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Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

This is from HOCC's Asianfanatics page, in Cantonese, so I can't vouch for its relevance:

Recollections Interviews:
http://www.tudou.com...ew/IxuJZLRNi1c/
http://www.tudou.com...ew/02HHtDTnOvg/
http://www.tudou.com...ew/0v7jnHcCYAM/
http://www.tudou.com...ew/EgSeCt3LMVo/

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

FB:

Thanks for the links.
I tried to get in there, but can only hear the first 10 seconds of each clip.
The spooling seems to take forever and then won't load up properly.

Seems like it is the press conference for releasing Denise Ho's album.

If and when I do manage to load it and listen to it, I will translate it here.

Does anyone know if there is an alternate link or alternate site that will be easier to listen to?

Thank you in advance.

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

Sorry, apparently copy/pasting the links doesn't work. Try going to:

http://asianfanatics.net/forum/topic/790339-denise-ho-wan-si-%26-20309%3B%26-38907%3B%26-35433%3B-part-2/page__st__40

and going 3/4 of the way down the page to Post #61 where it says "Recollections Interviews" with 4 links which can be clicked on directly. This works for me.

FB

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

FB:

Thanks for the tip.
Yes, I can get the links and into the corresponding clips, but I had a loading or streaming problem. So may be the site was too busy on the weekend or a network congestion problem.

I will try again later on and translate it if I can listen to it.

THANKS AGAIN for posting.

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

First part of the radio interview translated:

After the post-concert celebration dinner, the hostess said she has not heard from Denise at all and she does not want to bother her.
Denise said she went on a vacation for the first time in about 6 years. This was the first true vacation in which she really did not need to worry about any projects or work.

She had not been back to Canada for a long time and could not decide where to go, whether to go to some new places, or back to Montreal. In the end she chose to go to Montreal
because 2013 was a very important year in terms of her personal development. So to go back to her starting point at this time would feel really different, so she ended up going to Montreal.
"Turns out I have made the correct choice."

Hostess said, as a music creator, that's very important, to have that break and get recharged.
Denise said she really did not think of anything during her time off, but in her head, the sound track of "Montreal" (she has a song with this name) kept on playing, along with the lyrics because this song is about the city of Montreal.

In terms of psychological barrier, my mindset at work, all have been very special this year. In the upcoming year, I can foresee a new chapter opening up when it comes to creativity of my work.

Hostess said that the holidays my have supplied a lot of nutrients to Denise, such that once work starts, those nourishment would come into effect. That's a good thing and she is happy to see her this way.

Denise said this is the way it should be, always progressing forward and not to be stagnant staying at the same place.
Hostess said sometimes looking back, certain things just cannot be planned. Even though one may need to face with certain hardships, challenges, but in the end, one could actually gain so much from those experiences.

Denise: "Yes, just like this concert which is named 'Momento'. It is about reminiscence, about how to become a better person after experiencing failures. I have faced challenges at work and everyday lives. There have been peaks and valleys.
Now I cherish every episode of hardship. With each set of challenges, that's the time I need to think of how to refine myself. When is time to face the next hardship, I will not make the same type of mistakes that I have made in the past."
.... To be continued ......

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

.....Continue from last week.....

Denise: "I feel that I am very different now. Whether is the way I think, the way I deal with people or different situaion.... is different from before-- the very stubborn Taurus."

Hostess: " Are you different from 6 months ago, or from 2 years ago?"

Denise:" Continuously evolving. Even now is different from 6 months ago. Whether is looking at myself or other people/things, is in different perspectives now."

Hostess: "How would you describe the current Denise Ho?"

Denise: "Just before doing the show, I was saying that 'yes, I am more relaxed/carefree now.' Looking back, I think I still had some barriers back then, that I had not quite overcome.
This concert and this CD has made me face a lot of psychological hardships which I used to hide away from. For example, ...."

Hostess interrupted: "you never sang your C-Fu's (teacher's) songs before......"

Denise: "Correct. The subject of my C-Fu has been a psychological hardship. From the time I started my career, till becoming her disciple, I actually tried to shy away ( from this barrier). I was not too conscious of it before. I thought at first that it felt okay to be her disciple, was not too stressful. Then I slowly realized that did give me stress. That made me intentionally do something else. It was a whole process. I tried to be different from her in terms of the types of songs I sang. I tried to be creative, grabbed a guitar...

All these things, were all because I tried to set out my own pathway."
....... to be continued later.

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

Continue with Radio Interview of Denise Ho...............

That psychological barrier is still there. Someone would still say " you are very much like Anita....' Some people miss her and reflect that upon me. Because of that, I may not recognize my own potential as I try to cater myself to that type of audience. All these things could hold me back. This time I gave myself a homework assignment. To make this CD. Of course is also because this is the 10th year anniversary. In memory of her, as a way to pay tribute to her, this is my homework. This also serves as an exam for me.

Hostess: "During this process, what we really want to explore--- during the growth you have experienced, and I can see that in you --- the way you have broken the (psychological) barrier what do you think is the real element behind this. What drove you or forced you to take this one step forward. If you had not taken this step, you would not have experienced the growth.

Denise: I think is because I want to do better. My feeling is quite complicated. Part of it is telling myself this is something that must be done , as a commitment for myself and for her. This is something that you cannot try to shy away from forever. You know that if you try to get away from it, then you will always be standing in the same spot. If you face (the issue), you could fail, but you may also be successful in getting over this barrier. Once you make it through, you get pass the doorway into a a new level . With all these things in combination, I feel that okay, I will do it. The process has been agonizing. Sometimes I tripped all over. I tried different ways to find some solutions. I know this is a very abstract answer. Is like I could see the problem, the psychological barrier, but I have not yet found the methods to resolve this. ....

To be continued .......

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

.....Continue from before...

"If you ever get a chance to talk to Alex Fung...., he was the main person taping my vocal. From the first song onward, the first song we recorded was Manshujaka. I went into the studio feeling really scared. Is so difficult to sing, is so difficult to sing. That became my standard comment being repeated all the time. All the way to the last song, I still kept on saying this is so difficult. Alex Fung said "so which one isn't difficult?"

Hostess: "Is subconscious".

Denise: "For these songs that I know so well, the difficulty is how I can sing it my own way. I struggled with this a lot, trying my best to not to sing it in a way that is similar to Anita. Should the music be re-arranged to avoid the similarity, or should I change the key? I felt that I had to rely on those tricks, I was thinking those would help me out. After a while, I realized I no longer had to rely on those things. I think the first time I felt relieved, was at the time of singing "Like an Old Friend Coming".

The funny thing is, I never previously sang her songs in the recording studio. May be I did that (sang her songs) in live shows, under certain circumstances, but very rarely in recent years. When I was in the studio, hearing my own voice singing the songs that I have been listening to for 10-20 years, the feeling is very peculiar. The peculiarity is that I finally found my own way of singing. I no longer need to change a fast song to a slow one, or a slow song to a fast one to avoid being similar to her. I simply sing it purely and wholeheartedly then it is no longer Anita-Mui-like. I found my own voice and I was deeply moved at that moment."

Hostess: "To do this interview at the end of 2013 is particularly meaningful. Usually, at year end, we just review what happened during that year, but the weight of this CD was not limited to this past year. For example, Momento Live represents your growth in the last 2 to 3 years, and ( this CD) represents your learning, growth/refinement for the last 10 years.........."

To be continued...............

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

Continue from before:

Hostess:"............ in terms of music, you have got your own team of people. How you treat your own voice, or how to select which voice. All of it is your own taste of music, your own training/conditioning and preference. Is all from you, not based on outside reference.
Also what you mentioned before is the accumulation of sentiments. All the ups and downs. You said this is all accumulated over the past 10 years."

Denise" Yes, what you said earlier is very true. This album cannot be based on following some reference. That won't work. Also, the composition of the team is quite interesting.
Bing Ho is like me. He has been listening to Anita's songs since he was young. I have been listening to the songs, so he was forced to listen to them. (BeepBeep's comment: I am not sure what Denise is referring to ? Is this person a family member of Denise Ho?) He is very familiar with the songs. So there is burden there. He and I are both very sensible people, but we have got Alex Fung, who is totally not familiar with Mui-Jei's songs, except may be the most classic ones.
This song list does have some songs that are quite side-tracked. He doesn't know them and he does not carry any burden. He doesn't need to think about how to make them different.
Is all based on his own feelings. Of course I chatted with him a lot, or he chatted with me a lot. He tried to understand the background of this CD, what I would like to achieve.
What's the special meaning for me behind a particular song. He gathered and merged together all the different emotions, sentiments, all the broken pieces and translated that into music.

The chemical reaction among the three of us is very interesting.
The sensibilities are there, and also the sensitivities and emotions as well. I am very grateful to both of them, because during the process (of recording this album) I was stressed to the point of going crazy. They made me feel confident and calmed me down.

Re: Denise Ho Singing Anita's Hit Song as Her Homework

Thanks so much Beep-Beep for all your work on this! This is a really good interview. It is really interesting, if you follow the HOCC fan chatter, to realize that her young fans don't know Anita first hand and don't really care, because they're HOCC's fans, but express a respect for Anita because HOCC loves her. So HOCC is carrying Anita forward into the future, because no one else is, and because she is equipped to do so like no one else. Anita is absolutely unique, entertaining an audience at an age when the rest of us could barely go to the toilet by ourselves; contrast with Denise who had a normal upbringing and family and schooling.

Ho Bing is Denise's older brother. He plays the keyboards in her band, he and her sang a duet to their mom in her 2009 concert. He does a lot of behind the scenes musical writing and production work, sort of like Anthony Lun.
Her mom was reportedly seen helping sell t-shirts and greet fans at her concert. Contrast with another brother and mom.

I just finished watching her new concert (4 DVD's !). I liked her music in the 2009 concert better, but the chief feature of the new concert is how relaxed and happy Denise looks. She looks really different, and confident. It's really something to see, almost like Anita is looking out of Denise's eyes for a second and winking at us.

I learned that Denise has another idol besides Anita, the amazing Japanese woman Shiina Ringo. She doesn't tour outside Japan and no one else I know has even heard of her; I will be forever grateful to HOCC, if not for her I would never have learned that Shiina Ringo exists. This translated bio is worth reading:

http://forums.electricmole.net/showthread.php?t=212

If you're interested search on YouTube for Shiina Ringo, Ringo Shiina, Tokyo Jihen (name of her band). Her outstanding strength is as a writer.

I think you will find that there is as much of Ringo in HOCC as Anita. It's just a jaw-dropping family tree of musical intelligence. I'm so jealous!! Maybe Shiina Ringo is sort of HOCC's Momoe Yamaguchi?

Thanks again for your good work!


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