TBT: Hong Kong actor/singer Andrew Pong

Working with Hong Kong photographer Mr Kwan, we shot Andrew Pong (Chinese actor and singer) in Calvin Klein. 

Outtakes from that shoot. 

TBT: Andrew Pong: Actor and Musician

 

Outtakes from a shoot with Hong Kong actor and musician Andrew Pong. 

Andrew's outfit: COS 

All images by Yana (fav model, photographer, Russian, person...)

Location: Ping Pong 129 

Below stills from Andrew's past work. 

My day with Shreya Ghoshal: India's greatest contemporary singer: Gen X Queen of the Female Playback Singers

My day with one of Bollywood's greatest contemporary singers, Shreya Ghoshal. 

For SCMP back in 2011. 

Read the feature and our chat in earlier post here.

Was chatting with another editor in Mumbai and she described her voice as pure honey, just soothing the ear. So true. 

As reluctant as I am to compare and contrast, to me, Shreya and Sunidhi are the Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle of today. Both are just seven months apart in age, came into the national consciousness as child artists on Reality TV shows, have a range as wide as the ocean, have sound heads and minds and have stayed true to themselves despite temptations and lucrative offers from the film industry. 

Their dedication to the craft is unbeatable and love for all music. In conversation with Sunidhi, she loved Western music as much as she did classic songs of the 60s. Shreya dedicates part of her every show to classic songs from an erstwhile era. And the images reflect the joy of music and performing on stage - the full command of having an audience in their palm. 

Divine Inspiration: Sonu Nigam: India's greatest Singer lands in Hong Kong

Sonu Nigam

It is the symbiosis between performer and audience that makes live shows so special, Indian vocalist Sonu Nigam tells P.Ramakrishnan.

Sonu Nigam is widely regarded to be the best male singer in India. But when reminded of this, he demurs, "That's very kind of you to say but it is not true. There are so many great musical talents in India. I'm just happy to be a part of the scene."

Still, Nigam's vast repertoire of multilingual renditions has won him a fan base that includes influential vocalists from Kerala to Kashmir, be they singers of vintage Bollywood numbers (K.J. Yesudas, Manna Dey, the Mangeshkar sisters) or contemporary stars (Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK). they all speak of the 40-year-old with deep admiration. He's even done a remix with Britney Spears....

Songs for the Soul: Interview with Pakistani legend Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: Maestro!

Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan hails from a family with a 600-year musical heritage, writes P.Ramakrishnan. 


RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN may be the nephew of the late, great Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but he carries the burden of that vast musical legacy with ease. He is calm and relaxed as we chat about his upcoming show in Hong Kong next month.

Known for his immense singing range, Khan is softly spoken in conversation.

The singer has more than a few of the mannerisms and musical phrasings of his uncle and readily admits that Nusrat had a major influence on him. "I feel I was blessed to be born into his household; I learned so much just by watching him," he says. "When I was little, I would accompany him to shows, and sometimes I would perform with him. I never got stage fright. I was always ready to perform, to sit under the arc lights and sing. As a youngster, I tried to copy his style, but now I have developed my own."

Most South Asian music lovers are familiar with Khan's richly layered voice. He is a popular singer in Pakistan, but has also contributed to the soundtracks of several wildly successful Bollywood films. His repertoire covers everything from devotional and romantic to classical and traditional.

"While others might have found studying music a chore, it never was for me. Like my uncle, I find music divine. It is my way of connecting to the almighty. I love to perform contemporary film songs, but I also like qawwali [Sufi devotional music]. There's a spiritual aspect to it that is indescribable."

That also explains why Khan refrains from anything vulgar, or even singing a syllable that has a double entendre. "I like to sing a good tune, but the lyrics tend to be the most important factor for me. I like to know what the song is trying to say. I have sung many songs in Hindi films, but my favourites are Main Jahaan Rahoon [ Wherever I Live] and Jiya Dhadak Dhadak [ My Heart Beats]. There are verses in those songs that are so profound, that I can sing them again and again. I sing them all around the world, and never tire of them."

Khan began his career at a very young age. "I don't know how I had the bravado to start so early," he says with a laugh. "But, as you know, I come from a family of musicians that goes back over 600 years. I know of no life other than this; music is my be all and end all. It has no barriers, and it transcends all borders.

Music also crosses the political divide between Pakistan and India, he says: "I have met Indian stars and singers, and they have shown me immeasurable warmth and affection. This respect is mutual. The music thwarts the politics."

Many bemoan the fact that youngsters have been tempted by Western culture. They worry that these influences are corroding the subcontinent's musical heritage, and causing the classical forms of music indigenous to Asia to peter out. But Khan has more faith in the next generation.

"Those who are educated in music study classical music, and they are informed and entertained by it. When I look at my audiences, I see youth represented in full force. Classical music dates back centuries, it's not something that will just die. The interest in it will always be there. When I was young, MTV was popular, and of course, we listened to American pop. But that never caused my interest in our music to wane," he says.

"The mind welcomes other forms, but it doesn't shut out one form to make room for a new one. My uncle left many legacies, but the way he put qawwali into the minds of the young is, perhaps, his most enduring."

Khan played Hong Kong in March last year. The Convention Centre show was sold out and the 3,000-strong crowd gave him five standing ovations. Says Anita Garg, one of the organisers of the event: "We've never seen such a reaction from the local community. When he sung a cappella, there was complete silence, and by the finale, the crowd was on its feet."

"Sometimes my shows blend into one another, but I can remember being deeply touched by the Hong Kong audience," says Khan. "They offered me such warmth and love. I'm keen to repay them for that by playing some new arrangements of songs, along with my latest numbers."

When asked if there is any music he dislikes, he demurs. "To me, there is no bad music. All music is merely notes, neither good nor bad," he says. "If it is bad, it is not music."

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai,
October 8, 2013, 8pm,
HK$300-HK$2,000
HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 6019 0621

HK Ticketing

Mohit Chauhan: Voice of the valleys

PERHAPS IT WAS his time spent in the Indian city of Dharamshala, where the exiled Dalai Lama and thousands of his Tibetan followers have set up monasteries and temples, that brought a hint of spirituality to Mohit Chauhan’s mellifluous voice.

It’s a voice that has been heard in many Bollywood films, and one that will be heard in Hong Kong when Chauhan performs a one-off concert on May 10, coming after he won practically every award possible for his playback singing (recording songs for soundtracks that are lipsynched by actors in the actual film) in the 2011 film Rockstar.

However, it isn’t the rock anthems that have won him the accolades, it is the spiritual sufi (mystical) numbers that climbed the charts and struck a chord with music lovers throughout the Indian subcontinent.

“Like Rahman [the Oscar-winning A.R. Rahman, who composed the songs in Rockstar], I love singing spiritual songs, something that has meaning, a lyrical soul,” the singer says from his home in Mumbai. “I started singing for him just a few years ago and we gelled on those songs. He gives such freedom to his singers – which is why musicians love him. And I love singing his numbers as you can let go and sing your heart out on stage.”

The man seen on stage in his younger days bears little resemblance to the confident star in a black hat and leather jacket who appears under the spotlights today. Chauhan confesses that he did a bit of theatre while studying and sang a bit during his mullet-haired, rock T-shirt-wearing days at college, but nothing too serious.

He and a close group of friends would perform in whatever venues they could find around Dharamsala, singing and strumming along as their voices would reverberate around the valleys.
It paid off well. Chauhan’s range is indeed as wide as those hills, and his vast repertoire encompasses everything from classical, pop and fusion, along with the romantic ballads that are Bollywood staples. The soft-spoken singer confesses that unlike many of his contemporaries, he was entirely self-taught.
“Fortunately – or unfortunately – I had no formal training in music,” he says. “But it’s always been a part of me. I have always sung for myself. It never occurred to me to become a professional musician. I studied science and did my masters in geology. I wanted to join the civil service or the Indian army – I even trained for that – but not for singing on stage.”

He may be selling out concert halls these days, but for many years he often faced empty auditoriums where he and his posse rehearsed. “Our criteria was how good the sound was – it had to have a hint of echo – and we’d play anywhere. There weren’t many, if any, professional places where we could sing. I come from a beautiful, small state where it’s all about nature. We had no money, maybe just enough to pay the rent, but when you’re stringing along with your bros, that’s freedom,” he says.
These days, Chauhan is too busy to sing with many of the other performers he admires. “I love to sing with others – but most of my duets are recorded separately, and often in separate places. Everything is brought together by technology. So when I hit the stage with another female singer, for example, sometimes it’s the first time I have met them in person,” he says with a laugh.

While he is well aware that he has a loyal following among the young indie-Hindi-pop crowd, Chauhan himself prefers to listen to singers from the 1960s and ‘70s. “As any Indian male singer will tell you, the love we have for Kishore Kumar [the iconic playback singer who died in 1987] borders on worship. The man had unbelievable range – he did soft numbers, rock, anthems; he acted, he produced … he rocked the stage.”

And this is perhaps what the next generation will be saying about Chauhan in years to come.

Mohit Chauhan, May 10, 7.30pm, Kitec, 1Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, HK$288- HK$1,500, HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 3128 8288

More at SCMP.com

NOTE: My first feature for 48 hours, the new magazine by South China Morning Post. Joy of byline...!  

Aasha Bhosle: The Essence of Star Power

Indian singing legend credits her great success to a strong work ethic writes P.Ramakrishnan.

As if singer Asha Bhosle wasn't legendary enough - and we don't use the term lightly - she received some extra heavy metal for her overcrowded trophy room this month. Not only was she honoured at the 10th Pune International Film Festival for her "outstanding contribution to Indian cinema", but the Mumbai media house, Screen, also presented her with a lifetime achievement award.

Bhosle, 78, has at least 31 other such similar felicitations, including a Grammy nomination and a BBC lifetime achievement award (presented by then British prime minister Tony Blair in 2002). So when Bhosle herself is asked how many trophies line her cabinets, she sounds genuinely perplexed.

"I have no idea," she says, laughing, and turning to ask her son, Anand: "Do you know how many? Well, the most memorable awards were the national awards given to me by the president of India [in 1981, 1986 and a Padma Vibhushan award, the second highest civilian award, granted by President Pratibha Patil in 2008]. The rest, well, it's nice to be mentioned.

"But I have to confess one thing: everything came late to me in life."

Bhosle's achievements are ever-more remarkable as the younger sibling to India's "nightingale", Lata Mangeshkar. Two legendary singers born to the same household, mellifluous careers mired in mumblings of who's better. "I received everything 20 years after it was due to me - fame, recognition, awards," she says. "And the other half of my life got lost in the pointless conversation about who was better: me or my elder sister."

Like the rivalry between operatic divas Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi, with loyalties divided by fanatics, composers and producers, the rivalry between the Mangeshkar siblings has filled pages of Indian print since the 1940s. But it's an issue Bhosle refuses to address today, after years of supposed musical riffs and rifts. "I respect and love my sister. We meet for every family function. What others say, who is bothered?"

If it's hard to pinpoint who's greater, it's easier to note who has sung more. A few months ago, Guinness World Records officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in the history of music. She was awarded a certificate for "the most studio recordings [singles] for recording up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs and in over 20 Indian languages since 1947".

And Bhosle is still upping the record, as she's in the studio often and tours annually. Clad in her trademark sparkling saris, her hair pinned in a matriarchal bun, her arms and neck festooned with diamonds and pearls, the grandmother of five will be hitting the stage in Hong Kong on February 23 at the Cultural Centre.

Bhosle has performed with artists ranging from Nelly Furtado to Boy George, and even collaborated with boy band Code Red in the 1990s. While some of the names have faded into irrelevance, Bhosle's spotlight hasn't dimmed. She remains one of India's highest-paid singers and the nation's current crop of singing stars literally bow when she walks into a room. Think of Aretha Franklin in a sari, with a strong adherence to traditional Indian values.

Bhosle has sung cabaret songs, classical music, pop, disco and devotional songs in different languages - her vast repertoire performed with a vocal prowess of three octaves.

Why her singing contemporaries' voices have wilted with time while she remains a force to be reckoned with is no mystery. "Perhaps it's because I work just as hard now as when I started," she says. "I haven't forgotten the days of struggle. I know it takes 100 paisa to make a rupee. For years, I travelled great distances on foot and train from home to the studio. For the longest time, I made about 100 rupees [HK$15.30 today] a month. I remember the day I got 2,000 rupees for a recording. It was like I'd won the lottery.

"Today's singers get on a reality show and make hundreds of thousands a year. I have no issue with that, but what kind of fame is it? They still sing our old songs ... They have to make it on their own merit, not as pale imitations. Temporary fame is fleeting."

When asked who she likes among the current crop of singers, Bhosle politely evades the question. "I have no time to listen to [new] songs," she says. "I'm so busy recording or doing TV shows [judging musical reality shows in Mumbai] or on tour. But when travelling, I listen to the old songs. And keeping aside all the politics, I often listen to Pakistani poets and singers, such as Ghulam Ali and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan."

Bhosle strikes an elegiac note when she reminisces about her recordings with other singers from the 1950s and '60s - Kishore Kumar ("Who was the funniest person I've ever met and one of the most gifted"), Mohammed Rafi ("the greatest vocal range and a kind man") and Mukesh ("the perfect gentleman. They say you can't be a good singer if you're not a good person - well, he was a great singer and a greater person").

The current work ethic has changed, as well. "We had a full orchestra and had to perfect a song in one take," Bhosle says. "There were days of rehearsals. If there was a minor error or wrong note, we had to start all over again. And, for the most part, we all got along, as there had to be camaraderie among the musicians. We worked long, long hours. Today, well, you'll be surprised to know that often my so-called duets were recorded in one country, my co-singer in another, and it's all mixed together. And auto-tune, it's the funniest thing I've seen. We're now in an era where you don't have to be a remotely competent singer to sing."

This will be her third concert in Hong Kong, and her memories of the city reflect those of many other tourists.

"I went to Hong Kong in 1986 and in 1989 for shows at Queen Elizabeth Stadium. I remember shopping in Hong Kong after my shows, getting chiffon saris, things for my three children. I don't remember much else. At this age, my interest in shopping has gone, but music hasn't left me, and I haven't left music."

Eternal Asha, Feb 23, 8pm, Concert Hall, Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$300-HK$1,200, Urbtix. Inquiries: 6019 0621

P. Ramakrishnan
ramakrishnanp@hotmail.com
Jan 29, 2012


Pic Caption: An Indian national treasure, Asha Bhosle has been entertaining with her records and live shows for decades.