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Jacky Cheung turns into "housekeeping expert" during pandemic, can fry rice and cook noodles now

Hong Kong Heavenly King Jacky Cheung will sing for at least another decade or more.

The singer-actor, who turned 60 in July, made this declaration during an online press conference from The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong on Tuesday (Dec 21). He was promoting his concert albums recorded from his global tour, titled A Classic Tour, from 2016 to 2019.

He performed 233 shows - kicking off in Beijing, then travelling to cities such as Paris and Las Vegas, before rounding up in Hong Kong. More than 4.5 million fans attended the shows.

He also made two stops in Singapore, where he did three shows in February 2017 and another three in February 2018 - all at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The concert albums, which will be released on Thursday (Dec 23), come in four editions - a hardcover Blu-ray edition and a CD version recorded at the Hong Kong Coliseum, featuring more Cantonese songs; and two similar editions recorded at the Taipei Arena, which have more Mandarin numbers. The Blu-ray editions cost $77 each, while the CD versions cost $74 each.

Many songs performed at the Singapore shows, such as The Goodbye Kiss and Love Is Eternal, are featured on the albums.

Cheung, known as the God of Songs, heard and watched all the performances in the new albums before they were released.

He said: "I actually know the whole production. Every detail of the process, from performance to post-production... It is my hard work from beginning to end and can reflect my singing career."

Referring to the 233 shows, he added that he has no desire to top this figure in future tours.

There are plans to go on tour again, depending on the Covid-19 situation.

Since the pandemic broke out, Cheung - who has two daughters with his wife, former Hong Kong actress May Lo - has been spending more time with his family, looking after his pets and becoming a "housekeeping expert".

He can even repair dishwashers, he said, as well as fry rice and cook noodles. "Living a regular life is basically my strength," he added.

While work life has slowed down during the pandemic, he did participate in the One World: Together At Home online global concert in April 2020, which also featured stars such as American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth and Irish singer Niall Horan.

In July this year, Cheung released the Cantonese song, The Meaning Of Perseverance.

He also revealed that he might film a new movie next year. One of his roles in recent years was in the Hong Kong drama Heaven In The Dark (2016), which earned him a Best Leading Actor nod at the Golden Horse Awards.

Although he is still getting offers to appear in movies, he feels he has to be selective as many of the roles are younger than his actual age. "In my 30s or 40s, I had no issue playing teenagers. But now that I am in my 60s, I will find it hard to play a 30something. I am an old fox."

The Jacky Cheung A Classic Tour concert albums will be released on Dec 23. Physical copies of the Blu-ray and CD editions will be available from online retailer Lazada. Digital copies of the CD editions are available on platforms such as KKBox, Spotify and Apple Music.

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