LCSD's "Pop Unplugged" concert to prelude "Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2023"
***************************************************************

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the "Pop Unplugged" concert at the Arena of Queen Elizabeth Stadium on April 7 and 8 (Friday and Saturday) as one of the pre-festival programmes of the first "Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival". Renowned musician Johnny Yim will take the stage with a new generation of singers to perform rearranged local Cantopop hits with a fresh interpretation, injecting new musical elements into the classic pieces.  
 
     The concert will feature a selection of songs spanning the golden years of Cantopop, including iconic Cantopop songs as well as theme songs of TV dramas in the 1980s, paying tribute to leading musicians such as the late singers Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and composer Joseph Koo. Singers will also perform well-known works by the "kings" and "queens"; experienced singers of the local pop scene and local pop bands in the 1990s and 2000s. The concert concludes with smash hits of the present day, enabling audiences to revisit the development and characteristics of Hong Kong's pop music.
 
     Moreover, Yim will specially rearrange the songs selected for the concert into unplugged versions which will be reinterpreted by young singers with a live band accompaniment. The performance will no doubt bring a refreshing music experience to audiences and demonstrate the creativity of the new generation of musicians, enabling the inheritance of the Cantopop culture.
 
     Yim is the producer and music director of the concert. Local pop singers and the band performing in this concert include James Ng, Mag Lam, Kayee Tam, Vivian Koo, Zpecial, Yumi Chung, Windy Zhan, Archie Sin, Rock Ho and Felix Lam. Radio host Alex Lee will be the emcee of the performances.

     Yim started his career in the Hong Kong pop music industry after graduation from Canada. His breakthrough came in 2004 when he won the first prize in the 16th CASH Song Writers Quest. Since then, he has produced hundreds of hits that were young audiences' favourites, for which he has been dubbed the "BAP man" (Best Arranger-Producer) of the local pop scene.
 
     The first "Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival" organised by the LCSD aims to offer an array of programmes, from pop concerts and performances to thematic exhibitions, film screenings, outdoor and outreach activities, showcasing Hong Kong's unique cultural creativity and vibrancy.

     The pre-festival programme of "Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2023" - "Pop Unplugged" concert will be staged at 8pm on April 7 and 8 at the Arena of Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Tickets priced at $220, $320, $420 and $520 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package discounts will be available for ticket purchase with the concert "Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2023 - SENZA x Lucky 6: Pop Grooves" held on April 29. For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1494.html.

Ends/Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Issued at HKT 10:30

NNNN