Cantopop music legend Frances Yip is on Straight Talk this week to talk about how music can provide positive energy and power for people to overcome difficulties.

Frances shared with us her musical journey that spanned 55 years, and how she became who she is today.

Check out the full transcript of TVB’s Straight Talk host Dr Eugene Chan’s interview with Frances Yip:

Chan: Hi, I'm Eugene Chan and I'm absolutely thrilled to bring to you legendary singer and recording artist Frances Yip as our guest this evening. With a career spanning over five decades which has evolved from the swinging 60s through the disco era and into contemporary music, Frances Yip has captivated audiences worldwide with her powerful voice and emotive performances. Known for her signature song “Shanghai Beach”, she has recorded over 100 albums and performed in more than 30 countries. Frances has also performed in musicals and feature films and collaborated with prestigious orchestras globally. Beyond her musical achievements, Frances is also a dedicated philanthropist, using her platform to support numerous charitable causes. Today, she joins us to discuss the uplifting power of music and how it can make a difference in challenging times. Welcome, Frances!

Yip: Eugene, thank you for having me.

Chan: So, Frances, when people think of you, the first thing that comes to mind is your music. As I said, “Shanghai Beach” or “the Bund”, we all know the opening line, and since you're here, can we have the privilege for you to sing for our viewers the first two lines.

Yip: Certainly. "Long bun, long lau… man lee to to kong shui wing but yao..." Is that enough?

Chan: Thank you, Frances. Ah, that’s enough. Thank you very much.

Yip: Cantonese song on an English channel, very rare.

Chan: Right. So, can you tell the viewers how you came into singing that song and how it made you, sort of a "household name", I think I can use that term, worldwide?

Yip: Well, I was very fortunate. I had been a singer already for about 10 years at that time and TVB was making drama series and they decided in 1980 that they were going to do a story based on the Bund in Shanghai, which was ... in the 1920s. It was a love triangle and it was like a bit of an international trading area, a bit free for all, you know, no man's land. So, it was a very exciting story. And then they filmed it like a film instead of the usual very slow pace in the studio with three cameras sort of thing. And the best part of all is they had Chow Yun-fat, Lui Leung-wai, and Chiu Nga-chi – three very good actors in the series. And Joseph Koo was given three weeks to write the song and told I was going to sing. So, he did the song according to my range, so it suits my voice to the best advantage, I would say. And then the series once was played, it took off phenomenally because the story was intriguing, good acting, good storyline, good pace. And the song at the beginning of the series every night is played has a phenomenal, powerful intro. So it became very, very popular. We didn't anticipate it. We were all flabbergasted actually.

Chan: And actually, also the lyrics were from our late James Wong as well.

Yip: That's right. Yeah, they ... James and Joseph, they are both my mentors. I met Joseph in 1969. Well, I was a TVB girl. I took part in the “Sharp Show”, which was a singing contest or a talent contest, I would say, in 1969 and he was the head of the panel of judges and he gave me full marks. Not long after that he asked me to go to sing jingles, and then he introduced me to James. And that's how I came to become a recording artist and singing background music, singing a lot of jingles. James Wong, Joseph Koo and I were quite a phenomenal trio in those days. “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” used to have commercial breaks of about four minutes, five minutes. And there was one night I was actually on EYT and I watched one of these and out of the six commercials, four of them were ours. It was quite phenomenal.

Chan: I'm sure the viewers like myself are sort of recollecting those scenes in front of our minds right now.

Yip: Well some of the commercials we did were very, the recall was very like "Gwo ma lou yiu siu sam", you know the Road Safety. "Ah je gyun hyut, ah go gyun hyut", that's the Red Cross song. There were quite a lot of them that were really still being used today, the Road Safety.

Chan: Just now you mentioned Joseph Koo and James Wong, two very famous persons in the music scene for Hong Kong. They have contributed so much! Can you tell us more about … as a mentor, I mean, you were a secretary with HSBC at a particular time and then you've got the music contest and then you got into the scene. How did they help you to develop a career? Or did you ever expect you're still … we'll still talk about music after 50 plus years?

Yip: Yes, I never expected it. Well, when I was working for the bank, singing was purely a pastime. Hong Kong people of my era do many things at once, right? I was working at a bank. I was an Auxiliary Police Inspector.

Chan: Really?

Yip: And then I also did a lot of singing because I've been singing ever since I was a kid. Singing in school, singing at church …

Chan: Did anybody teach you to sing?

Yip: No, no, I had a music teacher. I was hopeless in maths and hopeless in music theory, but everything I made up with practices because I can sing well. So, I've always learned everything by ear. I have very good music memory. So, when I became a jingle singer and went to the studio to work with Joseph and Joseph would play the piano, the melody for me to learn, and I can learn it usually after twice, maybe play it twice and I can sing it. And then with singing commercials, you learn to sing solos, harmonies, children's voices, adult voices. And I also did a lot of movie background music with them. So, if it's a very sexy scene, you learn to sing very breathlessly but if it's something very happy and you know, you sing a bossa nova or something, and then you go, really light, you know. So, I learned all my singing from them.

Chan: I'm sure the viewers are enjoying what you're sharing with them. See, I think you're one of our Hong Kong artists who had the opportunities or the privileges to travel around the world and you know different languages. How do you see Hong Kong singers at that time in your era compared to now? I mean, are we having less opportunities now?

Yip: Oh, no ,no, no, there are far more opportunities now. But to break out is harder, because the competition is much fiercer now, whereas in my young days, if you're a singer, you're a singer. Very rarely would you get involved into a film or anything else. You know, you might do a film a year. But nowadays, it's all different. As soon as … you can launch yourself on the internet without a record company, and you get a big following on YouTube. Once you break out, people will come to you and they want to manage you. And then you do movies, you become a spokesperson for products. You do concert tours, even when you're not ready you do it. So, it’s very different. For me in those days, in 1969, I could not do a concert at Lee Theatre, which was the major concert venue.

Chan: Yes, we all remember that. In Causeway Bay, wasn’t it?

Yip: It was only for people like Diana Ross, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, only those. I was the first one to have a concert there in 1974, purely because I moved to London, on a record under the EMI label in London. So, suddenly, I was treated like a foreign artist.

Chan: So, what were your biggest challenges in your sort of career in the entertainment business? I'm sure you had your tough times as well; and how do you overcome it?

Yip: Well in the beginning it was challenging because I've never lived alone. And I went to live in London, and I became a recording artist with EMI and I had to learn a lot. But it was a great learning experience because I learned how to sort of poise and, and how to handle a crowd all of that, by working in theatre restaurants and also on the BBC. And also in those days, my type of music was for Radio Two, which means that you don't play records. When you have a new record, you have to take the music with you physically and go to Manchester, Glasgow and sing with the BBC orchestras with your music.

Chan: Really?

Yip: So, you have to be very prepared and very professional. That's where I learned my trade really.

Chan: Right, so you must be either the very few Chinese singers with a Chinese background who will be able to do that, isn't it?

Yip: I think the first one who went over there was Rebecca Pang. I followed in her footsteps. But breaking ... making a success in a foreign world ... well, in an international scene it is very difficult. You have to have the right song, and they didn't really know what to do with me. They tried putting chopsticks in my hair, which I resisted. I was 26 already and I said I want to sing, I don't want gimmicks. So, I had a very good record producer. The man who discovered Shirley Bassey, Norman Newell, he was my producer. So, my first album was a really good gem, but it's difficult to break out. So, eventually, I gravitated back to Asia because I didn't like living in London. I didn't like the early, sort of 3 O'clock darkness and the 10 O’clock sunlight, you know? So, for me, I want sunshine. I want to be outdoors, I want to do ... and in London most of winter, you can't do anything like that.

Chan: I'm sure the viewers may not know Frances is a very keen golfer.

Yip: Yes.

Chan: That explains why she's always in such a nice tan color. As a lady or as a woman, have you encountered any difficulties throughout the years?

Yip: In the beginning because I was such a novelty. A Chinese girl in the music scene in London. My agent, who was an absolute English gentleman, he provided me with … as a gimmick, he called it a joke and it is a letter to say that I'm a lesbian.

Chan: Oh!

Yip: Right. So, when I have to go and make an appearance at all of these cocktails or parties and what have you, if somebody sort of suggests they take me home, and at the door I would produce this letter. I used it once only, and it's a big laugh. But after that it was quite alright. People can sense the way you behave. How you respect yourself and I've always … I'm a convent girl, so I'm rather old fashioned, as far as you know, the swinging ’60s was concerned. I didn't swing at all.

Chan: So, let's take a break now but viewers stay tuned, we will be right back.

Chan: Thank you for staying with us on Straight Talk. We have the iconic Frances Yip with us, and she has been sharing with us how music can make a difference in challenging times. So, Frances, thank you for sharing a lot of the ins and outs. I am sure the viewers would love it to know the background to what has happened. You being, I can say, you have a pivotal role in the Cantopop genre. How do you see the future of the Cantopop? Now as you said, things are more challenging in the music scene and the whole world has been doing better and better. Hong Kong was sort of doing extremely well by ourselves. How do you see the future of our singers?

Yip: I think the singers have a lot more opportunities now to actually become better. And there is a lot more technology that can help them as well, whereas when I started recording, I was an absolute dinosaur. If I made a mistake, I had to go right back to the beginning and do it all over. Now you could, you know, tiny bit of a beat. But challenging times being that there is more competition.

Chan: Right.

Yip: When somebody becomes noticed, what they should do is always try and improve themselves, to develop their own style, then they can sustain a career. When I started, I copied Connie Francis, the recording company encouraged you to do that. But when I went to London, I was told “No, you have to be yourself”. So, I am who I am now.

Chan: Right. How do you avoid burnout? And also being sort of keeping energized?

Yip: Basically you have to stay healthy. I've always been a very sporty person, so I always, in my younger days I play squash, and then I gravitated to golf. Now I do cycling, I swim, I do Pilates. I do something every day to stay fit. So, mainly also it is your mental attitude. In my lifetime, of course, you know I am 76 now, it's no absolute smooth sailing all the time. I have had breast cancer, I have had depression. So, when those times are hard, exercise was a major, major key for my recovery.

Chan: Right. Just now we … I mean the title of the show today is “How does music sort of carry us through challenging times?” And thank you for sharing your personal experience. You just mentioned you had cancer, which is definitely very stressful at that particular time. And also depression. How does music actually help you in those tough times?

Yip: It is very therapeutic. I have always had music in my life, even now when I am not working, if I am just a housewife if I am not working. When I cook, I sew, I iron … you know do whatever household chores, I am humming or singing or listening. So, for me, I remember after surgery, I was, you know, I was full of questions thinking “why me, why did it happen to me? I am always such a healthy person, I eat sensibly, I live well, I never abuse my body, I don't smoke – why would it happen to me?”  And to calm myself down, I listened to a lot of music, and then gradually looked it up on the internet sort of what causes, then I realized that for 25 years I've worked in venues that have smoking.

Chan: I see.

Yip: So, I was a passive smoker. And then I realized that is why I got breast cancer.

Chan: That could be it too, yes.

Yip: That is why I got breast cancer. So, what I must do then is to change my attitude because you don’t know when you are going to die, how you are going to die. So why worry about it? What you should do is to spend your energy on improving your health and staying healthy, and that way you can ward off the recurrences.

Chan: Right. When you were saying that you hum music or you sort of sing the music, do you sing your own songs or someone else’s songs?

Yip: No, no. I listen mostly to Teresa Tang if I want it in Chinese.

Chan: Right.

Yip: I listen to a lot of Diana Krall, soft smooth jazz stuff. Even some instrumentals, like Foreplay. Oh, one of my favorites is … Elton John’s featured in there somewhere.

Chan: Right, I see. Let’s move on to something more related to Hong Kong. And thank you for sharing, it’s wonderful listening to a legend. I am so privileged to be able to listen directly from you. And I am sure the viewers would feel the same. So, you were a co-presenter at the 1997 ceremony marking Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. That must be a very proud moment for you. How did you feel for being part of such a significant historical event? And what impact of that has it on you as an artist?

Yip: To be honest, I was terrified.

Chan: Right.

Yip: Knowing the fact that it was beamed all over the world. It was produced by BBC, they came to Hong Kong several weeks before. We had about 3 weeks’ rehearsal. And of course, June 30 was a rainy day, it was meticulously planned. For my part, I had a modified modern “cheong sam”, I wore beautiful shoes, I had several colors in my hair that matched the “cheong sam”. But of course, once it started raining, we had to use an umbrella. All the top lights were gone, nobody could see the color of my hair. But what really made me feel it was an end of an era, the lowering of the flag.

Chan: Right.

Yip: I was born in Hong Kong, educated in Hong Kong. I also became popular and known because of the success of the export of Hong Kong music and Hong Kong everything really. I promoted Hong Kong for about 17 years for the Hong Kong Tourist Association (Hong Kong Tourism Board) as a tourist destination. So, if I hadn't been born in Hong Kong and educated here, I wouldn't be here today. So, to see the flag coming down and the government accepting it and going away was very emotional for me.

Chan: Right.

Yip: And also the uncertainty of … I decided I wasn't going to leave.

Chan: Right.

Yip: And I would stay. And I had confidence that I would be happy here, and I was right. For many years, I was happy.

Chan: Let me ask you this directly. I mean, viewers, we never prepare any of these questions. 2024, Hong Kong had been through some tough times in the past few years.

Yip: Oh, yes.

Chan: Are you confident in the future?

Yip: I am, I am, I am very confident.

Chan: Are you going to stay here?

Yip: I am, I am. I still have a home here, and I come back quite often, apart from during COVID, I was stuck in Australia for 27 months. But as soon as I was able to, I came back. I believe in the resilience of the people in Hong Kong. Majority of the peace loving … I would say majority of the people of Hong Kong are peace loving, they want to make a living. I myself have not got a single political soul in my body because we were never taught that. I had to learn to vote when I became an Australian citizen.

Chan: Right.

Yip: I didn't know anything about voting. So, for me, to see the people of Hong Kong settling down into a peaceful existence, they will bloom again. I am absolutely certain they will. And I am doing everything I can to help make that happen.

Chan: Right. Just now you mentioned you were our ambassador for 17 years for the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Do you see a role of our celebrities in promoting Hong Kong?

Yip: Oh, yes, we all do.

Chan: And how shall they do that?

Yip: We all do. You know when we get invited to go overseas to perform, we promote Hong Kong, because many of the people who come from like San Francisco or whatever, many of them are originally from Hong Kong, and then they bring their friends to come and see. And then they come for a visit, you know it's quite natural.

Chan: Just now you mentioned that you spent some time in Australia, and I am sure people all over the world have been sort of, if they watch international news, there had been some smears of Hong Kong. And also the COVID we had quite a long time of restriction, and it doesn’t give Hong Kong a very good name, which is a fact. How do you find those comments when you are back in Australia? Do you see people questioning you?

Yip: Yes.

Chan: Or how do you present Hong Kong?

Yip: It became quite a frustration between me and my Australian friends, trying to explain to them the Western media had painted the wrong picture, and that people in Hong Kong are not like that. Gradually they understand it now, also they appreciate the misinformation they have been given because the truth will always win out in the end. So, some of them are coming back, which I am very pleased to see.

Chan:  Right.

Yip: But I do my best to clarify the situation whenever the occasion arises.

Chan: Thank you, Frances. I mean you are celebrating 55 years as a recording artist this year, and to mark the special occasion, I know that you are releasing a special collection of music called the “Frances Yip Golden Hits”. Can you tell us a bit more?

Yip: Well, it is …

Chan: I am sure “The Bund” is on it.

Yip: Yes, yes. And I think there are about 10 songs on it, and several new songs. I have been very fortunate that when I turned 68, I was approached to sign a recording contract with a Hong Kong label. And I thought that is impossible, I am elderly. But she said “No, no, you are iconic. We want to record you.” So, even during COVID, we had about a new song every 6 months or so. For that I am truly grateful. And they extended the contract, so I am still under contract to them. It is Wow Music. And so we are releasing this collection of songs that we did over the last 7 years.

Chan: Yes, you also have a special concert coming up as well.

Yip: Yes, in August at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium.

Chan: Right.

Yip: It is called “Gratitude” because I am so thankful that throughout my career, I've met so many people who helped me along the way, educated me along the way, and they were so considerate and caring towards me.

Chan: Right. Frances, I am going to ask you the last question. Looking at your incredible journey, how would you summarize the most significant lesson that you have learnt? And what advice would you give to our aspiring young musicians?

Yip: Wow. Have you got half an hour?

Chan: No, actually …You got 20 seconds.

Yip: I am just very grateful that I have never planned anything deliberately in my career. Things happened to me, they come to me, opportunities come and I grab them, and I work very hard to do the best that I can. So, for young artists, that is my advice: if you see an opportunity coming, you should do the best you can, and then sometimes you have to compromise, I think, a bit, but not always.

Chan: Right. Thank you so much, Frances, for sharing your incredible journey and insights with us today. Your stories of resilience, the healing power of music, and your dedication to giving back to the community are truly inspiring.

Viewers, music can certainly make a profound difference in challenging times, whether we are facing personal challenges or broader societal issues. Music can be a beacon of light and a source of strength. As U2’s Bono said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.” Have a good evening and see you next week!