Hong Kong Music Icons Talk English-Language Debut, K-Pop – Variety

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For the 12 members of Mirror, forming a boy band and becoming a Hong Kong Cantonese pop sensation by winning a reality show in 2018 was a dream come true. Five years have passed and the boys are dreaming bigger than ever.

“Some of us really want to be in Marvel,” said Miller member Edan Louie. variety in an interview. This statement may sound like a joke. But it’s not. Fellow Anson Law, Louis’ co-star in her 2021 hit ViuTV’s BL drama Old Man’s Love Hong Kong, echoes: Hollywood movies, TV, live. Yes, please invite me. “

The band’s Hollywood wish list didn’t just pop up out of the blue. It’s 12 members — Frankie Chan, Alton Wong, Lokman Yeung, Stanley Yau, Anson Kong, Jer Lau, Ian Chan, Jeremy Lee, Keung To, Tiger Yau, Lui, and Lo — dance to the streets of Hong Kong. A secret mission chasing a mysterious girl full of sequences.

This release is part of an exclusive deal with Sony Music Entertainment to bring Mirror to the international music space. “Rumours” is helmed by Swedish songwriter and producer Chris Meyer and his Alex Ludwig Lindell. Vocal producer Andrew Choi and Grammy-nominated mixing engineer Ken Lewis work with producer Edward Chan to support his A&R team.

The result was a more mature-sounding song than Mirror’s earlier group hits such as “Ignited,” “Boss,” and “Warrior.” The band members added that having grown up speaking Cantonese in Hong Kong, they had the help of a voice coach for their performance in English.

The release of “Rumours” proved to be a big step forward for Mirror after a devastating incident in which a giant video screen fell from the ceiling during last year’s Hong Kong concert. Not only did the serious incident seriously injure two dancers and one, the group’s series of concerts ended abruptly, shelving plans for the band’s first international launch. The band members took a break from work for about a month to process the unfortunate event.

“It was a very difficult time for us, for the dancers and for the people of Hong Kong. I really needed time to digest what happened. It was,” says Louie.

“We tried to deal with our emotions first,” adds Stanley Yau. “And while I was on vacation, I continued to learn new skills and hone my craft as part of the process.”

“The most important thing for us now is to get back on stage. We have to be strong for our fans. They’ve been waiting for us to come back,” said Lo. increase.

Mirror rose to stardom in early 2021 after band member Keung To became the youngest to win the coveted My Favorite Male Singer Award and My Favorite Song Award at the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation. It came at a time when Hong Kong was enduring a difficult political and social environment following a series of political turmoil and stringent COVID restrictions.The band’s success brought a ray of hope to the people of Hong Kong. rice field.

Mirror is also credited with reviving public interest in Cantonese pop music, which had fallen out of favor for nearly a decade. At that time, many stars were venturing into the vast mainland Chinese market, focusing on Mandohi Pop (songs played on Mandarin).

Musically, the band admits that Mirror’s English-language debut may not sound too different from the K-pop dance tunes that have dominated the mainstream. But in terms of how the band works, Mirror affirms that they stand in stark contrast to their K-pop contemporaries.

“Unlike typical K-pop idols, we are not limited to a particular perfect image or a particular look,” says Louie. “We can always make funny faces, make fun of other people during interviews, or act a little crazy. We can just keep laughing.”

Miller is basically a pop group, but each member also has an individual project.

Some are involved in film and television projects. The band’s leader, Lokman Yeung (“The Way We Dance”), appears at the world premiere of Soi Cheang’s crime thriller “Mad Fate” in Berlin, playing one of the main characters. I was. The film is also one of his two opening films for the Hong Kong International Film Festival, which opens on March 30.

Last week, Mirror attended Hong Kong Filmart for the unveiling of new film projects, including crime drama ‘The Moon Thieves’ starring Lo and Lui, who are currently filming in Japan. All 12 members will also make their group film debut in We 12, a sci-fi hero fantasy produced by the management of PCCW subsidiary MakerVille.