Life and career
Early life and career beginnings
Gin Lee was born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia to a family with music background. Her father was a professional drummer, her mother a live singer, and she has an elder sister. Gin Lee recalls in an interview in 2016, "I started singing in front of people when I was three or four. My parents used to ask me to go on stage to sing for my relatives and I always loved performing in my kindergarten and primary school."[6] Gin Lee was part of her high school's track and field team, focusing on sprinting, but later stopped training due to persisting injuries.[7][8] When she was 18 years old, she won Malaysia's Universal Music song writing competition.[2] In 2007, she graduated from International College Of Music (ICOM) in Malaysia with a bachelor's degree, majoring in vocal music and arrangement. She released her debut Mandarin album ONE & ONLY through Fretlezz Production in Malaysia on 29 December 2009, writing most of the songs on it. The album was nominated at the 17th Malaysian Music Industry Awards for Best Local Chinese Album.
Gin Lee appeared on Taiwanese singing competition Super Idol (of which her cousin Meeia Foo won second place in season 2) in May 2010, performing "Superwoman" and appeared on Hong Kong singing competition The Voice 2 as a challenger in August. Her performance of "Xin Bu Le Qing" 新不了情 earned a final score of 89.2 points, with judge and veteran singer Teresa Caprio awarding her 100 points. In the following round, Gin Lee sang "If I Ain't Got You" but lost 87 to 92 points to Mag Lam, who went on to win the competition.[9]
2011–2014: Hong Kong debut under BMA
In 2011, Gin Lee moved to Hong Kong and learned Cantonese on her own. She debuted as a Cantopop artist under record label BMA with the EP Here I Come. Tracks 1 and 2 (廢話少說 and 潛水) were released as singles, with the latter topping the Metro Radio pop chart. A special edition containing cover versions of "Superwoman" and "If I Ain't Got You" (produced by Malaysian-Chinese singer Gary Chaw) was released on 16 December. Gin Lee won the 2012 Metro Radio Hits Newcomer Award (Overseas).
In 2012, Falling was released as a single in support of her upcoming album, topping the Jade Solid Gold billboard and CRHK Ultimate 903 chart. "1st Date" was released was the second plug, and the self-titled studio album Gin Lee was released on 30 July 2012. The third single "Returning Home Alone Today" 今天終於一人回家 was well received, reaching number one on the RTHK Chinese chart and Metro Radio chart. The song garnered Gin Lee two awards at the 2012 Hong Kong Metro Radio Hit Music Awards: Hit Popular Singer and Hit New Media Song.[10] In September 2013, Gin Lee was voted the Best Performance Artiste of Malaysia at the 13th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA).[10]
Four singles were released from her last EP under BMA, Ginetic, including a cover of famed 80's singer Danny Chan's "Just Loving You" 偏偏喜歡你. The EP was released on 13 November 2013. Single "Story of Rose" 玫瑰的故事 topped all major music charts in Hong Kong, becoming Gin Lee's first all kill. On 12 February 2014, Gin Lee co-headlined charity concert 盛．載．愛傷健慈善音樂會 with singers Linda Wong and Joyce Lee. She was a guest performer at producer Eric Kwok's exhibition concert and also performed at singer Alex To's My Virtual Planet Tour Hong Kong show, receiving praises from both musicians. BMA did not renew Gin Lee's contract when it ended in 2014. Gin Lee recorded a duet entitled "One Plus One" 一加一 (duet version of "One") with singer-songwriter AGA. An accompanying music video was released 19 September 2014.
2015–2016: New label, Chinese singing competitions, and beGin
In a 2017 interview, Gin Lee spoke about her time after her BMA contract ended, "In the first year of not having a label, I felt helpless and powerless. I wanted to go on but I didn’t know how to." She referred to that time period as her "dark time", having financial troubles, and had doubts on whether to stay in the music industry. "I have learned that sometimes you just need a struggle to establish a stronger faith," Gin Lee said.[11] It was rumoured in December 2014 that Gin Lee has signed with Universal Music Hong Kong in a 2 million HKD record deal for three years.[12] Both Lee and Eric Kwok have stated in interviews that Kwok introduced Lee to Universal Music senior manager Duncan Wong.[13]
In August 2015, Gin Lee made her appearance on Chinese singing competition The Voice of China (season 4) in the fourth blind audition, singing Kit Chan's "Heartache". She earned the approval of coaches Na Ying and Jay Chou, and joined Jay Chou's team. Gin Lee advanced to the Top 10 round, ultimately placing ninth overall, and third on Jay Chou's team. In November of the same year, after being recommended by Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam, Gin Lee appeared in another singing competition 中國之星, performing 天黑黑 by Stefanie Sun.
Gin Lee signed with Universal Music (Hong Kong) in December 2014, but this was not announced until 5 January 2016 at a press conference held at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. Veteran singer Alan Tam (who is also signed with Universal Music) appeared to show his support for Gin.[14] The lead single "Pairs" 雙雙 was released the same day along with its music video. A live showcase titled Gin Lee & You 雙雙與李幸倪音樂會 was held 27 January. A second single, "Man Beneath the Moon" 月球下的人, was released prior to the release of the album beGin on 18 April 2016. Gin Lee has stated that the album name means to "begin" anew as well as to "be Gin" (be herself). Both singles were well received by radio stations, and topped many major charts in Hong Kong and abroad, including the Canadian Chinese POP Music Chart.[15] A 360-degree music video sponsored by Nissan for "Man Beneath the Moon" was released 22 May. Gin Lee composed two of the tracks on beGin and co-produced four of them. Other producers of beGin include Eric Kwok, Fergus Chow, and Alex Fung, with Sandy Lam co-producing the tenth track "Light" 光芒. The release of the Korean version of beGin on 20 May made Gin Lee the first Hong Kong singer since Eason Chan to have an album released in South Korea.[15] To promote the album, beGin Live was held on 24 May at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. A limited 1,000-copy SACD version of beGin was released on 24 June.[1] beGin achieved major commercial success, being certified gold by HKRIA within two months of release.
Gin Lee collaborated with labelmate AGA again, co-writing duet "Unique" 獨一無二, released September 2016. The track reached number one on many charts, including Billboard Radio China Cantonese Top 10, RTHK Chinese chart, and KKBox's Daily Cantonese Song Top 100.[16] A duet version of "Pairs" was recorded with the song's composer Eric Kwok. The track was included in beGin and more, which contains live performances from beGin Live and remixes of "Unique" and "Man Beneath the Moon". beGin and more was released on 25 November 2016.
The success of beGin earned Gin Lee many accolades in 2016, including four awards at the 2016 Metro Hit Awards. She won the gold prize for Best Female Singer, Best Song for "Pairs" and "Unique", with the latter also winning Best Duet.[17] Gin Lee also won the silver prize for Best Female Singer at the 2016 Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation.
2017–2018: Live in the Moment and collaborations
In January 2017 Gin Lee returned with a cover of Jacky Cheung's 天變地變情不變, reaching number one on the Global Chinese Pop Chart for two weeks,[18] but performed moderately on local charts, peaking at number nine on Metro Radio and RTHK. Gin Lee was featured on Alan Tam's song " Xing Ren Dao" for his 2017 Mandarin album Appreciation. Tam praised Gin Lee, stating, "I love working with Lee, and enjoyed every moment recording the tune at the studio. She is a committed artiste who is not afraid to work hard. Give her a couple more years and I’m sure she will be a big star."[19] Gin Lee was invited by labelmate Prudence Liew to record a duet of "Torn Between Two Lovers" for her 2017 covers album Reincarnated Love.
Live in the Moment is Gin Lee's third Cantonese studio album, and all eight tracks were recorded with a live band within five days. "Live recording the album was a good way to express the message of living in the moment," Gin Lee said in an interview.[11] Live in the Moment was preceded by the release of two singles, "Kong Jie" 空姐 and "Saying Goodbye to Every Day" 和每天講再見, with both reaching number one on RTHK Chinese chart and the Ultimate 903 Power Pick chart. Gin Lee debuted "Saying Goodbye to Every Day" on 8 June at the 903夢想系拉闊音樂會 concert series, co-headlined by herself and Justin Lo. Live in the Moment was released 8 September 2017. A deluxe edition was also issued, containing a photo book and a pass for one ticket to her Live in the Moment Concert held on 6 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In support of the album, an exhibit was set up at the FWD (富衛) Passion Lab in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong from 11 September to 7 October.[20] Gin Lee collaborated with William So, releasing a duet version of "Saying Goodbye to Every Day" in September with an accompanying music video. A limited, 1,000-copy SACD version of her album was released 17 October. A third single, "Come with the Wind, Gone With the Wind" was released in November. As of the first week of January 2018, the single has topped three stations (Ultimate,[21] RTHK, Metro Radio[22]). Live in the Moment won Most Popular Album at the Fourth Cantonese Song Chart Awards Presentation (第四屆粵語歌曲排行榜頒獎典禮) held at the Qian Yuan Stadium. "Saying Goodbye to Everyday" also won Most Popular Song. At the 2017 Ultimate Song Chart Awards, Gin Lee again won the Silver Prize for Best Female Singer, and "Saying Goodbye to Everyday" was awarded Top 10 Song.
Gin Lee was nominated for fan voted accolade Outstanding Regional Artiste (Malaysia) for the 17th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA 2017). Online voting took place from 4 to 18 October.[23][24] On 18 November, a celebration event was held for Gin Lee. Her album beGin was certified platinum and Live in the Moment was certified gold by HKRIA. It was also announced that Gin Lee will holding her first major concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum in June 2018.[4]
A new single titled "Fortitude" 很堅強 was released to radio stations 12 January 2018.[25]
On 14 March 2018 Gin Lee announced on her Facebook page that her first compilation album, titled Prologue, will be released on 20 March, containing 15 tracks from her time at BMA. On 20 March, a press conference was held for her upcoming concert Gin Lee First of All Live set for 23 June. Tickets went on sale the next day.[26] On 6 June, Gin Lee announced on Facebook the release of a digital EP 信 Believe in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, containing three Mandarin tracks. She released her fourth EP Bold and Beautiful on 9 June 2018.
2019–2022: Mandarin comeback and Dear Secret
Gin Lee's fifth studio album and second Mandarin-language album Ukiyo-e 浮世繪 was released on 19 July 2019. It was preceded by two singles: "Door of Loneliness" and "Crime of Love". Gin Lee collaborated with Jax Jones, recording the Cantonese and Mandarin versions of "Breathe". She also collaborated with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti on "Vale per sempre", recording the Cantonese and Mandarin versions. These four new tracks were included in the second release of Ukiyo-e 浮世繪 on 13 November, which included a bonus DVD containing a studio live session.[27]
At the 2020 AIM Chinese Music Awards presented by the Malaysian Recording Industry Association, Gin Lee won Best Female Singer for her work in beGin.[28][29]
On July 16, 2020, Gin Lee debuted live her Cantonese single "Door of Bliss" 幸福門 on her online concert Gin Lee Music Suite, a series of live streams on YouTube.[30][31] It was released on music platforms the next day, with the music video released on July 24, 2020. Gin Lee's sixth studio album Dear Secret was released on November 20, 2020.[32] The music videos of the three singles, "Door of Bliss", "Man and Cigarette", and "Lights Out" form the short film Dream Wanderlust (失格遊人).[33] On April 18, 2021, at ViuTV's inaugural Chill Club Music Awards, Gin Lee won Best Female Singer Bronze Prize and "Door of Bliss" was awarded Top 10 Song of the Year.[34][35]
Gin Lee appeared as a coach on the TVB's singing competition television series Stars Academy (2021–2022).[36] Gin Lee released her first single of 2021 on August 5 "Let the Street Lights Rest When the Sun Rises" (日出時讓街燈安睡), featuring Jacky Cheung.[37] The music video was released on August 31.
On May 16, 2022 Universal Music confirmed that Gin Lee did not renew her contract, and since her planned September concert would be outside the scope of the contract, the company would not be involved with it.[38] Gin Lee released her seventh studio album Time & Faith on July 8.
2023–present: EEG Music
Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG) announced the signing of Gin Lee on January 11 with a 15 second teaser video, after reports emerged that Gin Lee had signed with the record label in December. [39] She released the dance track "Dum Dum" on January 12. "Dum Dum" is the first collaboration between Gin Lee and lyricist Wyman Wong.[40][41] The single topped all five major charts in Hong Kong.[42] On April 12, Gin Lee released "Trivial Matters of Us", an R&B song. On July 6, the ballad "Attention" was released. "Attention is written by Terry Chui and Wyman Wong. The song received widespread success and again topped all five music charts in Hong Kong. Gin Lee released the single "Finally" on September 25.
