Kay Tse

Kay Tse On-kay (born 13 March 1977) is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.

She is a prominent figure in Hong Kong music and popular culture and was once frequently referred to in the media as a "grass-roots diva" and "goddess".

She is known for songs which deal with social issues and the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong.

Kay Tse was born on 13 March 1977 in Tai Po, Hong Kong, the only child of a Hakka family.

She first learned to play the piano at the age of six, and has since obtained eighth-grade level.

Tse attended Valtorta College, a state-funded Catholic high-school in Tai Po and obtained 21 points in her Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.

She is considered to be one of the four leading female Cantopop singers of the 2000s–2010s, along with Miriam Yeung, Joey Yung, and Denise Ho.

Tse began her studies at the University of Hong Kong in 2002, majoring in American Studies, and graduated in 2005.

During this time, she entered a university singing competition, performing the Stefanie Sun song, "Believe" (相信).

One of the judges was music producer Adrian Chow (周博賢), who was so impressed that he would sign her onto his independent label, "Ban Ban Music".

At the time, Tse was also working part-time as a piano teacher and taught English.

Tse's debut album, Kay One, was released on 5 May 2005.

The album combines an eclectic mix of pop, rock and jazz styles.

Kay One spawned five singles, including lead single "Beauties" (姿色份子), an up-tempo, pop-rock song which criticises the beauty imperative within an Asian context.

Follow-up single "The One and Only" (我歌. . . 故我在) is a slow ballad which showcases Tse's wide vocal range.

On 23 December 2005, the album received a special re-release edition titled Kay One Plus, with a new bonus track called "Follow Me" (跟我走).

The song contains folk elements and deals with her music and her fans.

It topped the TVB chart and became her first number one song.

In addition, the album contains two non-Cantonese songs: The One and Only, an English cover of the second single; and "Plastic Rose" (塑膠玫瑰), the mandarin version of "Beauties".

In 2006, Tse started garnering more media attention, first losing her dental braces she had worn for many years.

On 2 June, she released the EP, K sus2, which contained the first single "Gloomy Festival" (愁人節).

The single received positive critical reception for raising concern about disadvantaged groups in society.

It garnered a decent amount of airplay and became her first single to peak within the top 10 of all four major charts, reaching no. 1 on both the TVB and Commercial Radio charts, and winning her first year-end song award at the 2006 Ultimate Song Chart Awards.

On 12 October 2006, Tse joined major label Cinepoly Records, a decision made by Tse alongside her manager Sammy Haze and music producer Adrian Chow, on the condition that they be granted a level of artistic freedom.

Shortly after signing with Cinepoly Records, Tse held a press conference on 26 November 2007 to announce that she had been three months pregnant, with plans to take a maternity leave after a farewell concert and a new album.

On 5 January 2007, Tse held her farewell concert, Kay Tse: The First Day Live, at KITEC, co-presented by Ban Ban Music and Commercial Radio Hong Kong.

Labelmates Hins Cheung, Kelvin Kwan, and Wilfred Lau performed as guests.

Onstage, Tse remarked that it had been exactly 2 years since she debuted her first single, "Beauties" and took the opportunity to premiere a new single, "The First Day".

The First Day was the first album Tse recorded for Cinepoly.

Released on 18 January 2007, the album contained three new songs and nine newly rearranged versions of previous songs.

Lead single "Problems upon Problems" (節外生枝) became Tse's most successful single at that point, reaching three of the four major singles charts.

A second edition of the album was released in March, which included a bonus DVD of her farewell concert.

In late January, Tse married fellow Hong Kong songwriter and recording-artist Louis Cheung.

The ceremony took place in Regal Airport Hotel near Hong Kong International Airport.

She gave birth to her son on 11 December 2007.

Following the birth of her son and almost a year's hiatus from music, Tse released a new songs and greatest hits compilation, 3/8, in December 2007.

The compilation's three new songs, "3/8", "Zhong Wu Yan" (鍾無艷) and "The Retired Life of Wonder Woman" (神奇女俠的退休生活) were all released as singles, with the latter two reaching number 1 on various charts.

Tse explained that the album title, 3/8, refers to the eight stages of life, and the three-eights that she has traveled.

Tse's main claim to fame was her 2008 song, "Wedding Invitation Street" (囍帖街), which was widely successful and swept many prestigious year-end music awards.

This was followed by a string of further hits including "Song of the Year" (年度之歌), Lone Village (獨家村), "Hillwood Road" (山林道) and viral hits such as "The Egg and the Lamb" (雞蛋與羔羊) and "Rashomon" (羅生門).