https://www.scmp.com/rss/318255/feed Music news, album reviews, band interviews, festival coverage. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Paul Kay Paul Kay As he prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday on June 10, it is fair to say that Anders Nelsson has witnessed more of Hong Kong’s evolution than most. Since arriving in the city in 1950 aged four, the California-born son of Swedish missionaries has found fame as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, concert promoter, record producer and actor, all against the backdrop of a city emerging from post-World War II gloom to become a vibrant global metropolis. Along the way, he has helped shape Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3355632/fascinating-life-hong-kong-musician/actor-anders-nelsson-who-once-fought-bruce-lee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3355632/fascinating-life-hong-kong-musician/actor-anders-nelsson-who-once-fought-bruce-lee?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 04:45:05 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service On the second weekend of May, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel gave the New York Philharmonic a salsa shock. He gleefully brought the startled players together with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, an uptown salsa and jazz band, for concerts at the city’s Lincoln Centre and United Palace. New York’s classical music fans treated it as a cultural breakthrough; Dudamel is expected to transform the orchestra as a cultural institution when he returns in autumn as its music and artistic director. A... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354975/gustavo-dudamel-his-enduring-love-los-angeles-he-prepares-lead-ny-phil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354975/gustavo-dudamel-his-enduring-love-los-angeles-he-prepares-lead-ny-phil?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 07:15:05 +0000 Associated Press,Enid Tsui Associated Press,Enid Tsui Looking to take off into a new era after nearly two decades under the charismatic Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced on May 26 that it had hired Daniel Harding, a British conductor who is also an Air France pilot, as its next music director. Harding, a 50-year-old who is known mostly for his work with European orchestras and is highly sought-after in Asia, agreed to a six-year contract starting with the 2027-28 season. His first appointment by an American orchestra is with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3355147/meet-daniel-harding-new-la-phil-music-director-deep-asia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3355147/meet-daniel-harding-new-la-phil-music-director-deep-asia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 09:23:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar’s latest work, Chapters – a deeply personal trilogy written and released between January 2023 and March 2025 – was born from an intense post-pandemic creative block. “I had this notion that after the pandemic I needed to make the most significant work of my life,” Shankar says. “So, of course, as a result, I had nothing.” The paralysis broke on a New Year’s morning in India. Staring at the ocean with her journal, she decided to strip away the pressure of a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354982/how-sitarist-anoushka-shankar-broke-her-creative-block-after-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354982/how-sitarist-anoushka-shankar-broke-her-creative-block-after-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 09:15:05 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times By Pyo Kyung-min Three years after their first full-length record, K-pop girl group Le Sserafim are ready to tell a different story about fear. The five-member group dropped Pureflow Pt.1, their second studio album, on May 22, built around a premise that inverts the group’s debut message. While the group’s first record declared strength through fearlessness, this one argues the opposite – that fear, faced directly, is what makes you stronger. “When we first debuted, the message was that we were... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354760/new-album-pureflow-pt1-le-sserafim-are-facing-their-fears-and-are-stronger-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354760/new-album-pureflow-pt1-le-sserafim-are-facing-their-fears-and-are-stronger-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 04:15:04 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan has just made headlines as the first woman to be named music director designate of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS). Many in the classical music world had expected her to succeed Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As Chan herself acknowledged in an interview with the South China Morning Post on May 22, that was also what she expected, but – using a dating and marriage analogy – the courtship with the LA Phil went on for too long without the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354519/i-am-hungry-elim-chan-taking-lead-san-francisco-symphony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354519/i-am-hungry-elim-chan-taking-lead-san-francisco-symphony?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 04:45:04 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times From an early age, Ahn Hyo-seop has had a burning passion for music. After school, he would talk about music and even produce tracks with his friends for fun. This passion led him to train under JYP Entertainment with the hopes of becoming a K-pop idol. However, Ahn decided to follow a different career path as an actor, becoming a household name in South Korea with performances in Dr Romantic (2016) and Business Proposal (2022). After starring in films and shows for over 10 years, Ahn recently... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354461/k-drama-actor-ahn-hyo-seop-something-special-his-new-single-us-rb-star-khalid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354461/k-drama-actor-ahn-hyo-seop-something-special-his-new-single-us-rb-star-khalid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This is the 77th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. If your radar picked up even a blip of K-pop in the mid-2010s, you probably encountered Jackson Wang Ka-yee long before you realised he was a Hong Kong native. To overseas fans, he was first known as the magnetic, mischievous rapper of Got7, a boy band that debuted under JYP Entertainment in 2014 and quickly amassed a loyal international following. Among the seven members, Wang was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354172/how-got7s-jackson-wang-went-hong-kong-fencing-prodigy-global-music-icon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3354172/how-got7s-jackson-wang-went-hong-kong-fencing-prodigy-global-music-icon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 23:15:05 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan has been named music director designate of the San Francisco Symphony, capping months of intense industry speculation over her next permanent posting. The orchestra announced on May 21 that Chan will officially begin her tenure in September 2027. She will serve an initial six-year term, becoming the first woman and 13th music director in the institution’s 115-year history. The announcement marks a significant milestone for the conductor and places one of Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354429/hong-kong-born-conductor-elim-chan-becomes-first-woman-lead-san-francisco-symphony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3354429/hong-kong-born-conductor-elim-chan-becomes-first-woman-lead-san-francisco-symphony?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 17:54:00 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu The pipe organ, with its thousands of whistles and massive wooden lungs, is the quintessential voice of Western sacred music. Yet for Hong Kong organist Eric Chan’s latest cross-cultural project, he shares the stage with the piercing cries of the suona – a traditional Chinese woodwind whose melodies have echoed through rural villages for centuries. Played in this project by Guo Yazhi and Chrysoberyl Chan – Eric Chan’s partner in life and music – the suona bridges a vast cultural divide, showing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3353717/east-meets-west-melodic-concert-hong-kong-musician-eric-chan-blends-suona-organ?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3353717/east-meets-west-melodic-concert-hong-kong-musician-eric-chan-blends-suona-organ?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 11:15:06 +0000 Robin Zebaida Robin Zebaida Ever tried that children’s game of trying to pat your head while rubbing your stomach? Or drawing a circle with one hand and simultaneously a triangle with the other? The key is coordination, of course, and plenty of that is required if you are playing the piano and singing at the same time. Born in the UK, raised in Canada and based in Germany, pianist-soprano Rachel Fenlon is renowned for her self-accompanied concerts. On May 12, she made her Hong Kong debut with a performance of Franz... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3353677/soprano-pianist-rachel-fenlon-blends-intensity-and-innovation-dexterous-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3353677/soprano-pianist-rachel-fenlon-blends-intensity-and-innovation-dexterous-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2026 09:15:05 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Maya Hawke sits at a picnic table in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, with an iced tea and a small notebook and happily reports that she still likes her new record. “Every other album cycle I’ve done, by the time I got to the point where the album came out, I hated it,” the 27-year-old singer and actor says. “I was just exhausted by the internet and by being public, and I wouldn’t want to post about it. So I kind of tried to build this roll-out where it could be enjoyable. And it seems to be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3353506/why-stranger-things-star-maya-hawke-actually-likes-her-new-album-once?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3353506/why-stranger-things-star-maya-hawke-actually-likes-her-new-album-once?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Madeleine Fitzpatrick Madeleine Fitzpatrick The last time I sat down with Lucas “Skibs the Kid” Scibetta, in the summer of 2013, he was an 18-year-old, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing rapper and fresh Hong Kong International School graduate, still riding high on the success of his viral 2012 hit, “Hong Kong Kids”. His G.O.D. clothing line had just launched, and his local notoriety was such that in December, he would open for Pharrell Williams at the inaugural Blohk Party music festival in West Kowloon. Our catch-up nearly 13 years later... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3353240/where-skibs-kid-now-hong-kong-kids-rapper-viral-hit-school-and-asian-vibe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3353240/where-skibs-kid-now-hong-kong-kids-rapper-viral-hit-school-and-asian-vibe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2026 23:15:05 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 76th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Over the past decade, many Hong Kong entertainers have ventured across the border into the lucrative mainland Chinese market. Kay Tse On-kay, however, remains anchored in her hometown. The Cantopop singer launched her “Tidal” world tour in late 2025 to mark her 20th anniversary in the industry, and there are plans to bring the celebrations back to Hong Kong in the near... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352712/why-cantopop-star-kay-tse-chose-hong-kong-over-lucrative-mainland-chinese-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352712/why-cantopop-star-kay-tse-chose-hong-kong-over-lucrative-mainland-chinese-market?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Paul Thompson grew up in the UK during the “two-tone” wave, a musical movement born in the late 1970s that saw the fusion of English punk and Jamaican genres such as ska – the fast-paced, brass-heavy music often said to be the precursor to the slower, more bass-heavy reggae. Thompson developed a fascination for reggae and ska music, which followed him into adulthood. Now, the bassist for the 10-piece ska band The Red Stripes is organising the 10th edition of the Hong Kong International Reggae... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352557/hong-kong-reggae-and-ska-festival-organiser-bringing-voice-freedom-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3352557/hong-kong-reggae-and-ska-festival-organiser-bringing-voice-freedom-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 09:15:05 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times There is a particular kind of calm that comes from having already been through it. Walking into a room with Naze, the seven-member K-pop boy band whose official Korean debut was released on May 4, that sense of calm is the first thing one notices. These are not nervous trainees – they are young men who have already stood on stages in Japan, filmed a prime-time TBS drama, recorded four original soundtracks and gone on a showcase tour before most Korean fans even knew their names. “We’ve already... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/bands/article/3352348/how-k-pop-boy-band-nazes-multinational-members-found-natural-chemistry-debut-album?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/bands/article/3352348/how-k-pop-boy-band-nazes-multinational-members-found-natural-chemistry-debut-album?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 09:15:04 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Jonnie Park has always gone by many names. The most google-able is his hip-hop moniker “Dumbfoundead”, which he has gone by for decades as a battle rapper and a multi-album artist while becoming one of the kings of Project Blowed – a hip-hop crew, record label and open-mic workshop. As a resident of Los Angeles’ Koreatown since childhood, he is still known as “The Mayor of K-town”. To his friends, he is just “Dumb”. Of all the aliases and titles he has fought for, “author” might seem to be the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351829/korean-american-rapper-jonnie-park-aka-dumbfoundead-family-struggles-music-and-beef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351829/korean-american-rapper-jonnie-park-aka-dumbfoundead-family-struggles-music-and-beef?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma Dianjiang, a small county tucked away in southwestern China’s Chongqing, was transformed into a bustling live music hub in April as fans flocked to a concert headlined by Mandopop stars, including Jeff Chang. Such scenes are no longer unusual. Once the preserve of megacities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, high-profile concerts are now breathing life into lesser-known venues. As China endeavours to make consumption its main growth driver and targets untapped markets, entertainment spending... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352052/chinas-live-music-boom-spreads-smaller-cities-consumption-drive-expands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352052/chinas-live-music-boom-spreads-smaller-cities-consumption-drive-expands?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Get your heart pumpin’. She will make you “Sweat”. Such is the promise sung by the artist known as Melanie C – or Mel C and Sporty Spice of the game-changing 90s girl group Spice Girls – in the lead single from her ninth album of the same name. Atop a sample of Diana Ross’ “Work That Body” and sleek house-pop production, it is equal parts club banger and workout anthem, something for the DJ booth and a runner’s playlist. Surprised? Don’t be. Eight or so years ago, Melanie C began DJing,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351714/spice-girl-melanie-c-new-album-sweat-rave-culture-and-making-people-feel-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351714/spice-girl-melanie-c-new-album-sweat-rave-culture-and-making-people-feel-good?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Nearly two years after news of his appointment, 26-year-old Finnish-Filipino conductor Tarmo Peltokoski has officially arrived in Hong Kong to step into his full role as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Hailed by international critics as one of the most exciting young conductors in the world, Peltokoski will take the orchestra on an ambitious international tour just two months into his tenure. In November, the HK Phil will embark on a four-country, eight-city European... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351631/yo-yo-ma-and-gustavo-dudamel-among-stars-hk-phils-2026-27-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351631/yo-yo-ma-and-gustavo-dudamel-among-stars-hk-phils-2026-27-season?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:34:08 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls While the benefits of raising toddlers on Mozart are compelling, Dmitri Shostakovich’s music, particularly his Symphony No 11, should be avoided at all costs. Given its highly “cinematic” depictions of war, pre-performance disclaimers such as “explicit musical content” or “listener discretion advised” would not go astray even for any uninitiated concertgoer. Of its “brutal, horrific” nature, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director designate Tarmo Peltokoski also addressed the 11th’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351545/tarmo-peltokoski-and-leila-josefowicz-lead-hong-kong-philharmonic-thrilling-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351545/tarmo-peltokoski-and-leila-josefowicz-lead-hong-kong-philharmonic-thrilling-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:18:18 +0000 dpa dpa Not many 85-year-olds are as fit as Ringo Starr. The former Beatle has released yet another album. On it, he indulges his lifelong passion for country music – with some high-profile guests. Working on his 2025 album Look Up with T Bone Burnett was so much fun that he is now following it up. The restless Brit has been back in the studio with the American country icon and has emerged with his 22nd studio album, Long Long Road. The album title has something autobiographical about it, and, at 85,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351280/ringo-starr-his-new-country-album-long-long-road-its-road-ive-taken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351280/ringo-starr-his-new-country-album-long-long-road-its-road-ive-taken?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Grammy-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the birdlike maestro affectionately dubbed MTT and a “bad boy of classical music” who has led almost all the major orchestras of the United States and Europe since his teen years, has died in his San Francisco home. Born in Los Angeles, the celebrity conductor and former child prodigy died Wednesday of glioblastoma, The New York Times wrote. He was 81. He had a brain tumour removed in 2021 and underwent months of therapy. The 1960s wunderkind long... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351258/michael-tilson-thomas-legendary-us-conductor-and-bad-boy-classical-music-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3351258/michael-tilson-thomas-legendary-us-conductor-and-bad-boy-classical-music-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars There is a huge elephant in the room with Michael, the slick but insubstantial new biopic about the “King of Pop”. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and made in cooperation with the Michael Jackson estate, the film features all the singer’s mega-hits, from “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” to “Thriller” and “Bad”. But it shirks the controversies that dogged the music star in his later years – when he was accused of child molestation, something he always denied. Originally expected a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) uses its annual show at the Academy for Performing Arts to present edgier, more modern programmes. This year’s offering was “Glam Rock”, a triple bill featuring the music of three rock bands: Depeche Mode, Queen and Hong Kong’s own Beyond. Brilliantly performed, this was an entertaining evening that showcased the versatility and range of the company’s dancers and included two noteworthy premieres. Martlet is a brand new work by the husband and wife team of Ricky Hu... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349897/hong-kong-ballet-brilliantly-dances-beyond-queen-and-depeche-mode-glam-rock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349897/hong-kong-ballet-brilliantly-dances-beyond-queen-and-depeche-mode-glam-rock?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Remember the iPod? It is making a quiet comeback. Four years after Apple killed off its digital music player, second-hand sales are surging – fuelled in part by young people interested not just in its retro looks but in listening to music in a focused way and with playlists not determined by algorithms. “There’s a growing trend, particularly among younger users, to mitigate the ease with which they can be distracted by smartphones, often driven by mental health and well-being concerns,” says Ben... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3349514/how-get-ipod-and-set-it-apples-music-device-makes-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3349514/how-get-ipod-and-set-it-apples-music-device-makes-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With its grey front door and battered picket fence, No 4 Plaistow Grove in the anonymous London suburb of Bromley is unremarkable in every way except for one. The modest town house – originally built as a cottage for railway workers in the late 19th century – is the childhood home of pop phenomenon David Bowie. An inscription on a small blue plaque to the right of the front door is the only clue to the property’s extraordinary past. “David Bowie Singer and Talented Musician 1955 to 1968”, it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349500/david-bowies-former-london-home-where-pop-star-dreamed-fame-open-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349500/david-bowies-former-london-home-where-pop-star-dreamed-fame-open-public?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 74th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When a young Joey Yung Cho-yee was dropped by her first record label for her supposedly ordinary looks, few would have bet she would one day stand atop Cantopop as one of its most decorated performers. Yet nearly three decades later, the 45-year-old Hong Kong singer has outlasted her critics and claimed, among other accolades, a dozen most popular female singer trophies from TVB’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349329/not-pretty-enough-joey-yung-became-one-hong-kongs-biggest-cantopop-idols-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349329/not-pretty-enough-joey-yung-became-one-hong-kongs-biggest-cantopop-idols-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls You have to admire long-standing ensembles that still retain the spirit and sound that their original founders intended. The acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) began its first Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) concert on Saturday, March 28, fittingly enough, with something quintessentially British: Edward Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra. Positioned further back on stage than most groups appearing at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, the ASMF projected breezy wafts... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders. Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Ken Smith Ken Smith Since its first Hong Kong appearance in 2017 with the Asian premiere of The Makropulos Case, the National Theatre Brno has twice been awarded festival of the year for its Janacek Brno Festival at the International Opera Awards in 2018 and 2025, and best new production for The Excursions of Mr Broucek in 2025. The thread connecting these distinctions is the modernist Leos Janacek (1854-1928), who spent most of his life in Brno, in the Czech Republic, and whose often-bracing music the company... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347662/hong-kong-performance-tchaikovskys-eugene-onegin-subtle-yet-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3347662/hong-kong-performance-tchaikovskys-eugene-onegin-subtle-yet-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:15:13 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Netflix is planning a KPop Demon Hunters world tour, seeking to capitalise on the company’s most popular movie ever. The streaming leader is negotiating with concert promoters to stage a live show featuring performances of the songs from the film, which have topped the Billboard charts and been a massive cultural phenomenon, according to people familiar with the talks. The aim is to perform around the globe next year, ahead of the sequel to the animated film about three Korean pop stars who... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347149/kpop-demon-hunters-world-tour-it-could-happen-stops-dozens-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347149/kpop-demon-hunters-world-tour-it-could-happen-stops-dozens-major-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:15:10 +0000 Sam Evans Sam Evans Those who take a stroll along the tranquil streets near the post office in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, are likely to hear a curious mixture of sounds – the rhythmic taps of hammers and whirring of electric drills punctuated by the muted thump of electronic music tracks being seamlessly blended. The cacophony is coming from the new space of Moth Foundation, where something special is being built. “We were planning to take a six-month break and do some fundraising and then launch our new space... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347003/want-be-dj-hong-kongs-moth-foundation-music-school-and-lgbtq-safe-space-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347003/want-be-dj-hong-kongs-moth-foundation-music-school-and-lgbtq-safe-space-one?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:15:14 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee Gwanghwamun Square, the symbolic centre of the South Korean capital Seoul, is home to two statues – King Sejong, architect of the Korean alphabet Hangul, and Admiral Yi Sun-shin, the naval hero who repelled Japanese invasions – with the gates of the historical Gyeongbokgung Palace rising behind them. On March 21, this open-air plaza will play host to a different kind of national icon: BTS. The seven-member group – made up of members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – will stage a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346835/free-bts-concert-mark-k-pop-comeback-no-other-are-you-ready-army?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346835/free-bts-concert-mark-k-pop-comeback-no-other-are-you-ready-army?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Four hours before Sienna Spiro is due to launch her first US headlining tour, the 20-year-old singer and songwriter from London sits upstairs in the Troubadour’s empty balcony, peering down as several crew members wheel a grand piano onstage. “The fact that I’m 11½ hours from home and that this room is gonna be filled with people that have never met me and that I’ve never seen before – that’s just crazy,” she says. “I’m kind of scared.” The song that brought Spiro to the West Hollywood nightclub... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346212/die-hill-singer-sienna-spiro-20-next-adele?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3346212/die-hill-singer-sienna-spiro-20-next-adele?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:15:08 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls Ending the week with a requiem and a mass may sound like an overload of gravitas. Yet for their Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) concert on March 6, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Constellation Choir and Orchestra (CCO) gave Mozart’s two sacred works a buoyancy and transparency that was more uplifting than anything else. This was the Hong Kong debut of Gardiner’s new ensemble, founded in 2024 after an unfortunate incident that led to his departure from the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, which he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346057/sir-john-eliot-gardiners-cco-plays-sumptuous-mozart-hong-kong-arts-festival-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3346057/sir-john-eliot-gardiners-cco-plays-sumptuous-mozart-hong-kong-arts-festival-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Lauren James Lauren James Wit and warmth abounded in the Stella Cole Quartet’s run of four performances at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre. A baker’s dozen of jazz standards and classic film favourites delivered over an hour proved an ideal format – well paced and polished, without a moment of slack. Meanwhile, the retro stylings of the bijoux Tea House Theatre mirrored Cole’s profile as a performer: an old soul in youthful form. She sashayed into view in a midnight-blue satin gown, with cherry-red lips and white stiletto heels... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345715/stella-cole-quartet-delivers-delightful-set-jazz-and-film-classics-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak In an era when algorithms dictate the type of media we consume online, some young people are “going offline” as part of a new movement encouraging more intentional interactions with the arts. Vinyl bars have been popping up around Hong Kong as a result, catering to analogue enthusiasts looking to enjoy music the way it used to be before CDs and streaming. “I think different generations have different interpretations of the trend of going back to vinyl music,” says Andrew Wong Tsz-san, who opened... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345258/hong-kong-vinyl-bars-spread-analogue-music-culture-offering-glimpse-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3345258/hong-kong-vinyl-bars-spread-analogue-music-culture-offering-glimpse-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Once a vital crossroads of the Silk Road, the historic oasis of Dunhuang remains a crown jewel of Gansu province in northwest China. It is home to the Mogao Caves, a Unesco-listed complex representing over a millennium of Buddhist devotion, from the Northern Liang to the Yuan dynasties. Generations of Dunhuangologists have poured over the cultural secrets woven into the elaborate murals inside the 492 preserved caves, including depictions of 4,500 musical instruments and 500 ensembles that are a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344692/hong-kong-group-brings-ancient-silk-road-murals-musical-depictions-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3344692/hong-kong-group-brings-ancient-silk-road-murals-musical-depictions-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Grammy-award-winning rapper and ⁠singer Anderson .Paak is exploring ⁠his Korean roots with his directorial debut ⁠film K-Pops!, which is due for release in US cinemas on Friday. Rather than delving into his own emotional struggles with his dad, the R&B singer decided to do a heartwarming story about a father and a son reuniting during a K-pop competition show. “I’m a wholesome ‌kind of guy,” he says in a Zoom interview. “Comedy, laughter, love, music, food, culture have always been the way to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344569/it-was-insane-anderson-paak-making-his-debut-film-k-pops-and-its-family-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3344569/it-was-insane-anderson-paak-making-his-debut-film-k-pops-and-its-family-message?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 13:15:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US singer Britney Spears has become the latest musician to sell the rights to her catalogue that includes hits like “Baby One More Time” and “Oops!...I Did It Again”, US media reported on Tuesday. The deal is believed to be worth around US$200 million, according to sources cited by celebrity site TMZ, though it said the exact amount is not detailed in legal documents. That sum would be comparable to the sale of Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s catalogue in 2023. Spears, 44, joins a growing list... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343126/britney-spears-sells-rights-her-music-catalogue-reported-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343126/britney-spears-sells-rights-her-music-catalogue-reported-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 01:52:28 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Although widely recognised as the world’s first professional inclusive music ensemble, there is so much more to the Paraorchestra than its full integration of disabled and non-disabled musicians. When the British collective won best ensemble at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards in March 2025, it was lauded for “invigorating concert halls with thrilling experiences”. Indeed, the group has been celebrated around the world for its signature performance style that breaks the fourth wall of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3342865/paraorchestras-hong-kong-concert-lets-audience-walk-around-see-musicians-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3342865/paraorchestras-hong-kong-concert-lets-audience-walk-around-see-musicians-close?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:15:09 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Like many other things in Korea, K-pop rarely pauses to explain itself. New groups debut, concepts cycle, controversies surface and fade. The industry absorbs the moment, recalibrates and quickly moves on. That forward momentum has long been part of its appeal. It is also what makes the system difficult to read from the outside. However, beneath the choreography and camera-ready polish, a quieter question persists: why does K-pop feel so engineered, not just in sound or style, but in how its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/bands/article/3342461/stray-kids-aespa-k-pop-loving-business-expert-breaks-down-industrys-systems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/bands/article/3342461/stray-kids-aespa-k-pop-loving-business-expert-breaks-down-industrys-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Sabrina Ma Suk-wai was something of a child prodigy. She started playing the piano, violin and drums when she was six, and became the SCMP Student Musician of the Year in 2001 when she was 16. Her decisions to study musical performance – specialising in percussion at the University of Michigan, in the United States – and to move to Berlin, Germany, as a freelance performer at 22 were all within the expected career path for a young, talented musician. But when she turned 30, something began to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3342094/hong-kong-percussionist-sabrina-ma-trades-orchestra-musical-triathlon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3342094/hong-kong-percussionist-sabrina-ma-trades-orchestra-musical-triathlon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:22:37 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press People use music to set moods and evoke positive memories. The right song at the right time can have similar effects on dogs. Pet owners, trainers and animal shelter workers sometimes use music as a training tool, a distraction from triggers, and to create a relaxing environment for dogs kept in kennels or left alone at home. But researchers say the effects vary based on dogs’ temperament, the setting, the type of tune and the volume at which it is played. Social media videos show dogs howling... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3342088/do-dogs-music-experts-weigh-how-it-affects-furry-friends-and-what-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3342088/do-dogs-music-experts-weigh-how-it-affects-furry-friends-and-what-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Bad Bunny won album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, for his critically acclaimed Debí Tirar Más Fotos, closing out a surprising and history-making night. It is the first time a Spanish-language album has taken home the top prize. “Puerto Rico, believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100 by 35,” he said in his acceptance speech in Spanish, referring to a Puerto Rican colloquialism about the island’s small size. “And there is nothing we can’t... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342082/bad-bunny-wins-album-year-2026-grammy-awards-first-spanish-language-album?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3342082/bad-bunny-wins-album-year-2026-grammy-awards-first-spanish-language-album?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 69th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Between 2024 and 2025, Hins Cheung King-hin performed a record 31 shows across two concert series at The Londoner Arena in Macau. The feat not only broke his personal best but also set a new benchmark for the most concerts by an artist within a year in the city. That is just another piece of trivia about Cheung, who has emerged as both a cultural custodian and a bridge between the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341539/how-hins-cheung-went-shenzhen-bar-singer-hong-kong-icon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3341539/how-hins-cheung-went-shenzhen-bar-singer-hong-kong-icon?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse American singer-songwriters are taking up the protest torch like their forebears Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, releasing tracks featuring searing criticism of Donald Trump and paying homage to Minneapolis residents killed this month by federal immigration agents. More than 80 years after folk icon Guthrie scrawled “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar, his musical heirs are savaging President Donald Trump on his immigration crackdown, his renamed Department of War, the United... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341677/how-ice-agents-are-facing-musical-backlash-new-generation-protest-singers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341677/how-ice-agents-are-facing-musical-backlash-new-generation-protest-singers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:15:09 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls “Wouldn’t you just die without Mahler?” Even if that line made famous by Rita’s flatmate Trish in the film version of Educating Rita is meant to satirise the pretentiousness of the intellectual class, the life-affirming nature of Gustav Mahler’s music is undeniable. When pondering the darker, enigmatic aspects found in his Symphony No 7, however, one can only imagine how much bleaker the piece would have turned out had the Austro-Bohemian written it during the dire years after its actual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341210/hk-phil-brings-mahlers-symphony-no-7-life-energetic-eerie-performance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3341210/hk-phil-brings-mahlers-symphony-no-7-life-energetic-eerie-performance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu At 80 years old, Margaret Leng Tan is a meticulous timekeeper – not just of days and years, but of the silent spaces between the notes she plays on her toy pianos. The Singapore-born, New York-based musician has left her mark on the history of 20th century avant-garde music. A classically trained pianist, she became the first woman to obtain a doctoral degree in music from New York’s Juilliard School, in 1971, a decade after winning a scholarship there. Later, she became a key interpreter of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3340389/singaporean-musician-living-ocd-uses-toy-pianos-and-cat-food-tins-tell-her-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3340389/singaporean-musician-living-ocd-uses-toy-pianos-and-cat-food-tins-tell-her-story?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:15:07 +0000