"My initial idea was to do a standup comedy or standup 'singing'. Later I formed a crew, they told me: 'Louis, you started from the New Talent singing contest, why don't you do a concert at your 30 year milestone? Singing, it is your greatest interest after all!' I thought that's a great idea too, at least I could do something different from before or something that people didn't think I would do."
Today when preparing for concerts, it seems the most ideal things to do are to lose weight and work out, but Louis said: "I think it isn't necessary for me to lose weight. Aren't people going to concerts to listen to music? You have to strip too? Hahaha. I don't think its necessary to go to the Nick Cheung's extent, each individual has a different path. Others do it, I'm not doing it. I want something new! It must be like that!"
Never Given Up On Singing
During the interview, Louis didn't emphasize how much he liked singing, but as the interviewer sitting besides him, I really can feel his fire. Its like a fire that had been burning for many years that won't die out. In the eyes of most audience, Louis is a known comedic actor.
"You can say it this way, I have never given up on singing. Singing is not a dream or an ideal because 'it' has already become part of my everyday life. When I'm driving, I listen to the radio because I want to know who are this year's newcomers in the music industry. I want to know what new songs are out there or what the current popular songs are? Actually I've always had a close interaction with music."
A Path of No Return
"Basically, from primary school to secondary school, I have never lost a singing contest. One year it was crazy, nobody participated. The other people said: 'He's (Louis) is going to win for sure! What is the point in us participating!' Even the principal at the school tried to convince me not to participate in the contests anymore. That time I thought I was amazing! I saw I didn't have any competitors at my school, so I really wanted to see if I'm really that good. Why don't I try participating in the public singing contests?"
"I lost. The defeat was a huge impact on me because I never lost before! I finished performing and got off the stage. The staff, the judges and the guests that night like Anita Mui and David Lui said to me: 'Loius, you sang very well. Wait to get the award tonight!'"
"I know I'm not handsome, but I can't help it. I tell myself: 'Today you aren't used to seeing me, but if I'm on TV everyday, perhaps your thoughts will change?' That's why I entered TVB."
At TVB Louis hosted a few shows before recommending himself to join Enjoy Yourself Tonight two years after he entered TVB. At the time, Louis just hoped to get more exposure, but he never thought that was a path of no return. It is not that he's unwilling to be funny, just he never thought "once entered the comedic door, its a deep sea".
"I started being funny after entering Enjoy Yourself Tonight. I started doing disguises and the audience really liked it. One time, fans said I was really funny. I thought to myself: 'Oh no, its getting into their heads!'. Even when I'm on more serious shows, such as a show about physical education, everyone still thought I was really funny. How can I use such a comedic image to go on stage and sing Jacky Cheung's love songs? I began to feel I was drifting further and further away from music...."
In between, Louis had left TVB to get away from that image and had planned to release an album. Unfortunately the record company had some issues with the staff and his plan went out the window. After some twist and turns, Louis finds himself back on the television set, back to filming TV comedy series. After so many years, Louis has finally understood the concept of "don't force it".
"My mentality is just to share. I'm currently on social networking sits, sharing my own works online. I don't have to actually launch music albums."
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