Leon LaiLeon Lai

In 1985, at eighteen, Leon Lai returned to Hong Kong from Britain. The English Wikipedia instead dates the return to 1984. After returning Leon Lai sat the TVB artist-training class and the newcomer interview for RTHK's "Summer Fun", later won the talent search "Bik Chuen finds a new star", was invited to guest in the film "我願意", and also met producer 黃華麒 on the street and was invited to be an extra in "豬仔出更", the first paid performance. In between Leon Lai also worked as a telephone salesperson and a car broker.

In 1986 Leon Lai entered "The 5th New Talent Singing Awards" and, with the contest song "絕對空虛", took the bronze. The gold that year was 文佩玲 and the silver was Andy Hui. The English Wikipedia records that after finishing second runner-up Leon Lai took vocal coaching from 戴思聰. In the middle and later part of the same year Leon Lai was chosen to play the second male lead in the drama "男兒本色", and through that met writer 賈偉南. The two later worked together on several dramas. The anthology drama "母與子" was Leon Lai's first work as the lead.

In 1988 producer 梅小青 found Leon Lai, and Leon Lai was moved off the videotape unit and cast as a drama lead. In 1989 Leon Lai appeared in "晉文公傳奇". The Chinese Wikipedia records that, because of illness, lateness and similar reasons, the director of that drama said the working attitude was poor and TVB shelved Leon Lai, which became a dark period in the career.

In 1989, on a singing teacher's recommendation, Leon Lai auditioned at PolyGram and, being appreciated, was invited to sign as one of its singers. In the 1980s Leon Lai had sung drama songs. After joining PolyGram in 1990 Leon Lai began releasing albums. Early albums came out as CDs, vinyl and cassette, and later mainly as CDs. Leon Lai holds that every album should bring the listener something new, and so, before an album is prepared, joins the working meetings and offers views. In 1990 the first album came out. Our China Story records that it sold a gold-disc figure of 25,000 copies and received newcomer prizes from several media, and that the same year Leon Lai first received a Top Ten Jade Solid Gold award and an RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs award.

In 1991 four albums came out one after another. The Chinese Wikipedia records that "親近你", released at the start of the year, logged sales of more than 100,000, that the song "如果這是情" is one of the popular works, that "是愛、是緣", released afterwards, was that year's IFPI Hong Kong record-sales "highest-selling album of the whole year", and that the song "對不起，我愛你" reached number one on the pop charts of Hong Kong's three main electronic media. Our China Story records that the second album reached double platinum, 100,000 copies, and that the title-drama theme "人在邊緣" and the insert song "如果這是情" became very popular songs.

In 1992 the Hong Kong scene began to form the pop-culture phenomenon of the "Four Heavenly Kings". In October the same year Leon Lai held a first solo concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Through the 1990s Leon Lai, with Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Aaron Kwok, was called one of the scene's "Four Heavenly Kings". Our China Story records that the four were welcomed to much the same degree. In 1993 and 1995 Leon Lai twice received TVB's Top Ten Jade Solid Gold "most popular male singer".

Leon Lai's first cooperation with UNICEF was the 1993 project to eliminate polio in China. From 1994 Leon Lai took part in several fundraisers of the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF, and in July the same year was appointed an international goodwill ambassador of UNICEF. The English Wikipedia records that Leon Lai was the first Hong Kong resident to hold that post. In December 1995, at the New York headquarters, Leon Lai was appointed "UNICEF Special Representative to Youth", in recognition of the contribution to children's welfare.

In the early 1990s Leon Lai was invited by different bodies to perform as a guest on charity programmes, and in the course of performing came to know the background and aims of the charities. Leon Lai holds that many charities need help, and that when time is short one can only choose the work one wants to do. In 1997 Leon Lai was chosen one of Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding Young Persons. From 2003 to 2019 the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region three times decorated Leon Lai, in recognition of the contribution to charity and the public good.

In 1996 陳善之, through an introduction by lyricist 潘源良, met Mark Lui and invited Mark Lui to join Leon Lai's music-production team. The two found common ground in the music and became friends and partners. The same year Leon Lai worked with composer and producer Steve Barakatt on the album Feel. The Chinese Wikipedia records that in the middle and later 1990s the cooperation of Leon Lai and Mark Lui raised Hong Kong electronic music to an international level and started a current of Chinese electronic dance music, that in 2000 the two together made "北京站", an album centred on electronic dance music, that Leon Lai took Mark Lui to South Korea to watch the nightclubs there for ideas, and that the songs on that album became Hong Kong's popular electronic dance music of the year.

In December 1999 Leon Lai announced that Leon Lai would no longer compete for or accept awards at Hong Kong scene ceremonies, so as to free more time for film and music.

In 1996, with Comrades: Almost a Love Story, Leon Lai was nominated for best actor at the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards. In 1997, with the film Eighteen Springs, Leon Lai won best original song at both the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2002, with the film "三更之回家", Leon Lai won best actor at the Golden Horse Awards.

In 2003 Leon Lai invested in the film "大城小事" and served as its creative director and male lead. In 2006 Leon Lai invested more than ten million Hong Kong dollars and directed and starred in the music film "緣邀知音". In 2009, in "十月圍城" and "火龍", Leon Lai again played an unkempt character and performed the difficult action in person. In 2010 Leon Lai founded 百仕活影視製作有限公司. Besides investing in film and television, the company also means to train new directors and actors.

Leon Lai met 樂基兒 while shooting an advertisement in 2000. On March 9, 2008 the two registered their marriage in Las Vegas, and in 2012 issued a statement of divorce. In 2018 Leon Lai published news of a daughter's birth.

From the 1990s Leon Lai has held concerts from time to time, including local Hong Kong concerts, world tours, New Year concerts, outdoor festivals and charity concerts, and has joined the preparation of concept, song choice and staging. Leon Lai holds that a concert's reputation matters more than the number of shows, that a singer should do the singer's own part well, and should not chase a show count at the cost of the rest, and says that every concert is a memory in life and a milestone of the career. On April 13, 2007 Leon Lai held a one-night Leon 4 in Love Concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and besides Leon Lai's own work also sang hit songs of the other three Heavenly Kings. From July 10, 2021 Leon Lai held nine Leon Lai Talk & Sing 2021 Concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

In 2016 Leon Lai worked with "100毛" on an online advertisement. The Chinese Wikipedia records that within 24 hours of the first broadcast the advertisement logged close to 3 million views and broke the highest viewing record for a local Hong Kong online advertisement.