The Four Heavenly Kings: 1990s
History
The 1990s witnessed the commercial high point of Cantopop and the period in which its decline took shape. The Four Heavenly Kings—Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, and Aaron Kwok—expanded Hong Kong popular music into a transnational entertainment business through record sales, concerts, films, and advertising. Yet this success encouraged homogenization: companies concentrated resources on established idols and profitable formulas, especially romantic ballads and dance songs aimed at teenage audiences. Advertising increasingly subordinated music to celebrity images and corporate products, while karaoke encouraged songs that were easy to sing and supported lucrative licensing arrangements.
At the same time, cable and satellite television transformed the regional media landscape, opening Hong Kong audiences to Mandarin-language music from Taiwan, Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia. Artists such as Alex To and Karen Mok found greater opportunities in Taiwan, while Faye Wong’s movement from a carefully packaged Cantopop newcomer to an increasingly independent, predominantly Mandarin-language artist exemplified this broader shift.
Despite its commercial orientation, Cantopop remained creatively diverse: localized foreign songs, city folk music, singer-songwriters, and bands such as Beyond and Tat Ming Pair brought new styles and social and political concerns into the mainstream.
The Four Heavenly Starts 四大天王
| Artists | Albums | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Lau 劉德華 | Just Know I Still Love You Now 《只知道此刻愛你》 (1985), his debut; Would It Be Possible? 《可不可以》 (1990); Never-ending Love 《愛不完》 (1991); The Days We Went through Together 《一起走過的日子》 (1991). | An actor-turned-singer whose established television and film popularity helped launch his musical stardom. Romantic songs and movie theme songs reinforced one another, especially through films in which he starred. His substantial Mandarin success made him a prominent example of the increasingly integrated Cantonese–Mandarin entertainment market. |
| Jacky Cheung 張學友 | Smile (1985), his debut; Summer Dream 《夢中的你》 (1990), featuring “Li Xianglan”; Uncontrolled Passion 《情不禁》 (1991), featuring “Love You More Each Day”; Overthrow of True Love 《真情流露》 (1992), with nine of its eleven songs entering charts. | A singer-turned-actor distinguished by his vocal ability and expressive performances. The chapter presents him as the strongest vocalist among the four and describes his recognition as the new “God of Cantopop.” Although celebrated for romantic ballads, he also expanded into musical theatre through Snow Wolf Lake (1997). |
| Leon Lai 黎明 | Meeting in the Rain 《相逢在雨中》 (1990); Summer Love 《夏日傾情》 (1993); Love between Sky and Earth (1994), featuring “Thinking of You Every Day” 《那有一天不想你》. | Initially marketed as a prince of romantic ballads, especially appealing to young female listeners. His partnership with Hutchison Telecom made cinematic commercials and their theme songs central to his stardom. He exemplifies the chapter’s argument that music, advertising, and a carefully maintained celebrity image became increasingly inseparable. |
| Aaron Kwok 郭富城 | Dance Endlessly, Love Endlessly, Sing Endlessly 《跳不完・愛不完・唱不完》 (1992), his Cantonese debut. The chapter traces his later development mainly through individual songs, including “Wild City” 《狂野之城》 (1994), “Temptation of the Iron Mask” 《鐵幕誘惑》, and “The GIG Kingdom” 《最激帝國》. | The group’s dancing specialist, known for energetic performances and a transition from an innocent youthful image to a more forceful, “wild” persona. He achieved his initial breakthrough in Taiwan through a motorcycle commercial. Some collaborations with lyricist and manager May May Leung introduced social satire into dance music; later Pepsi campaigns extended his international commercial profile. |
Andy Lau 劉德華
• He began his entertainment career at TVB in the early 1980s and became one of its “Five Tigers,” a group of rising television actors.
• He released his debut Cantonese album, Just Know I Still Love You Now 《只知道此刻愛你》, through Capital Artists in 1985. His album Forbidden Zone of Love 《情感的禁區》 (1987) sold more than 50,000 copies and earned him his first platinum disc award.
• His two Cantonese albums released in 1990, Would It Be Possible? 《可不可以》 and Goodbye 《再會了》, each sold more than 150,000 copies. He released three more Cantonese albums in 1991: Never-ending Love 《愛不完》, The Days We Went through Together 《一起走過的日子》, and Believe in Destiny 《不可不信……緣》.
• His Mandarin album Forget Love Potion 《忘情水》 (1994) reportedly sold more than three million copies, making it his best-selling album according to the chapter.
Listening
劉德華〈一起走過的日子〉
劉德華〈如果有一天〉
Jacky Cheung 張學友
• Jackie Cheung launched his music career after winning the Hong Kong 18-District Amateur Singing Contest in 1984.
• His second album, She Is Afar, Amour 《遙遠的她 Amour》, reportedly achieved more than eight-times platinum sales. His early hits included “Love Is Gone” 《情已逝》, “Half Moon” 《月半彎》, and “She Is Afar” 《遙遠的她》.
• His singing career suffered a sharp setback when sales of In My Dream Last Night 《昨夜夢魂中》 fell to approximately 20,000 copies. He attributed his difficulties partly to the unruly attitude that had developed following his early success.
• His career began to recover with One Love One Life 《只願一生愛一人》 in 1989. His recovery coincided with the opportunities created by Alan Tam’s withdrawal from music awards and Leslie Cheung’s retirement.
• “Love You More Each Day” 《每天愛你多一些》 was a Cantonese adaptation of the Japanese group Southern All Stars’ “Midsummer Fruit.” His 1992 album Overthrow of True Love 《真情流露》 sold more than 450,000 copies in Hong Kong.
• His breakthrough in the Mandarin market came with Goodbye Kiss 《吻別》 in 1993.
• In 1997, he masterminded and starred in Snow Wolf Lake 《雪狼湖》, described in the chapter as Hong Kong’s first modern musical. Snow Wolf Lake reached 103 performances worldwide.
Listening
張學友 〈每天愛你多一些〉
張學友 〈只想一生跟你走〉
Leon Lai 黎明
• He was born in Beijing and moved to Hong Kong at the age of four. He began his entertainment career after winning the Bronze Award in TVB’s New Talent Singing Contest in 1986.
• Leon Lai’s singing career gathered momentum in 1991 through hits such as “What If This Is Love” 《如果這是情》, “Sorry, I Love You” 《對不起我愛你》, and “Will You Come Tonight?” 《今夜你會不會來》.
• He became especially popular for romantic ballads aimed at young female listeners.
• In 1994, Hutchison Telecom launched a major advertising campaign featuring him under the theme “Love between Sky and Earth.” Later songs associated with his telecommunications commercials included “You’re the Love of My Life” 《一生最愛就是你》, “Words of Love Not Yet Spoken” 《情深說話未曾講》, and “Just Love Me for One Day” 《只要為我愛一天》. This series of advertising-related songs helped him attain full superstardom.
Listening
黎明〈情深說話未曾講〉
黎明〈那有一天不想你〉
Aaron Kwok 郭富城
• Aaron Kwok began his entertainment career at TVB in 1984 as a dancer trainee. His dancing ability and striking appearance attracted attention, and TVB later developed him into an actor.
• Aaron Kwok released his debut Mandarin album, Loving You Endlessly 《對你愛不完》, in 1990. The album reportedly sold more than one million copies across Asia. He released two further Mandarin albums in 1991: In the End Who Can Tell Me? 《到底有誰能夠告訴我》 and Should I Leave Quietly? 《我是不是該安靜的走開》.
• His signature dance songs included “Temptation of the Iron Mask” 《鐵幕誘惑》, “The Legend of Innocence” 《純真傳說》, and “The GIG Kingdom” 《最激帝國》.
• His song “The Call of Love” 《愛的呼喚》 was used in a commercial for the mobile telecommunications service One2Free. His Pepsi collaboration began with “Sing This Song” 《唱這歌》 in 1998, which appeared in Cantonese and Mandarin versions. Pepsi inducted him into its Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
Listening
郭富城〈愛的呼喚〉
郭富城〈唱這歌〉