Hong Kong-born musical treasure Anthony Lun gave new blood to the local music scene in the 1990s. While best remembered for his collaborations with Sandy Lam and Anita Mui, he’s back on stage now with local comedian Jim Sui-man. He tells Victor Chau about working with Hong Kong’s divas and talks about his own music.

I was initially a psychology major at the University of Michigan and was doing a minor in music when the teacher at the music academy encouraged me to give music a go. In my final year I had already started teaching music at my university.

I found teaching very repetitive. In the end I was laid off because the department had its funding cut. Then I began to establis myself as a lounge singer. Six months later I was already touring from bar to bar with performances of English-language golden oldies.

My musical career in Hong Kong didn't see an easy start. Although I was signed by one of the biggest record companies at that time, my record sales were awful – only 7,000 copies were sold for my first album. It was almost like career death. My second album, “Return All My Love,” was also a disaster. Being in the same company with
Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Roman Tam obviously didn’t help.

I started to realize that my style – R&B and Motown – wasn’t suitable to Hong Kong. I knew I had to change.

My next step was to further my musical studies by learning how to compose and edit music. Michael Lai Siutin soon gave me a chance to make music for Anita Mui – my songs all hit No.1 on all the charts in Hong Kong.

The music industry in Hong Kong back then was very healthy. If people found a talent in you, they would approach you and commission you to produce more. This led me to an opportunity to work with Sandy Lam.

I was still star-struck when I first met Lam, even though I had worked with many great singers. Our meeting was set up because she really liked my style of music. We were both very quiet – we were both waiting for the other to start a conversation. But then we just ignited musically. She’s an extraordinary R&B singer. We decided to discard her old “girlie” style and began focusing on R&B and urban music.

Every singer is unique. But if I had to choose my favorite singers to work with I’d say Anita Mui, Sandy Lam, Elissa Chan and Teresa Carpio. I can’t really think of any male singers, but on stage, the chemistry between these divas and me is just amazing. We all feel natural and harmonious on stage.

It’s very unlucky that Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung and Roman Tam – the biggest stars in the last 20 years – have all left us. But what can we do? We can only remember them for who they were – they have evolved into something else and their spirits are still with us. I don’t believe that death is just an extinguished lamp.

I was introduced to Buddhism a few years ago. It was a big change in my life.

I had always been a Catholic – I was baptized when I was in Primary Five while I was still studying at La Salle College. I am very keen on the Buddhist positive thinking toward life, that life should be simple. Buddhism has taught me a lot of things. I’ve come to believe that the ups and downs we face today don’t matter tomorrow.

Life is “mo seung,” or in English, “ever-changing.” I do miss Anita Mui; I felt very disconcerted when she died. But that is part of life and I needed to learn how to move on. Buddhism has helped me cope with deaths and unhappiness. It has given me peace in my life.

Things are short-lived; so is unhappiness. If someone has upset me, I’ve learned how to be peaceful at mind and forget the unhappiness tomorrow. This is all due to Buddhism.

Many people have criticized the new Cantopop singers in Hong Kong. But why wouldn’t you give them a chance first? Janet Jackson first started as a pop idol before she
established herself as a real musical talent. I still see many creative people here in Hong Kong, such as Justin.

It’s showbiz – people come and go. They’ll be eliminated if they’re not pleasing to the eyes. This is the harsh nature of this industry. Many people try to realize their dreams
in showbiz. That’s why we shouldn’t be so harsh on the people who try to survive and make ends meet.

I’m actually a very comical and laughable person – I’m very clumsy, forgetful, always tripping over. I’m a very optimistic person; making people laugh is what I love to do.