After Spending Years out of Sight in Recording Studios, Songwriter and Producer Tan Hanjin Is Taking Centre Stage, Writes Ben Sin
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INTERIORS SOCIETY DIVERSIONS ON AIR www.scmp.com SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010 C Tan Hanjin and MC Jin have teamed up Now hear this on an album and a forthcoming concert After spending years out of sight in recording studios, songwriter and producer Tan Hanjin is taking centre stage, writes Ben Sin Photo: Jonathan Wong; photo effect: Catherine Tai an Hanjin has “All the serious songs came from ringing – but Tan stuck with his written, produced our later sessions,” Tan says. studies even when invited to sing at and performed He issued Buy One Get One Free Coco Lee’s concert in the Lion City. music for and on his own, bypassing record “Quitting school would have with just about companies to deal personally with affected my dad too much, I every big Canto- disc makers, printers and couldn’t do it,” he says. pop star of the distributors. Even so, the album But at Lee’s show, he met Eason past decade. topped the HMV sales charts for Chan, who offered him the chance None of that, three consecutive weeks and nearly to produce his album. All the work however, seems all 8,000 copies have been sold. was done remotely; Tan would to have gone to his head. The It’s not the first time Tan has attend university and send tracks Taffable, down-to-earth Singaporean taken this route; his well-received over the internet to Hong Kong. recalls the names of almost 2009 album, Raw Jazz, was also self- After graduation, he worked everyone he has ever met and talks released. But he says this briefly in Japan and considered (perhaps too candidly) with anyone independent approach is simply a setting up in Taiwan but, after who’s willing to listen. means to an end. producing and writing hits for Chan At his stylish music studio in “I wish I could say I had this and Cheung, Tan was a hot SoHo – where singers such as Eason vision of creating my own label or commodity in Hong Kong. Chan Yik-shun, Edison Chen Koon- whatever, but the reality is I released “The work from Hong Kong kept hei and Joey Yung Cho-yee have the albums myself simply because picking up to a point that I realised I recorded hits – Tan is having his no record company believed they had to open a studio here,” he says. portrait shot between bites of would sell,” he says. He did just that in 2003, although chicken curry, while members of a “They liked the music; they just he was flying between the two cities TVB crew wander through the didn’t think it would sell because I at first. Singapore, he says, was still quarters. don’t look like a star.” home at the time. But Hong Kong Fitted with a proper kitchen and He has always been an grew on him and a couple of years bedroom, in addition to the enthusiastic singer, although it ago he settled here. recording and mixing rooms, the wasn’t always appreciated. At Since opening his studio, pop space also served as his home stars from Leon Lai Ming to until he moved in with his Miriam Yeung Chin-wah have fiancée recently. sought his services; he even “I would ask her to stay here, produced a track for US singer but it seems people are coming in Christina Aguilera as part of a and out all the time,” he says. “And Pepsi campaign. But Tan needed people gather downstairs more outlets for his talents. sometimes hoping to see artists.” “I wanted to perform,” he says of Perhaps what Tan doesn’t realise his concerts showcasing material is that some of the people loitering from his Raw Jazz last year. around may be waiting for him. “Releasing an album of my own After years out of sight in recording [Record companies] makes me happy.” rooms, the 34-year-old is now Tan describes the project as an increasingly in the public eye after liked the music; they extracurricular activity rather than a issuing his own albums, staging just didn’t think it career-building one. shows and appearing as a judge on a “I didn’t lose money by doing TVB singing contest, The Voice. would sell because I this,” he says. “So this shows that the The television crew, for example, independent route can work.” is preparing to shoot a segment for don’t look like a star Since Raw Jazz, he has his recently released album, Buy One ...................................................... performed on the same bill as the Get One Free. Billed as an acoustic Backstreet Boys at the Singapore hip hop album, it’s a collaborative Grand Prix and appeared as a guest effort with rapper Auyeung Jin, school, his choir teacher once wrote, at Sammi Cheung Sau-man’s sell- better known as MC Jin. “Hanjin likes to sing but he does not out concerts earlier this year. The “That [acoustic hip hop] stuff is have a good voice.” exposure has led to opportunities in just a marketing slogan other people Undeterred, Tan continued other media – earlier this year came up with,” he says. “To me [Buy singing. He also learned to play the director Raymond Yip Wai-man One Get One Free] is more of an adult guitar. His love of contemporary offered him a supporting role in the contemporary acoustic album.” rock (he cites U2, Jamiroquai and biopic Young Bruce Lee. Recorded “shotgun style”, Tan Queen as influences) combined with “It’s for fun, though,” Tan says. and Auyeung created one song a day a choral background and formal Ultimately, he’s a musician and his from scratch. So the 10 tracks on the training (he plays piano too) made heart is in performing. album are the result of 10 meetings, Tan a musical jack-of-all-trades by Next month Tan takes to the each of which started with lunch at the time he was studying economics stage again for a concert with Tan’s studio. at the National University of Auyeung at Hitec. It’ll be the first “Jin would come in and we’d sit Singapore. large-scale concert for both. here and eat this,” he says, pointing For spare change and free drinks Tan says he’s got plenty up his at his box of curry from a cha chaan he also started performing original sleeve to ensure a good show; for teng on Caine Road. material at pubs. “I was an idiot one, they will be pulling a fan on Tan would ask Auyeung what performer but I didn’t care, I loved stage to make a song on the spot. was on his mind, and the answer performing,” he says. “I want to show people the became the subject of the song they Tan soon caught the attention of spontaneity of music; we’re going to would write, compose and record a music publisher, who signed him compose, write and perform that that day. At the first session, to a songwriting contract in 1998. song [about the fan] that night,” he Auyeung said he felt lazy; hence the Within three months they’d sold a says. “I’m sure Jin will do his track Lazydays. ballad to Jacky Cheung Hok-yau. freestyle thing that he loves to do.” They did not know each other “It was surreal hearing Jacky sing ...................................................... until he pitched the idea to Auyeung my song,” Tan says. The song, Hanjin x MC Jin Double Happiness a week before their first recording Loving You To The Point It Hurts, is Concert 2010; September 22, 8.15pm, but bonded through the one of Cheung’s concert staples. Hitec Star Hall, Tickets, HK$200, collaboration. By the eighth session Work started picking up – more HK$400; Inquiries: 2325 2777, they were having serious exchanges. songs were sold and phones began www.hkticketing.com .