Hacken Lee: "Crying For You" MV Filming (and discussing his life as a singer)

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Hacken Lee

Crying For You
Time: Midnight
Venue: Sai Kung Tunnel (a place where they have lots of garbage I think…)
People: Hacken Lee, Pauline Yeung (the lady that Hacken said before was his best friend’s girlfriend so he didn’t wooed her! Also the lady who won Miss HK before)
Camera: Chen Yi Long

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Hacken Lee, who went as far as America to study for a short-term music course, has grown a moustache all over his face. This adds on a sense of maturity to his appearance. Crying For You is the first MV that Hacken is shooting after his trip back from America and he has invited Pauline Yeung to be the female lead.

As the venue is located around Sai Kung Tunnel, Hacken, Pauline, the crew and the reporters turned into food for the mosquitoes. Nobody felt good.

During the last scene of this MV, and also the most exciting part as this includes an explosion, everyone had to retreat by more than 30 meters. After the explosion, the crew had to extinguish the fire immediately. It’s a good thing that the whole MV was completed successfully.

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When Hacken Lee returned to Hong Kong from America earlier, there was a huge change in his appearance. His hair has grown longer and he has a beard, a difference from his gentle style in the past. He feels that his original image has not changed much since he first entered the entertainment industry, and is tired of it.

This coincided with his trip to America for 9 months. As he need not face reporters and did not know many people there, he did not dress up frequently. Soon, his hair and beard grew longer, and he felt that it was interesting. Also, his image stylist felt that his new image suits his new album well. So, they might as well use this new “image”. However, after returning to Hong Kong, everyone had good and bad opinions about his new image.

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For his trip to study music at America, Hacken has learnt a lot of things. Hacken is someone who can sing, no one doubts his ability to do so. But his teacher from America has corrected some of his flaws in singing, such as having too much vibration towards the ending of a line. The teacher told him that there’s nothing good in using vibrations blindly, it should be used at the appropriate time to better express the feeling of the song. Hacken agreed to his words too.

Releasing his new album this time, he has gathered what he had learnt in America. Hacken also says that this is one of the album that is closest to what he desires.

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Appearance changes after returning from America
Hacken Lee, the moustachy guy

For all this time, Hacken Lee has given us the feeling that he is someone that is stable and careful with his words. However, the recent Hacken Lee has had a huge change in his appearance – he has grown a beard, long hair and his gestures have taken a 180 degrees change to become more relaxed and open. Seems like he has become more mature.

Perfectly Contented
Hacken says that he did not intentionally created this new image. Earlier on, he had been living in America for more than a month. He need not attend programmes, put on make up, nor face the media neatly and has recovered the true spirits of a man. Such times lasted for more than a month, and one day when he looked into the mirror, wow, he has become a manly guy.

“Many people have asked me why I became like this? Actually, it’s because every night in America, I would watch the NBA matches. I feel that the blacks are cool, and are manly. If a forty year old me is still singing, I would certainly shave my head.”

(OMG I HOPE NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! – the shocking hianez, after translating this bit! I wonder if he remembers saying this…!)

“Frankly speaking, I belong to the group of singers who have a longer lifespan in the industry. I’m not the idol type; no one will buy my albums because of my appearance. My good fortunes lies in not being old, even if I wait for chances year after year and nothing comes about, I won’t find it harsh. Because what I have now, many people might not be able to get it in their lifetime. I’m someone who certainly knows how to be contented.”

Appealing to the masses
Towards the media, Hacken has always been very open. He is not like some artists who feels that gossip magazines are irritating.

“Magazines are like songs, they are comparable with each other. If the mass of people like love songs, I will sing it. If people like to see Anita Mui and Zhao Wen Zhuo go steady, the reporters will track them. The problem is, are artists the only people who will have underground relationships and patronize night clubs? Actually, many other people do such things too. Just because the artist is a public figure, everybody is interested to know.
However, after 2 or 3 months, I’m afraid not many will remember that Wan Zi Liang has visited a night club, and no one will mention Li Lili. People are forgetful, aren’t they?”

“In the past, I was always giving in to the radio broadcast stations. The people working there said I should sing fast songs, and I followed their opinion and changed my mind. Actually, I should be giving in to people who buy my albums instead. They’re my true bosses. There’s no use in giving in to promoters.”

Hong Kongers seizing the opportunity
In his eyes, Hong Kongers are good at seizing opportunities. Be it entertainment or investments, they always take things to be short-termed, they will never view how things might be 10 years later, and will never think of what the next generation wants the society to be like.

“The people today blame everything on the 1997 crisis. If there wasn’t such a crisis, things would still be the same. This includes me, towards work; I plan on an annual basis.”

Besides this, Hacken took the role of a senior and pointed out daringly the bad points of the leaders in Hong Kong’s singing industry. For example, towards Andy Lau, he said “I would certainly not do a whole cover album. Because no matter how well I do, I’m not Shirley Kwan.” As for Aaron Kwok, he said “I feel like singing ‘Why Did I Let You Go’, if I am the one to sing it, I would put in more of my heart and soul.” And also, towards Faye Wong, he said “Have you noticed, although everyone feels that her voice is great, her only accomplished song is ‘The Woman Who Is Easily Hurt’, is ‘Like Wind’, the one which everybody says is a love song.” As for Vivian Chow, he said “I often tell her, do you know how many newcomers you have ‘killed’? This few years, every female singer imitates you, and each of them end up failing.”

Though Hacken’s opinions aren’t exactly new, they’re quite unique. In the past, would he have said such things?

Caption of photo below: Hacken’s image has changed but not his love life. His long term girlfriend has always been with him.

[source: http://www.hackenlee.net/magazine.htm]
[translated by Hianez]
[wow, learned more about hacken and his time in NYC! haha, don't think he'll shave his head, he'll be afraid of it not growing back as fully! at least i would be!! -kate]