Advertisement
Performing arts in Hong Kong
LifestyleEntertainment

Wicked songs in Cantonese? New online series champions Hong Kong talent

Songs like ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling’ have been painstakingly translated for the ‘Wicked in Canto’ series on YouTube and Instagram

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Singers Chloe Wong (left) and Marco Tang are part of the 17-person troupe responsible for “Wicked in Canto”, a series of videos featuring songs from the global musical phenomenon performed in Cantonese. Photo: Edmond So
Chloe Loung

Coinciding with the recent release of Wicked: For Good, a Hong Kong creative team has also brought Oz to life – in Cantonese.

“Wicked in Canto”, a series of videos featuring songs from the global musical phenomenon performed in the city’s mother tongue, is making waves on YouTube and Instagram, with tracks dropping weekly.

The project champions Hong Kong talent while highlighting the potential of international musical theatre productions performed in Cantonese.

Advertisement
Officially leading the project’s adaptation of the lyrics is Jason Lung, a University of Hong Kong graduate in Chinese literature and translation, who was inspired while listening to the soundtrack of the first Wicked film.

“I just kept thinking, these songs sound like they would be really good in Cantonese,” he recalls. “There’s a certain musicality and emotional depth in our language that felt like a perfect match.”

Lung reached out to Marco Tang, a seasoned performer from New Gen, a Hong Kong troupe of rising young performers, and the project quickly took flight.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x