Faye Is a Role Model

By Deb
16 December 2008

[Editor’s note: This is a slightly edited version of Deb’s comment on “Faye at the 2004 Golden Melody Awards.” It’s a great comment that deserves to be a separate article!]

Ahhh . . . who are these other girls?? Not to be biassed, but . . . p-leeease, how do they even remotely compare to Faye?!?!? I have actually heard of the other girls, but they aren’t even in the same stratosphere as Faye. Kinda weird, lots of emtpy seats, Eason Chan and the guy who claps (dunno his name) look really bored.

Could someone translate what Faye said, my Mandarin is worse than poor! [Click here for the video.]

Remembering all the award shows especially in the ’90s, Faye has NEVER enjoyed them and never placed much importance in the results. I think this sentiment is generally shared by many credible/talented artists. Good actors usually say they’d rather win the Actor’s Guild award than a Globe because it is voted by your peers, so it’s a recognition of your skill, effort and inspiration and not a popularity contest. Asian music awards are much more contrived than the western equivalents, it’s purely based on popularity and much of the results are determined by which “star” gives more “face” to whoever is running the award show.

There used to be a phrase in the HK pop scene where artists were either in the “Idol group” or the “Talent group.” Basically Idols are just manufactured singers with a pretty face but little talent, and Talents are singers who actually had talent and their sales didn’t rely on them being a pretty face. I used to be a die-hard cantopop fan back in the ’90s, but eventually I realised that so many of them are a bunch of fakes. After this many years, I have found that only Faye gives me a true sense of inspiration and talent, and I have admiration for her as an artist and a person. I must admit that Faye had a profound effect on me as a young woman, she was a role model to me and I learnt to not worry about what others thought of me, as long as I tried my best and did what I love, that’s all that matters.

Faye Wong – Composer and Writer

As fans, we tend to forget that Faye Wong is much, much more than a singer, actress, and model. She’s also an extremely talented composer and lyricist. The list of her original works is astounding. They include many of her major hits. And they definitely make up the bulk of her most creative and progressive songs. This is a critical factor in Faye’s appeal — she’s not only phenomenally beautiful, talented, and loved by fans, friends, and colleagues, but she’s also extremely creative. To listen to these songs, see “Faye’s Compositions” in the right sidebar.

She wrote the music and lyrics for the following songs:

1. Restless (Restless [Fu Zao], June 1996)

2. To Love (To Love, Nov 2003)

3. Spectacular (Lovers and Strangers, Sep 1999)

4. Doomsday (Restless [Fu Zao], June 1996)

5. Pledge (Random Thoughts, June 1994)

6. Tong (Chang You, Oct 1998)

7. Sporadic (Restless [Fu Zao], June 1996)

8. Sunflower (To Love, Nov 2003)

9. Leave Nothing (aka “No Staying” from To Love, Nov 2003)

10. Decadence (Restless [Fu Zao], June 1996)

11. Ingratiate Oneself (Ingratiate Oneself, Dec 1994)

12. Exit (Ingratiate Oneself, Dec 1994)

13. Tempted Heart (Hundred Thousand Whys, Sep 1993)

14. Imagine (Restless, June 1996)

15. Where (Restless, June 1996)

16. Wild Three Hills (Restless, June 1996)

 

She composed the music for these songs:

1. New Tenant (Fable, Oct 2000)

2. Chanel (Fable, Oct 2000)

3. Emotional Life (Chang You, Oct 1998)

4. Face (Chang You, Oct 1998)

5. The Cambrian Era (Fable, Oct 2000)

6. Di-Dar (Di-Dar, Dec 1995)

7. Asura (Fable, Oct 2000)

8. Flowers of Paradise (Fable, Oct 2000)

9. April Snow (To Love, Nov 2003)

10. A Little Clever (Chang You, Oct 1998)

11. Vacation (Di-Dar, Dec 1995)

She wrote the lyrics for:

No Regrets (No Regrets, Feb 1993)