Eason Chan ‘shocked’ by his prolific careeer
HONG KONG: The figures flashed on stage: 89 records, total sales over 20 million copies, over 300 solo concerts in over 80 cities, and 170 awards for Best Male Singer.
When singer Eason Chan saw the figures, he covered his mouth in disbelief.
At a special press conference to mark his 23-year career in showbiz, a dumbfounded Eason admitted: “I was so shocked when I saw the numbers. I never realised that I had done so much in my career.
“I’ve been in the music industry for a long time, but I didn’t realise how popular I had become until I saw fans at my concerts. They give me instant feedback there.”
But Eason has remained downto-earth.
He added: “However, when I return home, I am just the same person my childhood friends knew. I am not a star.”
In a business brimming with prima donnas and surly megalomaniacs, it’s refreshing to come across someone as unpretentious as Eason.
Eason has also launched his own music label, EAS Music.
One of the first artists he signed on was Hong Kong singersongwriter and producer, Eric Wai-leung, who also writes songs for other Cantonese pop stars, including Eason himself.
This year, Eason is planning to release a new album, entitled L.O.V.E.. Originally, it was slated for release back in 2013. But he came down with a bout of depression and the release had to be delayed. It has been reported that Eason suffers from a bipolar
I was so shocked when I saw the numbers. I never realised that I had done so much in my career. I’ve been in the music industry for a long time, but I didn’t realise how popular I had become until I saw fans at my concerts. They give me instant feedback there. Eason Chan, singer
disorder, characterised by severe mood swings.
Prior to that, between 2010 to 2012, Eason was touring the world, including his second visit to London, where he played the massive O2 Arena - making him the first Asian artist to perform at the venue.
On stage, he was delivering shows with enthusiasm and zeal, but after the two-year-long tour, he felt a strange void and emptiness in his life.
“After the tour, I didn’t know what to do. I spent a week in London and I was supposed to record the album. However, I found myself doing nothing at home but watching videos of my previous concerts,” recalled Eason. “I was not in the right mood for another new album then.
“I started going to the gym and taking jobs, such as coaching or judging on some singing competition TV shows. Gradually, I recovered,” he recalled.
Eason, 44, had graduated from Kingston University with a degree in architecture and later trained in vocals at the Royal Academy of Music in UK.
His music career was launched after winning a song competition in Hong Kong in 1995.
At that time, he was considered as one of the biggest new stars, and was regularly compared with Canto-pop icon, Jacky Cheung.
“I can still remember how nervous I was when I performed at that singing competition,” Eason said.
“My hands were tight. My shoulders were tight. I thought winning it was the end, but it was just a beginning.”
However, his journey to stardom was filled with challenges.
Eason was frustrated when his former record company badgered him to sing love ballads, in imitation of Jacky Cheung.
He also remembers that he had high expectations of winning the Album of the Year award at the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation, one of the biggest annual pop music awards in Hong Kong, with his Cantonese album U87 released in 2005. However, it wasn’t to be. Said Eason: “You could see how embarrassed I was on the screen, then, but now, I am over 40 years old and I consider my career differently. Music brings me lots of fun. I enjoy it.”