'God of Songs' Jacky Cheung to perform in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung has announced that he is preparing for new concerts, expected to be held within six months.

The Heavenly King revealed these plans in a press release for his latest Mandarin single, Another Ten Years, which dropped on Feb 23.

His last concert tour, A Classic Tour, consisted of 233 shows from 2016 to 2019, and was seen by more than 4.5 million fans. It had two stops in Singapore – three shows in February 2017 and another three in February 2018 – all at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In an e-mail interview with The Straits Times, the 61-year-old star said that his upcoming tour will include a stop in Singapore. “Every time I go to Singapore, I always think to myself, ‘Wow, I still exist.’ I still feel so welcome by fans and the feeling is great. So, I am definitely coming back to Singapore.”

Another Ten Years is Cheung’s first Mandarin single in about eight years, after 2014’s The Rest Of Time, Tears Of Time and You Said It.

Delivered in Cheung’s resonant baritone, the new number reflects on the rapid passage of time. The track was initially titled Golden Ten Years, but Cheung insisted it should be called Another Ten Years instead as he felt the latter emphasised the swift passage of time.

The track’s touching lyrics are penned by Malaysian lyricist Al Guan and its melody is composed by Malaysian musicians Jack Loo and Chet Ng.

Cheung shared that when he first heard the song’s demo, he felt deeply moved.

He said: “The lyrics reminded me of the past, such as drinking and meeting friends. There are fewer of such occasions now. Problems which I could not solve or let go of then have also become no big deal now.”

He found these lines especially moving: “That vigour and nostalgia have nothing to do with me.”

Cheung said: “When I think about how the past is something that I can never get back again, it makes me feel a little helpless and sad.”

He recalled that he once drove at night to see the home where he lived as a child, and found everything changed. “The whole place was different and it made me reflect on how cruel time is.”

This was why he teared when singing the number.

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The singer, who is married to former actress May Lo and has two daughters, said: “When I was young, I always felt time passed very slowly. I just wanted to grow up quickly. It was only when I got older that I understood the meaning of time.”

In any case, he considered himself lucky to have discovered his love of singing so early in life and be able to support himself doing it.

He recalled that when his first album, Smile (1985), was released, he was still working as a reservation officer for Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific. He said: “When I started singing, I was not sure if I could make ends meet.

“It was only when my first record came out, and there were so many people who liked to hear me sing, that I dared to resign.”

Almost 40 years later, he has grasped that time is something everybody must come to terms with. “The faster it passes, the less you have.”

He just wants to cherish the present, work hard to do what he wants to do and learn to live life with peace of mind.

He said: “As the song’s last sentence goes, ‘how many more decades will there be?’”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.