30 Facts About Kay Tse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The song made a lasting impression on Hong Kong's collective consciousness, and marks Kay Tse's rise to prominence as not only one of the leading female singers of Hong Kong music, but as a socially conscious "grassroots diva".

Kay Tse swept all the most prestigious year-end music awards in 2008, including the Media Grand Prize co-presented by Hong Kong's four major media outlets awarded to the performer garnering the most awards that year.

Following-up on the previous year's success, Kay Tse released two albums, Yelling and Slowness in 2009.

Kay Tse announced her first stadium concert, Kay Tse Yelling Live 2009 in support of the album, which was held at the Hong Kong Coliseum in May The concert later toured to Macau and Guangzhou in December, becoming her first concerts held outside of Hong Kong.

On 23 August 2010, Kay Tse held a press conference to announce her contract renewal with Cinepoly, reportedly a seven-figure deal spanning 5 years.

Kay Tse became frequently attacked in the media, especially by the publications Oriental Sunday and New Monday, which were owned by Emperor Entertainment Group.

Kay Tse admitted to Black Paper Magazine in 2011 that she had suffered depression during this time, though had recovered.

On 15 August, Kay Tse debuted her follow-up single "Your Happiness", which became the title track of the album released on 13 October 2011.

In 2012, Kay Tse performed as a principal cast member in Loving the Silent Tears, a Broadway-style musical production at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, USA.

On 29 March 2013, Kay Tse announced that she had signed to Gold Typhoon.

Kay Tse briefly signed with Herman Ho's record company, Stars Shine International before it closed, releasing the Cantonese single, "The Best of Time".

On 30 June 2014, Kay Tse's company released her new single Egg and Lamb.

On 29 September 2014, Kay Tse released Kontinue, her first Cantonese album since 2011's Your Happiness.

In 2015, Kay Tse began her 10th Anniversary World Tour on 10 October.

In December 2017, Kay Tse signed with Juno Mak's label, imagine.

Kay Tse is married to fellow Hong Kong singer Louis Cheung, with whom she has two children.