Mui first entered show business as a singer when she was four and turned professional when she was seven. Anita and her sister, Ann Mui, performed
Chinese operas and pop songs in numerous restaurants and nightclubs, until she won the first
New Talent Singing Awards in 1982 with the song "Season of Wind" (風的季節), beating over 3,000 contestants. Despite her title as "new talent" at that time, she had already been a singer for more than ten years.
Mui's first album was released with the
Capital Artists within a year of the contest. Her debut drew a lukewarm response from the audience. But subsequent albums fared much better, as she developed her personal style and image. Two years later, in 1985, Mui won her first 10 Best Solid Gold Best Female Singer award. The same award went to her in the following four years. Mui also won best songs awards, both for album songs and movie theme songs.
Mui had her first concert in 1985, lasting 15 nights. Her 28 consecutive concerts at the
Hong Kong Coliseum in late 1987 through early 1988 established a world record at the time. By then, her title of "Ever Changing Anita Mui" (百變梅艷芳) had become her trademark.
Mui also gained popularity overseas. She held a concert in
Taiwan in 1988, and became the first artist from Hong Kong to give a solo concert there. That same year, she was invited to sing at the
1988 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in
Seoul, Korea.
In 1990, Mui announced that she would put an end to receiving music awards to give a chance to newcomers. She held farewell concerts for 33 consecutive nights before retiring from the stage. She stepped down at only 28 years old, but returned from retirement in 1994.
Over the years, Mui has released over 40 albums. Possibly her best was her fourth album, released in 1986 and named "Bad Girl" (壞女孩) which sold over 400,000 copies (platinum eight-times over by Hong Kong's standards). She was also the first female artist to break record sales of 10 million in Hong Kong. She is extremely well known throughout Chinese communities worldwide. Because of her huge success as a pop singer, and her ever-changing image, she is often referred to as the "
Madonna of Hong Kong," a comparison resented by some fans who feel that she deserves to be recognised in her own right. Her singing career was once compared to that of
Diana Ross by
CNN.
Anita mentored several Hong Kong newcomer singers who have since become successful, most notably
Andy Hui, Denise Ho, and the band
Grasshopper.
In
1998, Mui was awarded
RTHK Golden Needle Award the most prestigious award for lifetime achievement in music.
The "Anita Classics Moments Live" Concert, eight shows held from 6 November to 11 November and from 14 November to 15 November in 2003 at Hong Kong Coliseum was her last concert series, in which her final symbolic act was to "marry the stage", which was accompanied by her classic hit "Sunset Melody" (夕陽之歌) as she exited the stage for the final time. Her very last song performed on stage was "Cherish When We Meet Again" (珍惜再會時), a rendition of Manhattan's "Let's Just Kiss And Say Goodbye".
rss feed