Di-Dar
Encyclopedia
Di-Dar is an album recorded by Chinese Cantopop
singer Faye Wong
when she was based in Hong Kong
.
Released in December 1995, towards the end of her recording contract with Cinepoly Records
, this is Faye Wong's last Cantonese album.
Di-Dar (there is no Chinese name) mixes a yodelling style with a touch of Indian
and Middle Eastern
flavor. Having composed several songs in previous albums expressing a desire to release herself, Wong was now finally fed up with the hypocritical industry. The songs express feelings of hollowness, languor, apathy and desperation, and the related music videos show her doing all kinds of meaningless things, playing and dancing by herself, apparently bored to death. Nevertheless, this album was a success, partly because it was so different from the mainstream Cantopop music. Ironically, it contained a couple of very traditional romantic songs which topped the singles charts.
In October 2008, the Hong Kong magazine Ming Pao
Weekly asked HK music journalist Fung Lai-Chee to name what he considered as the 40 classic Cantopop
albums of the last 40 years. Di-Dar featured at number 27 in the list; he described it as "The best psychedelic and best-selling avant-garde work in Cantonese pop, with songs that are self-centred, ignoring market and others' work. Abstruse, obscure, mystery…"
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
singer Faye Wong
Faye Wong
Faye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
when she was based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Released in December 1995, towards the end of her recording contract with Cinepoly Records
Cinepoly Records
Cinepoly Records is a Hong Kong-based record label founded in 1985. It was a subsidiary of PolyGram Records and the film company Cinema City. Ownership of Cinepoly Records switched to Universal Music Group after Universal acquired PolyGram Records in 1998 and albums are now distributed by...
, this is Faye Wong's last Cantonese album.
Di-Dar (there is no Chinese name) mixes a yodelling style with a touch of Indian
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
and Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
flavor. Having composed several songs in previous albums expressing a desire to release herself, Wong was now finally fed up with the hypocritical industry. The songs express feelings of hollowness, languor, apathy and desperation, and the related music videos show her doing all kinds of meaningless things, playing and dancing by herself, apparently bored to death. Nevertheless, this album was a success, partly because it was so different from the mainstream Cantopop music. Ironically, it contained a couple of very traditional romantic songs which topped the singles charts.
In October 2008, the Hong Kong magazine Ming Pao
Ming Pao
Ming Pao is a Chinese language newspaper published by Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, Ming Pao established four overseas branches in North America, each provides independent reporting on local news and collect local advertisements. Currently, only the two Canadian editions remain: Ming...
Weekly asked HK music journalist Fung Lai-Chee to name what he considered as the 40 classic Cantopop
Cantopop
Cantopop is a colloquialism for "Cantonese popular music". It is sometimes referred to as HK-pop, short for "Hong Kong popular music". It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop...
albums of the last 40 years. Di-Dar featured at number 27 in the list; he described it as "The best psychedelic and best-selling avant-garde work in Cantonese pop, with songs that are self-centred, ignoring market and others' work. Abstruse, obscure, mystery…"
Track listing
- Di-Dar
- 假期 (Gaa Kei) – Vacation
- 迷路 (Mai Lou) – Lost Track
- 曖昧 (Ngoi Mui) – Scandalous
- 或者 (Waak Ze) – Maybe
- 我想 (Ngo Seung) – I Think
- 享受 (Hoeng Sau) - Like
- 一半 (Yat Bun) – One Half
- 無題 (Mou Tai) - Untitled
- 流星 (Liu Xing) – Comet