Jacky Cheung

Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", his accolades include the World Music Award (1996) for “World’s Best-selling Asian artist”, the Billboard Music Award (1994) for “Most Popular Asian Singer”, and a Guinness World Record for the largest combined audience for a live act in 12 months (2,048,553 audience members). In 1999, Cheung was honored by Junior Chamber International as one of the Ten Outstanding Young People in the World. He is the best-selling music artist of all time in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Known for his vocal delivery, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music, and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture. Early life Jacky Cheung was born and grew up in Quarry Bay in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island. His father is from Tianjin and his mother is from Shanghai. He attended North Point Government Primary School from 1967 to 1973, and graduated from Literary College in 1978. In 2007, Cheung revealed that the paternal side of his family are mostly seamen, including his father, paternal cousin, and older brother. His first language is Cantonese, but he also speaks Mandarin and English. He sings Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and modern English pop songs. Cheung is known for his rich baritone voice, but also his dramatic vibrato by rapidly moving his pronounced Adam's Apple. Musical career Cheung originally started working as a reservation officer for the airline Cathay Pacific. His music career started when he won the Amateur 18-Hong Kong district singing contest in 1984 with the song "Fatherland" by Michael Kwan. He outcompeted more than 10,000 other contestants. After winning the contest, he was signed by the then Polygram Records, now Universal Music Group. Although encouraged by a bright start, he did not achieve immediate supremacy in Cantopop, then dominated by Leslie Cheung, Alan Tam, Anita Mui and Danny Chan. In 1985 he won his first two major awards together with the 1985 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards and the 1985 Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards.