Live 'N' Kicking!

Lime Magazine, September, 1999

By Stella Thng

Isn't he a wonder! Not only is Mandarin pop prince LEE HOM a veteran recording artist (who's just released his sixth album!), he's also very handy around the house and brilliant at reviving fainting friends! Wow! Any other hidden talents we should know about? Stella Thng has a verbal kick-about with the 23-year-old American-born star to find out!

So, Lee Hom. What's new with you , fella?

Well, I have a new album, "Impossible to Miss You". The biggest change in my life since we last met in December is that I've moved to Boston and have my own apartment! I've enrolled in the Berklee School of Music for one semester already. So it's been a new city, new place, new school, new friends...I cook for myself, take the garbage out, do the laundry, keep the toilet clean...(pleased) Yup, my toilet is very clean!

What's school like? Any famous classmates?

Some of them are. One of them plays the brass for Jamiroquai. Berklee is a pop music school and it has the largest rate of foreign students in the States. (Exaggerates) Nobody at Berklee speaks English! A lot of my schoolmates are very famous in their home countries. I have a friend who is a well-known Nigerian singer; another has albums out in Greece. It's cool, I feel very comfortable there! There are kids from about 16 and grown men who are 40, 50 years-old!

Your last album Revolution won you awards like Best Male Singer and Best Producer at the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. What's next, the Grammys?

(Shakes his head vigorously) Oh no, no! I never aim for an award because such things are out of my control. (Reproachfully) Besides, that's not why you get into music anyway. I want to do another CD pretty soon 'cos I already have lots of great ideas. Conceptually, it's very strong, probably the strongest of all my albums..

How is your new CD "Impossible to Miss You" different from your earlier works?

This time, the style is more pop. Before, I didn't really want people to think I was a teenybopper idol. I'd be like, 'okay, this album will have a jazz sound, Broadway, R&B, rock 'n' roll...' and i'd play lots of instruments so they'd know I can do different styles. I'm more confident and more focused now. For this album, I wanted to concentrate on singing and producing it well. (Dreamily) I have this romantic notion about being an artist, like, this album is me, it's who I am. But I decided Impossible doesn't have to represent everything about me. In the Mandarin pop market, artists release albums so fast--this is already my sixth! It's good, in a sense, 'cos you learn to make what you can out of the situation.



Is it true you worked your production people so hard, one of them fainted?

(Laughs sheepishly) When I'm really into a project, I just don't stop, I don't eat, I don't sleep and I work everyone around me. It was near completion of the album and we hadn't slept much for a couple of days. This guy and I were at McDonald's. I was asking him what he wanted to eat and he just looked at me and bang! Collapsed right there, in my arms! I was slapping his face, yelling 'Wake up! Wake up!' Meanwhile, everybody at McDonald's was going, 'Eh, isn't that Lee Hom?' and I'm like dragging this body about!(Laughs heartily)

Your new sound has been described as "more manly". What's the most macho thing you've done recently?

Washing my own toilet. And cooking meals! The last time I cooked for a girl was in March. (Hurriedly) She's a classmate, just a friend. I cooked chicken, soup, salad and fish with orange sauce. (Boastfully) It was really, really good.

What's the fastest way to bore you?

History Books! I really don't like memorizing things--that's why I don't know enough history! I always end up mugging the night before a test, go for it and then forget everything! Do I get a good grade still? Erm....yeah. But so what? I didn't learn anything!

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