All Hail the New Prince

The Teens , January 2002


The talented and charming lad of Chinese pop talks about his growing-up years, his passion for music and his first real girlfriend.

Sitting comfortably in a chair, in the quiet poolside lounge of Four Seasons Hotel, LeeHom, paused when asked to comment on the cover shot of his debut album, Love Rival Beethoven. With a smile and after some hestitation, he said: "I think it's kind of cute".

Yup, that was a cute LeeHom back in 1995 then. He has since matured into a suave gentleman, and hailed as the Chinese Prince of R&B music - with no less than 10 full albums, one single, one cantonese EP and three movies in seven years under his belt.

Music-wise, the 25-year-old New Yorker has also grown from strength to strength. "My music has gone through so many different stages. In Love Rival Beethoven, my music background was pretty broad - classical, pop, rock and lots of other different styles," said LeeHom. "But I did not really study jazz. After that album, I studied jazz a lot and became a jazz piano player because that was what I majored in college."

It was the beginning of his second year in Williams College, Massahusetts, US, when he released his debut. Jazz influence got into his second album, If You Hear My Song. "From the second album onwards, you start to hear more jazz. Now I'm writing in a more unique style because I've become more comfortble with myself as an artiste, more confident with my own writing," he said.

To Call His Own

The confidence that keeps growing results in LeeHom writing almost all the songs in his last two album. "For the last couple of albums, I really wanted to do something from my heart because I am a composer," he gushed. "I've written songs since I was really young. It is something that I love to do, so I want to share this with my fans. It's really nice composing the entire album by myself. But I don't object to singing other people's songs; I do so all the time in concerts," he said.

That's not to say LeeHom only appreciates singers who write their own stuff. "You take N'Sync or somebody else who does not write his own songs. They both make great sounds but they feel different."

Mother Tongue

The person who wields the biggest influence in LeeHom's career is his mother. "She's an amateur opera singer," he revealed. "She's been most involved in my career for the last few years in terms of managing me, especially at the beginning, because I didn't really speak Mandarin."

But LeeHom never gets this weakness hinder him. Although the singer-composer had weekly Mandarin lessons in his primary school days, he attributed his present improved proficiency in Mandarin to his mother's coaching, and his innate ability to pick up languages well. In fact, he's now good enough to pen lyrics for his Chinese songs. "I think I'm a pretty fast learner, maybe because the language is also very musical," he said.

Pink Floyd & Broadway

As a kid, LeeHom was a Top 40 fan and listened to Michael Jackson. But he also plugged into rock bands like Led Zappelin and Pink Floyd. It is this love for rock tht led the guileless LeeHom to the shock of his life. "The first concert I went to was Heart when I was 12," he recounted. "It was the first time I saw people taking drugs, getting drunk. I went with my brother and it was like: what are these people doing? That was really hard rock. But Heart is a great band," he added.

"I also listened to a lot of classical music. I'm a serious violin muisc then. I played in the youth symphony orchestra in New York, so I also listened to orchestra music," said LeeHom. "There's also Broadway muisc because that's very integral in New York culture. When I was 13, I began performing in broadway musicals in school.

Acting Up

With a solid grounding in music, you may wonder why LeeHom dabbles in movies as well. "I've been doing plays but the thign about movies that atttract me is that they are more realistic than plays," he explained. "In plays, you have to project your voice so everyone can hear. But in movies you can talk softly."

When asked if he would make more movies, the long-haired singer said: "I think it depends on how good the movie is. If it's going to be a good experience, I would jump on it because good movies are hard to come by and also the schedule is uncontrollable. It's unlike producing albums beacuse most of it is my own time. In movies, it involves the schedule of hundreds."

The Nomad

LeeHom counts travelling as his hobby and lifestyle even.

"The life that I live is so nomadic. There isn't much time for me to spend at home or with friends," he lamented. "I write in the road, produce on the road, record with my computer. I have two suitcases and that's everything I own. I don't have a car or a house. But I enjoy that kind of lifestyle."

Looking back, the singer has chalked up enough traveling to fatten his passport with two inches worth of extensions. Well considering LeeHom started travelling overseas at the age of 12 (he went to Mexico with his family then), it is no wonder at all!

Turning Bad

While international artistes like Robbie Williams and Eminem can get away with vulgarities and obscene acts onstage, does LeeHom think Asian artistes can do likewise? "It's tougher to some extent. It has always beend the case. Robbie Williams uttered some vulgarities when he was in Taiwan. If he were a Chinese artiste, he would be dead," he noted.

No Life But Rumours

With a heavy schedule producing and promoting albums, concert tours and movies, does LeeHom have a life? "No," he shakes his head and adds: "I definitely chill out in clubs and hang out with friends but it's harder when I am producing albums," he explained. "This album The One and Only was produced in Singapore, Hongkong, Taiwan, Boston and New York. So when I'm flying all over the place, it's really hard to meet up with friends."

Very few artistes are unscathed by rumours; LeeHom is no exception. over the past year, rumours cirulated that he was gay. And there was the well-publicised romance he had with an Eurasian Hong Kong model. How does he handle the rumours?

"It doesn't bother me much now," he stated. "At that time, of course, I was emotionally affected. Anybody would, especially when they are not true. I don't want to come out and make the news bigger," LeeHom explained. "I do music and I want to focus all my energy on this. I've no desire to use tabloids to promote myself. I don't want to waste my energy holding press conferences to deny my relationship with certain people or to say that I am not gay because it's just not in my interest.

The Real Girlfriend

LeeHom first fell in love when he was 13. That was, in his own words, a crush. He had another girlfriend at 15, but that was not a serious relationship.

He reveals more: "My first real girlfriend actually sings in this latest album. I was 17 then. She's an opera singer. She sings on the last song [I Want] in the album. We're still great friends," he maintained.

Well, go get the album if you want to know the name of this Prince Charming's maiden fair!