Michael Lai | |
|---|---|
黎小田 | |
| Pronunciation | lai4 siu2 tin4 |
| Born | 8 November 1946 (1946-11-08) |
| Died | 1 December 2019(2019-12-01) (aged 73) |
| Occupations | Composer, music producer, actor |
| Known for | Cantopop |
| Spouse | |
Michael Lai Siu-tin (Chinese:黎小田;Jyutping:lai4 siu2 tin4; 8 November 1946[1] – 1 December 2019) was aHong Kong musiccomposer,record producer and actor.
Lai was born in 1946 inBritish Hong Kong to the composerLai Cho-tin [zh] and his literary critic wife, and he later became friends with Cantopop band leaderJoseph Koo. Lai attendedLa Salle College.[2]
Lai first appeared on the music scene in the 1950s, but would also make a number of small but notable appearances as a film actor from the 1950s to 1990s.
Lai was born in 1946 inBritish Hong Kong. His father,Lai Cho-tin [zh], was amusic director, and his mother was a literary critic.[2] He first worked in the entertainment industry as achild actor, making his first appearance inJuvenile (1953).[3] Lai attendedLa Salle College.[2]
As a teenager who wanted to explore pop music, Lai joined a band performing in anightclub, where he first metJoseph Koo.[2] In 1973, he entered a songwriting contest hosted byTVB, coming in third place behind Koo andJames Wong Jim.[2][3] By 1975, Lai had become the music director forRediffusion Television.[4] That year, he gained popularity as the co-host of thevariety show,Nancy & Michael (Chinese:家燕與小田;Jyutping:gaa1 jin3 jyu5 siu2 tin4), sharing hosting duties with actressNancy Sit.[3][5]
During his time at Rediffusion, Lai worked on varioustheme songs for the channel'stelevision dramas.[4] WithlyricistJimmy Lo [zh], who started working at the television station in 1978, Lai composed many theme songs that placed in theRTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards during the late 70s and early 80s.[5] The theme song for the 1979 television seriesReincarnated placed in the top 10 of theGold Songs Awards of that year.[6] The following year, three compositions by Lai and Lo appeared in the top 10 of the1980 Gold Songs Awards: "Tear Drops on a Journey" (Chinese:人在旅途洒淚時;Jyutping:jan4 zoi6 leoi5 tou4 saa2 leoi6 si4), "Decrepit Dream" (Chinese:殘夢;Jyutping:caan4 mung6), and "Drama of Life" (Chinese:戲劇人生;Jyutping:hei3 kek6 jan4 saang7).[5][7] In addition, the Lai-composed song "Unable to Find an Excuse", from the seriesHong Kong Gentlemen, won Jimmy Lo the inaugural Best Lyrics Award at the1981 Gold Songs Awards.[5][8]
In 1982, Lai began working for theCapital Artists record label,[5] a subsidiary of TVB.[9] In this position, he played a significant part in helpingCantopop singers achieve success in the industry. Lai producedLeslie Cheung's second Cantonese album,Wind Blows On,[3] which propelled the singer to newfound popularity and was certified gold by theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry.[10] He also helped organise theNew Talent Singing Awards, which helped scout talent likeAnita Mui, the winner of its inaugural year in 1982.[4] Lai composed some of Mui's songs, such as "Fiery Tango" (Chinese:似火探戈),[3] from the 1987 platinum-selling album of the same name.[11]
In addition to working with singers and television series, Lai also composed works for films. He won Best Original Film Score and Best Original Film Song at the1989 Hong Kong Film Awards forRouge (1988), which featured bothCheung andMui.[2][3] Throughout his career, Lai has been credited with 30 original musical scores for Hong Kong films from the 1970s to 1990s, as well as 700 original songs.[2]
Lai received a Hall of Fame Award from theComposers and Authors Society of Hong Kong in 2006.[2]
Lai was married toSusanna Kwan from 1982 to 1984.[3][12]
Lai died on 1 December 2019, inSt. Paul's Hospital due tolung cancer. He was survived by his son from a former relationship.
Lai often start songs with simple melody and a natural flow.[13] He also likes to set a 7-chord repertoire, then set akey change at the final chorus. His preferred instrument for composition is piano.
While most of his songs are slow ballads, but mostly experimented with songs with traditional Chinese instruments, but doesn't use as manypentatonic scale likeJames Wong Jim did.
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