After a 4-year hiatus, Janice Vidal will hold a solo concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum in July. In these turbulent times, she will once again meet everyone, with the theme “Be Still,” hoping to spread positive energy through music and soothe everyone’s restless souls. The high demand for Janice’s healing voice is evident from the fact that all tickets were sold out on the first day of public release!
Janice, who has a sweet voice, has a personal style in her R&B singing, and many of her early songs such as “Big Brother,” “Heart in Chaos,” “My Love My Fate,” and “Runaway” have become classic hits in many people’s hearts. Despite being a talented singer, Janice’s path to stardom has not been smooth sailing, with some saying that her songs are popular but she is not, calling her a rare gem in the music industry.
Having experienced the ups and downs of a singing career, facing countless external comments on her body shape, Janice has minded and been saddened. In this long journey, she eventually learned to let go, to forgive, and with a song “It’s OK To be Sad”, she encourages everyone to accept their strengths and weaknesses, regain confidence in themselves, and live as a new self.
Facing her feelings honestly has become an important gain for Janice in both music and personal growth.
Having been in the industry for nearly 18 years, her music has grown along with the years. Janice, who has experienced a lot, also acknowledges that music witnesses her changes, accompanying her through countless experiences. In the world of music, it gives her strength, inspires her to keep improving, and become a better version of herself. Through the concert “Be Still,” she hopes to lead everyone to open the door to the world of music, release long-suppressed emotions, and find that “be still” state of calmness. What are her expectations for this concert? What are her thoughts on herself after growth? What breakthroughs will she continue to bring in music? Let’s understand her current state and mindset before the concert begins.
“In music, I continue to grow.”
In 2004, Janice gained recognition from renowned producer Mark Lui through a friend’s recommendation, and was arranged to provide backing vocals for former boss Leon Lai. After one try, the two seasoned musicians were deeply attracted to her, and she was invited to sign as a singer. Due to Janice’s lack of understanding of Chinese at the time, the company first had her cover “I Love You Like This” and “Love Deeply, Words Left Unsaid” in English, before officially releasing two Chinese songs “Unrivaled” and “Love Deeply, Words Left Unsaid” to the public. Interestingly, the song releases and unique voice attracted attention from the public, but no one knew the true identity of this female singer. Finally, in April 2005, the true identity of the rising female singer Janice Vidal was officially revealed, coinciding with the release of her debut album “Day & Night” on the same day.
Janice’s debut can be said to be one of a kind. Her voice, with a hint of a foreign accent, became a highlight in the music industry at that time. She then released her second album “My Love” at the end of the same year, featuring classic songs like “Big Brother,” “Heart in Chaos,” and “Will You Come Tonight,” all from this album. At the end of the year, Janice achieved her first set of results after her debut, winning all four major awards for Best Female Newcomer, becoming the first in the history of the local music industry to be selected as one of the top five favorite female singers in the Commercial Radio Hong Kong Ultimate Song Chart Awards after less than a year since her debut.
Arriving at today, Janice has mastered her voice and charm, becoming more mature. Her works are no longer just ordinary love songs. Each note seems to enter everyone’s heart, showing obvious changes and touching emotions. She believes that her progress in music comes from personal growth.
“I feel that as a person grows up and matures, there are more thoughts and feelings inside that want to be expressed.” Adding a change to a new company has given her greater freedom in her creative work. With more room to play, the changes and surprises she brings to everyone have also increased.
In recent years, Janice’s output has not decreased but increased, and this year marks the release of her fourth album since joining. She shared, “As a singer, I hope to grow, challenge myself, and achieve more. The company has given me great freedom, allowing me more opportunities to explore and discover different music genres.”
“Music is infinite, it always has space for you to explore, to do better.”
Having been in the industry for 17 years, Janice’s talent has long been recognized, but her appearance has become a target of ridicule along the way. “At first, I really cared about how others saw me – even when the company would say, ‘You’re not thin enough.'” Even today, her body shape remains an issue that the outside world occasionally “cares” about. Despite her efforts, Janice has learned to manage her own body while facing these pressures. She even jokes, “I remember when I was at my thinnest, people still called me fat, haha. I can’t win in this aspect.”
Attitude determines everything, since you can’t change others, Janice knows that the only way is to change herself. “When I started weight training, learned to love and accept myself, I felt some strength, that’s when I started to have confidence in myself, and began to no longer care how others see me.”
Janice admits that she is a girl who is easy to cry and has emotional ups and downs. As a singer, she understands that she will inevitably face criticism and even malicious attacks, but she is fortunate to have music as a companion to help her find solace in unhappy times. Facing emotional fluctuations, she shares that she cannot bear it alone, and must face it head-on to feel at ease, with music becoming her outlet for expression. She says, “This actually affects my music, which is more about relationships and communication between people. How to face difficulties, how to overcome them, how to express oneself, and so on.”
“So, I feel that in music, I am constantly growing,” Janice continued. Although her personality is easily influenced by emotions, and she even admits to being prone to overthinking, as she continues to grow with music, even when facing various troubles or discomfort, Janice is clear that she can quickly leave them behind.
“I feel grateful and content with where I am now, but I still want to continue exploring more.” This is her biggest wish at the moment.
“I hope that through the concert, everyone can calm down and release some emotions.”
Breakthrough is a key point that Janice often mentions in interviews. Having won numerous individual awards, song awards, and album awards since her debut, what challenges has the breakthrough in music and creation brought to Janice today?
“In terms of creation, actually, it requires taking one step at a time. These things cannot be rushed, everything, every situation is a journey.” Constantly sharing the desire to seek breakthroughs, but maintaining a calm attitude, perhaps this is the wisdom that Janice has cultivated over the years since her debut. She finds that sharing this mindset actually makes her happier, and allows her to focus more on pursuing what she wants. She says, “I really want to be hands-on, create or do more of what I want, because that is how growth happens. You can’t just stay within a single range, you have to learn to stretch yourself, to accept different challenges.”
When it comes to challenges, releasing an album every year has become a reality, and Janice’s biggest challenge at the moment is the concert next month. Stepping onto the Hong Kong Coliseum for the 5th time, Janice, who should be very familiar with it, admitted to feeling quite nervous. Even though she has entered the final stage of preparation, that sense of nervousness has not eased. “Actually, I am indeed a bit nervous because there have been fewer performance opportunities after the epidemic, even smaller stages are rare, and then suddenly stepping onto the ‘Coliseum,’ so I am a bit nervous.”
Affected by the epidemic, even the experienced performer Janice has forgotten that familiar feeling of singing, but precisely because of this unprecedented impact, Janice has the idea of holding a concert, and “Be Still” is the essence of it. Intentionally named this way, Janice shares: “Because the world now has so many unstable things, there are many things we cannot control, such as the epidemic, and we don’t know where there is war, etc. When many things are shaky, what should the atmosphere inside us be like?” She firmly explains: “It should be ‘very still’ – Be Still Inside, to be calm.”
Janice shared that this concert is not just about reuniting with fans or commemorating something, but she really hopes that through this concert, everyone can quiet down and “allow us to release some emotions through music.” This concert is truly a reflection of Janice’s thoughts, as she revealed that it will feature up to 19 musicians, including sections with Strings and Horns, and there will also be some unique visual designs to convey special messages.
In addition, Janice further revealed that “emotion” is one of the foundations of the entire concept, so different parts of the concert prioritize presenting different emotions. She said, “Some parts require a lot of openness, while in some parts, I will show a little dark, a little rock side.”
Janice emphasizes that she really hopes to give Hong Kong music fans an unforgettable evening, so the whole concept is different from traditional concerts. “I really hope everyone can focus on the music, that kind of healing power for the soul. And, I also hope everyone can feel love, peace, and joy from the music.” Seeking comfort in uncertainty is undoubtedly the most luxurious fantasy of the epidemic era, but it has enabled Janice to muster the courage to hold this concert. So what does Janice hope to gain from it?
“The most comfortable, the freest me. I hope I can really sing it out very freely, without losing my voice, haha.”
“Wow, she’s a Diva”
The concert is definitely a major project for Janice in 2022, but she had already brought another major news earlier this year, announcing the release of a new album produced entirely by a “full female team”, hoping to explore issues of female autonomy through music. The first single “Little Miss Janice” reveals Janice’s inner childlike side, while also serving as a perfect introduction to her musical journey with a group of female musicians. Moving on to the second single “Popular”, Janice invited Sophy Wong Ka-yi and Wong Lok-yi to compose lyrics for the new song, showcasing the ever-changing and graceful beauty of women in a new musical style. Recently, she also released a collaboration with the new generation musician and singer-songwriter Serrini (Leung Ka-yan) on “Modern Love Safety Manual”, bringing another surprise.
Janice shared her excitement about collaborating with Serrini, saying, “Working with her is really comfortable. Her role as a producer is like that of a teacher, so I feel like a student learning from her.” Janice revealed that she didn’t know Serrini until she watched her concert earlier and was impressed by her performance. “The reason for collaborating is because I went to Serrini’s concert once, and when I saw her perform, I was like, ‘Wow, she’s a Diva.’ I’ve always wanted to explore more in terms of composing, or continue to collaborate with different singers and songwriters. Serrini, I think her voice, her music, are very outstanding in this generation, so after the concept of the album took shape, I really wanted her to be a part of this album.” After the event, Janice immediately approached Serrini backstage to propose a collaboration, and Serrini agreed without hesitation, creating a spark of collaboration between the two divas.
“Life is like a river, following its flow might be more comfortable.”
Perhaps it is because of the different times, Janice’s early music career was based on sales, number of plays, and other indicators, summarizing the achievements of each singer every year; until last year, Janice released the song “It’s OKAY To Be Sad” and won her second four-time champion song in her career, following her representative work “Runaway” in 2006. Winning an award again after 16 years, the external recognition is still unquestionable, the only difference is that the song not only receives plays or reposts, but also carries the emotions and resonance between fans and Janice.
Since her debut, she has won numerous awards. What kind of work does the current Ivana Wong need to create in order to be satisfied?
“I think it’s about emotions,” Janice shared calmly. “It’s about your way of expression. Sometimes, you may not perform well in terms of technique, but that take could still be very colorful and rich, so you can still keep it.” Having experienced the changes of the times, Janice admitted that her relationship with creation had already developed to another level. “When I was young, I always pursued fame, money, and expensive things, but now I pursue a real relationship with music. Of course, there still needs to be perfection in music, but it would be even more perfect if both the technical and emotional aspects are pursued.”
There is no denying that “It’s OKAY To Be Sad” is one of Janice’s most impressive works in recent years, even she herself agrees. Behind this song is the emotion that Janice has always talked about. She shared, “This song is from a friend of mine, she is a mother, and her 22-year-old son recently took his own life, so I really want to comfort her with this song.” In the end, the song did attract attention in the market, but what touched Janice the most was that after the song was released, she received many messages from fans, sharing that this song really helped them.
Speaking of this, Janice also expressed her feelings: “Because this is true – it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be angry – let yourself truly feel these emotions. But at some point, you really need to learn to let go and try to move on.” In just a few words, it feels like Janice has experienced a lot and grown a lot over the years.
When mentioning her relationship with music, Janice also realizes how it has changed? What kind of relationship does she look forward to building in the future?
She likened herself to a chef, saying, “You just practice, write more songs yourself, or write more songs with friends. Sometimes the songs may not be very good, but by keeping up with this practice, they will get better. Right? I am really looking forward to more breakthroughs in this area.”
“I do things, whether big or small, with care, that is my mission. I just want to do the best I can.”
Facing oneself calmly through music, unreservedly revealing the most authentic self, has become the driving force and goal for Janice to take on this mission. As she continues to move forward, she hopes to continue leading everyone to explore a broader aspect of music. “I hope everyone will have an open heart to different types of music, or different types of ideas.”
Growing up is always a paradoxical thing, often changing everything about you without you even realizing it – your thoughts, perspectives, ways of handling things, especially the way you treat yourself. Through the passage of time and all the experiences that come with it, you unknowingly learn to understand yourself, and more fortunately, learn to cherish yourself, including appreciating yourself.
Janice also admitted that this is the biggest reward that growth has given her. “Actually, the place where I appreciate myself the most, I think, is not holding onto things too tightly. It’s about learning to let go a bit, to experience more things, to experience more, and not be too controlling.” Janice explained shyly with a smile. Slowly, she revealed a shy smile and sighed, “Sometimes life is like a river, it’s like a river. You just… have to go with the flow of that river, it seems to be more comfortable.”
At the age of 40, Janice exudes a comfortable and relaxed attitude in her photos and interviews, with a clear voice and a resolute tone in every laugh and word. Janice’s current life goals are clear, and she is now candidly living for herself. In preparation for her concert, she is actively training to improve her physical fitness. She now appears graceful, and we look forward to seeing her in a better state at the concert. She continues to maintain a cheerful and healthy mindset, using music to heal us.
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Executive Producer：Angus Mok
Producer：Vicky Wai
Photography：Phoebe Wong
Videography：Andy Lee, Joyce Che
Styling：Vicky Wai
Make Up：hongjai_makeup
Hair：Jamie Lee@JamieLeeHair
Video Editor：Joyce Che
Editor：Carson Lin
Designer：Edwina Chan
Wardrobe：Chloe, Net-A-Porter, Jimmy Choo, Chopard
