Hong Kong singer-songwriter Adrian Fu shares lessons he’s learned: ‘Now, I just write the music for myself’
- Fu found fame after a collaboration with Eason Chan and went on to have a successful singing career in Taiwan
- The 45-year-old fell into a creative slump after returning to Hong Kong in 2016 but has since discovered a songwriting style – one that is made just for him
Fu has collaborated with many of Cantopop’s biggest stars, including Eason Chan. Photo: Handout Hong Kong singer-songwriter Adrian Fu Chee-yat says music is all about strong emotions and being provocative. “Look, you either love my music or hate it,” he said.
Fu, who has won multiple awards, started his music career nearly two decades ago.
The 45-year-old, who took up playing piano at a very young age, said he began writing songs while doing a full-time job. “What happened was, this guy called Jim Lee, who’s now my good friend, heard my songs and liked them so much that he created a label and put me on it. And that’s how I began making music professionally.”
By 2003, that passion had evolved into fame after a collaboration with Eason Chan, one of Cantopop’s biggest stars. “Jim was working with Eason at the time, and one day, we went to meet him. I showed him some of the songs I was writing, and when Eason heard one of the tracks, ‘We Are All Lonely’, he stopped me and said, ‘Whoa. What’s this? I need to sing this song’,” Fu recalled.
It was chosen as one of the top 10 Asian songs of the year, and marked the beginning of a highly successful series of collaborations between Fu and Chan. “Even now, when I listen to that song sometimes, I get goosebumps,” Fu admitted. “The chord progression is just so unique. Like, how did I do that?”
Having become a big name in Cantopop, Fu initially stayed behind the scenes as a top songwriter. “I feel like I’m a songwriter first, and a singer second. The singing I would later do when I needed to, but for me, what I’ve always loved doing is writing music and playing the piano.”
Fu wrote songs for many other stars, but his collaboration with Chan was the most fruitful. The glue of their creative partnership was their “similar musical style and taste”, Fu said.
Fu then began to record and release his own material, mainly in Taiwan. His Mandarin-language album Good Morning, Hard City was released in May 2014, and in 2015, he was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the 26th Golden Melody Awards.
“I did so much of my music in Taiwan that, when I came back to Hong Kong, people thought I was Taiwanese,” he said.
Looking to rediscover his roots, he returned to his hometown in 2016. But not long after the release of his album in 2019, he fell into a creative slump.
It was not until after the Covid-19 pandemic struck that Fu began to write again.
“Initially, the music was heavier, more intense ... But now, it’s much lighter,” he said, describing his new songwriting style. “Now, I just write the music for myself. I don’t think about whether Jim or anyone else likes it. I just create the music, give it to Jim, and if he likes it, we’ll release it. If he doesn’t – oh well. It doesn’t bother me any more what others think of it.”
Nowadays, Fu is also focused on mentoring young musicians in Hong Kong. But surprisingly, he says, he has learned more from the younger generation than vice versa.
“Look, I’m not trying to be anyone’s role model, and you can’t train young people to do music. Oftentimes, it’s the adults who are the problem ... You have to let the kids grow to their own potential,” he explains.
“A lot of exciting music is still being made by young people in Hong Kong, but now, rather than releasing through traditional labels, a lot of it is on YouTube. Now, everyone has an opportunity.”
Junior reporter Raymond Li Yun-hang (Bethel High School)