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Peter Cheung
The Cheung duo succeeds with Duet III
(Courtesy of Music Man Productions Limited)
By Ronnie Kwok
A few years have elapsed since Peter Cheung’s 30th birthday. Pub-licly known as Cheung Shung Tak, Peter never forgets the dream that he shares with his brother Andrew Cheung, or Cheung Shung Kei.
The dream is to create good music that truly represents the Cheung brothers. Their dream has come true with the release of their third album, Duet III, and the success of their concert in December 2003.
Question: Congratulations on your success in the duet concert with your brother last December. How did you find the concert?
Answer: Thank you. It was an unforgettable experience. While other singers’ only concern is to perform well on the stage, we have to take care of everything while preparing for the shows. It was a demanding task, as we did not have enough time, manpower and money for promotion.
Q: It seems that your music career path has never been easy. Do you think so?
A: Sure, and I was once frustrated. Though my brother and I won the championship in the New Talent Singing Contest in 1993, we were newcomers in show business. We could not decide our own style and had to listen to our boss. We released our first album, Reborn Day, in 1994, but the result was bad.
Q: How did you deal with that?
A: I just made the best out of a bad bargain. I know I am here because I love music, and I know I shall continue as long as there is a glimmer of hope. True, I was quite depressed, but I refused to be idle and just sit passively to wait for chances. I participated actively in background music production for some advertisements. I also took part in some television programs for kids. Few years later, a travel agent approached me and I started my life as an anchor for travel programs.
Q: How do you feel about the different stages of your career?
A: I love all of them, though they are very different. For example, I treasure the days when I participated in kids’ programs. I felt so good playing and singing with the kids. Can you imagine pupils in primary schools singing Faye Wong’s songs? They were older then they should be, and I wanted to educate them with music and bring them back to simplicity.
Q: How about being an anchor for travel programs?
A: It was a new thing for me. Unlike the arnchors of traditional travel programs, I acted as a tour guide to show fellow artists around travel spots. My advice had to be objective. I wanted to let the audience decide if it is worthwhile to visit the place. With fewer sensational slogans, I tried to bring my audience a fresh approach towards travel programs.
Q: Do you like being a tour guide?
A: Sure. Traveling itself is enjoyable enough. How good it is when I am paid to travel around the world! I was in my 20s and led my life with much freedom. Without the burden of raising a family, I could wander around freely. I miss the days of traveling. But I know those days will never be back, because I am now married and have set up my own company.
Q: You seem to enjoy this job. So what made you decide to give up the chance of going on trips frequently and be a singer again?
A: I know quite well that my incentive to work is declining as time goes by. After working as a tour guide for 3 years, you found yourself visiting the same places again and again. Everything is the same except the dialogues you are going to speak in different travel programs. I visited Korea, Shanghai and Beijing three or four times in 3 years. Excitement faded and I could no longer get satisfaction from the job.
Q: So, aren’t you worried that you will be fed up with music someday?
A: No, because I truly love music. Living with music is the most ideal lifestyle for me, and I am enjoying it now. Every time I see students attending my singing class, I feel they are relaxed and relieved from their busy and burdensome daily life. Happiness derives from enjoying music myself and, at the same time, feeling their joy.
Q: Are you confident in your music?
A: Yes. My brother and I keep saying to ourselves that even if others do not like our music, they cannot say that our music is bad. We spend a lot of time creating our music and we demand the best. We believe that if we want to realize our dreams, we have to be perfect.
Q: It seems that you work very well with your brother. How do you see your relationship with him?
A: It’s lucky that we seldom quarrel, and we are like good friends. In fact, I feel as if I am his elder brother, because I am rather dauntless, and he usually accepts my suggestions when we have different points of view.
Q: What do you and your brother plan to do next?
A: My
brother and I both want to have a concert every year, so that more people
can know about us. We hope to educate the public to appreciate good
music. It is important for them to distinguish popular music from good
music. We also want the public to know music belongs to everyone of
us.
Peter Cheung has been in the music industry for more than 10 years.(Courtesy of Music Man Productions Limited)