{"id":18698,"date":"2021-03-17T15:33:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T07:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=18698"},"modified":"2021-05-27T12:16:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T04:16:36","slug":"christian-music-connecting-with-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/03\/christian-music-connecting-with-the-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Music Connecting With the City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christians are integrating into today\u2019s society with their \u201cMade in Hong Kong\u201d worship songs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kajal Aidasani<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabby Yeung is a musician of a Christian group, Sea of Glass Worship, which composes Christian music in Hong Kong\u2019s context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her group held a prayer and worship meeting in front of the Court of Final Appeal with over a thousand participants on August 30, 2019 when there was a continuation of protests throughout Hong Kong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of their original songs about justice (\u9858\u7962\u516c\u7fa9\u964d\u81e8), has more than 900,000 views on YouTube. Christians have brought this song to protest sites and it was once again sung in the rally that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn times of social movement, many Christians struggled to find what they could do for the city they love. They had demands and harboured anger and frustrations that needed to be channelled. And those were the objectives of the rally: to pray, to cry out for the city and to encourage one another not to lose hope,\u201d the 35-year-old vocal teacher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome participants were non-Christians. They felt powerless against the city\u2019s gloomy future and wanted to be present in our rally, providing us with an opportunity to bring them emotional healing through music,\u201d Yeung adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Over a thousand participated in the prayer and worship rally in front of the Court of Final Appeal held by Sea of Glass Worship on August 30, 2019.
(Photo courtesy of Gabby Yeung)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yeung is happy to see Christian music being sung by Christians and non-Christians and that they can relate their desperation for justice with Christian music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did not listen much to Cantonese worship songs in the past. They were directly translated by foreign missionaries, so I found it hard to relate to. There are more music productions from Hong Kong worship groups now, resulting in more contemporary and cooler Christian music,\u201d Yeung adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another musician of a worship group Raw Harmony, Matthew Li, 35, composes and sings Christian songs. He also shares Yeung\u2019s thoughts about Christian music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Li says he intends to address what is happening in Hong Kong with songs he writes. \u201cIt is impossible to neglect what is going on in the city and simply write about religion. Words like \u2018death\u2019, \u2018suppressed\u2019, \u2018diseases\u2019 came to my mind naturally and are used in my songs,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of writing lyrics about life in general, Li hopes to set his music apart from traditional Christian music and that his music can resonate with different classes in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Members of Raw Harmony.
(Photo courtesy of Matthew Li)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Echoing Li, a musician of Milk&Honey Worship group, Matches Mak, agrees that having \u2018Made in Hong Kong\u2019 worship music is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost worship songs praise God and have positive meanings. These songs do not quite reflect the current social context in Hong Kong. That is why we have more songs that can address Hongkongers\u2019 fear and despair,\u201d the 31-year-old singer and composer says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A song produced by Milk&Honey Worship was voted as the Most Favourite Christian Song of the Year at a Christian music award ceremony in December 2020.
(Photo courtesy of Matches Mak)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese songs do not quite reflect the current social context in Hong Kong. That is why we have more songs that can address Hongkongers\u2019 fear and despair.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Citing a scene from the movie Titanic<\/em> in which passengers were busy putting on lifejackets when musicians continued playing music, Mak says: \u201cThat is exactly what we want to do for our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing the belief that Christian music should keep up with today\u2019s society, Harold Chan founded the Hypersonic Lab, an online platform featuring a broad spectrum of Christian music ranging from classical, pop, R&B to electronic music in 2019. The platform has over 4000 followers on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from holding a Christian music award ceremony in December last year and introducing new Christian music monthly, The Lab also organised a Christian music festival on March 7 this year to promote more diversified Christian music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hypersonic Lab held the first Christian music award ceremony HORN on December 26, 2020.
(Photo courtesy of Harold Chan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause of the social movements, Hong Kong Christian music productions like songs written by Milk&Honey Worship have become more known to the public. That changes the public perception of Christian music. Our music can also be down-to-earth and have various genres,\u201d Chan says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through his platform, the 31-year-old passionate musician hopes to push the Christian music industry forward by subverting the stereotype of Christian music being off-note and old-school. He wants to prove Christian music can also be trendy as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the young worshippers, who enjoys singing these trendy Christian songs with a Hong Kong context, is Ariel Li Yuet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ariel Li Yuet went busking with her church Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong Kam Tai Church on July 3, 2020.
(Photo courtesy of Ariel Li Yuet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe there is more than echoing in worship music, there is hope, strength, and there is healing.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The 20-year-old journalism student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong sings songs produced by the three worship groups, Sea of Glass Worship, Raw Harmony and Milk&Honey Worship, at both campus and church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe Christians feel encouraged to see Christian music becoming more popular and known to the public after the social movements. I think these songs allow us to channel our troubled feelings and struggles in life to God,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe there is more than echoing in worship music, there is hope, strength, and there is healing,\u201d Li adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enoch Lam Yee-lok, an adjunct lecturer in the music department at the Hong Kong Baptist University and Lumina College, shares that Christian music has a significant role to play in shifting people\u2019s perceptions on Christianity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChristians are no longer seen as detached, called names on the Internet, nor is their music only known to be old-fashioned,\u201d the scholar says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lam states that Christians started reflecting upon the purpose of worshipping during the Umbrella Movement in 2014, and in 2019 when bigger issues arose, Christians became more involved and brought the unofficial anthem Sing Hallelujah to the Lord to demonstration sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Enoch Lam Yee-lok gave a talk on the new mode of contemporary worship at the Christian Congregation Music Conference 2019.
(Photo courtesy of Enoch Lam Yee-lok)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the value of our music is not measured by statistics. What matters most is being able to bless people by connecting with them,\u201d says the 43-year-old experienced church musician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Kassandra Lai<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sub-edited by Patricia Ricafort<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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