Cantopop is a type of pop music that is sung in Cantonese. The word "Cantopop" is short for "Cantonese pop music." It also describes the way this music is created and enjoyed by people. This music style started in the 1970s and became closely linked to Hong Kong's popular music by the middle of that decade. Cantopop was most popular in the 1980s and 1990s but became less popular in the 2000s and even less so in the 2010s. The term "Cantopop" was first used in 1978, after a term called "Cantorock," which was used earlier in 1974. During the 1980s, Cantopop became very popular worldwide, with fans and concerts in places like Macau, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. This was especially true when more songs from Hong Kong movies became popular at that time.
Cantopop is influenced by other music styles, such as jazz, rock and roll, R&B, disco, electronic, and ballads. Most Cantopop songs are sung in Cantonese. It has fans from many countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is also popular in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi in southeastern China. Hong Kong continues to be the main center for this music style.
History
Western-influenced music first arrived in China in the 1920s, especially in Shanghai. Artists such as Zhou Xuan performed in films and recorded popular songs.
After the Chinese Communist Party established the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the new government criticized Western pop music as not good. In the 1950s, many people left Shanghai for places like North Point in Hong Kong. This led to many early Cantopop artists and composers coming from Shanghai.
By the 1960s, Cantonese music in Hong Kong was mostly traditional Cantonese opera or Western-style songs. Artists like Tang Kee-chan, Cheng Kuan-min, and Tam Ping-man were among the first to release Cantonese records.
At that time, many people preferred British and American music. Western culture was seen as educated and modern, and artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, and The Beatles were popular.
People who liked Cantonese music were often seen as old-fashioned or uneducated. Singers such as Cheng Kum-cheung and Chan Chai-chung aimed to attract younger audiences. Connie Chan Po-chu is often called Hong Kong’s first teen idol because of her long career. Josephine Siao was also a popular artist during this time.
Local bands copied British and American music styles. In 1973, two types of Cantonese music appeared at the same time: one used traditional lyrics from TVB dramas, and the other followed Western styles from Polydor Hong Kong. Singers like Liza Wang and Paula Tsui were notable during this period. Television became a common part of homes, offering free entertainment. Shows like The Fatal Irony and Games Gamblers Play helped popularize local music.
Soap operas filled TV time, and Cantonese songs were used as theme songs. In 1971, Sandra Lang, a singer who had not performed Cantopop before, sang the theme song A Marriage of Laughter and Tears for a TV show. This song, written by Yip Siu-dak and Joseph Koo, became a hit. Other groups, like the Four Golden Flowers, also gained popularity through TV.
Sam Hui is considered one of the earliest Cantopop stars. He was the lead singer of the band Lotus, signed to Polydor in 1972. His famous song, the theme to Games Gamblers Play, made him well-known. Roman Tam became famous for singing TV theme songs. Other popular singers included Jenny Tseng, Liza Wang, and Adam Cheng. The Wynners and George Lam also gained many fans with their new style. Samuel Hui continued to dominate the charts and won awards in 1977 and 1978. Polydor changed its name to PolyGram in 1978.
The term "Cantopop" was first used in 1978. Earlier, in 1974, Billboard reporter Hans Ebert created the term "Cantorock." He noticed that the music style had changed to resemble British-American soft rock, so he started using "Cantopop" instead.
In 1974, the theme song from The Fatal Irony became very successful. TVB sold the show to other countries, and Cantopop reached audiences outside Hong Kong.
During the 1980s, Cantopop became very popular. Artists like Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Sally Yeh, Priscilla Chan, Sandy Lam, Danny Chan, Jacky Cheung, and Andy Lau became famous. Cantopop songs were used in TV dramas and movies, including the soundtrack for A Better Tomorrow. Record companies and sponsors signed big contracts with artists. Some Japanese songs with Cantonese lyrics also became popular.
Teresa Teng, known as the "Queen of Mandarin songs," also sang in Cantonese. She had success with Cantonese songs on PolyGram in the 1980s. Jenny Tseng, born in Macau, was another notable singer.
In the 1980s, a second wave of "band fever" began. Unlike the first wave in the 1960s–1970s, which was influenced by global trends like Beatlemania, the 1980s wave was driven by local record companies and media. Many independent bands were signed by big companies, and their music was original, focused on Cantonese lyrics, and often addressed politics or social issues. Styles like rock, metal, pop-rock, folk, and experimental music were introduced. Bands like Beyond and Tat Ming Pair had a major impact. Other groups included Raidas, Tai Chi, Grasshopper, Little Tigers, Paradox, Blue Jeans, Echo, Wind & Cloud, and Citybeat.
This wave brought new music fans to Hong Kong, including young people and fans of Western avant-garde or rock music. Record companies focused more on the spending power of these younger audiences. The second wave started in the mid-1980s and peaked in 1986–1987. However, it declined after the death of Beyond’s founder, Wong Ka Kui, in 1993, and many bands disbanded in the early 1990s.
As Cantopop became popular worldwide, Hong Kong entrepreneurs used new Laserdisc technology to grow the market.
In the 1990s, the "Four Heavenly Kings"—Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, and Aaron Kwok—dominated pop music. They appeared in magazines, TV, ads, and movies, and had fans in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia, and South Korea. Female singers like Sammi Cheng, Cass Phang, and Kelly Chen were also popular during this time.
In 2019, Andy Lau talked about wanting the Four Heavenly Kings to reunite.
Characteristics
Early Cantopop music was created by mixing Cantonese opera with Western pop styles. Musicians stopped using traditional Chinese instruments like the zheng and erhu and instead used Western instruments such as the piano, synthesizer, drum set, and guitars. Most Cantopop songs are sung by a single singer, sometimes with a band. These songs follow a verse-chorus structure and are usually monophonic, meaning only one voice is heard at a time. Many early Cantopop songs had a descending bassline, which is a pattern where the bass notes go lower in pitch.
Cantonese is a tonal language, meaning the pitch of a word changes its meaning. Matching Cantonese lyrics to Western music was difficult because Western music uses 12 different pitches. Pioneers like Samuel Hui, James Wong, and Jimmy Lo helped create common phrases for songwriters to use. Other famous lyricists include Albert Leung and Wyman Wong.
Tonal rules in Cantonese made it harder for singers to change pitches freely, which some say contributed to the decline of Cantopop in the late 1990s. This limited creativity and made it harder for singers to adapt Western-style pitch changes.
There are two main types of Cantopop lyrics. The first uses literary or classical Chinese, similar to traditional Cantonese opera. These songs are rare and often used in TV shows about ancient China. Since the 1980s, many singers have moved away from this style, though some, like Roman Tam, still use traditional methods.
The second type uses modern, informal Cantonese. These lyrics are more common and are used in songs for modern TV shows. Most songs in this style end each phrase with the same rhyme.
An example is the song "Impression" by Samuel Hui, where every phrase ends with the sound "-oeng."
Cantopop began in the 1970s and became popular through themes from TVB dramas like "Tower Ballad" (1972) and "A Marriage of Laughter and Tears" (1974). However, many "hit" Cantopop songs are not original but are covers of foreign songs. From the 1970s onward, Hong Kong record companies often used popular songs from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Western countries. This practice helped save costs, filled albums, and reused successful songs.
The RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, started in 1979, show how reliant Cantopop was on Japanese music. In the 1980s, 139 of 477 songs on the chart were covers, and 52% of those were Japanese songs. Many famous songs by stars like Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, and Anita Mui, such as "Craziness" (1983) and "Monica" (1984), were covers of Japanese hits.
Although these songs use foreign melodies, they are still considered Cantonese because the lyrics are in Cantonese. Songs like "Tomorrow Sounds Like Today" by Jenny Tseng and "Life to Seek" by Danny Chan were originally written outside Hong Kong. Some critics dislike using foreign music, calling it unoriginal. Some albums even promoted themselves as having no covers.
Canto-jazz
On January 29, 2010, Jacky Cheung released his album Private Corner, introducing the term "Canto-jazz" to describe the album's concept and the musical style of its songs.
In The South China Morning Post, Rachel Mok described "Canto-jazz" as a "unique mix" of two music styles: "light jazz" and Canto-pop. This combination created a new sound with a special local character. She mentioned Jacky Cheung's Private Corner and Karen Mok's Somewhere I Belong as examples of albums that use the Cantonese language in the "canto-jazz" genre.
An educational study examined how jazz developed in Greater China and explored challenges in adapting Canto-pop songs for big band or jazz group performances, which involves blending different cultural influences.
Industry
In Hong Kong, a Cantopop singer's success often depends more on their image than their talent. Similar to music trends in the United States and Japan, the way a singer looks and presents themselves can greatly influence album sales. Publicity is very important for an idol's career because one news story can greatly affect their future. Many modern Cantopop stars enter the movie industry even if they are not skilled actors. At the same time, some actors release music and perform concerts even if they are not good singers. Once they become famous, these artists often move into the Mandarin market, making it rare to find singers who only perform in Cantonese. Their success can also be measured by income. For example, Sammi Cheng earned HK$46M (about US$6M) from advertisements and merchandise endorsements in one month. However, many artists face financial challenges early in their careers. For example, Yumiko Cheng owed her company thousands of dollars, and Elanne Kong once cried in public with only HK$58 left.
Cantopop superstars include:
1970s: Sam Hui, Paula Tsui, Roman Tam, Frances Yip
1980s: Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Beyond
1990s: Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Sammi Cheng, Cass Phang, Kelly Chen
2000s–2010s: Eason Chan, Joey Yung, Miriam Yeung, Leo Ku
These artists have performed worldwide, such as Jacky Cheung in New York's Madison Square Garden, Faye Wong in Tokyo's Nippon Budokan, Eason Chan in London's O2 Arena, and in Beijing's National Stadium (Bird's Nest).
Record companies like PolyGram, EMI, Sony, Warner, and BMG were established in Hong Kong since the 1970s. Local labels such as Crown Records, Wing Hang Records, Manchi Records, and Capital Artists were once successful. However, as TV drama themes became less popular in the mid-1980s, market power shifted to international companies. Music sales are tracked by the IFPI HK Annual Sales Chart.