Roman Tam was the "Godfather of Canto-pop". Photo: Ricky Wong
Behind the story: Roman Tam – singer of Hong Kong anthems and godfather of Canto-pop
- His songs helped define the Hong Kong identity and provided the anthems for its development, from Below the Lion Rock to In the Lasers
- How Hong Kong’s protest movement continues to invoke the music of a man whose flamboyant performance style transcended ideas of masculinity
Roman Tam was the "Godfather of Canto-pop". Photo: Ricky Wong
Something strange happened during a spontaneous protest at the Space Museum at Tsim Sha Tsui in August of this year.
As crowds gathered, chanted and pointed laser pointers at the concrete dome of the museum, someone cranked up a portable stereo with a song from 1982 – and turned the protest into a joyous dance party.
It was a song from the man whose work has helped define an identity for Hong Kong since the 1980s, whose singing of a theme song for a beloved TV series is considered the unofficial anthem for Hong Kong.
Roman Tam - the "Godfather of Canto-pop" - left an indelible mark on Hong Kong culture with a prolific career that began in the 1970s.
Today, which marks the anniversary of his death and 40 years after Tam became the first Asian artist to ever perform at Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, we look at how his legacy continues to influence Hong Kong culture.
Hear veteran radio DJ Brian Leung and record store owner Fion Cheng tell the story of how the voice behind Below the Lion Rock sang the songs that defined Hong Kong culture and gave Hongkongers an identity.
Leung speaks of how younger generations are loving Tam’s music of the 70s and 80s as much as their parents and grandparents embraced his TV series theme song Below the Lion Rock as Hong Kong’s unofficial anthem.
“I think that's part of his draw as well. Most Hongkongers, growing up, we always encounter that kind of identity crisis. So are we British, are we Chinese? Who are we? So it really takes a long time to find out that: Hongkonger, that's us. We are not totally Chinese and we are not totally British, we are a very international city,” he said.
“Roman Tam taught us that during his past 40 to 50 years of hit songs, his way of reinventing himself, trying to find a new identity at every stage in this life, that signifies the kinds of struggles we have over the years as Hongkongers growing up.”
Music highlights
Daydream (Roman and the Four Steps)
Below the Lion Rock (Roman Tam)
In the Lasers (Roman Tam)
Toiling Life in Wind (Roman Tam)
Iron Blood, Loyal Heart (Roman Tam, Jenny Tseng)
You Are the Best in the World (Roman Tam, Jenny Tseng)
Presented by Lauren James
Written and produced by Jarrod Watt
