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<p>Mark your calendars and see the amazing swim across Victoria Harbour or views flicks at the film festivals or absorb cultural offerings at museums, music festivals and dance performances this November.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">New World Harbour Race</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78036" width="768" height="432" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/002_p-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Against the superb and unforgettable backdrop of the Hong Kong skyline, this challenging swim allows competitors to test their mettle in the waters of Victoria Harbour. The cross-harbour race, which traces its roots back to 1906, is always a popular draw and welcomes thousands of avid participants from across the world. Swimmers on the day will commence from the Bauhinia Square Public Pier in Wan Chai and finish at the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui. The quota for entrants this year has increased to 4,000 and there will be an elite International Race as well as hardy swimmers from across the Greater Bay Area taking the plunge.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> 12 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Victoria Harbour</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Free</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Muse Fest HK 2023</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78035" width="768" height="432" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-200x112.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1.Hong-Kong-Newt_p-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Explore the cultural delights on offer across various venues in the city&#8217;s history, art and science museums under the theme &#8216;Hong Kong H.A.S. Museums. All month there are multifarious events designed to broaden your horizons and understanding of mind-blowing subjects such as the wonders of science fiction as portrayed at an exhibition staged by the Hong Kong Science Museum. A two-day carnival entitled &#8216;A Fiesta of Imagination&#8217; is a highlight. This is just one of a superb series of events and programmes across many venues which allow visitors to absorb knowledge and soak up culture.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> 1-30 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Various venues</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Free</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://museums.gov.hk">museums.gov.hk</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Great Gatsby </h3>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78038" width="768" height="432" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-200x112.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p-800x450.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gatsby-promotion-photo-2_1024x768-0830111425_p.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Hong Kong Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre captures the essence of F. Scott Fitzgerald&#8217;s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, in a wonderful portrayal of life lived to excess in opulent 1920s America &#8211; a tale of never-ending parties, unbridled greed and obsessive desires simmering not far from the surface in high-society New York. Performed against the backdrop of a steamy jazz-infused soundtrack and art deco sets by Tim Yip, dancers along with vocalist E. Faye Butler and narrator James Seol capture the spirit of the age.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> 4-5 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>From $220</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Jewish Film Festival</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78041" width="768" height="432" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-200x112.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p-800x450.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/opening-night_p.jpg 1917w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Asia’s flagship Jewish festival has gone from strength to strength and now offers a magnificently diverse range of films showcasing Jewish life. The number of filmmakers keen for their work celebrating the Jewish tradition to be showcased in Hong Kong has grown, with 21 features, documentaries and short films able to be enjoyed.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> 11-19 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Golden Scene Cinema, Kennedy Town</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>From $110 per film; all access pass HK$1,800</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://hkjff.org">hkjff.org</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Asian Film Festival</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-78043" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-1024x576.png 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-498x280.png 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-768x432.png 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-1536x864.png 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-2048x1152.png 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-200x113.png 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-10.52.15 PM-800x450.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>Watch some of the finest films Asia has to offer at various cinemas throughout Hong Kong. Almost 100 films will be aired during the festival, which has gained international recognition for the quality and breadth of its programme. In addition to locally produced features, regional selections from the far and near will be screened. Masterclasses and workshops will be staged by renowned filmmakers such as Shunji Iwai and Koji Yakusho, while eight directors including Taiwan’s Lee Hong- chi vie for the New Talent Award.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> Until 17 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Various venues</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>From $95</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://hkaff.asia">hkaff.asia</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Pop Culture Festival</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78037" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banner16_9_p-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>Hong Kong certainly has its own distinctive pop culture and a whole raft of acts will be performing throughout a festival that urges us to ‘Let’s Pop’. There will also be outdoor activities, thematic exhibitions and film screenings to bring back memories and conjure up masterpieces from Hong Kong’s golden era of Cantopop in the ’80s and ’90s. The festival highlights the progress over the years of local pop music, its creativity and its character.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> Until 18 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Various venues</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Various prices</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://pcf.gov.hk">pcf.gov.hk</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Killing TV</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-1024x575.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78039" width="768" height="431" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-2048x1151.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-200x112.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/killing_p-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Interaction between art and television is the concept behind Killing TV, as 15 contemporary artists from a mix of backgrounds contribute to an exhibition that explores the cultural, psychological and social impact of the boob tube. A range of videos including performance art and sculptural installations as well as TV shows and commercials will excite the senses and stimulate memories from the past, present and the future while addressing television’s pervasive power since the 1970s.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> Until 19 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Tai Kwun</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Free</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://taikwun.hk">taikwun.hk</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Night Vibes Hong Kong @ Museums</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78042" width="768" height="432" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-200x112.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-16-_p-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>As efforts to support the ‘Night Vibes Hong Kong’ campaign gather momentum, Hong Kong museums are offering special programmes to bolster evenings out around town. The Hong Kong Museum of Art presents a range of exhibitions and screens a romantic local film.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> Until 26 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Hong Kong Museum of Arts, Hong Kong Science Museum and Hong Kong Space Museum</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Various prices</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://lcsd.gov.hk">lcsd.gov.hk</a></em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Great Music 2023</h3>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-78040" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-498x280.jpg 498w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-200x113.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/M_p-copy-800x450.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>Winding down this month is a series of concerts under the Great Music 2023 umbrella that has seen musicians from around the world gather in Hong Kong to perform a plethora of programmes catering to a wide variety of tastes. The eclectic musical mix concludes with some superb piano-centric performances. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott team up once again, youthful South Korean talent Seong-Jin Cho hits the keys during a stirring recital, and veteran Brazilian jazz artist Eliane Elias lets rip.</p>



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<p><strong>When:</strong> Until 28 November</p>



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<p><strong>Where:</strong> Various venues</p>



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<p><strong>How much: </strong>Various prices</p>



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<p><em>For more information: <a href="http://lcsd.gov.hk">lcsd.gov.hk</a></em></p>


What’s on? Things to do this November in Hong Kong


<p>It was music for Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift for music at the get-go. The country star turned pop star royalty showed a passion for music at a young age and quickly advanced from parts in children’s theatre to performing in front of a large audience. Before a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game at age 11, she sang The Star-Spangled Banner and the following year she picked up the guitar and started writing songs.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-682x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-77484" width="512" height="768" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-187x280.jpg 187w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-11.jpg 1333w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure></div>


<p>Swift created original music that expressed her experiences of tween alienation by drawing inspiration from country-music performers like Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. Her parents, supportive of her ambition for a musical career, sold their farm in Pennsylvania when she was 13 and relocated to Hendersonville, Tennessee, so she could attract the attention of country labels in nearby Nashville.</p>


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<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-77488" width="768" height="512" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-420x280.jpg 420w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/wallpaperflare.com_wallpaper-19-800x533.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure></div>


<p>Swift met recording-industry veterans through a development arrangement with RCA Records, and in 2004, when she was 14 years old, she signed with Sony/ ATV as a songwriter. She frequently played her own songs at venues in the Nashville region, and it was during one of these performances that record executive Scott Borchetta took note. </p>



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<p>Swift was recruited by Borchetta to his budding Big Machine label, and in the summer of 2006, she released her debut single, Tim McGraw, which was heavily influenced by the teenager’s favourite country musician. And the rest, including her chart-topping discographies, as they say, is history (her story in that case).</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Voice for feminism</h3>



<p>When the Grammy Award-winning music video – full of strong women kicking ass – for her iconic hit Bad Blood came back to back with her topping Maxim’s 2015 Hot 100 list, she took a moment to speak out about feminism and equality: “A man writing about his feelings from a vulnerable place is brave; a woman writing about her feelings from a vulnerable place is oversharing or whining. Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born. So, to me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality.”</p>


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<p>At the same time, Swift faced criticism for penning too many songs in the past about her ex-boyfriends and other intimate relationships. She finds this critique anti-feminist and no longer has time for it. “When I was a teenager, I would hear people talk about sexism in the music industry, and I’d be like, I don’t see it. I don’t understand. Then I realised that was because I was a kid,” she explains.</p>



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<p>“I didn’t see myself being held back until I was a woman. Or the double standards in headlines, the double standards in the way stories are told, the double standards in the way things are perceived.” She used her 2019 song The Man to emphasise how women and men are treated differently in the industry.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Political pride</h3>



<p>Taylor also wants people to know that she supports the LGBTQ community, having received criticism of inaction in this regard. She claims she has consistently supported the movement through her work and charitable contributions. Clarifying her viewpoint, she says: “I didn’t realise until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of. It’s hard to know how to do that without being so fearful of making a mistake that you just freeze.”</p>


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<p>You Need To Calm Down, the smash-hit single from her 2019 album Lover, highlights her support of the LGBTQ community. The music video features Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres and iconic drag queens. The whole Lover catalogue was released at midnight on June 1, the beginning of Pride Month, when Swift introduced a petition in support of the US federal Equality Act. This legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act to outlaw discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.</p>


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<p>Swift also posted a letter to the Republican Lamar Alexander, then the US Senator from Tennessee, asking him to vote yes. The request, on her personal letterhead, denounced President Donald Trump for not supporting the Equality Act. “I personally reject the president’s stance,” Swift wrote. Need she say more?</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Unfashionable authenticity</h3>



<p>Since breaking into the public eye in 2006 as a 16-year-old wunderkind, Swift has become one of the most commercially successful singers of all time. Last year, her songs received 36.6 billion streams, but her aesthetic has never attracted the same kind of attention. Unlike her contemporaries, she isn’t necessarily a fashion icon. She rarely attends Fashion Week and frequently misses the Met Gala. She favours light-blue wash denim shorts, a faded pink vest and unassuming sneakers.</p>


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<p>Despite being quite nondescript, this style is notable for how Taylor Swift really is. Her attire suggests that she may be performing at a local talent show even though she is playing to tens of thousands of fans on a stadium tour. Lots of slogan T-shirts, sparkly bodysuits and prom dresses with meringue skirts. Her current tour, dubbed Eras, is a retrospective of the outfits from each of her 10 studio albums.</p>



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<p>However, a lack of fashion cred is not always a terrible thing. She is a sincere and cinematic hitmaker who effortlessly navigates embarrassing confessionals on Lover and small- town stagnation on Midnight (2022). All of this is done with an unfashionable authenticity.</p>


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<p>Swift is portrayed in pop culture as the wise best friend that her followers wish they had when they were teenagers (the Swifties actually exchange friendship bracelets). She is someone who may have covered their eyelids in glitter after being rejected by their preferred prom date, a person who would take great satisfaction in creating the ideal ‘heartbreak’ sundae with heaped piles of whipped cream, Oreos and chocolate syrup.</p>



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<p>Swift’s songwriting, in contrast to that of so many of her peers, is more likely to make references to her pet cats and a home-for- the-holidays crush than a Hermès bag. And this ordinariness resonates with many more people than perhaps she ever imagined when she first visited Nashville as a child and dreamed of making it big.</p>


Taylor to Perfection: Beyond the guitar strum, blonde locks and sold-out concerts, there is plenty of substance to Taylor Swift’s striking silhouette

What’s On? Things to do this March in Hong Kong

Gafencu Magazine People Interview with Executive Director of Big Honor Entertainment Veronica Lam Hardbit Music

Big Honor Entertainment’s Veronica Lam’s creative spirit shines bright

<p>While certainly not the first overtly-sensitive bloke to&nbsp;find success with a guitar and a mellow tune or two,&nbsp;English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has been on&nbsp;a seemingly never-ending roll these past few years,&nbsp;releasing hit after hit and breaking worldwide tour-taking&nbsp;records in the process, most recently selling out his two night&nbsp;residency at Hong Kong Disneyland, though breaking&nbsp;hearts yet again when the second show had to be cancelled&nbsp;due to uncooperative weather. In fact, the ginger singer’s&nbsp;ongoing ÷ (pronounced “divide”) tour has already brought in&nbsp;some US$432 million, while Forbes estimates his net worth&nbsp;to be around US$80 million. Not bad for a tousle-haired&nbsp;troubadour not long out of school.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45304" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening.jpg" alt="Ed Sheeran" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-opening-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p class="p1">His studiedly unstudied Mister&nbsp;Average charm, mellow persona and&nbsp;wilfully wispy chin have managed&nbsp;to capture the hearts of ‘Sheerios’&nbsp;on a global basis.&nbsp;Admittedly, his catchy chart toppers&nbsp;and occasionally saccharine&nbsp;lyrics have also played a part in his&nbsp;indefatigable rise – all of which&nbsp;begs the question, what exactly&nbsp;are Ed Sheeran’s songs about? And&nbsp;what was it about his seemingly&nbsp;unremarkable upbringing that gifted&nbsp;him such a clearly prodigious talent?</p>
<p class="p1">His singer-songwriter persona –&nbsp;heartfelt chap with a guitar – seemed&nbsp;already fully formed when he released&nbsp;<em>The A-Team</em>, his debut single back in&nbsp;2011. While many were enamoured by&nbsp;the song’s folksy qualities, underpinning&nbsp;it all was a far darker tale than a&nbsp;casual listen might suggest. In fact, its&nbsp;gentle melody masks the tragic story&nbsp;of a homeless woman (‘Angel’) who&nbsp;is obliged to become a sex-worker to&nbsp;support her Class-A drug habit.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45306" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/020_128798764-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p class="p1">According to Sheeran, the&nbsp;inspiration for the song came to him after&nbsp;he played a gig at a homeless shelter,&nbsp;presumably a locale where many similar&nbsp;hard-luck stories lurk. Whatever its&nbsp;exact genesis, it went on to be a smash&nbsp;hit for the young songsmith – debuting&nbsp;at number three on the UK Singles chart,&nbsp;while also scaling the Top 10s of Germany&nbsp;and Australia, to name but two.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">His success reached&nbsp;a new high with&nbsp;the release &nbsp;of <em>x</em> (“multiply”) in 2014, his second album, which went&nbsp;on to top charts across the world, including securing the&nbsp;number one slot in the crucial US market. The break-out&nbsp;tune here was<em> Thinking Out Loud</em>, the third song from the&nbsp;album to be released as a single.</p>
<p class="p1">Declaring the soulful ballad to be his walking-down the-&nbsp;aisle song, many fans detected a new maturity&nbsp;lurking below the hummability of this particular ditty.&nbsp;While some saw his advocacy of fidelity and forever&nbsp;love as betraying a more adult world view, others&nbsp;cynically dismissed it as the product of his increasingly&nbsp;sophisticated personal PR mill.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45303" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853.jpg" alt="Ed Sheeran" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_Wembley_3_19050650853-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></p>
<p class="p1">While <em>Thinking Out Loud</em> would remain&nbsp;<em>x</em>’s signature anthem, the album’s fifth&nbsp;single, <em>Photograph</em>, also proved itself&nbsp;no slouch, going double-platinum in the&nbsp;UK and quadruple-platinum in the US.&nbsp;While that would be an astonishing&nbsp;achievement for any song, it’s&nbsp;particularly remarkable&nbsp;for one that nearly didn’t&nbsp;get released at all.</p>
<p class="p1">During the production&nbsp;of <em>x</em>, it was recorded&nbsp;some 60-70 times, with&nbsp;Sheeran apparently&nbsp;unconvinced it matched&nbsp;the feel of the rest of&nbsp;the album. As take 71,&nbsp;presumably, pressed&nbsp;all the opposite quality&nbsp;control buttons, the&nbsp;world did ultimately get&nbsp;to hear this brooding&nbsp;musical meditation on homesickness and the travails&nbsp;of long-distance love. It subsequently transpired that&nbsp;the track was a heartfelt paean, within which the lovestruck&nbsp;lyricist had coalesced his feelings about Nina&nbsp;Nesbitt, a fellow musician and his former girlfriend.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45307" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path.jpg" alt="Ed Sheeran" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed_Sheeran_at_2012_Frequency_Festival_in_Austria_path-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p class="p1">For many, it seems as though Sheeran’s entire&nbsp;oeuvre revolves around his emotional attachment to&nbsp;troubled, unloved or much-missed women. Despite&nbsp;his clear predilection for the ladies, though, he&nbsp;has managed to duck any suggestions that he is&nbsp;merely a jobbing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothario">Lothario</a>, with his reputation for&nbsp;straightforward sentimentality and one-man-womanry&nbsp;remaining – perhaps surprisingly – intact. Indeed, in&nbsp;March 2017 with the release of his third and most&nbsp;recent album – <em>÷</em> (“divide”) – his role as the world’s&nbsp;pre-eminent choirboy-cum-chart-topper seemed more&nbsp;secure than ever.</p>
<p class="p1">Despite this, the now-super-rich strummer&nbsp;showed no sign of resting on his laurels. Indeed, he&nbsp;told one journalist that he’d approached the latest&nbsp;collection as though on a mission to write the best love&nbsp;song of his career. When <em>Perfect</em>, the fifth single from&nbsp;the album, hit the airwaves in August 2017, the overall&nbsp;sentiment of fans and the music press alike was:&nbsp;“Mission accomplished”.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45305" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ed-Sheeran-last-page-option-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></p>
<p class="p1">Even for an artist no stranger to superlatives,&nbsp;Perfect did extraordinarily well. In total, it went on to&nbsp;reach number one on 36 national music charts across&nbsp;the world, with the consensus very much that this was,&nbsp;indeed, the best love song of Sheeran’s career – to&nbsp;date at least. As the song focussed on his relationship&nbsp;with girlfriend – and, later, wife – Cherry Seaborn,&nbsp;its success was doubly-sweet for the plectrum wielding&nbsp;poet.</p>
<p class="p1">Now, with the mixture of cheers and&nbsp;cries of disappointment (thanks to&nbsp;one of the shows becoming a victim&nbsp;of a downpour) of his Hong Kong&nbsp;audience still ringing in his ears,&nbsp;what’s next for the the boy-next door&nbsp;that the whole world&nbsp;loves? Well, a new album for&nbsp;one thing, with the smart&nbsp;money being on him issuing&nbsp;a new set of songs in time&nbsp;for Christmas 2019. The&nbsp;even smarter money goes on&nbsp;his upcoming – apparently&nbsp;Springsteen-influenced&nbsp;– release being entitled <em>–</em>&nbsp;(“minus”). Even if he does&nbsp;surprise fans and dumps his&nbsp;love of mathematical album&nbsp;titles, it is most unlikely,&nbsp;however, to subtract from&nbsp;his global popularity.</p>
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<p><em>Text: <a href="mailto:bailey@itotalmedia.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Bailey Atkinson</span></a></em></p>
<p><em>For the full article, please find the latest issue of Gafencu’s print magazine or the PDF version on the Gafencu app. Download the app from the Google</em><em>&nbsp;</em><em><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gafencu.android&amp;hl=en"><strong>Play Store</strong></a></em><em>&nbsp;</em><em>or Apple</em><em>&nbsp;</em><em><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gafencu/id541555130?mt=8">App Store</a>.</strong></em></p>


ED Space: A closer look into the life and songs of Ed Sheeran

<p>From the moment Beyonce burst onto the music scene in 2003 with her first solo single, <em>Crazy in Love</em>, her stunning looks, sassy energy and killer voice ensured it was a hit. Throw in a soaring R&amp;B horn section and a vocal contribution from acclaimed rapper (and eventual hubby) Jay-Z and the success of the track was assured. As was her own inevitable ascendancy to the all-time pantheon of pop greats.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39675 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back.jpg" alt="Since launching her solo career in 2003, Beyonce has never looked back" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Since-launching-her-solo-career-in-2003-Beyonce-has-never-looked-back-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Fast forward 15 years and she is the most-nominated woman in Grammy history and, as of 2014, she is the second-most-awarded recording artist of all time (behind only Michael Jackson, who she cites as her greatest musical influence).</p>
<p>Beyond accolades, it’s also fair to say that she’s not short of a few bobs. In 2016-17 alone, she earned US$60 million, making her one of the world’s highest-paid performers. The vast majority of that income came from her Formation World Tour, which grossed a quarter of a billion US dollars. Currently, Beyonce and Jay-Z (who she wed in 2008) are midway through their On The Run II Tour, which is expected to earn a staggering US$5 million per night.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39673 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2.jpg" alt="Beyonce is the second-most-awarded recording artist of all time (2)" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-is-the-second-most-awarded-recording-artist-of-all-time-2-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Despite her fame, she is forever at pains to emphasise just how grounded and normal she remains, citing her faith as one of the things that keeps her real. Tackling the difference between her performer persona and her off-duty character, she says: “How I am on stage is very different to how I am in real life. I don’t think having a sexy image onstage conflicts with your ability to love God. No one knows what I’m really like just from seeing me from afar. I like to walk around with bare feet and I don’t like to comb my hair.</p>
<p>&#8220;How I feel about God and what He does for me, though, is something deeply personal. That’s very much about where I came from, my family and how I was brought up,&#8221; she adds. Whatever her religious allegiance, some deity certainly seems to be smiling on the girl born Beyonce Giselle Knowles in Houston on 4 September 1981. Before her solo success, she had already won widespread acclaim as a member of Destiny’s Child, the Texas-based all-girl trio that sold 60 million records worldwide before splitting up in 2006.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39671 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child.jpg" alt="Before going solo, Beyonce found fame the all-girl group Destiny's Child" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Before-going-solo-Beyonce-found-fame-the-all-girl-group-Destinys-Child-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></p>
<p>In 2002, while Destiny’s Child was taking an extended hiatus, she made her big screen debut in <em>Goldmember</em>, the third installment in the Austin Powers spoof spy movie trilogy. While a number of other cinematic outings followed, it wasn’t until 2008, when she took on the starring role of blues singer Etta James in biopic <em>Cadillac Records</em>, that her onscreen acting talent was finally widely acknowledged.</p>
<p>Despite being a multimedia entity – singer, songwriter, actress – she takes issue with being dubbed &#8216;Brand Beyonce&#8217;. She says: “I really don’t think of myself as a brand. I’m a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a performer and an actress, as well as all the other things that I do. When you add that all together, some might call it a brand, but that’s not my focus at all.”</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39676 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life.jpg" alt="While Destiny's Child found success, Beyonce struggled with her personal life" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/While-Destinys-Child-found-success-Beyonce-struggled-with-her-personal-life-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>She has , however, happily capitalised on the power of that perceived brand in order to shine a spotlight on a number of issues that are clearly close to her heart. In particular, as befits the times, her primary focus is now on empowering women.</p>
<p>Addressing this particular priority, Beyonce says: “Power means happiness, power means hard work and sacrifice. I truly believe that women should be financially independent from men. Let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They even define what’s sexy and what’s feminine – and that’s clearly ridiculous.”</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39674 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart.jpg" alt="Beyonce uses her fame to champion causes close to her heart" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Beyonce-uses-her-fame-to-champion-causes-close-to-her-heart-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></p>
<p>Despite – or, arguably, on account of – her crusade, her music is now seen as more relevant than ever. Her 2016 album Lemonade was one of her most acclaimed works to date, featuring in many reviewers’ best of the year recommendations.</p>
<p>Understandably, though, she is now at a point of rejecting at least part of her public persona, saying: “I’m so over being a pop star and I don’t wanna be seen as just a hot girl anymore. Now, I wanna be iconic. I’ve accomplished a lot and I’m highly respected, which is more important than any award or any amount of record sales.” As a summation of the life and times of Beyonce Knowles, it’s really rather hard to take issue.</p>
<p><em>Text: Robert Blain<br />
Photos: AFP</em></p>


Beyonce: From pop princess to media mogul, we chart the rise of Queen Bey

<p>After a&nbsp; seemingly never-ending seven-year layoff, Bob Dylan – the US singer-songwriter who easily out-legends all other legends, save possibly a lingering Beatle or two – brought his optimistically-monikered <em>Never Ending Tour</em> back to Hong Kong for one memorable night last month.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38623" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38623" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38623 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans.jpg" alt="Bob Dylan returned to Hong Kong last month, thrilling his legion of fans" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-returned-to-Hong-Kong-last-month-thrilling-his-legion-of-fans-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38623" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Bob Dylan returned to Hong Kong earlier this month, thrilling his legion of fans</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>Given that most other 77-year-olds are banned from using the TV remote and tucked up in bed by 8pm most nights, the Minnesota-born songsmith’s facility for churning through a 20-song set remains nothing short of remarkable.</p>
<p>This Hong Kong stopover was something like the 2,900th date of the <em>Never Ending Tour</em> – a continent-hopping odyssey that kicked off back in July 1988. It’s a gruelling schedule, especially for a man who has spent over 50 years as the living embodiment of the rock-filled ’60s, when teens turned troubadours and the times, they were a’changed forever.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38626" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38626" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38626 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres.jpg" alt="From folk singer to rock god, Bob Dylan's success transcends musical genres" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/From-folk-singer-to-rock-god-Bob-Dylans-success-transcends-musical-genres-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38626" class="wp-caption-text"><em>From folk singer to rock god, Bob Dylan&#8217;s success transcends musical genres</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>Recently, Bob Dylan was in the news for all the wrong reasons when he was famously too busy to collect his 2016 Noble Prize for Literature, despite being the first musical act to ever be awarded that particular honour. This almost cavalier refusal to conform is entirely in keeping with his career-long commitment to snubbing his nose at the expectations of others and following his own path.</p>
<p>In his early days, he outraged much of conservative America, championing civil rights at a time when the country remained virtually an apartheid nation. Later, in 1966, he wilfully alienated his folky followers by plugging in his guitar during an acoustic gig in Manchester in the northwest of England and going irrevocably electric.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38620" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38620" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38620 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966.jpg" alt="Bob Dylan first started as a folk singer before going electric in 1966" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-first-started-as-a-folk-singer-before-going-electric-in-1966-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38620" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Bob Dylan first started as a folk singer before infamously going electric in 1966</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>It was all a far cry from his beginnings. Few would have predicted back on 24 May 1941, that the firstborn child (born Robert Allen Zimmerman) of a young Jewish couple in a close-knit Midwest community would go on to become so iconic, so influential and so transformative. There were, however, one or two clues.</p>
<p>Music was an early passion of the young Bob-to-be and, while still in his teens, he discovered the works of Woody Guthrie, beginning a love affair with the socially-aware oeuvre of this early 20th century folk singer that abides to this day. After a brief dalliance with college, the young Zimmerman promptly dropped out and headed to New York, where he was soon to be ‘discovered’ playing in the smoky backrooms of Greenwich Village cafes.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38625" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38625" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38625 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies.jpg" alt="Bob Dylan's first album was a flop, selling only 5,000 copies" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-first-album-was-a-flop-selling-only-5000-copies-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38625" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Bob Dylan&#8217;s first album was a flop, selling only 5,000 copies</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>A record deal followed, but Bob Dylan’s first album, a 13-track long-player released in 1962, almost totally failed to make an impression, selling just 5,000 copies. Its follow-up – 1963’s <em>The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan</em> – featured 11 (out of 13) Dylan originals and fared far better, selling a million copies in the US alone and introducing the world to <em>Blowin’ In The Wind</em>, <em>Highway 61 Revisited</em> and several other songs that remain in the great man’s touring repertoire to this day.</p>
<p>The love-hate relationship between Dylan and his devotees / detractors that began in his early career has never entirely dwindled. When not needling his fanbase with one of his passing phases – Christianity, Vegas showman, reclusive rock star – it is his on-stage persona and his very demeanour that has sometimes had even the most ardent of Dylanaphiles weeping into their souvenir baseball caps.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38622" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38622" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38622 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer.jpg" alt="Bob Dylan is renowned for being a belligerent performer" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylan-is-renowned-for-being-a-belligerent-performer-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38622" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Bob Dylan is renowned for being a belligerent performer</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>Bob Dylan is also renowned for his somewhat belligerent stage presence, which famously sees him mumble through his best-known lyrics, wantonly rearrange old favourites and sometimes wholly fail to acknowledge the presence of his audience with so much as a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>And yet, his undisputed status as Difficult Dylan has done little to diminish his worldwide popularity. It certainly hasn’t put a brake on the accolades he accumulates –&nbsp;a Nobel Prize, the Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award in the US), 12 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, several honorary doctorates and more.</p>
<p><figure id="attachment_38624" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-38624" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-38624 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature.jpg" alt="Bob Dylan's countless accolades include a Medal of Freedom and a Nobel Prize in Literature" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bob-Dylans-countless-accolades-include-a-Medal-of-Freedom-and-a-Nobel-Prize-in-Literature-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-38624" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Bob Dylan&#8217;s countless accolades include a Medal of Freedom and a Nobel Prize in Literature</em></figcaption></figure></p>
<p>With the superstars of the ’60s on their collective last gasp – we’re down to two Beatles, two founding members of The Who, and a fairly-poorly Joni Mitchell – Bob Dylan is one of a clearly dying breed. Whatever his peccadilloes, he’s one of the greatest exponents of rock’s greatest ever decades and has remained reassuringly relevant throughout his career. For that alone, he should be granted unlimited licence to skulk and otherwise misbehave. Even living legends don’t last forever and this one should surely be savoured while we still can.</p>
<p><em>Text: Tenzing Thondup<br />
Images: AFP</em></p>


Bob Dylan is a our Celebrity of the Month

Folk singer, turned rock star, turned living legend, there’s only one Bob Dylan

<p>When thinking of vinyl records, one might be forgiven for conjuring loon-panted leggy lovelies belting out 1970s disco classics. Images of contemporary condos and expansively-moustachioed millennials, however, would not necessarily spring to mind. And yet, in the comeback of the century, vinyl resurgence is now clearly a thing.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37778 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today.jpg" alt="A vinyl resurgence has dawned thanks to the youths of today" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-vinyl-resurgence-has-dawned-thanks-to-the-youths-of-today-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Since 2009, demand for this once-obsolete format has surged by 260 percent. Acts that once shunned – or even emerged well after the heyday of – this analogue audio system are now dissing digital and watching sales of their retro-style records rise.</p>
<p>Vinyl was first dreamt up by Thomas Edison, who unveiled a rudimentary, tinfoil-covered metal cylinder prototype back in 1877. Then, in 1894, Emile Berliner, a well-known German-American inventor, devised its current flat, black disc format and introduced the gramophone, which soon became the almost universally-adopted means of playing them well into the 20th century.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37780 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice.jpg" alt="Gramophones once graced most affluent households as the music device of choice" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Gramophones-once-graced-most-affluent-households-as-the-music-device-of-choice-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>It was then that the reputedly-indestructible CD made its debut.&nbsp; Launched in 1982, sales of this digital upstart eclipsed the demand for vinyl within a decade, with the format all but vanishing from record stores.</p>
<p>Yet, the medium never entirely went away, although it did pretty much exit mainstream use in succeeding decades. From the early 1990s until only two or three years ago, it was solely championed by the more eccentric audiophiles, those who maintained that Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon – among many others – lost something intangible in the analogue-to-digital transition.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37783 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877.jpg" alt="Vinyl records were first invented in 1877" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Vinyl-records-were-first-invented-in-1877-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Until recently, the death of vinyl was pretty much a statistical fact. Back in 2007, for instance, only 0.2 percent of all US music purchases were vinyl-related. By 2016, though, something strange was clearly afoot, with the vinyl resurgence evident in the fact that it now represents 11 percent of US music purchases. This equated to 12 million records, the highest volume of vinyl purchases for more than a quarter of a century.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Significantly, this is no incidence of mass nostalgia, with many of these latter-day vinyl purchasers not even born during the glory days of the format. According to a recent survey by eBay, one in four 18-24-year-olds in the US has bought a vinyl record in the last 12 months, with many claiming to buy a new vinyl LP (long-player) every month.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37781 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition.jpg" alt="Many claim something is lost in translation in the analogue-to-digital transition" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Many-claim-something-is-lost-in-translation-in-the-analogue-to-digital-transition-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Tellingly, the vinyl resurgence comes after the demise of the format that superseded it, with digital downloads and music streaming services having put paid to the CD’s brief dominance of the sector. Indeed, taking a more cynical look at the music industry, the vinyl audio experience is the only medium that cannot be instantly recreated using current technology.</p>
<p>Put simply, nurturing the idea that vinyl offers a unique listening experience is something of a life-line for the music industry, given that comparatively few listeners pay for new albums, largely because illicit and free downloads are so ubiquitous and far too widespread for any clampdown to become genuinely effective.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37782 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl.jpg" alt="Today's musical acts have opted to go vinyl" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Todays-musical-acts-have-opted-to-go-vinyl-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>And yet, despite the vast amount of newsprint and screen space devoted to the vinyl revival over recent years, no one seems entirely sure exactly why the format is back in favour. For most, it is more of a technical/experiential thing.</p>
<p>Others, though, see the renewed popularity of the format relating to far more than just perceived musical quality. Indeed, the owner of one Detroit record store expressed the feelings of many when he said: “It’s more of an experience. You can hold a record in your hand. You can read the lyrics. You can look at the artwork.”</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-37779 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl.jpg" alt="Cover art is a major factor when purchasing vinyl" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Cover-art-is-a-major-factor-when-purchasing-vinyl-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<p>Cover artwork is surprisingly frequently cited as a factor in the renewed popularity of the LP. Indeed, this particular manifestation of pop culture was every bit as curtailed by the emergence of digital music formats as was vinyl itself.</p>
<p>While the glory days of vinyl left a legacy of album covers that still permeate popular culture – The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon to name but two – the digital era has created few equivalents. It is perhaps fitting, then, that a number of latter-day vinyl purchasers concede they make their selection as much on aesthetic grounds as on audio considerations.</p>
<p>So, a symptom of disconnected youth, a cash-starved industry conspiracy, the pursuit of audio excellence, the hankering for a lost art form or an indulgence on the part of hipster show-offs? While all of them have probably played a part in the vinyl resurgence, not all of them are likely to equally sustain it. It will be a few years yet before we can be sure that the long-player plays on and that the last few years have not just been a vinyl lap of honour.</p>
<p><em>Text: Tenzing Thondup</em></p>


And Vinylly… Vinyl resurgence is definitely a thing, but for how long?

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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Come end of November and we’ll get to see an unknown side of some of Hong Kong’s most recognisable faces. On 25 November, prominent political personalities, business tycoons, doctors, etc. are coming together to host a charity concert in collaboration with Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. The charity lends support to HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund, which aims to accelerate the recovery rate among patients with permanent spinal cord injuries.</p>
<p>The charity concert, which sees esteemed members from different walks of life join hands with the full body of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, also aims to raise awareness among the younger generation about Hong Kong’s own musical heritage.</p>
<p>As Ella Lau, the concert’s organiser explained, “This concert hopes to promote the education programme developed by HK Chinese Orchestra and, at the same time, support the HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund. Our performers are all amateur singers united by a common passion for charity. It is also our mission to spread Hong Kong’s music tradition among younger people.”</p>
<p>One of the most prominent faces to lend his voice to the cause is celebrated doctor and former Secretary of Food and Health, Ko Wing-man, who feels this is a creative and effective way to spread awareness about spinal cord injury.</p>
<p>Another well-known personality to support the cause is William Louey, Director of Kowloon Motor Bus Company. He says, “Doing all kinds of charity makes me happy. In this charity event, you’ll see me singing, taking photos and doing a lot of other creative work.”</p>
<p><em>Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay</em></p>


Singing for a cause: Charity concert in November supports HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund

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<p>The Landmark Mandarin Oriental recently played host to the super-talented British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist sensation Lianne La Havas, known for her riveting live performances.</p>
<p>Organised at MO Bar to celebrate the launch of the hotel’s newest and largest Entertainment Suite, the Lianne La Havas Solo Acoustic Concert drew hordes of music lovers, including socialites like Amanda Lui, Celia Wong, Deborah Sims, Esther Ma, Gaile Lok, Joyce Wang, Kayla Wong, Paul Sunga, Rosemary Vandenbroucke, Shirley Hiranand, Tia Ray, Vanessa Yeung and many more.</p>
<p>The atmosphere at the packed MO Bar was electrifying as La Havas crooned popular numbers from her latest chartbusters. Earlier in the evening, the mood was set by the equally engaging opening acts by DJ Roger ReFlex de Leon and Cornish born singer-songwriter Samuel J.</p>
<p>Talking about the event, Torsten van Dullemen, GM of Landmark Mandarin Oriental, said, “La Havas’ stellar performance has further established MO Bar as a key cultural destination in Hong Kong with a reputation for distinctive musical events.”</p>


Tag: music