Tse: I'm about to start writing songs for my next Cantonese album. And that brings up something that I'm really pissed off about with Hong Kong; an artist releases an album every two months. So, what point is there? The audience haven't got any time to digest anything before they're asked to spend another HK$100 ($12).

TIME: I agree. Your girlfriend practically has a Œgreatest hits' album at the end of every year.

Tse: Right. I'm doing four albums this year, then you can bet that by the time I do a big concert at the end of the year, they'll bring out a live EP.

TIME: Why doesn't Hong Kong have a band culture?

Tse: There are several reasons. Firstly, there are not enough live shows here. Secondly, let's say the biggest local media in Hong Kong is TVB. To me, that is the most disgraceful media in Hong Kong. They are delivering the worst message to the audience in terms of music. You get 3 minutes at most, no rehearsals. I 've done a couple of screwed up shows for them and it's really pissed me off. Third, there's only really four or five guitarists in Hong Kong. There aren't many musicians.

TIME: Can you change that?

Tse: I'm trying and I will. Last night when I was with my friends I said one of my wishes, within three years, was to have my own band. Every artist in it would also be a solo artist, so it would be a weird arrangement...like Phil Collins and Genesis. Changes have to be made in Hong Kong.

TIME: Is the audience ready for that?

Tse: Not yet. Otherwise our companies wouldn't be releasing the same crap all of the time.

TIME: Do you enjoy performing in Hong Kong or don't the audience let you?

Tse: It depends. In Hong Kong you can't stand up, you can't do this, you can't do thatŠso there's no real ambience. The place makes the audience really boring. Feedback gives you drive in a performance and that's hard to get from audiences here. It's weird. I must admit though, it has been improving, there's a long way to go.

TIME: Do you worry about getting overexposed and tackily packaged here?

Tse: Every artist in Hong Kong is an entertainer. There are real actors, but no real musicians or singers. I'd rather not be an entertainer. I don't know how to entertain people.

TIME: You seem to be doing a reasonable job of it.

Tse: It's good to know a lot of stuff. But it's not good to be all spread out with no specialty. You don't act the best, sing the best, do anything the best.

TIME: You obviously want to rock-up your music?

Tse: Oh yeah, definitely. I would want more alternative stuff, maybe even include ambient/instrumental stuff. I'd love to do something in the style of Lenny Kravitz. I like that feel.

TIME: Can't you rock it up with Faye Wong. She's funky.

Tse: Oh yeah, very. But I don't think I would do that yet. Especially with the media frenzy around us. If things work out between us then there's time. We'll see.

TIME: You two are really getting hounded, aren't you?

Tse: Well, it's not the first time. What can I do? In Hong Kong it's a right for journalists [to hound] it seems. Now, if I walk away from a camera, it means [in their eyes that] there's someone wrong with me, not them and that really pisses me off. It's like, I'm the one who's guilty.

TIME: What's the worst and craziest story you've read about yourself?

Tse: Well, there's been so many, from Faye having my baby, to me going back to Canada because I'd quit drugs...

TIME: How long will you stay in Hong Kong?

Tse: My contract dictates quite a few years. I can't change that so I've just got to make the best of it. I still have hopes for the Hong Kong music industry. That such a small spot can make such a lot of noise is quite a miracle in terms of movies. I don't want to give up. I've seen a lot of great stuff from the U.S. so I say let's input some of that stuff into Hong Kong's music. I love doing experimental stuff. I talked to Tsui Hark at a party the other day and he's going to help me shoot my next video.

TIME: How much say do you have in the way Nicholas Tse gets packaged to the Hong Kong market.

Tse: I've had a bit more say with the past three albums, but still it really pisses me off, all this smiling to the camera and s*** like that. It reflects on how superficial the audience are. They're just interested in the poster they can put on their bedroom wall. After I do my concerts this year, the next Cantonese album I put out will not have my face on it. If the sales drop, then sorry, I tried, but that's it.

TIME: Is recording a big drag?

Tse: A complete drag. There's not enough time, no thought is put into it, there's not enough preparation. It's crazy; the market controls me.

TIME: Do you drink like a rock star?

Tse: I don't drink alcohol. I got asthma when I was about 8 and alcohol affects me.

TIME: I shouldn't think the Marlboro Lights do much for it either.

Tse: They seem to work. Good for the singing voice, too. I mean...it's all part of life, isn't it? After all, rock and roll is sex and drugs.

TIME: What do you need right now? What would make your kind of sense?

Tse: More time to do my music and less time being a star.