Author: Maurice Lee
The time-honoured principle and order in the singing business: the strongest take the front seats, the weaker the rear and the weakest will disappear.
Joe Junior started at the age of 17 and has been singing in Hong Kong since 1960s when he was in St. Joseph’s College. Very few stars of his era remain. He is a Chinese Portuguese raised in Hong Kong and popular internationally. He cannot speak or write Portuguese. Almost 60 years of stardom runs through his life. He humbly said, “I am a singer, not a star.” Joe is unique in that despite whatever happening in the music scene, he sings only the western golden oldies—from the age of 17 to 70s. He published more than 30 albums. He is a truly golden boy, irrespective of his age, and a history of Hong Kong. His song ‘Here’s A Heart’ was the number-one hit on the Hong Kong billboard chart for 7 weeks and it had been sung by many singers in other countries.
A life without success can be a good life, but is an entertainment career without fame or glory miserable? Joe Junior did not think so. He said, “Fame without a life is no life at all. Singing is not about glory and if not, the trial
period will end when glory vanishes. Singing must be a durable passion which you are determined to press and hug for the rest of your life.”
What is his useful advice for a young singer?
“Many promising singers are devastated by bad songs. A bad song can ruin a singer. So, be firm. Pick and sing a song that you truly love and you analytically think the song can bring out the best of your voice and emotion,” Joe said.
“Diligence is the mother of good fortune. When an artist sets foot in the competitive singing business, he must hold back his tears and be willing to sacrifice by working extremely hard. Passion and diligence are the energy which can move mountains.”
Joe supplemented, “Performances on stage for 2 hours, especially for the travelling roadshows, are a demanding physical task for a singer. Only regular exercise can keep your body working. You cannot sing well when your physical power is later not joined with wrinkles.”
“Like any other job, singing career has high water and low tide. When a gale of wind comes, an artist may want to give up and switch to do something else. But I have to tell you: it is easy to give up but hard to re-establish. What can sustain a singer at this critical point is his true passion for music, singing and making people happy. Success is not only a question of whether you can reach new heights. It is about your perseverance propelled by the passion of singing.”
My curiosity flared, “Joe, how do you keep your wonderful voice forever young?” Joe spoke softly, “No smoking, alcoholic or icy drinks!”
I kept on asking, “What is your hack of charming the audience?” Joe smiled, “Be capable of communicating your emotion to the audience when you are on stage. I emphasize the emotion that you will put to the music and lyrics through singing, facial expressions and body language. Emotion imitated from others or created artificially will not work.”
I put forward my next question, “How do you keep your fans for over 50 years?” Joe said, “Don’t think of yourself as a superstar. ‘Superstar’ is only a marketing term. Treat the audience like friends and not as subjugated fans. Nobody would like to feel inferior in a relationship.”
I finally asked, “Right now, the music scene of Hong Kong is down and depressing. What should we do?” Joe is serious, “Market can be big or small. Don’t be bothered by it. Continue doing what you are good at and try to do it impressively. One should spread his music on the internet. I always believe if your music is good, there will be a crowd of followers and the group will get bigger and bigger to form a market.”
It is a very pleasant experience to talk to Joe Junior. All the history, all the charm and all the wisdom of life of Joe are made up of his light and shade for the past decades. He is a glass of champagne that does not bitter. Joe Junior is simply the pride of our good old Hong Kong days with an unforgettable touch of human subtlety.
