張禛宏 ZhangZhenHong

Living the stuff of my dreams

2007-07-18T22:23:00.000+08:00

"Living the stuff of his dreams" this was the title given to my one page Star newspaper article back in April. I really like the title because it is exactly what I am trying to do.

I have been trying to reach a good balance between work and life after work. Seriously, I think everyone should dream. There are numerous stories of how great things started with a dream. Even if you are not out to achieve something great, dreams gives you something to look forward to. Believe me it helps especially when you live in a stressful society.

You can dream but you have to remember to come back to earth. I am a realistic person so I do not allow my dreams to interfere with my job. I keep my dreams strictly after work.

Below is the Star article written by a young, attractive and talented journalist. Thank you Jo.

By JO TEH (The Star)

TALL, suave and handsome. Zhang Zhen Hong will literally and metaphorically sweep any girl off her feet. If she’s not swayed by his prowess on the dance floor, she'll likely be won over by serenades and Canto pop.

But it's not just all salsa and showmanship. A respectable professional, Zhang holds a full-time job as a legal manager at a public listed company. His passion for law is equal to that for dance and song.

Pursuing a career as a singer did not seem a promising career for Zhang who is the second of four children from a traditional Chinese family. So he dutifully packed his bag and left for England to obtain his law degree.

Promising start: Zhang, who won his first singing contest a the age of eight, has finally released his own album.
“At the time, the typical Chinese mindset was that only lawyers, accountants and doctors made good money. But fortunately, I did have a strong interest in law and it was something that I wanted to pursue,” says the graduate from Exeter University.

Even while he was memorising cases and having his fill of Acts and provisions, he managed to take time off from the grind and put on his dancing shoes.

“I was reading law and taking dancing lessons at the same time!” says Zhang who now teaches salsa and hip-hop during weekends as a hobby.

Now that he earns a comfortable salary as a legal manager, his aim is to achieve his childhood dreams.

Born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Zhang was just a few years old when it was clear that he had a talent for singing. However, his parents didn't take it seriously as they felt it was natural for most children to hum and sing along to songs.

Zhang took part in his first singing contest at the age of eight and won second place with a rendition of Mun Sui Qin San Zhong Xi Qing.

“I sing whenever I get the chance, in the shower, at home, in my car, at music studios and karaokes. It’s just in me. I love singing,” shares Zhang, who loves Canto-pop and Japanese pop music.

“Everyone has a childhood dream and mine is to sing and release albums,” he says, citing Tamaki Koji (lead singer of Anzenchitai) as his favourite Japanese singer.

“I was very active in musicals in my high school days and have had lead roles in My Fair Lady, and West Side Story.”

After returning to Malaysia with a law degree, Zhang got himself a job and continued taking singing classes after work and even managed to take part in the singing contest organised by the Malaysian Philharmonic Society in 2004.

“I was a finalist at the contest and I sang a song by Glen Mederos titled Nothing Is Going to Change My Love for You,” says Zhang who started composing at the age of 16 and wrote his first song to a girl he liked. Like a sad song, his romance didn't take off.

He managed to get a few production houses to help him produce his first album Shou Hou, which was released just a week ago.

When asked why a Chinese album, Zhang replied: “I grew up with Chinese music and am more inclined to sing in Chinese.”

“It took me three years to come up with this album. My work schedule is hectic and I can only record during my free time.”

He says he composed the entire melody in the album and wrote half of the lyrics. His inspiration came from poems, articles, and personal experiences.

“It’s comforting that I am finally able to release my first album and realise my childhood dream. I will continue producing more albums,” enthuses Zhang.

“I am living my dreams!”

Performance at the Curve

2007-06-26T23:45:00.000+08:00

Nowadays Hollywood is making prequels of their movies. I am writing prequels of my singing events.

On 28th April (3 days before the Body Perfect performance) I was invited to perform at the Curve. At first my friends thought it will be held at the concourse area in the shopping mall but it wasn't. I was singing on a moving stage which was actually a truck! The truck was parked outside Cineleasure right next to the water fountain. The event was organised by a magazine called "Smart Info" and the famous chocolate candy company "Munchies".

This was my 2nd public (singing) performance. I belted out three songs that day and it went quite well except that I did mix up some part of the lyrics. Lucky for me I think no one really noticed.

Did you notice my fake tie? It is a picture of a tie printed on the T-shirt.

Performance at Body Perfect's Annual Dinner

2007-06-22T15:21:00.000+08:00

May 1st, Labour Day, I was invited by Body Perfect to perform at their 5th Anniversary Annual Dinner. It was already my third public performance but I was just as nervous as the first time. I had a seat at the dinner table right next to the stage. Since this was Body Perfect annual dinner you can imagine there were many body perfect ladies around. The good food and ladies did not help me relax but made me even more nervous. I ended up eating only one small piece of chicken and half a bowl of shark fin soup.

I sang two songs that night. The first was my own song "Beautiful Lady" and the second was Leslie Cheung's "Tsui". I had the lyrics of "Tsui" written on a piece of paper in my pocket just in case. Please give me a break, I am not a professional (yet) so forgetting lyrics is probably understandable.

Lucky for me, the whole thing went well and I even received an en cour to perform another Leslie Chueng number.

Here's the video of me performing Beautiful Lady at the dinner.

Interview @ Ai.fm

2007-06-04T11:03:00.000+08:00

On Sunday 3rd June 07 @ 2.00pm, I was invited by ai.fm to appear on their radio show. Here's a few shots that was taken at the place.

Recognise this famous landmark along the Federal Highway?

And here I am, at the radio show, with DJ Guo Jun and Siao Fen. We were not allowed to take pictures in the studio but we managed to snap this photo.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you people who managed to tune in to the show.

Interview @ 988

2007-05-29T09:38:00.000+08:00

On the 23rd of May, last Wednesday, I was invited for an On-Air interview with DJ Nicholas of 988. If you missed it, I'll try to get the recording and post it up.

In the meantime, here's some pictures from that show.

My song ranking on MY.FM

2007-05-23T10:32:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Thanks to you and your precious votes, my song 妳是我唯一 (you are my one and only) climbed from number 16 on 22nd May 07 to number 4 on 28th May 07 on My.FM's voting chart.

I would like to say a big thankyou for your support.

Sincerely
Zhen Hong

LIVE @ 988

2007-05-22T10:56:00.000+08:00

Zhang Zhen Hong Live on Radio

Radio Station: 988
Day: Wednesday (23rd May)
Time: 4pm

Remember to tune in and listen k?

Performance @ The Curve

2007-05-15T09:52:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

I will be performing songs from my EP this weekend. The Details is as follow

Venue: The Curve@Mutiara Damansara
Time: 1pm onwards
Date: 19th May (this Saturday)

The location of the performance is by the fountain area between The Curve and The Cineleisure.

Looking forward to meeting you all there.

隐蔽藏身的艺人 Closet Pop Star

2007-04-24T17:45:00.000+08:00

昨天，我意外地收到一则由我的一位中学同窗从老远的英国捎来的短讯。她的名字叫Lynn Mei。她现今乃一位出色的牙医。我极喜欢她的名字因为它像极了我儿时所钟爱的一部电影里女主角的名字－－明美。所以，当我告诉你我的爱犬的名字也叫明美时，想毕你肯定不会感到惊讶。
话说从头，在琳美的短讯里是如此说道：“恭喜你，你终于从隐蔽藏身处走出来了！”我觉得很滑稽，却有点儿真实...... 我是指“隐蔽藏身”那部分。

现在正是我的个人专辑推出满一个月的时候。在这期间，我收到了许许多多来自各方朋友们与一些我不认识的人士鼓励性的话语与感想。也有的人提问了许许多多、各式各样的问题，其中最常问的莫过于以下三个问题。

(1) 你如何安排时间去灌录唱片同时兼顾正职律师、副职舞蹈老师的身份？
(2) 针对你出唱片一事，你的双亲、同事们及顶级老板有何反应？
(3) 你的下一步将会是什么？

几个星期前，我经已在The Star 的访谈中回答过第一道题了，相关采访可以游览此网站：http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/1/focus/17240684&sec=focus。在此，我想籍此机会为大家作更详尽的解释。说实在的，这是没有真正所谓的一套方程式或方法的。我原本以为我可以很有效率地管理与利用我的时间，但是到最后，我发觉我必须问自己一个很简单的问题：你准备牺牲掉哪一项活动？

我被迫尽量减少我的跳舞活动与舞蹈班的课程。在过去的三年内，我只能够每两个月去跳舞一次或更少。事实上，我的确鲜少流连于舞池了。直到我和朋友们在舞池里偶遇时，他们都会一致认为那肯定是中彩票的征兆了！另外，每逢周末，我坚决安排一至两堂舞蹈课。

我也被迫大幅度地减少社交活动，这使我渐渐地疏远了我好多的友好与旧同学。其实，身为一家国际上市公司的经理级人马就意味着你下班后没有多少剩余的时间。所以，我花了三年的时间去灌录这张仅有五首歌曲的个人大碟也不足为奇。真是作出牺牲多于时间管理。

第二道题，当他们知道我出唱片一事后，无一不感到惊喜万分，我也因为他们所给予的反应而更为惊讶。之前，我的至亲、同事们、老板及众多好友都不知晓此事，直至我的唱片推介礼后，他们才得悉此事。就是这五首华语歌曲及星报 (Star Newspaper) 把我从隐蔽的角落或像琳美所谓的“隐蔽藏身处”中拉出来。

总的来说，他们的反应都很积极、正面和惊奇，因为他们认为一位专业律师能身兼艺人和舞蹈家简直就像 Dr Jackle-v-Mr Hyde 一样。白天是文质彬彬的商人；晚上即摇身一变，成了蝙蝠侠。完完全全来自不同的世界并能同时运用及发挥两边脑的作用。那我更加不例外了，只因我乃天枰座的宝宝也！我需要平衡我的思想与生活。

所以，我的下一步将会是什么？我必须强调这整个 (录音) 的过程是那般多姿多彩。我决定灌录我的第二张个人专辑 (如果时间允许的话)。请大家给我精神上的支持与鼓励！

Yesterday, I got an sms all the way from UK from an old secondary school friend. Her name is Lynn Mei and she is currently working as a dentist . I always liked her name because it sounded like Min Mei from my favourite childhood manga movie. Therefore it is not a surprise when I tell you that my dog is called Ming Mei （明美）.

Anyway, i received Lynn's sms which read: "Congratulations on coming out of your pop star closet!" I thought it was a really funny. It was also true... the "closet" part I mean.

It is now exactly one month from the date of my album launch. I have received many encouraging messages and feedback from friends and strangers. People have asked me many different questions but the following three were the most frequently asked:

(1) How did you manage to find time to record an album when you are a lawyer and part time salsa teacher all at the same time?
(2) How did you parents, colleagues and your boss react to it?
(3) What's next?

I have answered the first question during my Star interview http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/1/focus/17240684&sec=focus a few weeks ago and I would like to take the opportunity to elaborate further. Basically, there is no real formula or method to do this. I would like to think I am efficient in managing my time but at the end of the day it is simply a question of which activity you are prepared to sacrifice.

I had to severely cut down on my dancing and my dance classes. For the past three years I only managed to go dancing about once every two months or so. In fact I went so infrequently that when some old friends saw me in the dance club they thought it was a sign for them to buy lottery tickets. I restricted my dance classes to only one or two classes during weekends.

I had to cut down on socialising which means I was losing touch with many old friends and classmates. Actually, working in a managerial position in a multi-national corporation means you do not have much time after work anyway. So it is not surprising that it took me three years just to record five songs. It was more about making sacrifices than time management.

As for the second question, I must say that I was more surprised of their reaction than their reaction towards my album. My parents, my colleagues, my boss and most all my friends were unaware of the whole thing until after the press conference. It was the five Chinese press and the full page Star newspaper article that dragged me out of my hiding or "closet" as Lynn put it.

Their reaction was generally quite positive and very surprised because corporate lawyer-v- artiste/dancer is like Dr Jackle -v- Mr Hyde. Totally from different world and uses different parts of the brain. Well I can't help it because I am a Libra baby and I need a balanced mind and a balanced life.

So what's next? I must say the whole (singing recording) process was so much fun that I have decided to do a second EP or album (if time permits). Please give me your moral support!

安全地帶及玉置浩二 Anzenchitai & Tamaki Koji

2007-04-17T21:42:00.000+08:00

我no. 1 崇拜的樂隊及歌手是安全地帶和作曲家及主音歌手玉置浩二.

安全地帶是一對流行樂隊、於一九七三年由五位有才華的音樂人在日本北海道旭川市成立。樂隊於一九八二年東京正式進軍日本藝能界。這樂隊在八十年代日本音樂市場上被視為“流行樂隊之王”！

玉置浩二可能是亚洲史上被翻唱最多的东洋歌手. 被翻唱的广东歌曲不少过六十首, 中文歌曲不少过十首. 以下是例子:

酒紅色的心 (譚詠麟); 黑夜快車(鍾鎮濤); 冷風中 (陳百強); 一夜傾情, 如果這是情, 黎明前的浪漫, 不思議的夢(黎明); 月半彎, 沉默的眼晴, 情不禁, 花花公子, 李香蘭, 秋意濃 (張學友); 痴情意外, 冰點(陳慧嫻); 答案(葉倩文); 拒絕再玩(張國榮); 夏日之神話, 藍月亮, 一千零一夜,懷念她, 跳舞波鞋, 突然, 想妳的舊名字(李克勤); 蛇蠍女郎(杜德偉); 了斷不了, 一顆心碎了(郭富城), 離不開(鄭伊健); 陪我去看藍藍的海(何潤東); 愈想愈無謂(陳奕迅); 痛(劉德華); 一生夢已遠(張立基)....

玉置先生, 请接受我的敬礼!

If I am asked to vote my all time favourite singer or band, my vote will definitely go to Anzenchitai and its lead singer composer Tamaki Koji.

Anzen who? Koji who?

Anzenchitai (Safety Zone) is a Japanese band that was formed in 1973 by 5 talented musicians in Asahigawa, Hokkaido, Japan and debuted in 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. They are considered as the proteges of the "King of POP" of Japan.

Still don't know who they are? Tamaki Koji's songs probably have THE highest record of cover versions being sung by famous Asian artists. No less than 60 of his songs were made into Cantonese cover versions and no less than 10 were made into Mandarin cover versions.

Cover versions of his songs were done by the likes of Jacky Cheung, Hacken Lee, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan, Sally Yeh, Andy Lau, Eason Chan, Peter Ho and many more.....

Tamaki-san, I salute you!

余人生广告片段 Eu Yan Sang advertisement

2007-04-12T09:07:00.000+08:00

右起：戴丽津 (本地歌手兼艺人)、CL Hor (本地电影“第三代”的导演)、黎明 (四人气组合的组员) 与张祯宏 (本人)。

From right: Regine Tai (local singer and actress), CL Hor (director of the movie "The 3rd Generation"), Lai Ming (from Empat Sekawan) and Zhang Zhen Hong (myself).

那些有观赏寰宇电视华丽台的观众朋友肯定看过余人生推介保婴丹的这则广告片段了。这是一个长达三分钟的故事。它不只是摧销一种商品还唤醒大家对双亲的孝顺。

甫开镜，全家人欢天喜地为小明庆祝生日的那个镜头是摄于一家中餐馆 (正确的地点是位于SS2的大同酒家)。我扮演家明的角色，小明是我年仅一岁大的儿子。和我一起的有我的父亲、母亲(黎明饰演)、我的太太 (戴丽津饰演) 以及一众亲友。小明的亲生母亲则扮演其中一位阿姨的角色 (工作人员认为有亲生妈妈在场是最好不过的，因为众人担心宝宝会因抗拒陌生人而难以应付。)

说真的，我并没有预算到会在广告里参演。这纯粹是一个偶然的机会而已。我是在开排前的最后几分钟内被邀请演出这个父亲的角色 (那是我前所未有的经验)。尽管如此，我还是答应了演出因为我觉得这很有趣。

我必须承认，在处理小明这方面确实一点也不容易。他的母亲得传授我抱他的技巧。我经常认为在健身室里举哑铃是一项很艰巨的挑战直到我遇上了小明。由于戴丽津之前已有照料小孩儿的经验，故她能驾轻就熟演好其母亲的角色。黎明－－一位资深的老戏骨也正是广告里的主角。

导演要求我们揣摩角色并扮演一个感情深厚的家庭，把那份对家人的关怀与爱护活现于观众的眼前而不只是收藏在心底深处。他要突破典型的传统华人家庭成员关爱家人而又不善于表达的慈爱。在拍摄的期间，我们被要求以自然的演绎方式演出。听起来好像简单得不得了，但，请相信我，那绝对不是件易事！问题在于我必须演得完全不自然以达到导演要求的自然水平因为我也是来自一个典型的传统华人家庭。

那辑广告片打从早上十时开始拍摄直到晚上十时才告一段落。拍摄那仅仅三分钟的广告片段，我们全班人马总共下了十二小时的苦工。如今我才明白为什么制作或拍摄一部电影是那么的令人疲累，费用是那么的庞大。不过，这是极为有趣的。我完完全全享受这整个拍摄过程。倘若再有机会，我肯定再次参与演出。

Those of you who watch Astro Wah Lai Toi may have come across an advertisement by Eu Yan Sang featuring its Bo Ying Dan product. It is a three minute short story which not only tells you about a product but at the same time raises an important awareness about showing gratitude to our parents.

The opening scene was in a Chinese restaurant (SS2 Tai Thong to be exact) where the whole family was celebrating Siew Meng’s birthday. I played the role of Kar Meng and Siew Meng is my one year old son. With me was my dad, my mom (played by Lai Meng), my wife (played by Regine) and some relatives. Siew Meng’s real mother was playing the role of an auntie (the production people figured it is best to have the real mother close by since babies are unpredictable around strangers).

To tell the truth, I did not set out to act in an advertisement. The whole thing just happened by chance and I was asked at the very last minute to fill in the role of a father (which I have absolutely no clue whatsoever). Nevertheless, I agreed to do it because it sounded like fun.

I must confess it was not easy handling Siew Meng. His mother had to teach me how to carry him. I always thought lifting dumbbells in the gym was hard until I met Siew Meng. Regine was naturally good with children due to her past babysitting experience. Lai Meng, being a veteran, was the anchor and the real star of the show.

The director wanted us to portray an affectionate family that not only love each other in their hearts but actually show it. He wanted to break through the typical conservative Chinese family where members love each other but are not good at showing affection. We were asked to act natural during the shoot. It sounded easy enough but believe me it was tough. The problem is I had to act totally “unnatural” in order to appear natural because I too belong to the typical conservative Chinese family.

The whole shoot started at 10am and finished at 10pm. Twelve hours of work for a three minute advertisement. Now I understand why making movies can be so tiring and expensive. Nevertheless it was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If given the chance, I will definitely do it again.

Beautiful Lady

2007-04-06T22:57:00.000+08:00

Dear friends, this is the song which I am trying to push to the radio stations. If you can spare a minute, I would be grateful if you can call or e-mail MY.FM (03-9543 3366) (e-mail: webmaster@my.com.my) or 988 (03-4048 0988) or AiFM (03-2285 7266) to request them to play this song.

Thank you very much.

Zhen Hong

Beautiful lady
曲 Melody by: 張禛宏Zhang Zhen Hong
詞 Lyrics by: 戴麗津 Regine Tai

*妳的手心在我手心 [Holding your hand in my hand]
(Ni De Shou Xin, Zai Wo Shou Xin)
感谢天让我遇见妳 [I thank heaven for letting me find you]
(Gan Xie Tian Rang Wo Yu Jian Ni)
我闭上眼睛 [When I close my eyes]
(Wo Bi Shang Yan Jing)
整颗心满满都是妳 [My heart is overwhelmed by the thought of you]
(Zheng Ke Xin Man Man Dou Shi Ni)
Oh…

屏住呼吸鼓起勇气 [I will hold my breath, I will summon my courage]
(Bing Zhu Hu Xi, Gu Qi Yong Qi)
我搜集爱妳的证据 [I will collect evidence to prove I love you]
(Wo Sou Ji Ai Ni De Zheng Ju)
要大声宣誓 [I swear to all]
(Yao Da Sheng Xuan Shi)
要妳听见爱的就是妳 [I want you to know that you are the one I love]
(Yao Ni Ting Jian, Ai De Jiu Shi Ni)

Chorus
Beautiful Lady 人群独自美丽 [Beautiful lady, you are one of a kind]
(Ren Qun Du Zi Mei Li)
Lady 无法代替 [Lady…..no one can replace you]
(Wu Fa Dai Ti)
Beautiful Lady 爱要爱得彻底 [Beautiful lady, I will thoroughly love you]
(Ai Yao Ai De Che Di)
Baby 将我心溶化 [Baby, you melt my heart]
(Jiang Wo Xin Rong Hua)

Ooh lady…… (repeat once from*)

Bridge
妳的爱真实存在 [Your love is real]
(Ni De Ai Zhen Shi Cun Zai)
我的世界因妳有了色彩 [You make my world surreal]
(Wo De Shi Jie Yin Ni You Le Se Cai)
我的爱更~明白 [My love for you is clear]
(Wo De Ai Geng Ming Bai)
当妳眼中充满幸福光彩 [whenever I see joy in your eyes]
(Dang Ni Yan Zhong Chong Man Xin Fu Guang Cai)

Repeat chorus

专业律师张禛宏《守候》记者发布会

2007-04-04T22:12:00.000+08:00

張禛宏舞技精湛，
自信的他演出高難度
的舞蹈動作時顯得
魅力十足。

吉隆坡讯张禛宏《守候》创作专辑记者招待会终于圆满结束。现场除了各媒体出席鼎力支持之外，张禛宏的朋友也到现场全力打气，来势汹汹。，以一段高难度骚莎（salsa），张禛宏为记者会掀起序幕，让众人欢呼不断。专辑其中之一制作人------- 刘瑞平在现场披上律师袍和大马女歌手戴丽津，一起正式宣布，张禛宏《守候》创作专辑正式面市，两人都为他献上衷心的祝福，除此之外，大马资深制作人周金亮也到现场给与张祯宏鼓励。

张禛宏自幼便是一名多才多艺的男孩子。八岁的他已经充满音乐细胞，活跃在舞台上的歌唱比赛，音乐剧表演，十六岁开始作曲，收集在这张创作专辑里面的所有歌曲及一半的歌词都是有张禛宏自己写的。虽然如此，张禛宏的正业却是一名上市公司法律部经理，舞技出神入化的他是一名业余舞蹈老师，发布《守候》创作专辑却是他酝酿了三年的心血，完全是利用工作后的时间而制作的，为了只是想去实践自己的一个梦想；但是成为一名律师，也是他在这一生中想执著走下去的一门行业。

现场张禛宏演唱了《Beautiful Lady》这一首抒情情歌，是戴丽津为他量身定做的词，更加引起现场的尖叫声。整个记者会上，让张禛宏最为感动的就是，在筹备这张创作专辑的过程中，他得到许多演艺圈中的朋友和身边朋友的帮忙，才让他成功迈向了梦想的第一步，在未来的日子，他会加倍的努力，希望在第二张作品里，他会有更好的突破。记者会的尾声，张禛宏被现场朋友大喊Encore，清唱表演了一段张国荣的歌曲，再度证实张禛宏的模仿功力，真如“哥哥”上身。

Interview with The Star Newspaper

2007-04-03T10:27:00.000+08:00

A lot of friends and fans recently had a shock when they flip through the Sunday Star newspaper. It wasn't an April Fool's joke but The Sunday Star featured an article on me.

The newspaper was very kind to give a full page spread titled Living the stuff of his dreams

If you've missed the article or didn't have the Sunday Star, you can read the article here.

Apart from just the newspaper article, The Star also featured a video of my interview with Jo Teh. Here's the video.

The full length of the video can be found here:
Media Player | Real Video

《守候》专辑在以下的音乐经销店可购买得到 Availability of My Album

2007-03-29T14:59:00.000+08:00

Dear Fans and Friends,

Please click here to find out where you can purchase my album

Thank You for your support.

張禛宏专册推介礼 Official EP Launch

2007-03-27T22:02:00.000+08:00

24th March 2007. 二零零七年三月二十四日--对于许多人来说，这只不过是另一个普通的周末，是开始休闲和寻欢作乐的时候。但是对我而言，那好比战乱时期里所谓的终极之日 (一个不可后退、决定性的日子)。为之前从来没有做过的事而奋斗了三年的紧要关头，如今果真降临了。这一天的意义特别重大，见证了我在这三年以来的努力，为历史写下新的一页。终于，我推出了我的个人专辑。To many people this was just another Saturday, the start of the weekend and time for fun and relaxation. To me, it was D-day, the day I have been working towards for three years and crunch time for something which I have never done before. I am finally launching my music album.

请别误会，歌唱不是我的终身事业。目前，我已有一份稳定的职业。我对我的工作相当的认真。我把工作排在第一位，这就是为什么我花了三年的时间才赶得及录制这五首歌曲的原因。我推出唱片不是为了寻找一个全新的事业而是为了一圆我多年以来的梦想以便在将来的日子里，我不会感到后悔。“不要让每天变成你今天所后悔的昨天！”除此之外，工作的压力也蛮大的，我需要多一点“右脑的活动”来平衡“左脑的活动”。Please don’t get me wrong, singing is not my career and I do have a day job. I am serious with my work and my work comes first which is why it took me three years to record just five songs. This is not about pursuing a new career, it is about fulfilling a dream and living it so that you never have to look back in regret. Besides, working life is stressful so I need these extra “right brain activities” to counterbalance my “left brain activities”.

身为一位创作歌手，我孤军一人奋斗作战，广东人称“一脚踢”。当你把所有的事情参杂在一起同时间进行时，那是会让人窒息的。我完全没有财政上的支援或者某唱片公司的鼎力支持。我单凭着自己的毅力及单薄的人脉去开发陌生市场。我面对了重重的困难，但我还是不断地尝试。很多时候，我也免不了“重做”的恶运，这使我白白耗费了许多额外的金钱与时间。我也更换过製作工司、监制人, 錄音師和混音师好几次。
As a DIY artist, I battled through the years as a lone ranger or “one leg kick” as the Cantonese people put it. It was not easy putting everything together as I had no financial backup and no recording company behind me to provide support. Being a stranger to the industry and having only minimal contacts, I did many things by trial and error and I had to redo many things which cost me additional time and money. I had to change production house, producer, arranger, mixing engineer and mastering engineer a couple of times.

在娱乐圈里，DIY歌手将不会受到太多的支持已经是铁一般的事实。记得我在租借场地来办记者招待会时，对方要求我把我的个人资料连同歌曲送到该处以便向该单位的管理层作出证明。独自一人挑起那么多的重担已是够辛苦了，再加上一路上所遇到的风风雨雨使整个过程更为艰辛。曾几何时，我也想过放弃。事实上，我是真的可以轻而义举地放弃的，因为我根本不依靠这门行业来维持生计。It is a fact in the music industry that DIY artists do not receive much support. I had to “justify” to the management of the launch venue by sending them my profile and songs before they would allow me to hold my event there. As it is, the whole process was already hard enough and my tough work commitments did not make it any better. There were times where I was tempted to give up. In fact I could have easily given up the whole idea since my livelihood does not depend on it.

很多人问过我为什么我那么坚持，我告诉他们一个有关狼的故事。这个故事叙述一只狼正在追捕一只小白兔。当那只狼在兔子后面穷追时，它笃定那只小白兔肯定就是它的晚餐。于是，它兴奋得几乎忘记自己在跑着呢！它更兴奋得几乎完全忘记了自己双腿的疲累！这个故事虽然出现很多不同结论的版本，其中一个版本却是我最喜欢的，它说：“如果你真正喜欢一样东西，你是绝对不会那么轻易地感到疲倦更不会轻言放弃的。”Many people asked me why I persevered and I told them a wolf story. This story tells about a wolf that is chasing after a rabbit. As he was running after the bunny, all the wolf could think of was his dinner. He was so excited that he almost forgotten that he was running. He was so excited that he almost did not notice the tiredness in his legs. There are many interpretations to this story but one of my favorite interpretations goes like this: ‘If you really like something, you will not get tired so easily and you would certainly not give it up so easily’.

我势必完成我刚开始的新里程！I was determined to finish what I started.

在此，我忠心地感激所有不辞劳苦，抽空前来协助我成就这个记者招待会的朋友们。他们有的负责联络传媒、有的则负责布置背景和布条、有的帮忙招待、有的负责舞蹈以及负责啦啦队及推销活动。I am thankful to all my wonderful friends who went out of their way to help me make this event successful. Some helped with the media, some helped with the backdrop and banners, some helped with the ushering, some helped with the dancing and many helped with the cheering and promotion.

最棒的不完全是因为我的记者招待会能够成功举行，而是我们一班朋友之间的和睦、友情以及支持。这是值得我们大家庆贺的事。这些超棒的回忆比任何一样你所拥有的宝物来得更珍贵、更有价值。“金钱诚可贵；友情价更高”What is really wonderful about the whole thing is not so much of the event itself but the sight of togetherness, friendship and support among my friends. These are things which deserved to be cherished. These are wonderful memories that will outlast any material possessions you have.

我要再一次引用Henessy VSOP的标语：“让生命中的每一分每一秒变得更充实和更有意义！”I am going to borrow Henessy VSOP tag line again: 'Live life to the full!'

周老师的话

2007-03-22T13:35:00.000+08:00

張禛宏一个专业律师，一张他自己本身的创作专辑，一张充满诚意、看到用了心、出了力去完成的一张专辑。
这是一种需要勇气、对信念有力的坚持、对梦做出交代的动作、从感性出发而以理性执行的两极化的作业方式才能达致目标的运作，却让張禛宏一个人给做到了。
我在这里给他最衷心的祝福。
从旁看禛宏把歌交出，找我的工作伙伴刘瑞平制作，Vong录音，戴丽津填词，整个过程，我留意了他对自己的要求、对工作队伍的尊重和期望，这一切的一切，决定了这一张专辑所呈现的该有的素质。
在歌曲完成之后，禛宏更成立了自己的部落格，兴奋的和所有的音乐爱好者分享他的喜悦，区区几天，到访他的部落格的朋友上千，而他的歌，已经不知不觉的负起了自己的使命，慢慢的走远。。。。。。
谁会知道，有一天，他的歌会越走越远，听的人会越来越多。。。。。。
如果禛宏不把他心中的旋律给记录下来，那么这一切，肯定不会发生，但今天的他已交出了他对音乐的热情，那么，我们该回馈给他的，又是什么？

我想，应该是支持吧！

回去告诉朋友张祯宏的这一张专辑《守候》。

好吗？

周金亮
（音乐通胜）

Word from Regine Tai 戴丽津的话

2007-03-18T03:02:00.000+08:00

Regine Tai (singer and actress)

“ 守候” 写的除了是他对爱情的一份执著，也是他对音乐的坚持。要坚持自己喜欢的兴趣不容易，但他做到了。在日常繁忙的业务当中，音乐和创作是他透气的空间。在他自弹自唱的 demo里头, 我深深感觉到了那份热忱和单纯。能够无怨无悔地守候自己的梦看着它成形，是幸福的 ~ ！

English translation:
In “Shou Hou”, I wanted to write about his persistence in love and at the same time show his persistence in music. To persist in ones passion is not easy, but he did it. In his busy daily life, music and creativity are his breathing space. When I heard his demo, I could sense his passion and his straightforwardness. He waited, without grumbling or regret, and watched his dream take form. It’s a blessing!

在还未认识他之前，我只知道他是一名律师。因此在为 “Beautiful Lady” 填写歌词的时候，制作人和我也想为这首情歌加入一些和他职业有关的元素，让这首歌词感性中带点理性，因此还蛮具挑战性的。见到他以后，更加的肯定外表看来理性的他，其实内心却是感性的 ~ 。

为这一位优质的歌手朋友，我献上无限的祝福与鼓励 ~ ！

English translation:
I only knew him as a lawyer before knowing him in person. When writing “Beautiful Lady”, the producer and I wanted to add certain elements that relate to his profession; in order to have some rationality within the sensitivity of the lyrics. It was a challenging task. After meeting him, I was certain that under his rational exterior lies a sensitive interior.

Best wishes to my fellow singer!

~ Regine戴丽津 ~

丽津, 谢谢你为我写守候和Beautiful Lady 的歌词!

禛宏

Sakura 樱花树

2007-03-18T02:57:00.000+08:00

樱花树，英译“Sakura Tree”是我的 <<守候>> 专辑里面的第五首即最后一首歌。在这首曲子的意境里，女主角因为追寻自己的梦想而选择离弃她的情人，也没有承诺回来与否。她的情人顿时伤心欲绝，但他仍然执着地和忠心地坚守他们的爱，痴痴地等待爱人归来的一天。副歌是以一道问题来总结：有多少个人能够那般的忠诚？

我确定你们会察觉到有许多歌手都不约而同地采用花的名字在他们的歌词当中。他们籍着歌颂花朵的漂亮来比喻他们所爱的人。当我写樱花树这首歌时，我深深地被樱花树本身吸引住而非樱花。花开了就会调谢，但是那棵树仍然活着，乞求另一个花开的日子。有两件事引发我写樱花树的灵感。其一是透过我偶然阅读过的一个故事。那则故事叙述一个男人拥有一个漂亮无比的花圃。他栽种了各种美丽的花树，但那里唯独一棵树是长年累月地盛开着美丽灿烂的花朵，等待着其主人的归来。你曾认识过如此忠贞的人吗？这就是我阅读该故事时的想法。

其二是透过一部泰国电影。我起初认为那是一部令人惊心动魄的恐怖片但结果却是一则伟大的爱情故事。这部电影是讲述一个已婚妇女在临盆之际不幸丢了性命。她的丈夫是一名军人。当不幸事件发生时，他正在战场上打战。那个妇女回来了(幽灵)，但是她没有把事情的真相告知其夫婿。当她的夫婿得知真相后便问她为什么还要回来，她这么回答：“我只是想和你在一起、呵护你和照顾你。纵然我已不在人世了，我还是深深地爱着你直到永远。”

一个是震撼人心，花的故事；一个是既伟大又感人肺腑的幽灵/爱情故事。两者之间或许会有点儿差别，但是它们所要表达的讯息实质上是相同的：你越是对感情执着、忠贞、忠诚，你的爱人越是觉得理所当然而不懂得珍惜。

虽然我起初的确被该部电影打动，但是，经反复思量后，我决定不加入任何有关幽灵的故事在我的歌词里，反而把焦点落在忠贞、执着和痴情的樱花树身上。

樱花树 (Ying Hua Shu) meaning Sakura tree is the fifth song in my EP. In this song, the girl leaves the man to pursue her dreams. She indicates that she may or may not return. The man was heart broken but he stubbornly and faithfully waits for her return. The chorus ends with a question: how many people are that devoted and faithful?

I am sure you have noticed many singers using flowers in their song lyrics. They sing about its beauty and compare them to the people they love. When I wrote Sakura, I was captivated by the Sakura tree itself and not the flower. Flowers blossom and then wither but the tree lives on to blossom another day. Two events inspired me to write about Sakura. The first was a story which I happen to read by chance. The story was about a man who owns a beautiful garden. He has many flowers in the garden but there is only one that faithfully blossom every spring to await its master’s return. Do you know many people who are that devoted? This was my thought when I read this story.

The second event was a Thai movie which I thought was a horror movie but turned out to be a powerful love story. The movie was about a married woman who passed away during child labour. Her husband was a soldier and he was fighting a war when the tragic event happened. The woman returned (as a ghost) but did not tell her husband that she had died. When the husband finally found out the truth he asked her why she had returned and she said: “All I ever wanted is to be with you and to look after you. I will continue to do so even after death”.

One is a powerful flower story and the other is a powerful ghost/love story. Both may be different but the message is essentially the same: the stubborn faithfulness that most people seem to be taking for granted.

Although tempted initially, I decided not to include any ghost story in my lyrics but instead focus on the faithfulness and devotion of the Sakura tree.

Zhen Hong

Tribute to John Travolta

2007-03-14T00:34:00.000+08:00

我曾告诉过你们我是怎么开始唱歌的，现在我要告诉你们我是怎么开始跳舞的。是的，我不但喜欢唱歌而且还喜欢跳舞。有的人觉得很惊讶，当他们得悉我是一名舞蹈老师时。是的，我不单单是一名律师，也是一名舞蹈老师，还为自己制作唱片。我告诉你们这些并不是为了炫耀自己有多少专长，而是要你们知道做这些事的目的是为了减轻压力和活出充实和充满意义的人生。你们有否听过 The Henessy VSOP的广告标语？它是这样的：让生命中的每一分每一秒变得更充实和更有意义！我赞同以上的标语，但不鼓励酗酒的行为。
I told you what got me to start singing and now I am going to tell you what got me to start dancing. Yes, I do like dancing as well as singing. Some people look very surprised when they hear that I am teaching dancing. Yes, I am a lawyer and I am teaching dancing as well as producing my own music album. I am not saying this because I want you to know how many hobbies I have. I am saying this because I want you to know the length that I am prepared to go in order to release stress and live life to the full. Ever heard the Henessy VSOP advertisement motto: Live Life to the Full? I endorse the motto but not the act of over intoxication.

我的学员多半以上是专业人士或上班族。他们下班后来到我的舞蹈室务求寻找快乐和脑袋的松弛。有的学员来上舞蹈课是因为他们自己对舞蹈的热枕，有的因为他们的女友或妻子叫他们来，还有的是为了追求女生而来的。无论如何，当他们知道我是一名律师时，极大部分都觉得非常惊讶。他们忽略了我其实也需要寻求快乐和脑袋的松弛。我与他们之间唯一的不同是我比他们多一点点舞蹈的知识而已。
Most of my students are professionals and working people. They come to the dance studio after work to seek some fun and mental relaxation. Some willingly come because of their enthusiasm, some come because their girlfriends or wives told them to and some come because the ladies outnumber the men. Regardless of the reasons for dancing, most of them look surprised when they hear that I am a lawyer. They seem to overlook the fact that I too need fun and mental relaxation. The only difference is that I have a bit more dancing knowledge than them.

所以，什么原因抑或是谁激发我对舞蹈的兴趣？你们看到以上的相片了吗？是的，就是这个男人。他名叫John Travolta (JT) 。他是一位大名鼎鼎的舞蹈艺术家。他那独树一帜的食指向天的姿势更是举世瞩目、永垂不朽。我以前经常在我的卧房里模仿他的姿态与动作，然后在舞池里尽量把JT 舞姿模仿到最高的境界。在大学生涯里，我和一班朋友时常在舞池里战胜其他对手。假使一个男生作出某一些动作时，我就会以我的JT动作挑战他，最后多数由我胜出。我知道这只不过是微不足道的事，但那确实很过瘾。
So what or rather who got me to start dancing? See the picture above? Yes that's the man. That's John Travolta who immortalized that infamous finger pose. I used to practice his moves in my room and then try do my best JT impersonation in the clubs . My friends and I always try to outdo each other in the dance clubs during my university days. A guy will do some moves and I will counter them with my JT moves and end up winning most of the time. I know it's cheap thrill but still thrill nonetheless!

所以，我特地献上我个人专辑里面的第四首歌给John Travolta，迪斯哥舞蹈 (Disco Dancing) 的教父,以及外面所有的迪斯哥迷。第四首歌被命名为你是我唯一，英译“You are my one and only”(千万不要混淆，这首歌与王力宏的“唯一”是不一样的)。这首歌富有迪斯哥的感觉与味道。在录音的阶段，一名现场的吉它手在首次听到此曲子时，很自然地做起了 John Travolta 的舞姿。我真的很想念迪斯哥的日子……
Therefore I am dedicating the fourth song in my EP to John Travolta, the godfather of disco dancing, and to all the disco fans out there. The fourth song is titled "Ni Shi Wo Wei Yi" which translates to "You are my one and only" (not to be confused with Wang Li Hom's Wei Yi). This song has a disco touch to it. During the recording stage, the live guitarist spontaneously did a John Travolta fingering movement when he heard the song for the first time. I miss the disco days......

Zhen Hong

<守候>创作专辑 My first EP

2007-03-10T16:35:00.000+08:00

谢谢你参阅我的部落格，就算是无意到访我也说声谢谢。如有时间的话，请继续往下读，然后让我和你一起分享我在音乐路上的点点滴滴。

首先我想感谢我的父母为我做出的牺牲，没有他们就没有今天的我，这一张EP也无可能完成。我也要感谢我的母亲在我年幼时“逼”我学钢琴，钢琴弹奏肯定是我音乐路上一个不可去掉的重要环节，而我所有的作品全都是以键盘完成。

EP其实是半个专辑因为一般的专辑都是10首歌曲。我这5首歌的半个专辑已用了我三年的时间完成。整个过程很辛苦而且非常有挑战性，也动用到很多不同的人，用了好多的时间和金钱。我要感谢制作公司，製作人，作词家，編曲家，錄音師，乐手，和音，混音師，后期录音师， CD设计师，形象顾问，发型设计师，摄影师，印刷，CD制造商等。我也要感谢我亲爱的朋友们因为他们为了我做了很多的牺牲。

那为什么我要做这张EP呢？身为一个律师而且又有一分稳定优质的工作，干嘛要千辛万苦的等待，面对种种失望和不断的折磨着自己的横膈膜，来做这个EP? 一切都是从一次客家同乡会所举办的歌唱比赛开始。我那时只有八岁，也是第一次参加歌唱比赛。大部分的参赛者都唱客家歌曲或者是充满激励意识的中文歌曲，而我就偏偏选唱了一首香港电视剧主题曲《万水千山总是情》。观众们都在笑着这八岁的小孩，可能连歌曲的意思也不明白，就那么大胆的上台学人唱这么样的一首情歌。但后来笑声也慢慢的安静下来因为他们都看到我是那么认真的在比赛中用心的唱。我最后赢了第二奖，从此对唱歌也开始产生了强烈的兴趣。

我十六岁开始写歌，第一首写给中学的梦中情人，但不幸被拒绝了，幸好不是因为歌曲的关系。中学时积极参加学校举办的音乐剧，对唱歌的热情也越来越浓了。我那时很喜欢香港和日本歌曲，也就是在那个时候，我开始有了想要当歌手的梦想。

出生于马来西亚典型的家庭，父母期待我长大做医生，工程师，律师，会计师或商人。我不记得有任何小学朋友在作文中写过想要当歌手的。如果我告诉你我的工作是律师那么我相信你也不会觉得奇怪。我对工作很认真，但也从不放弃我的爱好。

我相信种种的社会压力及限制是一定有的, 但希望大家不要放弃梦想，不成功也要尽力去试。我最不喜欢过着后悔的生活，我的座右铭是: “不要让每一天变成你今天所后悔的昨天”

这张EP的制作过程实在不容易但我深信要达到梦想是一定要坚持下去的。我希望你会喜欢我的歌曲，也希望其中的一些歌曲会让大家感到情切靠近. 这的确是一个很难忘的旅程，我打算重新体会这个旅程的滋味，在年尾推出第二张EP！请给我支持和鼓励并留下你对我这一张EP的看法和建议。也请大家告诉大家关于这一张EP和我的一切，打个电话到电台请他们多播我的歌。谢谢！

禛宏

 Thank you for visiting my blog. Seriously, I thank you even if you happen to visit by accident. If you have some time, please read on and lend me your ears as I share my music and experience with you.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for all the sacrifices they have made without which I would not be where I am now and this EP would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my mother for "forcing" me to take piano lessons when I was a boy. The piano skills proved to be valuable because I compose all my songs with the keyboard.

For those of you who are unaware, an EP is essentially "half" a music album because a typical album consists of around ten songs. It has taken me three years to produce this "half" album of five songs. Believe me it has been a long and challenging process because it involved so many people not to mention time and money. I would like to thank the production house, the producers, the lyricists, the arrangers, the recording engineers, the live musicians, the backup vocalists, the mixing engineers, the mastering engineers, the CD concept designer, image consultant, hair stylist, photographer, printer, CD manufacturer... and the list goes on. I would also like to thank my dear friends who chose to be there for me even though they could have been somewhere else.

So what brought me here? Why does a lawyer who has a decent day job go through years of waiting, disappointments and diaphragm torturing just to produce "half" an album? It all started at a singing contest organised by a Hakka association in Kuala Lumpur. I was eight and it was my first singing competition. While most of the contestants sang Hakka numbers and high spirited Mandarin songs, I sang a popular Hong Kong TV love drama theme song called "Mun Sui Qin San Zhong Xi Qing". The audience was clearly amused to watch this 8-year old sing a Cantonese love song which he obviously did not have a clue what it is about. They laughed initially but soon quiet down when they realised that this young pretender was a serious competitor. I went on to win 2nd place in that competition. Since then I developed a strong interest in singing.

I started writing songs when I was sixteen. I wrote my first song to a girl in secondary school whom I adored a lot. The bad news is I was rejected. The good news is I was not rejected because of my song. I took part in most of the school concerts and musicals and singing became a passionate pastime. I loved Canto-pop and Japanese pop music. I dreamt to become a singer.

Being born in a typical Malaysian family, you are expected to grow up to be either a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, an accountant or a businessman. I don't recall any of my primary schoolmates writing "singer" in their personal ambition essays. So it is not a surprise when I tell you that I am actually a qualified lawyer with a day job. I am serious with my work but I also hold on to my passion.

Peer pressure, social and financial limitations will always be there no matter what background you come from. Having said that I believe it is still possible to pursue your dreams without letting it affect your job. I think I have managed a part of that and it is my wish that your dreams come true one day. Live without regrets otherwise everyday will become the yesterday which you are regretting about today.

The production of this EP has not been easy but I knew I had to persist if I really wanted to fulfil my dreams. I hope you have enjoyed my music and I hope there's a song which would appeal and relate to each and every one of you. This has been an unforgetable journey and I intend to repeat it soon with a second EP! Kindly support me by writing a comment or two. Please tell your friends about me or call the radio stations and request them to play my songs. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Zhen Hong