Alone in the limelight

Eason Chan, who has just released his 35th album, shows up at a small theater in Beijing. Pretending to be a doctor, Chan playfully says that he suffers from autism. Photos by Zou Hong / China Daily

Hong Kong singer-actor Eason Chan's new album deals with feelings of loneliness in a fame-filled life. Chen Nan reports.

Hong Kong singer-actor Eason Chan stands on a small theater stage in Beijing, puts on a stethoscope and plays the role of a doctor - more precisely, that of a mental hospital director.

Surrounded by several assistants in lab coats, he has an exaggerated body language, laughs loudly and jumps around the stage.

"This is not a joke. I'm serious," he howls to the audience, referring to the medical treatments being pantomimed onstage.

This conjures another wave of screams from the crowd.

One woman shouts: "I'm terribly sick because I can't sleep after listening to your songs."

The event promoted the singer's latest Mandarin album. It has no title - instead, a large question mark is printed on the white cover. Chan says the album and its cover are about him confronting himself.

After the stage event, Chan dramatically shifts from goofy antics to serious talk.

"I am autistic," he says - speaking figuratively, of course.

"I feel lonely sometimes after the concert, sitting in the car or watching the street. Everyone in today's society is sick in one way or another.

"Some eat too much, while others eat like a bird. Some can't sleep at night, while others can't wake up. I want to share my problems with others through the album, and I have lots of questions to ask."

That's why the singer says Autistic Patient is his new album's best track. Chan recalls almost crying when he first heard the song and he quickly memorized the words.

"The song perfectly reflects my thoughts," Chan says.

He softly sings the lyrics: "The show is hot, but my heart is cold. The spotlight is a blessing, but I want to say stop for a while I admire my ability to make jokes, just like an extrovert autistic patient'."

Chan developed the ideas for the music video for another song on the album, See Through. In a dark and austere room, a modern dancer animatedly performs while Chan remains still. He says this represents the two sides of himself - one actively displays himself onstage, while the other remains quiet in his own world.

"I spent two years on the album, and I feel heavy," he says.

"I'm tired."

Chan's career began with a singing competition in 1984, in which he beat 10,000 contestants. He walked away with first prize and a record label deal.

He went on to usher in the next era of Canto pop.

Time magazine has hailed him as a frontrunner of Canto pop's next generation. He's colloquially referred to as Hong Kong's third "god of song", after Jacky Cheung. And Chan is the second singer who's not from Taiwan to win Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards - again after Cheung.

Hong Kong singer-actor Alan Tam called him "the hope of the Hong Kong music industry" when Tam was asked about the music market's decline.

"Chan was a breath of fresh air from the moment he entered showbiz," Tam says.

"Like Jacky Cheung, he has singing talent and is good at interpreting various songs, from catchy love ballads to bizarre tunes."

Chan has produced at least an album a year over the past decade. He has also starred in nearly 40 movies and even performed in some musicals in Hong Kong.

This year alone, the 37-year-old released the EP Stranger Under My Skin, toured three Australian cities, and staged concerts in Beijing and Shanghai. He also performed a 34-night stand at the Hong Kong Coliseum and starred in a movie.

"It seems I have responsibilities on my shoulders, and I can't stop," Chan says.

"But it's quite controversial. On one hand, I'm too tired to talk or say 'hi' to anyone after the concerts. On the other, I'm excited on the stage and want to be there."

He mentions his cooperation with Asian pop diva Faye Wong at his 2011 Beijing concert.

"You know, it's very hard to invite the 'queen' to sing because she is almost retired," he says.

"But when I finally made it and stood onstage with her, I felt like I was in heaven. The two extreme feelings are both real. So, I guess I'm sick."

But, self-diagnosed mental illnesses aside, Chan says one song soothes his troubled soul - Chan-Baby Song, a simple melody accompanied by the piano playing of Chan's 7-year-old daughter.

"The demo didn't have instruments," he says.

"I invited my daughter to play some simple accompaniments for me. She was shy at first but practiced hard. Although the song is simple, I'm proud of her. It feels good to have a daddy-daughter song."

Chan says that despite his restive spirit, singing remains the ideal job for him.

"I'm self-centered and moody," he says.

"Being a singer allows me to be so capricious."

Rumors about his relationship with his spouse began swirling after Chan's recent interview on the Taiwan talk show Kang Xi Lai Le.

Chan said on the program that he and his wife, former actress Hilary Tsui, seldom talk at home and instead communicate by text messages. He also said he feels ignored in his house.

Chan shrugs at the rumors.

"You know, the media like drama," he says.

"I'm getting used to it. I have known my wife since 1996, and we have been together for more than 15 years. Like an old couple, we are a part of each other."

He also says the hardest thing for him in life is leaving home for work.

"I'll spend Christmas with my family this year. And next December, I will not work for the whole month," he says, with a smile.

Chan says his wife is busy with her fashion career, in addition to being a full-time mom. She has opened a boutique, frequents the media's best-dressed lists and grapples with the paparazzi. She used to be Chan's stylist.

"Her fashion career is taking off," he says.

"If she asks me to stop working, I'll be a great man behind her. I'll take care of the family and back her up."

(China Daily 12/23/2011 page20)