C AllStar

Hong Kong Cantopop boy band

C AllStar
C AllStar in 2016; from left to right: Jase Ho, On Chan, King Wu, Andy Leung
Background information
OriginHong Kong
GenresCantopop
Years active2009–2017, 2021–present
Labels
  • Kingdom C [zh] (since 2009)
  • Media Asia Music [zh] (since 2011)
Members
  • King Wu (DJ King)
  • Kenny Chan (On Jai)
  • Andy Leung (Chiu Fung)
  • Jase Ho (SoulJase)

C AllStar is a Hong Kong Cantopop boy band formed through a singing contest Star Hunt (星投大戰) held by Kingdom C in 2009. The group consists of four members: King Wu, Kenny Chan, Andy Leung, and Jase Ho. They debuted with the album Make It Happen in 2010.[1]

The group is best known for their a cappella singing[1][2] and the most prominent song is "Tin Tai" (天梯; 'sky ladder').[3] They have won various music awards since their debut, including four times Ultimate Song Chart Award for Group of the Year (Gold), four times JSG Awards Presentation Best Musical Group, etc.

Career

2009–2010: Star Hunt and debut

In 2009, Hong Kong music label Kingdom C held a singing contest Star Hunt (星投大戰). King Wu, Andy Leung, Kenny Chan, and Jase Ho were the four semi-finalists of the contest.[2] They gained popularity from busking at the pedestrian zone on Sai Yeung Choi Street South.[1][3]

In 2010, they released "Tin Tai" (天梯; 'sky ladder'). They were inspired by a story of a couple in Chongqing who had been living in the mountains for more than 50 years. The song went famous overnight and was charted on multiple local charts.[4] They also won multiple awards with the song in the following year.[5]

2011–2017: Rising popularity

In July 2011, they held their first concert.[6] They joined Media Asia Music in October.[7]

In October 2013, they released the album Cantopopsibility. The album adopted different music styles, including trance, bossa nova, rhythm and blues, etc.[1] In March 2014, they held a concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum for the first time, named Our Woodstock Concert 2014 (我們的胡士托演唱會2014).[8][9]

In 2017, it was announced that there would be a concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum for the second time. The members competed against one another to win the chance to solo since their producer decided that there wasn't enough time for all four members to solo. The winner was voted by netizens.[10] At last, Jase Ho won the chance to solo.[11]

2017–2020: Suspension

In January 2017, the group announced that they would be separated after the concert in October.[12] King Wu explained that they feel like the life in the group is somewhat disheartened and they would like to pursue solo activities so that members can evolve in more specific fields.[13]

In the light of anti-extradition bill protests, the group temporarily reunited and released "You Are Not Alone" (沒有剩你一個) in July 2019, noting "we are all together in the storm".[14]

In August 2020, the group built a virtual Hong Kong Colliseum stage and held a live virtual Minecraft concert named Make It Happen @ 10 C AllStar Virtual Live on the 10th anniversary of their debut, becoming the first in Asia to do so.[15]

2021–present: Reunion

On 25 January 2021, C AllStar announced on Facebook that they would officially work as a group again.[16] Three days later, "Together We Strive For A Better World" (集合吧！地球保衛隊) was released.[17] The song charted first in all five music charts in Hong Kong.[18] On 15 April 2021, amid the wave of emigration from Hong Kong, the group released the song "For those who stay, For those who had left" (留下來的人), quoting the scripts from Tenet: "What’s happened, happened. Which is an expression of fate in the mechanics of the world. It’s not an excuse to do nothing."[19][20] The song charted first in all five music charts in Hong Kong, making the group become the first to have two songs to do so in the same year.[18] They held three concerts later in the year, including one with Joyce Cheng.[21]

In January 2022, local media reported that ten Canto-pop singers and groups had been put on a blacklist of government-funded broadcaster RTHK, with radio DJs having been ordered not to play their songs. C AllStar was reportedly on the list.[22] In response to a letter by lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen requesting clarification, RTHK wrote: "RTHK has been supporting the development of Chinese pop music. Program hosts choose songs based on professionalism and suitability to the programs."[23]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Make it Happen (2010)
  • 新預言書 (first edition) (2011)
  • 新預言書 (second edition) (2012)
  • To Begin From The End (2012)
  • Cantopopsibility (2013)
  • 時日如飛 C AllCollection (2014)
  • 生於斯 (2015)
  • 此刻無價 C AllCollection (2017)
  • 人類世 (2021)

Live albums

  • 2012 C AllLive (2013)
  • 我們的胡士托演唱會 (2014)
  • 生於C AllStar 演唱會 2017 Live (2017)
  • C AllStar集合吧! 演唱會2021 (2021)

Extended plays

  • 我們的胡士托 (2011)
  • Collab Star (2015)
  • LoveaHolic Vol.1 (2017)
  • LoveaHolic Vol.2 (2017)

See also

  • Lai Ying Tong

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mok, Rachel (18 March 2014). "Cantonese a cappella group C AllStar sing about a vanishing Hong Kong". SCMP. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Chan, Cherry (17 August 2021). "Before Mirror and Error, 7 Hong Kong Canto-pop boy bands reigned supreme – from Beyond in the 90s to The Wynners in the 70s". SCMP. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "幾多對持續愛到幾多歲---C AllStar的情歌". Oriental Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ "C Allstar：她87岁了还有少女情怀(图)". Information Times (in Chinese (China)). 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  5. ^ "C AllStar 分拆發展火花更大". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  6. ^ "C AllStar x 80後管弦時代曲音樂會". timable.com (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  7. ^ 劉傳謙 (29 January 2022). "專訪｜C AllStar認單飛後重組功力更深厚：好同唔好都要自己承受". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  8. ^ katrine (29 January 2014). "C AllStar to Hold Concert at Hong Kong Coliseum". JayneStars. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  9. ^ "C AllStar星夢成真". Ming Pao OL (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  10. ^ 李妍樺 (14 April 2017). "C AllStar最後一次合體出現 出單曲搶10月紅館15分鐘Solo". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ^ 彭嘉彬 (21 October 2017). "休團前最後一場演唱會 C AllStar：想同大家創造共同回憶". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  12. ^ Hsia, Heidi (11 January 2017). "C AllStar: We are not disbanding the group!". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  13. ^ "唔想灰夾 C AllStar 各自進化". am730 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  14. ^ Kwok, Ling (5 July 2019). "C AllStar 再度合體推出新歌《沒有剩你一個》 為香港人打氣寄語風雨同路". U Lifestyle (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  15. ^ "C AllStar hosts Asia's first virtual Minecraft concert". Microsoft. 17 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  16. ^ 劉傳謙 (25 January 2021). "C AllStar四子2021年正式重組 FB暗示相隔一年半再出團體新歌". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  17. ^ "【集合吧！】C AllStar休團三年終合體 四子推新歌散播正能量". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b 劉傳謙 (21 June 2021). "樂壇核數師｜C AllStar再奪五台冠軍 On仔：用作品回應休團決定". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  19. ^ 寂靜無名 (25 April 2021). "離開了的人". Radio Taiwan International (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  20. ^ "【留下來的人】C AllStar對移民各有體會 推新歌講聚散：留在香港還有使命【有片】". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  21. ^ 劉傳謙 (1 January 2022). "叱咤2021｜C AllStar休團四年後再集合 用組合金歡送核心成員". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  22. ^ Chow, Vivienne (26 January 2022). "Hong Kong's RTHK blacklists pro-democracy musicians (reports)". Variety. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  23. ^ "RTHK asked to clarify list of 10 banned singers". The Standard. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.

External links

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