Foothpath interview @ RTHK – 19 July 2009
Yesterday RTHK aired a lengthy interview with Ah Fung on their show “Foothpath”. The host of this show is veteran radio announcer Candy Chea Suk Mui. Since the show is an hour and a half long I’ve split the translation to three parts. In part one Fung talks about his thoughts on his first concert, and his music journey!

You can download the original interview at Yuki’s Blog!


Candy: A month ago, everyone will remember Fung was all wet for his concert.
Fung: Hello, Suk Mui jeh (sister)…
Candy: Good morning…
Fung: Good morning…
Candy: So it has been a month already, are you still feeling that excitement?
Fung: A month had gone by in the blink of an eye…. because in the couple of months before the concert I was already quite stressed, need to prepare for a lot of things. So in the blink of an eye, the concert has already ended for a month already. There were two concerts and the feeling was…. I don’t think it was enough.
Candy: Yeah… the fans say this too…
Fung: It was all like a dream…
Candy: Really…. but it was really quick for you. Think about it, in the music industry there are many many singers… and many of them would love the opportunity to hold a concert at the Coliseum. There are many who don’t get to hold a concert, but you were only in the music industry for two years, released two albums, and already you have held two concerts at the Coliseum.
Fung: Actually… the company told me last year that they will probably organise a concert for me this year or a music show etc. But when they confirmed and told me it was going to be at the Coliseum, I was quite shocked. I didn’t know how to react. Because I haven’t had a concert before, not even a music show or mini concert. So for my first time it will be at the Coliseum. Actually at the time I was really happy, it was a very happy event….
Candy: Is this your dream?
Fung: Yeah, but didn’t think the opportunity will appear in front of me so quickly. I was filming a series, after the concert ended (on the 17th & 18th), on the 19th I had to dye my hair back… because my hair was blonde for the concert.
Candy: Yeah…yeah…
Fung: To connect the scenes I had to dye my hair back immediately, and on the afternoon of the 19th I had to go back to Shenzhen for filming. From the 19th I was filming for another week or so and then filming was complete.
Candy: So how long did they stop filming to allow you to prepare for the concert?
Fung: Stopped for about 12 / 13 days. So 12 /13 days before the concert I was still filming. I haven’t actually fully rehearsed with the dancers, the band…. never rehearsed together. We only talked about it. So I was really nervous.
Candy: I feel your nervousness too… because you haven’t had the experience. Even those with experience will be nervous as well. Plus you had to sing and dance….
Fung: Yeah… there were quite a lot of parts where I had to dance. Plus there were many things to prepare for like the guests parts, the tag and walking (?) parts…. really lucky because from the first time, about a month before the concert when we formally set down and had a meeting, I met with the director Jack, the choreographer, the costume designer, the band leader, and all the crew members… I don’t know, I felt connected with them straight away. So we all set down and understood how much time we had, how to efficiently complete everything, how to divide up the parts etc… it was very clear. It’s like we set down and only talked for a little and already understood each other. So I felt relieved afterwards. So I’m lucky I got to meet such outstanding people.
Candy: But before you took on this project were you worried that you might not be able to handle it?
Fung: I will be quite worried about my physical energy, so from about two months before, I started to train. I started to learn my own lyrics, because I’m really bad at remembering lyrics.

[1st song – Ink spilled cherry blossom]

Candy: So is Lam Fung someone who can withstand a lot of pressure?
Fung: hmm… I should say I am a person who really needs pressure. Because I have a little laziness in me. Those who know me will know that I definitely need someone to push me, someone needs to give me some pressure so I can continue moving forward. Hm.. not sure, maybe I’m a bit immature. So it’s like needing a parent (guardian) to supervise me. The people around me knows about this….
Candy: They know that they need to give you some pressure…
Fung: Yeah… but I hope it’s appropriate pressure, not too sudden, or in a hurry, because I need some time to balance.
Candy: Was the past few months the most pressure you’ve had in your life?
Fung: Those days were probably the most exciting and I felt the most ecstatic. Because I really like the feeling when I’m on stage, I really like the interaction with the audience. This is something an actor might not have the opportunity to experience. Only singers can experience this.
Candy: Before a lot of people were saying… Wah… Lam Fung… really quick to step on the Coliseum stage. Let’s see whether he can do it. Many people were watching whether you could succeed. And when they saw it… wow… you can really do it! Can see your hard work, and your results. Can see that… wah… singing and dancing… not many actor turned singers can achieve such a perfect result. So how would you rate yourself?
Fung: I give myself 70-something marks because eh….
Candy: What made you deduct marks?
Fung: Hm…. there’re many many things still to learn, I also like to learn a lot of things. Even though I really like singing, I started to learn about music earlier than acting. So music is an interest I’ve developed since I was young. Now I can make music a part of my career, I really hope I can do many more different things.
Candy: I saw that you sang a lot of other people’s songs, sang really well. Do you really like to play with water?
Fung: I sweat easily, very afraid of heat. But not really like to get wet. This time, the whole concept, from the first time we all had a meeting, we had to think of a theme for this concert. Everyone was thinking, because at the time we didn’t have the song “Let’s Get Wet”, so we also had to think of a theme song. And then everyone thought…. summer, and looking back at my first two albums… my first album was quite serious, and reserved. The second album started to have some energy, so for the third album let’s show the audience a side of Lam Fung people haven’t seen before. A wilder side… Plus it was summer, so water will be closer to the theme. I also like water sports, many things combined together and water also gives a very good visual effect. So we all decided….
Candy: A “Fung Sup” concert (literally means Fung wet, but also sounds the same as rheumatism/arthritis in Canto lol)…

[2nd song – Let's Get Wet]

Candy: So back to talking about entering the music industry, I know that when you were young you went to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, so why did you enter the music industry?
Fung: Actually from the first singing lesson, first of all my family hopes I can learn something I love.
Candy: How old were you?
Fung: My voice hadn’t fully broken yet… then it was postponed because it wasn’t good for my voice… so after my voice fully changed, around 15 years old, I started learning voice techniques. At the time I didn’t think it would become my future career path, never thought about it, and there were people who asked me whether I was there to become a singer? I said no, from the first day I said no. It was because I liked singing. When I was young I never thought I would enter the entertainment industry.
Candy: Never thought about it…. thought you’ll be an architect? Real estate businessman?
Fung: Just a normal job…. like in an office…. a white collar worker…
Candy: Your family allowed you to take singing lessons, so they were really supportive of you pursuing things that you love right?
Fung: Yeah we’re a harmonious family….
Candy: So why did you go all the way to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music? You were born in Xiamen, came to HK when you were two years old, grew up in HK…. so why did you suddenly go to Shanghai?
Fung: Because at the time my music teacher is Chu Fung Bok, she was the lead singer in “Bak Mo Lui (White haired girl?)”… coincidentally one of my relatives was her student. After I’ve met with her she took me on as her student.
Candy: She thought you had talent…! Did you need to go through tests?
Fung: Yeah… her husband is also a teacher, Teacher Si, who was the honourary president of the Shanghai Opera House. At the time I was very lucky, I went over there during my holidays…
Candy: So you flew there….
Fung: Yeah I was living at their house, everyday the couple gave me lessons for two hours…
Candy: When was this… did you just go there for summer holidays?
Fung: I was about sixteen… during the summer I would stay there for about a month… and then the teacher said everyday you can only practice for about two hours, let’s not waste time… let’s learn instruments and dancing as well. So during those years I learnt a lot during summer…
Candy: So you mandarin is very good…
Fung: No my mandarin was learnt since I was young, because I studied in Kiangsu & Chekiang School during kindergarten and primary school. They taught in mandarin.
Candy: And then you studied at St Paul’s College… did you really fall in love with music during the time you were in Shanghai? They were the traditional music…
Fung: Yeah… they used a method similar to a musical to teach me. Using some beginner voice theory, but allowing me to use it more flexibly. So during that time… I really have to thank my two teachers, who taught me a lot of the foundations.
Candy: Also many instruments… which instruments do you know how to play?
Fung: During primary school I played the piano, when I was in high school… don’t know why, because Kenny G was very popular then… so I really wanted to learn saxophone. But we didn’t have saxophone lessons at school, so I picked the clarinet, because the finger techniques are the same. Then in Shanghai I learnt the guitar, but basically now….. I already gave my guitar to my brother.
Candy: Don’t worry, if you need to use it, it’ll come back out. What about dancing?
Fung: When I was a teenager Jazz dancing was very popular, modern types of dancing. But this is very funny, I was learning from a teacher in Shanghai, whom I still keep in contact with now… that teacher teaches one on one, but when I was learning, coincidentally the teacher was helping a theatre where there were some ballet students who just graduated. The teacher was just choreographing some dancing for them in that theatre. And then the teacher said I should go practice with them. I thought… whoa! These students started when they were very young! You’re asking me to practice with them? And then I was stretching with them… I only started stretching when I was a teenager… my face became very pale from stretching…
Candy: How did they stretch?
Fung: They put me against a wall, and then two students, one on each side, and then stretch my legs until it almost reaches the wall… those two / three minutes felt like two / three hours. My face was so pale I couldn’t breathe.

Candy: So this pleasing performance “Endless Love concert” did your teachers come to watch?
Fung: No because last year Teach Si passed away, due to health reasons. Teacher Chu called me from Shanghai to say that she listened to my 3rd album when it came out. “You have really used what we have taught you very well.” I felt very touched, didn’t know what to say. Because at the time I was filming “Moonlight Resonance” and suddenly heard this news, I hadn’t called Teacher Chu yet and she called me first because I was at the studios. After I received her call I immediately walked out of the studio…. the few days after that phone call it affected my emotions. I will feel a bit of regret because they couldn’t be there for my first concert. So….but Teacher Chu said Teacher Si will know, he listened to my first two albums….

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