5 Hong Kong celebrities who won a MAMA – before Mirror’s Anson Lo, Canto-pop stars like Eason Chan, Aaron Kwok and Karen Mok took home the coveted award

1. Aaron Kwok Fu-shing

Famous for his remarkable dance moves on stage, singer-actor Aaron Kwok Fu-shing was nicknamed “Hong Kong’s Michael Jackson” in the mid-1990s as he incorporated Jackson’s signature gravity-defying tilts into his dance routines, and they coincidentally both fronted campaigns for Pepsi.

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He started his showbiz career by joining TVB’s dancer training course and subsequently switched to acting, but it was Taiwanese motorcycle commercial in 1990 that turned him into a heartthrob with a record deal.

The “king of stage” was awarded best Asian artist in 2013 MAMA, though in recent years he appears more frequently on the silver screen.

2. Eason Chan Yik-shun

In 2014, it was Eason Chan Yik-shun’s turn to grace the MAMA podium, but with a slightly more specific award as the best Asian artist – Hong Kong.

As the champion of the 1995 New Talent Singing Awards, Chan was signed to Capital Artists immediately. His popularity built gradually thanks to his solid singing talent, and by the late 1990s he started to become a regular in local music awards, frequently grabbing the best song of the year and best album of the year awards.

Chan is sometimes referred to as the “God of Songs”, a title he shares with Sam Hui Koon-kit and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau.

3. Karen Mok

Karen Mok was given the best Asian artist – Mandarin award in 2017 even though she didn’t release an album that year. Nevertheless, no one questioned the decision because by then she was one of the most successful singers in China for over two decades.

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Born Karen Joy Morris, the 51-year-old star released her first Cantonese album “Karen” in 1993 with moderate success, but her first Mandarin album “To Be” from 1997 made her one of the most popular female singers in Taiwan, and eventually in Mainland China.

4. G.E.M.

The 2020 MAMA best Asian artist – Mandarin began her singing career at the tender age of 16, and was described as the “young diva with giant lungs” for her wide vocal range around the release of her first EP in 2008. G.E.M., short for Get Everybody Moving (her real name is Gloria Tang Sze-wing), also became the youngest Hong Kong female artist to have a solo concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum.In recent years, the 30-year-old star has shifted her focus to Mainland China after joining Hunan TV’s I Am A Singer, a singing competition for well-known professional singers.

5. Khalil Fong

Last but not least, Khalil Fong was the 2008 best new Asian artist at a time when the award ceremony was named Mnet KM Music Festival instead of MAMA.

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The Hawaii-born singer/songwriter sings in Mandarin, as Cantonese is not his mother tongue. The 38-year-old blends soulful and groovy R&B elements into his songs – a unique style which sets him apart from his contemporaries.