a week. In the final encore, Kwan famously covered Eason Chan's "Today Next Year" () to a standing ovation, and a sing-a-long audience of 30, 000.
2007–2009: Star Entertainment period
thumb|Kwan performing in 2007
Upon completion of her contract with Music Nation, Kwan released two new songs in February 2007 as an independent artist for songwriter Keith Chan ()'s multimedia musical "12 faces of woman" () at the 2007 Hong Kong Arts Festival. This included the theme song "All Living Flowers" (), which featured a mix of traditional Chinese and Western string instruments and a duet with Lee Heung Kam, "3000 Years Ago" () which won the CASH Golden Sail Music Award for Best Alternative Song. In March, she released the single "Just Once" (), which was the theme song to a primetime TVB sitcom series and reached no. 1 on the TVB singles chart.
In June 2007, longtime friend and veteran producer Herman Ho () recruited Shirley to his new company "Star Entertainment Ltd." (), which is financed by Neway Karaoke Box (Neway).
2008 saw the release of two new singles, "Mountain, River" () and , followed by a new concert series, "Unexpected Shirley Kwan in Concert," which was held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 24–25 April 2008.
On 15 June 2009, Kwan released the long-anticipated studio album Shirley's Era, which contains all singles released in 2007–2008 as well as newly recorded material. This marked her first, full-length Cantonese studio album since 1994's All Time Favourites. The album produced the new single, "The Ends of the Earth" () which reached no. 1 on the 903 Commercial Radio charts.
2010–2017: Independent
In October 2010, Kwan performed a live concert "One Starry Night: An Evening with Shirley Kwan" at the Venetian Arena in Macau, which featured mostly live covers of songs by other artists, such as Alan Tam's "Illusion" (), Aaron Kwok's "Why did I let you go?" () and Faye Wong's "I'm Willing" (). She returned to the same stage on 12 November 2011 with long-time friend and collaborator Anthony Wong for the concert, "Anthony Wong x Shirley Kwan: Forget He is She Concert, Macau 2011."
In 2012, Kwan collaborated with Juno Mak on the single "Clavicle" (), which offers a mature example of her dream pop vocals and reached no. 1 on the Commercial Radio charts. In late 2012, she released the limited edition single "Tourbillon" (), a cover of an Eason Chan song to polarized reviews, but which was lauded by both the lyricist Wyman Wong and Anthony Wong for her authorial style.
On 2 February 2013, she held her 4th concert series at the Hong Kong Coliseum, "Philip Stein Your Favorite Shirley Kwan Suk'E In Concert," for two consecutive evenings. Later that year, she took part in a series of concerts, "Polygram Forever" for the newly revived label and recorded the theme song, "Coincidence" () for the TVB series Always and Ever ().
In 2014, she recorded a duet with Mag Lam () as the theme song to the TVB series Never Dance Alone ().
In 2016, Kwan held a concert celebrating her 25th anniversary in the music industry, "The Best of Shirley Kwan 25 Live," at the Hong Kong Coliseum to rave reviews. Kwan dedicated the performance to her late mother, and broke down during her performance of the Hins Cheung cover, "Stay Young Forever" (), prompting a memorable audience sing-along.
On 9 April 2017, she performed as a musical guest at the 36th Hong Kong Film awards amidst controversy of her recent arrest for intimidation and common assault. She performed a medley of theme songs including "Invincible" () and "Let Me Stay by Your Side" () backed by Hanjin Tan, Supper Moment and The Interzone Collective, as well as presented the awards for Best Original Film Song and Best Original Score.
2018–2020: Universal period and retirement
In 2018, Kwan signed on with Universal Music Group. However, the working relationship between the company and Kwan was rocky, and Kwan announced that she would retire from the entertainment industry after having fulfilled her contract.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1989: Winter Love ()
- 1989: Happy are Those in Love ()
- 1989: Say Goodbye [Japanese]
- 1990: True Love ()
- 1990: Borderless [Japanese / English]
- 1990: Lost in the Night ()
- 1991: Golden Summer ()
- 1991: Love is Forever ()
- 1992: Creating an Illusion ()
- 1993: The Story of Shirley ()
- 1994: Happy are Those in Love () [Mandarin]
- 1994: My Way
- 1995: Ex' All Time Favourites
- 1995: Bewildered () [Mandarin]
- 2001: Freezing Flame () [Mandarin]
- 2009: Shirley's Era
- 2019: Psychoacoustics
EPs
- 1998: eZone
- 2006: Shirley Kwan
Compilations
- 1991: Montage
- 1993: Montage II
- 1995: Journey of Life ()
- 1997: Telepathic Connection ()
- 2008: Unlimited ()
Filmography
In early 1997, Kwan was asked by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai to star in his film Happy Together. She was flown to Argentina in five days' notice and ended up spending more than two months filming. Starring opposite Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Chang Chen, Kwan played Leung's mysterious and lonely secret admirer and also recorded a cover of Caetano Veloso's "Cucurucucu Paloma" (Song of Dove) for the film's soundtrack. However, her scenes were all deleted from the final version of the film, for which Wong later went on to win Best Director at the Cannes. It took another three years for Kwan's scenes to surface, when they were included in the making-of documentary, Buenos Aires Zero Degrees (). The documentary premiered at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival out of competition, and was also shown at the 2000 Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards in Taiwan.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release date !! Title in English !! Title in Chinese !! Notes
|-
| 1992 ||Be My Guest (TV Series) || || Cameo appearances on episodes 45–48.
|-
| 1992 ||Saviour of the Soul II|| || Supporting role
|-
| 1993 ||The Tigers – The Legends of Canton|| || Cameo appearance
|-
| 1996 ||Out of the Blur|| || Silent film
|-
| 1997 ||Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together|| || Lead actress; All scenes deleted from Happy Together, but included in this documentary
|}
Personal life
Kwan is a single mother and gave birth to her son in January 2002 in Canada. For a long time, Kwan has not disclosed the true paternity of her child and insisted only that they had met in Canada, and is not someone in the entertainment business. Kwan broke her silence on the matter in 2014 when she posted a photo of Zuri Rinpoche the 8th, a Bhutanese religious teacher, on her Instagram, with a caption saying he is the true father of her child.
In the past, Kwan has been romantically linked to Michael Chow (1992–96), and Hacken Lee.
Controversies
In September 2012, Kwan posted a suicidal message on Facebook. She was incommunicado for roughly thirty-six hours before contacting her younger sister to confirm her safety.
In October 2016, Kwan was rescued from the waters off Kensington Beach. She had been walking along the shore with a female friend, who reportedly told officers that Kwan was unhappy from work and had walked down to the sea for a swim.
In May 2017, Kwan was charged with one count of intimidation and one count of common assault for an altercation that took place with a Kensington Beach Hotel restaurant staff earlier in March.
Concerts
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Concerts !! Date !! Venue & Location !! No. of Shows !! Notes
|-
| Endless Dream () || 29 June 1992 || AC Hall, Hong Kong Baptist University || 1 || Other performers: Vivian Chow
|-
| Shirley Kwan in Concert () || 9–12 June 1995 || Hong Kong Coliseum || 4 || First solo arena concert
|-
| Absolutely Shirley Kwan New Year's Live () || 22–24 February 1996 || Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan & Sha Tin City Hall || 3 ||
|-
| Las Vegas Casino () || 19 June 1999 || Las Vegas || 1 ||
|-
| Music is Live () || 20 July 1999 || Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre || 1 || Guests: Anthony Wong, Eason Chan, Mavis Fan
|-
| Shirley Kwan & Frankie Kao () || 12 September 1999 || Trump Plaza Theater, Atlantic City NJ, USA || 1 || Other performers: Frankie Kao
|-
| Being Shirley on Stage () || 23–25 February 2006 || Hong Kong Coliseum || 3 || Guests: Eason Chan, Chet Lam
|-
| Wild Day Out – Diva Duet () || 29 September 2006 || Hard Rock Cafe, Hong Kong || 1 || Other performers: Kay Tse
|-
| Being Shirley on Stage – Toronto Stop () || 26 August 2007 || Casino Rama: Orillia, ON, Canada || 1 ||
|-
| unexpected SHIRLEY KWAN IN CONCERT 08 || 24–25 April 2008 || Hong Kong Coliseum || 2 ||
|-
| ONE STARRY NIGHT An evening with Shirley Kwan () || 9 October 2010 || Macao Venetian || 1 ||
|-
| Anthony Wong x Shirley Kwan Forget He is She () || 12 November 2011 || Macao Venetian || 1 || Other performers: Anthony Wong
|-
| Your Favorite Shirley Kwan Suk'E in Concert () || 2–3 February 2013 || Hong Kong Coliseum || 2 || Guests: Anthony Wong, Alan Tam, Hacken Lee, C-AllStar
|-
| Shirley Kwan《Your Favorite》Live in Rama () || 25 May 2014 || Casino Rama: Orillia, ON, Canada || 1 ||
|-
| Shirley Kwan & HOCC Concert () || 27 December 2014 || Reno Ballroom, Nevada || 1 || Other performers: Denise Ho
|-
| Shirley Kwan x Ray Wong x Elaine Koo () || 27 December 2015 || Hong Kong Cultural Center || 1 || Other performers: Elaine Koo, Ray Wong
|-
| The Best of Shirley Kwan 25 Live () || 23 April 2016 || Hong Kong Coliseum || 1 ||
|-
| An Intimate Shirley Kwan Live 2016 () || 9 July 2016 || Macao Venetian Theatre || 1 ||
|}
Awards
- 1988
- Marine Blue Singing Competition, Japan
- 1989
- RTHK 12th Top 10 Gold Song Awards – Best Newcomer (Silver)
- CASH Golden Sail Music Awards – Best Chinese (Pop) Song: "Happy are Those in Love" ()
- Jade Solid Gold 2nd Seasonal Awards – "Happy are Those in Love"
- Jade Solid Gold 4th Seasonal Awards – "Lovers Underneath the Stars" ()
- Jade Solid Gold Best 10 Awards Presentation – Song Award: "Happy are Those in Love"
- Jade Solid Gold Best 10 Awards Presentation – Most Popular Newcomer
- Commercial Radio Hong Kong Ultimate Song Chart Awards – Best Female Newcomer (Gold)
- 1990
- Jade Solid Gold 2nd Seasonal Awards – ()
- Jade Solid Gold Best 10 Awards Presentation – Song Award: ()
- 1991
- Jade Solid Gold 1st Seasonal Awards – "Lost in the Night" ()
- Jade Solid Gold 3rd Seasonal Awards – ()
- 1992
- Jade Solid Gold 1st Seasonal Awards – "Love is Forever" ()
- CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards – Ultimate Female Singer (Bronze)
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Breakthrough Female Singer
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Hit Female Singer (Bronze)
- 1993
- Jade Solid Gold 3rd Seasonal Awards – "Summer Party" ( Wou Bom Ba)
- Jade Solid Gold 4th Seasonal Awards – "Fake Love" ()
- Jade Solid Gold Best 10 Awards Presentation – Best Music Video: "Summer Party" ( Wou Bom Ba)
- 1994
- 1st Annual Hong Kong Record Design Awards – Best Hairstyle: My Way
- RTHK 17th Top 10 Gold Song Awards – Song Award: "Cuddling Under the Stars" ()
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Song Award: "Cuddling Under the Stars"
- Jade Solid Gold 3rd Seasonal Awards – "Cuddling Under the Stars"
- Jade Solid Gold Best 10 Awards Presentation – Song Award: "Cuddling Under the Stars"
- 1995
- Jade Solid Gold 1st Seasonal Awards – "Forget Him" ()
- Jade Solid Gold 3rd Seasonal Awards – "Are There Soulmates in Life?" ()
- CRHK Ultimate Song Chart Awards – Ultimate Female Singer (Silver)
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Best Adult Contemporary Ballad: "Are There Soulmates in Life?"
- 1996
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Female Singer Award (Silver)
- Metro Radio Hit Music Awards – Song Award: "Forget Him"
- 2007
- CASH Golden Sail Music Awards – Best Alternative Song: "3000 Years Ago" ()
- 2008
- 8th Chinese Media Music Awards – Special Jury Prize: "3000 Years Ago"
- 2013
- Jade Solid Gold Selections (Part One) – "Tourbillon" ()
References
External links
- Shirley Kwan on Hong Kong Movie Database
- 'e space – the first web site dedicated to Shirley