Singing & Lyrics Blog

Image extracted from https://cocolee.com

With so many incidents unfolding after her death, we hope that justice will be brought to Coco Lee and that she may rest in peace. Whoever the culprits are, they ought to be ashamed of themselves, as money is indeed the root of all evil. Can greed go to such an extent and cause such ridiculous incidents, unhappiness, and tragedies?

The entertainment world is just too corrupted and commercialized. Real talents are not being appreciated. Now, I truly appreciate those who busk on the streets and choose to tip them because it is their effort to perform and earn a decent living.

Entertainment can be staged too much, but causing hurt, manipulation, and harassment is equivalent to a crime.

As we try to settle our minds and find peace in this world, we dedicate another tribute to our beloved angel, Coco Lee.

Written by Tony from Australia

Like many people, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Coco Lee. I never thought that such a vibrant, energetic entertainer would die so young.

I have been a Coco Lee fan since the mid-90s, and I was really into her music from that period to the early 2000s. My first memory of Coco Lee, or should I say Lee Mei Lam, was from watching the 1993 New Talent Singing Awards. I recall listening to this beautiful girl covering Whitney Houston’s ‘Run To You.’ I was so impressed with her tone, techniques, and range. How professional she sounded at such a young age—she was just 18 years old. A new star was born!

The New Talent Singing Awards was an annual singing competition that created many Hong Kong superstars over the years, such as Anita Mui (1982), Sammi Cheng (1988), East Chan (1995), and others. However, finishing as the first runner-up did not guarantee a solo album deal. Coco participated in a few singing projects during her time at Capital Artists Music Limited (華星唱片出版有限公司), yet she did not release her debut Cantonese album, ‘Every Time I Think of You,’ until 1997, after she had already made it big in Taiwan. In my opinion, Coco Lee was just too ‘American’ or ‘International’ for the Hong Kong music market at the time. Her vocal style and image were just too ‘ABC’ (American Born Chinese) for the locals, I think.

Thank God Taiwan’s music industry was far more accepting of Coco’s rhythm & blues music style. After releasing a few Mandarin and English albums in Taiwan between 1994 and 1995, Coco gained more popularity. In 1996, Coco was signed as a lead artist under the major record label Sony Music Taiwan. This was also when I rediscovered her. At first, I wasn’t sure who she was because Coco had changed her Chinese name to Lee Wen when she went to Taiwan, but I remembered her voice. ‘CoCo Lee & CoCo’s Party’ were the first two albums I bought of hers. I used to listen to them on repeat back in the day. I loved singing ‘Love Me A Little Longer (愛我久一點)’ and ‘Yesterday’s Passion (往日情).’ These were well-written and produced songs specifically for Coco, songs that allowed Coco to showcase her versatility as a singer. She could make you want to get up and dance with up-tempo songs and move you with heartfelt ballads. Between June 1996 and May 1999, just under three years, Coco released 7 albums! Talk about impressive!! By now, Coco was so popular in Taiwan; she was indeed a pop diva.

In November 1999, Coco became the first Chinese artist to release an original English album in America! While it might not have had the chart success one would have hoped for, the album was well-received among fans and music critics. Coco toured many countries to promote ‘Just No Other Way,’ and in fact, Coco came to Sydney, Australia, for a visit. She did a free mini-concert at Chatswood Westfield Shopping Centre. I was lucky enough to meet her and have some of my CDs autographed. Coco was so nice and lovely; everybody loved her.

There are just too many highlights to mention about Coco Lee’s amazing career, such as performing live at the Oscars, being featured in the Chinese version of the animated movie ‘Mulan,’ and winning the singing competition ‘I Am A Singer’ in China in recent years. Coco’s achievements and legacy will live on; she has shown the world that being a Chinese artist deserves a seat at the international table. Coco will forever be missed by many.