2014/05/26 (星期一)

Taiwanese immigrant Erik Chen wins Song-writing Contest

The 18th Canadian Chinese Song-Writers Quest (SQ18) organized by Fairchild Radio wrapped up on May 23 at Burnaby’s Michael J. Fox Theatre. Erik Chen, an immigrant from Taiwan who works as a videographer, won the title of Champion as well as Best Performance.  Best Lyrics and the online People’ Choice went to the team of Yikkiu Tsun and Kappo Ng, while Best Arrangement was awarded to Max Chang and Jimmy Hsu.  Adason Lo, an award-winning singer-songwriter from Hong Kong, flew in to be the special performer of the event and his spell-bounding performance wowed the 600 attending audience.

From left to right: Jimmy Hsu and Max Chang, winners of Best Arrangement; Erik Chen, Champion and winner of Best Performance; Yikkiu Tsun and Kappo Ng, winners of Best Lyrics and People’s Choice Award.

The eight songs that beat hundreds of entries to make it to the final were of a broad spectrum of styles with superb quality. The same can be said of the creators behind these entries.  Out of the eight final entries’ composers, lyricists, music arrangers and performers, there were high school and college students, emerging new artists, a wedding videographer, a teacher and even a lawyer.  Although their backgrounds vary, they all love creating music and are not afraid to try new things.

Opening dance performed by Fairchild Radio DJs

Established in 1996, Canadian Chinese Song-Writers Quest (SQ) is a long-running song-writing contest organized by Fairchild Radio.  In the past 18 years, the contest has been providing a rare platform for talented songwriters to showcase their original work.  Although the lyrics of the entry song must be in Chinese, people of any ethnicity are welcome to enter and we have seen dozens of these multi-cultural participants making it big in the music world. 

The special performer of the night, Adason Lo, is the perfect example of how a great musician is nurtured to maturity through music competition.  In 2009, Adason entered the renowned “Asian Millionstar” (Hong Kong’s “American Idol”).  He won the highest score in many individual rounds and was eventually crowned Champion of the Year.  His amazing voice and flawless technique impressed the judges and left a lasting impression on TV viewers.  Right after “Asian Millionstar”, Adason started releasing his own creations on the web and was quickly signed by a major label.  Since then he has won numerous awards (roughly 40 in 5 years) and is being nicknamed “the Jay Chou of Hong Kong”.  For the final of SQ18, Adason sang a mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese and even Korean songs while accompanying himself on the piano.  His charismatic presence and impeccable performance brought the event to the next level.

A member of the nationwide media conglomerate Fairchild Media Group, Fairchild Radio is a multicultural radio station with operations in Vancouver (FM96.1 & AM1470), Toronto (FM88.9 & AM1430) and Calgary (FM94.7).  On top of being Canada’s number one Chinese radio station, Fairchild also provides quality radio programming in over 40 languages and acts as the hub of news, information, music and entertainment for the numerous yet affluent ethnic communities in these three cities.

Fairchild Media Group also owns Fairchild Television, Talentvision and Popular Lifestyle & Entertainment Magazine.