As I was flipping through some Jacky videos, came across this particular one from 1996. It is the World Music Awards held that year in Monte Carlo. That was the first year that Jacky actually won a World Music Award for Top-Selling Asian Artist in the World -- he was the first HK singer to ever win this international award (and the only one to win it from HK, if my memory serves me right).
Anyway, Jacky of course went to Monte Carlo to personally accept the award and also got a chance to perform his song "True Love" to an international audience. There were alot of big stars in attendance at the World Music Awards that year, including Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and the 'King of Pop' himself, Michael Jackson. Now, I may not be an MJ fan, but got to admit that he truly is a legend in the music industry and an icon to millions around the world -- so yes, it is a 'big deal' when he is in attendance at awards ceremonies. So when I saw this video of Jacky performing, my first reaction was -- OMG, not only is he performing in front of an international audience on a world stage in front of major music industry giants, he's also got the 'King of Pop' sitting right there in the front row watching his performance! I'm sure that would make anyone nervous -- even someone with as much stage experience as Jacky! But of course, Jacky's performance was awesome as usual (though I could tell he was a bit nervous). This is truly a great honor for Jacky and proof of his awesome talents....for us die-hard Jacky fans though, it was definitely a 'proud' moment -- especially knowing that we (his fans) helped contribute to the moment by buying his albums (the award was for Top Album sales, after all -- lol!). Most importantly for me though, this also proves that Jacky is truly a legend himself, as he set a precedence in album sales (not just in Asia, but internationally as well) that to this day, no other HK singer has been able to beat. And to be listed as #2 in the world (behind Michael Jackson) in terms of albums sales and the ONLY Asian singer with this honor -- wow -- I AM SO PROUD! Way to go Jacky!!!
One interesting thing about the video that I just have to mention....I found it funny that throughout Jacky's entire performance, the camera kept panning over to Michael Jackson and no one else -- like he was the only person in the audience or something. So I actually went back and watched some of the videos of the other performers at that particular awards ceremony and found out that the other performances were the same way (camera kept panning over to MJ). Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just thought it was interesting -- it's like they were trying to see what MJ's reaction was to each performance and see if he would approve. I wouldn't blame them -- with MJ's legendary status and the fact that he does not attend awards ceremonies that often (especially later in his career), the organizers were probably taking advantage of every scene they could get with MJ in it (and probably to see how the King of Pop views other artists judging by his reaction).
As a side note, Jacky actually won the exact same award (Top Selling Asian Artist in the World) the following year, but because he was preparing for his Snow Wolf Lake musical, he was not able to go personally accept the award. Bummer, since I would have loved to see his performance on the same stage again, but that's ok -- the fact that he got the award again is already enough to make me happy (plus his SWL musical was a huge success, so it was worth it)!
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Yay! Another Jacky update! That was an interesting analysis there!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Jacky winning this award is one of my proudest moments! Especially given how difficult it is to achieve! Too bad there isn't more to the video -- I would have loved to see the actual presentation of the award. And the quality of the video is not that good unfortunately -- but that's ok....better than nothing!
ReplyDeleteyep..when i saw this video and found out that he won 2 years in a row, i was really proud ^^ jacky totally deserves to be recognized by the world because he truly is a talented singer. i have to be honest though, his recent songs don't really do it for me..they just don't have the same feeling anymore, sadly.
ReplyDeleteHi gr33nl3af -- Yay! Glad to hear! To be honest though, the other reason why I was so proud of the fact that he won 2 years in a row was because I was trying to prove a point...that HK awards shows are stupid and almost all of them are rigged.
ReplyDeleteAt that time (in the 90s), there was ALOT of competition in the HK music industry and out of the 4 Heavenly Kings, I always felt that Jacky was the most qualified, since he was the only one of the 4 who was truly a singer first and relied on his singing skills to get where he was (the other 3 became popular as actors first and already had an established fanbase from that). With his skills, his albums flew off the shelves and he broke record after record for most album sales in the Asian region -- yet each time there was a "Best Selling Artist" type award at the HK awards ceremonies (not only for HK, but for Asian region), the award would always go to Andy or Leon (sorry, but their albums did not sell nearly as much as Jacky's -- most of their numbers were inflated by the record companies). So when Jacky got the World Music Award 2x in a row for Most Album Sales, my first reaction was -- "TAKE THAT, YOU STUPID HK MUSIC INDUSTRY"....ok, that was a little harsh, but basically it proved that all those "Best Selling Artist" awards they were giving out (some of them in the same years that Jacky got the WMAs)were questionable. I mean, how can it make sense that Jacky would be recognized at an international level for Best Album Sales in all of Asia yet not be recognized in his own "home" (HK) for that? Well, I have an answer for that -- because "money talks" and "buying awards" was a common occurrence in the HK music industry....so the person who refuses to "play the game" (Jacky) will always be the one pushed down...
As for Jacky's recent songs, I actually like them, though they are very different from his previous ones. It's true that the songs on his most recent album won't be as "popular" and also may not evoke as much "emotion" as his previous songs, but for me, it's fine because the songs are easy listening for one and two, Jacky is doing something he enjoys, which is more important.....lol!
I think his recent album is leaning on the artistic side more than popular side and he was trying to do something different, right? I can't wait for his Mando album!
ReplyDeleteIts interesting that Michael Jackson is also on this blog. I loved his old songs i.e. Ben, ABC, I want you back, Stop the love you save, etc.... the list is endless. I have never seen another artist dance and move like him. I was very sad when I read the news of his death - such tragedy!!
ReplyDeleteFrom Peaches
@Peaches: As I said in my post, I'm not a Michael Jackson fan by any means (and I don't intend to be one either) -- but I will give credit where it is due -- he definitely IS one of the greatest musicians this world has ever known. And no matter what people think of him in terms of how he lived his personal life, his accomplishments in the music industry already qualify him as a true legend!
ReplyDelete