Isn't he a wonder! Not only is Mandarin pop prince LEE HOM a veteran recording artist (who's just released his sixth album!), he's also very handy around the house and brill at reviving fainting friends! Golly! Any other hidden talents we should know about? Stella Thng has a verbal kickabout with the 23-year-old American-born star to find out!
So, Lee Hom. What's new with you ,
fella?
Well, i have a new album, "Impossible to Miss You".
The biggest change in my life since we last met in December is
that i've moved to Boston and have my own apartment! I've
enrolled in the Berklee school of music for one semester already.
So it's been a new city, new place, new school, new friends....i
cook for myself, take the garbage out, do the laundry, keep the
toilet clean.....(Pleased)Yup, mt toilet is very clean!
What's school like? Any famous
classmates?
Some of them are. One of them plays the brass for Jamiroquai.
Berklee is a pop music school and it has the largest rate of
foreign students in the States. (Exaggerates) Nobody at Berklee
speaks English! A lot of my schoolmates are very famous in their
home countries. I have a friend who is a well-known Nigerian
singer; another has albums out in Greece. It's cool, i feel very
comfortable there! There are kids from about 16 and grown men who
are 40, 50 years-old!
Your last album Revolution won
you awards like Best Male Singer and Best Producer at the Golden
Melody Awards in Taiwan. What's next, the Grammys?
(Shakes his head vigorously) Oh no, no! I never aim for an award
because such things are out of my control. (Reproachfully)
Besides, that's not why you get into music anyway. I want to do
another CD pretty soob 'cos I already have lots of great ideas.
Conceptually, it's very strong, probably the strongest of all my
albums....
How is your new CD "Impossible
to Miss You" different from your earlier works?
This time, the style is more pop. Before, i didn't really wnat
people to think i was a teenybopper idol. I'd be like, 'okay,
this album will have a jazz sound, Broadway, R&B, rock 'n'
roll....' and i'd play lots of instruments so they'd know i can
do different styles. I'm more confident and more focused now. For
this album, i wanted to concentrate on singing and producing it
well. (Dreamily) I have this romantic notion about being an
artist, like, this album is me, it's who i am. But i decided Impossible
doesn't have to represent everything about me. In the Mandarin
pop market, artist release albums so fast--this is already my
sixth! It's good, in a sense , 'cos you learn to make what you
can out of the situation.
Is it true you worked your production
people so hard, one of them fainted?
(Laughs sheepishly) When i'm really into a project, i just don't
stop, i don't eat, i don't sleep and i work everyone around me.
It was near completion of the album and we hadn't slept much for
a couple of days. This guy and i were at McDonald's. I was asking
him what he wanted to eat and he just looked at me and bang!
Collapsed right there, in my arms! I was slapping his face,
yelling 'Wake up! Wake up!' Meanwhile, everybody at McDonald's
was going, 'Eh, isn't that Lee Hom?' and i'm like dragging this
body about! (Laughs heartily)
Your new sound has been described as
"more manly". What's the most macho thing you've done
recently?
Washing my own toilet. And cooking meals! The last time i cooked
for a girl was in March. (Hurriedly) She's a classmate, just a
friend. I cooked chicken, soup, salad and fish with orange sauce.
(Boastfully) It was really, really good.
What's the fastest way to bore you?
History Books! I really don't like memorising things--that's why
i don't know enough history! I always end up mugging the night
before a test , go for it and then forget everything! Do i get a
good grade still? Erm......yeah. But so what? I didn't learn
anything!
