31 Facts About Shirley Kwan

Shirley Kwan or Kwan Suk Yee is an influential former Cantopop singer from Hong Kong.

Shirley Kwan is noted for her distinct, whispery vocal style and known equally for singing mainstream ballads and more alternative songs.

Shirley Kwan announced her retirement from the music industry in April 2020.

Shirley Kwan was born in Hong Kong and moved to Los Angeles at the age of twelve.

Shirley Kwan studied fashion before venturing into the entertainment industry in 1986, at the age of 20.

Shirley Kwan had her first taste of the limelight in 1986 when she became one of twelve finalists in TVB's New Talent Singing Awards, along with Andy Hui and Leon Lai, but lost to both.

Shirley Kwan caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years.

Shirley Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song "Borderless".

The album, which sold platinum, enjoyed huge chart success and spawned a further hit single, the up-tempo "Lovers Beneath the Stars", with Shirley Kwan sweeping newcomer awards at all of the major year-end music award shows.

Shirley Kwan covered Amina's 1991 winning Eurovision entry, "Le dernier qui a parle", rewritten by veteran lyricist Andrew Lam as "Buddhist Chant", which became a surprising top 10 radio single.

On 18 November 1993, Kwan released the platinum-selling album, The Story of Shirley, which spawned the minor hit "Fake Love".

Shirley Kwan further established her place as a cantopop diva with the album My Way, released on 8 July 1994.

Shirley Kwan spent the second half of the 90s mostly away from the public eye, but managed to strike up some significant collaborations with friends and fellow contemporaries Tats Lau and Anthony Wong Yiu Ming of the former Tat Ming Pair.

In 1997, Shirley Kwan lent her vocals to the theme song of a radio drama produced by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, "Take Me Out Dancing" which featured a soprano backing vocal mixed with a thumping dance beat.

In fall 2005, Shirley Kwan stepped into the recording studio and performed a duet with music veteran Alan Tam in "Rekindle The Flame", a Cantonese remake of the French ballad "J'ai murmure va-t-en".

The news of Shirley Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong's airwaves, and "Rekindle" took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.

Two months later, Shirley Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group by the famous producer Frankie Lee Chun.

The first single "About Me" saw Shirley Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon.

In early February 2006, the eponymous EP Shirley Kwan was released, introducing the second brand new single, "Evolution".

Shirley Kwan dedicated the performance to her late mother, and broke down during her performance of the Hins Cheung cover, "Stay Young Forever", prompting a memorable audience sing-along.

Shirley Kwan performed a medley of theme songs including "Invincible" and "Let Me Stay by Your Side" backed by Hanjin Tan, Supper Moment and The Interzone Collective, as well as presented the awards for Best Original Film Song and Best Original Score.

However, the working relationship between the company and Shirley Kwan was rocky, and Shirley Kwan announced that she would retire from the entertainment industry after having fulfilled her contract.

In early 1997, Shirley Kwan was asked by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai to star in his film Happy Together.

Shirley Kwan was flown to Argentina in five days' notice and ended up spending more than two months filming.

Shirley Kwan is a single mother and gave birth to her son in January 2002 in Canada.

Shirley Kwan broke her silence on the matter in 2014 when she posted a photo of Zuri Rinpoche the 8th, a Bhutanese religious teacher, on her Instagram, with a caption saying he is the true father of her child.

In September 2012, Shirley Kwan posted a suicidal message on Facebook.

Shirley Kwan was incommunicado for roughly thirty-six hours before contacting her younger sister to confirm her safety.

In October 2016, Shirley Kwan was rescued from the waters off Kensington Beach.

Shirley Kwan was walking along the shore with a female friend, who had reportedly told officers that she was unhappy from work and had walked down to the sea for a swim.

In May 2017, Shirley Kwan was charged with one count of intimidation and one count of common assault for an altercation that took place with a Kensington Beach Hotel restaurant staff earlier in March.