HK singer Chet Lam to cover Liang Wern Fook’s songs
Hong Kong singer-songwriter Chet Lam is paying tribute to one of Singapore’s most well-known xinyao pioneers: Liang Wern Fook.
The 48-year-old Lam will be releasing an album covering 10 of the Singaporean singer-composer’s works on Sept 30.
City Of Longing includes well-known songs written by Liang, such as Singapore Pie (1990), named Singapore Pie 3.0 with new lyrics. The line-up also has Worries (1995), originally sung by Kit Chan, and Every Time I Wake Up (1996), originally sung by Andy Lau.
In an interview with Shin Min Daily News on Sept 13, Lam said he had long been a fan of Liang.
“I often listened to songs like Worries, Every Time I Wake Up and The Feeling Of Thinking Of You (1991) play on the radio (when I was younger). The first time I heard The Feeling Of Thinking Of You, it was the Alex To version,” he recalled.
Cultural Medallion recipient Liang, 60, is a pioneer of the xinyao movement – the flourishing of Mandarin songs in Singapore in the 1980s. He also wrote many songs for top Mandopop and Cantopop artistes. The Feeling Of Thinking Of You was first sung by Malaysia-born singer Eric Moo, before it was covered by Hong Kong singer To.
Lam said he started to learn more about xinyao through the internet during the Covid-19 pandemic when he did not have any work engagements. He realised many songs in the genre were written by Liang, which gave him the idea of recording a tribute album.
He sought out Liang on Facebook and asked for his permission to cover his songs. Liang swiftly agreed.
Lam said he had simply picked what he felt like covering, and that Liang gave him some pointers after listening to his takes.
Liang told Shin Min: “I’m heartened to see that he has picked a few songs that are relatively not as well-known, for example Disappear Into Ashes (1997), My Love Sinema (2016) and A Woman In The Queue (1990). These songs have truly met a kindred spirit in him.”
Disappear Into Ashes was originally sung by Hong Kong actor-singer Andy Hui, while A Woman In The Queue was sung by former Rediffusion deejay Eeva Chang. My Love Sinema is the theme song of the 2016 local movie of the same name, which starred home-grown artiste Tosh Zhang. Zhang also sang the song.
Of the 10 songs on the album, Singapore Pie 3.0 and Disappear Into Ashes are already available on music platforms like Spotify.
Liang and Lam met in Singapore at the beginning of 2024, when Lam came to visit.
On his first impression of Liang, Lam said: “I thought he was very handsome, and looked like a learned scholar in a period drama. That was when I realised he’s actually a professor too.”
Liang is an adjunct associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Chinese division.
Lam added that he loves the literary air of Liang’s works. “Wern Fook’s lyrics are well-written in a nuanced sort of way and express deep emotions. That’s something I want to learn from him.”
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now