Image provided by: Fu Music賦音樂
Illustration by: Keisha Pallathil @keisha_illustrates
Words by Jocelle Koh
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Introducing the ‘What Makes a Legacy?’ series, where we dig into the careers, discographies and philosophies of artists one might consider ‘legacy artists’; and unpack the unique way in which they’ve contributed to the music scene or society around them. The first features none other than the indomitable godfather of Mandarin Soul, and Blues, Khalil Fong 方大同.
When I heard of Mandarin music icon Khalil Fong 方大同’s passing, the first thing I did was force myself to leave the house and go on a walk. Something told me that me wallowing at home, depressed and reclusive would not have been what Fong, who I have long considered my inspiration, mentor and friend would have wanted. Through the ugly crying and snot-mingled tears, the only rational words that came to mind were “go touch some grass”. And so touch some grass I did, on an 8km walk in midday Singapore heat, equipped with only a playlist full of Khalil’s discography and a towel that came in useful given all the fluids that forcibly decided to leave my body that day.
It was a surprisingly positive change of pace in the grieving process for me, and as I reflected on what made this experience deafeningly painful yet somehow different to all the others, it all came back to the values that the Fong had so stoically upheld throughout his 24 year-long career as a singer-songwriter, producer, composer, children’s book author, label owner and global citizen.
While best known for sweet love songs crafted in the soul and R&B genres such as “Love Song”, “Love Love Love 爱爱爱”, “Special Person 特别的人” and “Three Person Tour 三人遊” which caused sensations in the early to mid 2000s for their ability to introduce creativity and new genres into a ballad-heavy market, Fong was an artist’s artist and a musicians’ musician who championed authenticity, a stoic reverence towards his craft and ethical living consistently in his work.
In an interview conducted between Asian Pop Weekly and Fong in 2020, we asked the seven-time Golden Melody Award-winning artist for his best advice when it came to dealing with challenges over the pandemic. His reply was simple:
“Cooking and the creative process…and being detached from outcomes.”
To date, we have not met an artist simultaneously more genuinely detached from outcomes, and more prolific than Fong, who gave his all to his craft and his career. Not for the money or the fame, but for his boundless love of music which was evident in a 139-track wide discography spanning 19 years and dozens of genres.
If you do the math, that’s an average of 7 songs released per year, and doesn’t include the countless other works he has produced and written for a stellar lineup of artists such as Andy Lau 劉德華, Jacky Cheung 張學友, A-Mei 張惠妹, Eason Chan 陳奕迅, Diana Wang 王詩安, Fiona Sit 薛凱琪 throughout his career.
Fong was a boundary-breaker who was analytical and logical in his approach to everything, from his views on environmental sustainability to love and life. The Asian American artist and staunch member of the Ba’hai faith believed wholeheartedly in peace, love and unity, and made it his goal to traverse culture, genre and language to eliminate all division that he felt was unnecessary, at least within his sphere of influence.
He lived by the philosophy ‘The World is One Country and Mankind Its Citizens’ (which most likely had its roots in the teachings of the Ba’hai faith) and put it to music finally in 2020 on hip-hop/spoken poetry track ‘TWIOCAMIC’. However this idea had surfaced itself in his music as early as 2014 on spoken word poetry/hip-hop/blues track ‘Peace’ featuring Chinese R&B vocalist Tia Ray.
“The world is one country/Mankind its citizens/A speck in the universe/And we are its denizens”
In Asian Pop Weekly’s 2020 interview, Fong shared more about his philosophy and how his upbringing has fundamentally influenced his worldview and music.
“The philosophy “The World Is One Country And Mankind Its Citizens” is something I’ve wanted to put to music for a few years now…I was brought up with the mentality of being a world citizen and it was always a concept I wanted to focus on in-depth through song but I think it was the timing of all of the world events and turmoil in recent years that sort of nurtured the idea into being.”
In a 2018 interview with Ba’hai actor Rainn Wilson, Fong also mentioned that the Ba’hai faith naturally aligned with his own values. Hence, themes such as oneness of humanity, freedom from prejudice and themes of justice made their way regularly into his discography on songs such as “Gotta Make A Change” (2011), “Peace” (2014), “Throw It Off”, “In Yunnan 雲南裡” (2018) and “Clearer 清楚點” (2022).
“Generally being raised in a Ba’hai family…there’s certain things that come easier…I am… in nature…a very logical type of person, so I mean there’s always the logical side of me, science and religion whatnot…and there’s the sceptical side of me naturally…but for me I think this is really at the end of the day to me a belief and a religion that makes sense to me as a person and how this world is sort of put together.”
And while his faith and stoic sense of justice underpinned much of his career when it came to making music, it was his warm, comforting tunes and messages which won over the masses, coupled skilfully with his voracious appetite for exploring genres, instruments, sounds and themes.
Fong’s 2005 debut album ‘Soulboy’ forever changed the Mandarin music scene as the first ever Mandarin-language soul album. And even as his own test subject, the cerebral artist; deeply influenced by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, B.B. King and John Mayer brought something different to the genre from the start.
There was always this sense of closeness in Khalil’s music, an intentionality to bring you into his world that could not be faked. From the moment you heard the first full track on the ‘Soulboy’ album titled ‘Little Sister 妹妹’ dedicated to his baby cousin, you were already getting an intimate look at who he was as a person on this groovy track inspired by familial love. And his combination of acapella percussion, traditional Chinese instruments and an Eastern-meets-soul melody on ‘Spring Breeze 春風吹’ was a game changer that showcased his abilities as both a brilliant songwriter and a musician unafraid to push the boundaries.
In 2006, Khalil’s sophomore album “This Love 愛愛愛” propelled his sweetly soulful sound to new heights with the success of its title track, which built on the soft, gentle melodies the all-rounder would continue to be known for, against a backdrop of synth-y keys and a slow but surely soulful beat. The song was equally commercially and critically acclaimed, rendering Fong’s second album the Top 10 selling Mandarin Albums of 2006 on the IFPI Hong Kong Music Sales Awards.
2008’s “Wonderland 未來” saw Khalil begin testing the limits of his sound melodically and vocally, playing with more voluptuous, synth-based elements and switching things up rhythmically as he toed the line between soul and R&B on tracks such as “Park 公園” and “Wonderland 未來”.
Yet quietly soulful tunes with an alternative spin continued to remain a constant on records such as 2008’s “Orange Moon 橙月” and 2009 cover album ‘Timeless’; the latter of which single-handedly caused a resurgence in popularity of timeless Mandopop and Western classics such as Faye Wong’s “紅豆” (1998) and George Benson’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” (1985) (both at over 20 million Spotify streams to date); reintroducing them to a new generation of listeners with Fong’s own twist.
2011 marked a significant shift in the introspective musician’s works with album ‘15’; essentially a love letter to the blues and MoTown genres and his main instrument the guitar. The album put his musicality in full focus; cited by Fong as the most difficult album he had created since his debut. And while more cerebral and severe than previous works, it clearly highlighted the artist’s deep concern for social issues on tracks such as “Gotta Make A Change” and “No Russula Friend 無菇朋友”.
2012’s LP simply titled “Back to Wonderland 回到未來” saw Khalil revisit and refresh the soul-meets-R&B sound he began tinkering with on 2008 album “Wonderland”. The album featured big band and symphonic arrangements smartly peppered with electronic synths and samples on tracks such as “BB88”, “Close To You 千紙鶴”, “Definition of Love 關於愛的定義” and “Love Instantly 愛立刻”, continuing to push the boundaries for what defined soul and R&B.
2014 brought us “危險世界 Dangerous World”, one of Khalil’s sonically darkest albums yet. Introducing his lifelong love for Hip Hop and fusing it with soul and R&B, the album brought a never before heard sense of urgency to Fong’s music. Interspersed with hip hop skits, samples and a dystopian sound on tracks such as its title track “Dangerous World 危險世界”, “Weather Report” and “Zombie 殭屍”; the album had a clear point of view on climate change, perhaps inspired by 2013’s multiple climate disasters including record heatwaves, droughts, typhoons and droughts across the world. Fong continued to toe the line gently, pacing himself with irresistible toe-tapping beats and more iconically soulful ballads such as “Special Person 特別的人” which remain one of his most well loved songs over a decade on.
Crowned one to watch by the three godfathers of urban music in Mandopop – Jay Chou 周杰倫, Wang Leehom 王力宏 and David Tao 陶喆 upon his debut in 2005, Khalil would come to be named a core influence of many artists following in his footsteps. Some notable names include R&B/pop artist Diana Wang 王詩安, whom he later signed to his label Fu Music, Jazz-pop artist Yen-j 嚴爵, Jazz-Neo-Soul artist 9m88, R&B-pop act Weibird Wei 韋禮安 and countless more. His name has since become synonymous with predecessors Wang and Tao especially for his innovative East-meets-West musical fusions.
Given his world citizen ethos and international upbringing, Fong began playing with more overt and experimental iterations of East-meets-West fusions when he established his own label Fu Music in 2016. Starting with his penultimate LP ‘JTW 西遊記’ released the same year, Fong unveiled an edgy, daring new sound, which garnered him another round of nominations at the Golden Melody Awards, winning his first and final Best Male Mandarin Singer award at the prestigious awards.
Continuing his experimentations with heavy grungy basslines, electrifying guitar solos and percussive Eastern-inspired synths, Khalil broke new ground once again, challenging and redefining perceptions of Soul, Blues, R&B, Rock and Hip Hop in this brilliant masterclass on cultural and sonic fusion in music. While the album featured more collaborations than Fong has ever included on a single record, bringing on Mandopop industry heavyweights Wang Leehom 王力宏, Diana Wang 王詩安, Jane Zhang 張靚穎 and Fifi Rong; K-R&B icons Zion T. and Crush and Mongolian band Hanggai 杭蓋, this album was nevertheless undoubtedly the brainchild of Fong, who incorporated unique themes of Chinese Mythology (悟空) , his love for music (Flow, 聽) and unique love for storytelling (Ring Finger) into this 21-song masterpiece.
In 2019, three years into his journey with his own label Fu Music we asked Fong what inspires him to create and he replied:
“There are various reasons but I guess primarily a sense of responsibility to the art itself.”
Recently I’ve been pondering on this sense of responsibility Khalil referred to. There was a reverence with which he treated music that was otherworldly – it was not just about the music he personally loved, but the act of creating, listening and interacting with music that he had a deep connection and appreciation for. And this gift continues to be one of the greatest lessons he has taught me, and countless other listeners.
Khalil was unwavering in his accountability towards himself and wider societal needs. No matter the plethora of themes that came through in his work, the message was always delivered with the best intentions that the singer-songwriter could muster at that present moment, and it was always felt widely and deeply by the millions of listeners who have been (and continue to be) moved by his passion and earnestness that flowed through his discography.
A perhaps lesser-known gem within his discography titled “Throw It Off” (also the name of his 2019 ”TIO” tour) best illustrates his strong sense of responsibility. In our 2019 interview, Fong shared:
“‘Throw It Off’ stands for the philosophy of letting go or being detached from the negative or humanity’s lower self. The lyric continues to sing ‘…follow your heart’ which is describing the idea of listening to our inner conscience.”
Furthermore, in the final years of Fong’s career, the genre-bending musician challenged himself once again, taking on a new endeavour as a children’s book author. Fong, together with his mother an educator created “Emi the Dream Catcher” in 2017, a series of children’s stories following Emi and her friend Zier through her vivid dreamscapes, as she learns lessons about how to cope with life’s challenges.
In our 2020 interview with Fong, he revealed that he had in fact completed writing up to book 10 in the series (only books 1-6 are currently released), reflecting Fong and his team’s dedication not only to protecting the environment around us, but also to caring for our future generations. As each of the previous books have come with a song tie-in, perhaps (and we truly hope this to be the case) this is not the last we will have heard of Khalil’s legacy.
Highly introverted and preceded always by a larger-than-life sense of right and wrong, Fong was artist who left it all on the table with every album, even in his final LP released months before his passing titled “The Dreamers 夢想家”. An album that Khalil had been working on since 2016, it features a much mellower sound than past projects, and presents Fong in his most unassuming but equally brilliant state; continuing to push his creative limits as a musician sonically and thematically despite the most challenging of circumstances.
While it would be a lie to say that the grief I feel over Khalil’s passing is anything less than crippling, it is also a treasured reminder of all that he stood for, and how many of his values have; over 18 years of witnessing his growth and artistry; slowly but surely become my own.
Image provided by: Fu Music賦音樂
Strikingly consistent in his messaging and steadfast in his faith even from the beginning of his career, his care and concern not only for those around him, but the wider world was made infectious through his boundary breaking tunes and the best of intentions.
To round off this piece and to illustrate the legacy and philosophy that Fong has left behind, the following lines from his 2016 track “Wukong 悟空” come to mind:
“It’s going to be a long long journey/but I’ll protect it from evil/someday we’ll find the wisdom/one day we’ll carry the light/when we return to the kingdom/then we can end the fight”
One of the most gracious, peaceful and dutiful artivists I have ever known, I have no doubt that Fong’s legacy as a musician and a global citizen will live on; in the lifelong devoted fans he has amassed, and in the artists, public figures and platforms that his message and ethos has inspired. Rest in peace, my friend, and rest assured that we’ll continue to carry the light.
REVISIT: Khalil Fong’s Choice Picks, curated in 2019
An insightful snapshot into the music that deeply inspired Fong during the point of our conversation. If you listen closely, you’ll hear how artists in the lineup may have influenced Fong’s works, such as his rendition of Cui Jian’s ‘Fake Monk’. What other songs in Fong’s catalog can you trace these picks back to? Let us know in the comments!
