Eason Chan Wins 17 Awards in 10 Days

RTHK, Hong Kong’s public broadcasting company, announced its 33rd annual awards on January 6. The big winner at what is Hong Kong’s longest-running music awards show, was Eason Chan (陈奕迅, pinyin: Chén Yìxùn). He won seven awards, which now brings his tally from the three major Hong Kong music awards held so far to 17 trophies. (The other two are the Metro Awards, announced on December 29, and the Chik Chak Ultimate Song Awards on January 1. The fourth major awards ceremony, the Jade Solid Gold Awards, will be held later this month).

Eason Chan’s awards included Most Outstanding Male Singer, Highest Selling Male Singer, and Most Honoured Gold Song of the Year (Tourbillon). In the Media Recommendation awards he won Male Singer of the Year and Song of the Year. Such has been the 36 year old’s dominance of the Hong Kong music scene over the past few years, that the media have dubbed him the Awards King (奖王).

In the Female category, honours were shared between Joey Yung (容祖儿, pinyin: Róng Zǔér), who won Most Outstanding Female singer, and Sammi Cheng (郑秀文, pinyin: Zhèng Xìuwén). 38 year old Cheng, one of Hong Kong’s richest celebrities, was named Highest Selling Female Singer and won the Media Recommendation Female Singer of the Year. The singer-actress is in phase two of the career, after a brief retirement between 2005 and 2007. The RTHK awards are her first since she won Highest Selling Female Singer back in 2002. Both singers had songs in the Top Ten Golden Songs: Sammi Cheng with Do Not Disturb Love, and Joey Yung with Disfigured. Yung in fact continues her remarkable run of having a song in the RTHK Top Ten every year since 2000.

Rock band Mr. were named Highest Selling Group, while Taiwanese six-piece indie band Sodagreen (苏打绿, pinyin: Sūdá lǜ) were named Best National (as distinct from Local) Group. RubberBand, who had won the group prize at the Clik Clak Awards, were named Most Improved Singers, while another indie group, the Hong Kong duo Sugar Club (糖兄妹, pinyin: Táng Xiōng Mèi) were awarded gold in the Best Newcomer category.

The list of RTHK Top Ten Golden Songs is as follows:
1. Tourbillon (陀飞轮) – Eason Chan
2. Love Habit (爱的习惯) – Justin Lo
3. Disfigured (破相) – Joey Yung
4. Sinner (罪人) – Hacken Lee
5. Space Elevator (天梯) – C All Star
6. Era (时代) – Leo Ku
7. The Overcast After Rain (雨过天阴) – Kay Tse
8. Do Not Disturb Love (不要惊动爱情) – Sammi Cheng
9. Test Love With Body (收身试爱) – Jade Kwan
10. Get Over You – G.E.M

RTHK’s prestigious Golden Needle, a lifetime achievement award, was given to the Taiwan-born, Canadian-raised and Hong Kong-based Sally Yeh (叶蒨文, pinyin: Yè Qiànwén). During the 80s and 90s Yeh was one of Cantopop’s biggest stars, and from 1990 to 1993 won a record four consecutive Most Popular Female Singer prizes at the Jade Solid Gold awards. She also won Best Female Artist at Taiwan’s Golden Melody awards in 1994. Yeh retired from the entertainment industry in the mid-1990s, but made a well-received comeback in 2002. She has also had a moderately successful acting career.

The full list of award winners can be found here.