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 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 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung A new Cantonese musical written by Lora Chow Hiu-ching, a Yale University-trained soprano and composer, is one of the highlights of the coming Fringe Festival in Hong Kong. Called Dr Clown, it is the tale of a doctor who is so convinced that patients need emotional and psychological support alongside clinical care that he decides that his new calling is to become a hospital clown. Meanwhile, his nephew, a first-year medical student, secretly dreams of being a filmmaker. Like the titular... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3340165/hong-kong-composer-lora-chows-unusual-journey-finance-writing-cantonese-musicals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3340165/hong-kong-composer-lora-chows-unusual-journey-finance-writing-cantonese-musicals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This is the 68th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. With her signature forehead mole, infectious laughter and seemingly ageless, indomitable spirit, Nancy Sit Ka-yin has earned her title as the “elder sister” of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. To the generations who grew up watching her, she is simply Ka-yin Je (Big Sister Ka-yin), or Ka-yin Mama, a symbol of warmth, resilience and unshakeable joy. Yet, to view her journey solely... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339831/how-nancy-sit-went-princess-cantonese-cinema-hong-kongs-beloved-tv-matriarch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339831/how-nancy-sit-went-princess-cantonese-cinema-hong-kongs-beloved-tv-matriarch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Labubu dolls knocked against the Chanel purses of club-goers at an after-party at Macau’s MGM Cotai in October, their fiendish smiles mirroring the faces of their owners, who bounced to the beat. “Lai cai!” the rapper Skai Isyourgod yelled, thumping his chest. “Lai!” the crowd chanted back. “Lai cai!” he called again. “Lai!” the crowd roared. The hook – “Riches come!” – from Skai’s hit single “Stacks from All Sides” is classic hip-hop fare. Less typical is the artist delivering it. Skai, whose... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339562/how-local-stars-bad-bunny-show-you-dont-need-sing-english-be-global-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339562/how-local-stars-bad-bunny-show-you-dont-need-sing-english-be-global-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg’s second album, the British indie rock band packed bags with items that might provide inspiration – velvet worms sewn by guitarist Hester Chambers, an oversized head of hair from a music video shoot, lizard-like gloves – and headed to an Airbnb. “I wanted it to be something that was both super girlie and feminine, but then at the same time, just totally repulsive,” says lead singer Rhian Teasdale, who art-directed the Moisturizer cover with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339043/bad-bunny-perfume-genius-album-covers-among-nods-2026-grammy-awards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3339043/bad-bunny-perfume-genius-album-covers-among-nods-2026-grammy-awards?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has redefined what it means to be a global giant – and he may once again make history at the 2026 Grammy Awards. The artist, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is up for six awards at the February 1 show, becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated simultaneously for album, song and record of the year. His critically acclaimed album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, is only the second Spanish-language record to be nominated for album of the year. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338996/why-bad-bunnys-grammy-nominations-mark-symbolic-moment-latinos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338996/why-bad-bunnys-grammy-nominations-mark-symbolic-moment-latinos?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:15:15 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 67th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. From growing up impoverished in a village in Huizhou, in east-central Guangdong province, to sending his son to an elite international school in Shanghai, the life of actor and singer Jordan Chan Siu-chun has been a roller coaster defined by extreme reinvention. Today, at 58, he has crafted a new image as a stellar husband and father, living in mainland China with a wife 16 years his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3338135/how-actor-singer-jordan-chan-went-hong-kong-bad-boy-patriotic-family-man-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Syrena Jin Syrena Jin From auspicious horse-themed phrases and couplets to whether your luck is in, check out our Year of the Horse 2026 series to discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year. In Chinese culture, the horse represents intelligence, courage and untamed freedom. It is also a powerful symbol of capability and success, often embodied in the mythical beast qian li ma – a winged steed not unlike Pegasus in Greek mythology – which is said to be able to travel long distances in a very short... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3338088/7-successful-people-born-year-horse-jackie-chan-ang-lee-and-lu-han?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3338088/7-successful-people-born-year-horse-jackie-chan-ang-lee-and-lu-han?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 66th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Few narratives in Hong Kong entertainment are as compelling as that of former erotic film icon Veronica Yip Yuk-hing. Her arc – from beauty pageant contestant to soft-core sensation, mainstream pop singer, respected actress and finally the wife of a tycoon – is more than just a chronicle of survival. It is the story of a trailblazing career strategist who carved out a place for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336732/how-1990s-hong-kong-sex-symbol-veronica-yip-turned-soft-core-infamy-mainstream-fame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3336732/how-1990s-hong-kong-sex-symbol-veronica-yip-turned-soft-core-infamy-mainstream-fame?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai Lucia di Lammermoor is one of the masterpieces of bel canto opera and the title role, with its challenging combination of exquisite, stylised singing and intense, realistic drama, is among the most prized in the repertoire. In Musica Viva’s new production, Lucrezia Drei’s gorgeous voice, flawless bel canto technique and vivid stage presence showed that this young Italian soprano is a worthy successor to such legendary Lucias as Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Natalie Dessay. Composed by... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336580/lucrezia-drei-dazzles-musica-vivas-lucia-di-lammermoor-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336580/lucrezia-drei-dazzles-musica-vivas-lucia-di-lammermoor-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:15:09 +0000 Syrena Jin Syrena Jin Some of Hong Kong’s biggest names in classical music are coming together to raise funds for the family of the firefighter who died in the Tai Po fire. The concert, titled “Salute to the Brave, Soothing the Soul” and co-organised by the violinist and conductor Leung Kin-fung, will be held on December 22 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, died in the line of duty in Wang Fuk Court. The worst blaze in Hong Kong in more than 70 years killed more than 160... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336562/hong-kong-classical-concert-raise-money-family-firefighter-lost-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336562/hong-kong-classical-concert-raise-money-family-firefighter-lost-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 03:15:08 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls As far as concert openers go, some say the bigger the better. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra took that to heart on December 11 by starting their Nordic-inspired programme with a downright noisy and massively orchestrated work by Finnish composer-in-residence Esa-Pekka Salonen, which was conducted by his mentee and fellow countryman Tarmo Peltokoski, also the orchestra’s music director designate. When it boiled down to a choice between Salonen’s portrayal of the eccentric Castor and his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336426/lang-lang-and-tarmo-peltokoski-pack-punch-concert-pushes-hk-phils-limits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336426/lang-lang-and-tarmo-peltokoski-pack-punch-concert-pushes-hk-phils-limits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls Despite having “culture junkies” for parents, Andrea Fessler could never have foreseen becoming a champion of chamber music in Hong Kong or running a festival for small ensembles that would become an important fixture in the city’s classical music calendar. The Vancouver-raised Harvard Law School graduate and former corporate lawyer is the founder of performing arts group Premiere Performances (PPHK), which will hold the 18th and final edition of its Beare’s Premiere Music Festival, which... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3335676/hong-kong-chamber-music-festival-founder-why-its-mission-complete-ahead-final-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3335676/hong-kong-chamber-music-festival-founder-why-its-mission-complete-ahead-final-event?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 65th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For over half a century, Alan Tam Wing-lun has stood as a colossus in Hong Kong show business. To his legions of fans, he is Principal Tam – a moniker that denotes a kind of institutional authority over the city’s music industry. As lead vocalist of The Wynners, he defined the sound of a generation; as a solo singer, he set records that remain impressive; and as a mentor, he has... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335141/hong-kong-music-icon-alan-tam-leslie-cheungs-rival-fans-smashing-his-albums?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3335141/hong-kong-music-icon-alan-tam-leslie-cheungs-rival-fans-smashing-his-albums?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 23:15:09 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls Renowned Japanese-American violinist Midori was the headline name for the November 27 recital at Hong Kong City Hall. Yet, considering the importance of the piano in the programme, it would be remiss not to mention Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute in the same breath. Both artists effortlessly switched back and forth between accompaniment and melody in Beethoven’s breezy Sonata for Piano and Violin No 5 in F, relishing the opening movement’s internal drama as it unfolded. Midori’s rich,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334884/violinist-midori-works-her-magic-duo-concerts-hong-kong-city-hall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334884/violinist-midori-works-her-magic-duo-concerts-hong-kong-city-hall?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 05:00:11 +0000 Dirk Luiten Dirk Luiten Three days after the devastating fire in Tai Po broke out, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra prefaced its concert with a moment of silence, followed by a subdued rendering of Elgar’s Nimrod. From this sombre stillness, 27-year-old pianist Mao Fujita emerged on stage to confront Rachmaninov’s monumental Piano Concerto No 3. His diminutive frame and gentle disposition made him seem an unlikely vessel for the concerto’s formidable physical and emotional demands. He introduced the primary theme... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334839/pianist-mao-fujita-delivers-technical-masterclass-alongside-hk-phil-poignant-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334839/pianist-mao-fujita-delivers-technical-masterclass-alongside-hk-phil-poignant-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 03:35:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The idea of a concert special did not exactly light up Ed Sheeran’s mind. “Every time it was pitched to me, I just wasn’t excited,” says the English singer and songwriter who has spent the past decade or so among the world’s top touring acts. “‘We could do this theatre and this town and this…’ – it was like, ‘I’ve seen that before.’” But then Sheeran got a call from Ben Winston, the Emmy-winning producer and director known for his role overseeing the Grammy Awards and as a creator of James... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334756/how-netflixs-one-shot-ed-sheeran-was-made-one-take-between-soundcheck-and-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334756/how-netflixs-one-shot-ed-sheeran-was-made-one-take-between-soundcheck-and-show?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Universal fears are the major recurring theme in Scottish art rock band Franz Ferdinand’s 2025 album The Human Fear. But there is nothing fearful about the group’s musical approach as the members get deeply personal and bravely vulnerable. “‘Hooked’ starts off with the line, ‘I got the fear, got the human fear, that’s all right’,” says Alex Kapranos, the band’s lead vocalist, lead guitarist and primary songwriter, of the track that was inspired by his own experience with parenthood in 2023. “The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334158/why-franz-ferdinands-alex-kapranos-loves-hong-kong-gigs-plus-insight-latest-album?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3334158/why-franz-ferdinands-alex-kapranos-loves-hong-kong-gigs-plus-insight-latest-album?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls If you think that the tradition-steeped Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Rome has a voluminous name, you should hear the tutti forte and fortissimo sounds of the 117-year-old ensemble. On November 20, the orchestra flaunted its full power at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre under its music director, Daniel Harding, in the first of two concerts that kicked off its Asian tour. The ensemble impressed – most notably in Rachmaninov’s beloved Symphony No 2 in E minor after the break... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334014/champion-hong-kong-pianist-aristo-sham-joins-rome-based-orchestra-powerful-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3334014/champion-hong-kong-pianist-aristo-sham-joins-rome-based-orchestra-powerful-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 03:07:02 +0000 Emily Chan Emily Chan The renowned European electronic music festival, Tomorrowland, made its China debut in Shanghai on Saturday. Held for the first time indoors, the electronic dance music (EDM) festival drew thousands of ravers to the Hero Dome. Many say the EDM genre has become mainstream in China’s music scene. https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3333928/european-edm-festival-tomorrowland-makes-china-debut-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3333928/european-edm-festival-tomorrowland-makes-china-debut-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:17:28 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls It has been a long time between drinks, as they say in America. Veteran jazz songstress Dianne Reeves last sang in Hong Kong 20 years ago, and the five-time Grammy winner made no bones about it when she sang the opening number “What’s New?” at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Centre on November 10, weaving in the line “It’s been a while, Hong Kong!” to the delight of the audience. Reeves’ return to the city was a much-anticipated highlight of the WestK Performing Arts season, and while little has changed in her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3332778/grammy-winning-jazz-singer-dianne-reeves-returns-triumphant-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3332778/grammy-winning-jazz-singer-dianne-reeves-returns-triumphant-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:21 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Mixing Cantopop into DJ sets comes naturally to Hong Kong drummer Stephane Wong. Going by the moniker Steffunn when spinning disco tunes, the 40-something learned to play the drums at age eight and has been DJing for two decades. But that instinct comes mostly from Wong playing the drums for many 2000s Cantopop hits – on stage and in the studio – and working with industry behemoths like Joey Yung Cho-yee, Grasshopper and Eason Chan Yick-shun. “Cantopop from that era seems to be more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332572/how-cantopop-drummer-helping-revive-hong-kong-music-his-nostalgic-dj-sets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332572/how-cantopop-drummer-helping-revive-hong-kong-music-his-nostalgic-dj-sets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:15:10 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai “I don’t want to hit people over the head and make them sorry they came to the concert,” Renee Fleming said with a smile, “But I do want a sort of collective ‘We love the planet.’” The American soprano was talking about Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, the title of her 2021 album and “Renee Fleming: Voice of Nature”, the concert she was performing in Hong Kong. At 66, Fleming has lost none of the beauty and glamour which, combined with her exquisite voice and dramatic ability, have made her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3331809/soprano-singer-renee-fleming-voice-nature-how-music-good-your-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3331809/soprano-singer-renee-fleming-voice-nature-how-music-good-your-health?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 23:15:08 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times When Newbeat first stormed onto the scene earlier this year with Raw and Rad, the seven-member boy band positioned itself as a blend of hip-hop swagger and unfiltered drive. Eight months later, the act – Minseok, Minsung, Yeoyeojeong, Seohyun, Taeyang, Yunhoo and Riwoo – is turning that energy outward. The group’s first mini-album Louder Than Ever marks a bold turn – four tracks, two title songs and lyrics sung almost entirely in English. “It’s our way of saying we’re ready for the world,” said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332193/k-pop-newbies-newbeat-talk-about-their-new-english-language-album-louder-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3332193/k-pop-newbies-newbeat-talk-about-their-new-english-language-album-louder-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:23:21 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung To mark the 85th birthday of Bruce Lee, the Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) has teamed up with two heavyweights from film and jazz for a new dance drama called Kung Fu Artistry – Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way. Debuting on November 27, this fusion of martial arts, dance and jazz promises to do more than celebrate Lee’s life; it will reflect the complex, hybrid identity of Hong Kong itself, its creators say, and present Lee’s philosophy as a source of inspiration for a new generation. Lee himself was a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3331895/bruce-lees-life-philosophy-and-kung-fu-style-celebrated-hong-kong-dance-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3331895/bruce-lees-life-philosophy-and-kung-fu-style-celebrated-hong-kong-dance-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 23:15:10 +0000