Sally Yeh is one of the most highly acclaimed female singers in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Born in Taipei on September 30, 1961, Sally immigrated to Victoria, Canada with her parents at the tender age of four. Her passion for singing and performing was always evident in her early childhood. Sally’s charismatic, energetic and enthusiastic personality captured many hearts, leaving only lasting impressions with those she encountered.
At fourteen, Sally returned to Taiwan for summer vacation where much of her time was spent watching TV series. Sally frequented CTS TV station and had the opportunity to meet many actors. It wasn’t until the following summer when Sally returned to Taiwan once again that the doors began opening for her. While on her way to buy fried chicken, she ran into Xu Shong Wu, an actor she met last year at the TV station. He mentioned that his friend Ma Yung Ling, a famous movie star, was casting for a lead actress. Sally was offered a starring role in the movie and officially step foot in the film industry.
1980 – Sally landed her first feature role as the female lead in the movie, Honest Little Ma (一根火柴), which she played the role of a singer. She was young, sincere, energetic and spontaneous; she quickly caught the attention of the industry.
While shooting Honest Little Ma (一根火柴), Ma Yung Ling, the director and lead actor personally chauffeured Sally to and from shoots. In the car, Sally would naturally sing along to the songs that were played. Captured by Sally’s talent, Ma introduced her to Li Tai Xian (renowned composer and musician in Taiwan) allowing the two to collaborate on the movie’s theme song, which was ultimately performed by Sally. Li continued to write songs for Sally, including Chun Tien Duh Foo Diaw (春天的浮雕). With First AV Record Co, Sally released five Mandarin albums.
1982 – While Sally was in Hong Kong to renew her visa, she also visited Annie Wang, Editor of Cinemart magazine. As soon as Sally walked into the office, she could hear Wang exclaiming over the phone “I found your female lead!”. Exactly as described, this opportunity led to Sally’s Hong Kong film debut, Marianna (賓妹). The dubbing process and promotion were done in Hong Kong, Sally realized how much she enjoyed the lifestyle there so she persuaded her mother to move to Hong Kong. Once again, another auspicious beginning, she was discovered by the TV / Movie producer Johnny Mak, who invited her to act in the movie Crimson Street (殺入愛情街) with Kenny Bee.
1983 – After Sally’s relocation to Hong Kong, she received many movie offers. Another golden opportunity arose when Director Yang Fan introduced Sally to Lam to sing the duet Choong Foong (重逢). In his album Love Story (愛情故事), Sally sang her first Cantonese song. Sally would then sign her first contract with Hong Kong Warner Music Company, marking another triumph this same year.
1984 – Warner Music released Sally’s self-titled debut album, Sally Yeh (葉蒨文). Lam especially produced Ling See Sup Fun (零時十分) for Sally and it was this song that landed her first music award in the Hong Kong music industry. It was awarded by “Jade Solid Gold, Top Ten Songs”, as well as “The 8th Gold Albums Award”. Bearing the “Jade Solid Gold, Top Ten Songs” only after one prior album release was outstanding and exceeded beyond excellence achievement. In that same year, the theme song for Shanghai Blues (上海之夜), Man Foong (晚風) was awarded the “Best Film Music” at the Golden Horse Award.
1985 – Self-titled album, Sally Yeh II (葉蒨文 II) was released. Some of the best hits found in this album included: Chang Yeh My Love Good Night (長夜 My Love Good Night ); Man Foong (晚風), theme song for Shanghai Blues (上海之夜); Mai Wak (迷惑), theme song for Cupid One (愛神一號);and 200 Degrees (200 度). These all-time favorites captivated the hearts of many while album sales continued to reach outstanding results.
The movie Shanghai Blues (上海之夜) brought Sally much wider recognitions among Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan audiences. In the same year, she was selected as one of the “Top Ten Hong Kong / Taiwan Female Artists” by the film magazine Cinemart – Hong Kong Movie News.
1986 – With Tsui Hark’s support, Sally was offered many opportunities to star in prizewinning films. Having proven her outstanding performance as a Peking Opera singer in Peking Opera Blues (刀馬旦), Tsui Hark praised her as “an actress with natural talents”. She was nominated for “Best Actress” for her role in Peking Opera Blues (刀馬旦), at The 6th Hong Kong Film Awards.
Yet, another eponymous album Sally Yeh III (葉蒨文 III) was released. This album featured the theme song Ah Suin Duh Gwoo Shih (阿信的故事) to the Japanese TV show Ah Suin. Other songs included: Woh Yeew Hwoh Hah Hwey (我要活下去), a song that did not run short on lyrics of encouragement and Sally’s version of Cha Cha Cha.
1987 – Teem Yeen Mut Yu (甜言蜜語) was meticulously produced by Warner Music along with the industry’s leading composer, lyricist, music arrangement, makeup artist and photographer. The album was produced by Lam, Paco Wong, Danny Chung Deng-Yat, as well as Sally herself. Hard work and dedication invested into this album accelerated Sally’s singing career drastically.
Besides the popular Teem Yeen Mut Yu (甜言蜜語), this album also carried a slower song Way He ( 為何) and the fast track La Isla Bonita (海旁獨唱), both of which are sensational works. Gang Yut Buey (乾一杯) – duet with Lam won the “Ultimate Song Chart Top Ten Duets of the Year” award. The album was also awarded as the No.1 of 1987 “Top Ten Best Chinese Albums”.
During this same year, Warner released Sally’s first Greatest Hits Album, Sally Yeh REMIX EP. Lai Ming But Yeew Lai (黎明不要來), theme song for A Chinese Ghost Story (倩女幽魂) won “Best Original Song Award” at the 7th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards.
1988 – Gsook Fook (祝福) became a sensation in Hong Kong right after its release. Not only did it reach high ranks in every major pop charts, it remained in the top 30 on the Ultimate Song Chart for nine months, while being at No.1 for eight weeks consecutively. The record sales total aggregated to 350,000 which ultimately achieved 7 Platinum albums. With this outstanding result, Sally was the sales champion of the year among all female singers.
In just short half a month, Gsook Fook (祝福) took home total of 12 awards at all three of Hong Kong’s Annual Music Awards. The success of the album paved the road for Sally to become the Queen of Pop in Asia and subsequently started her reign and skyrocketed towards the end of the 80’s.
In the same year, several movies that Sally starred in were released in Japan. She was voted No.1 among the “Top Ten Most Popular Foreign Female Actresses” by the Japanese audiences.
1989 – February, followed by the success of Gsook Fook, Warner Music presented Sally’s Greatest Hits album Classic Gsook Fook 13 Songs (祝福經典十三首). It was No.1 on the IFPI Best Selling List for two consecutive weeks and the best-selling Greatest Hits album in the end of 80’s. With 300,000 sold, this album became 6 Platinum Record and one of the most outstanding and famous Greatest Hits album in Hong Kong music industry history. The Hong Kong IFPI awarded 13 Platinum Records for the sales of 650,000 of the two albums, Gsook Fook (祝福) and Classic Gsook Fook 13 Songs (祝福經典十三首).
1989 – Sally held her first concert titled Long Night Gsook Fook Concert. It was another challenge on her way to the next apex of her career. In Hong Kong audiences’ eyes, Sally was the Queen of Pop who possessed unique beauty and one-of-a-kind voice. This was a concert that had attracted attention of tens of thousands. The fans will have a chance to experience a state of the art concert. As for Sally, this would become one of her most unforgettable life experiences.
To ensure the success of this unprecedented music extravagance, Sally started preparing and planning as early as April. As senior executives in charge of all aspects of this production, Cheung Yiu Wing, Paco Wong, Yeung Kin Yan (music producer of the show) and Danny Chung Deng Yat (album producer) held countless meetings over the months prior to the show. Working together collectively, their ultimate wish was to ensure perfect execution down to each miniscule detail of the show.
To endure the 10 nights of performances, it was vital that Sally had enough energy. In preparation, Sally began actively practicing Chi and hired a personal trainer for running and various activities. In addition to running to cultivate the Chi in her body, she also worked on weight and strength training.
Sally was very gratified with her group of professional, committed and devoted dancers who poured their hearts into each performance. These dancers played a crucial part in Sally’s continued success night after night.
The music director for the concert is a well-known musician Chris Babida along with 15 supporting music technicians and chorus singers. Also, they have invited a famous Japanese photographer Sumio Uchiyama to be in Hong Kong to shoot poster photos for Sally. All the highly acclaimed professionals came together to create an utmost remarkable experience for the attending audience.
1990 – Warner Music gathered all its power to bring Sally’s music journey to its second apex. With the release of the new album Gsun Gsoong (珍重), the song Gsun Gsoong (珍重) quickly occupied the top position of all major pop song charts. Being the No.1 on the Ultimate Song Chart for four consecutive weeks, staying on the chart for twelve weeks. Another song in the album, Fun Sum (焚心以火), was co-produced by two legendary musicians, Joseph Koo and James Wong, which is the theme song for the movie, A Terracotta Warrior, directed by Zhang Yimou and staring Goong Li. This was a song that carried both grandiose and subtle softness in it, which pulled the listeners’ heartstrings especially when accompanied by the beautiful scenes in the movie. This song became a hit right away with the release of the movie. Tah (他) and Nooh Yan (諾言) became widely known and loved shortly.
In December 1990, Autumn Goes Autumn Comes (秋去秋來) was released. For the first time, Sally released multiple albums within one year. The song Autumn Goes Autumn Comes (秋去秋來) rapidly became No.1 on all major pop song charts. Due to the promotion and airing of the song carried over to the next year, this song could only be considered as a candidate in the following year (1991)’s competition for awards. Nevertheless, in all the major award shows held in the beginning of 1991, Fun Sum (焚心以火) became the biggest winner. Not only did it win Sally the second “Jade Solid Gold, Best Song of the Year” award, after Gsook Fook (祝福), Sally also won her first “Most Popular Female Artist” award. This victory cemented her position as one of the top female artists in Hong Kong.
1991 – After filming The Banquet (豪門夜宴) and starring in her friend, Sylvia’s new movie Sisters of the World Unite (莎莎嘉嘉站起來), Sally bid farewell to the film industry in order to strictly focus on her singing career.
Critically acclaimed Seew Sah Gsoe Ee Hway (瀟灑走一回) was released and was well-known as the famous theme song for the TV series Four Peking Brothers (京城四少). After taking this Mandarin album to Taiwan’s market, the record had reached double Platinum status within one week of its release. By this time, Sally’s presence and fame had both ascended substantially. With her extraordinary wide vocal range exhibited in this new song, it is no wonder that people’s breath were taken away!
1991 – February 15 – 25, Tswen Foong Duh Ee Concert (春風得意演唱會).
1992 – The album Hoong Tsun (紅塵) was released. Tsing Yun Gsee Gay (情人知己) and Hoong Tsun (紅塵) successfully gained their top rankings at all major pop song charts. In the same year, Sally was crowned the “Most Popular Female Artist” for the second consecutive year. The Mandarin album Seew Sah Gsoe Ee Hway (瀟灑走一回) which was released in the end of 1991 in Taiwan earned her the glory and honor in her hometown. The song by the same name Seew Sah Gsoe Ee Hway also won her many awards, including “RTHK Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, Top Ten Songs” and the “Jade Solid Gold, Most Popular Mandarin Songs, Gold”. Besides voted by the public as one of the “Top Ten Artists with Positive Image”, Sally also had the highest honor to receive the “Hong Kong Artist Award of the Year” from the Hong Kong government.
1993 – To celebrate Valentine’s Day in July, UFO Records and 7-11 co-released Sally’s EP with 2 songs. The songs are Valentine’s Day version of the song Yoong Yuan (永遠) and the live version of Unchained Melody.
Nee Gsin Tien Yeew Gsow (你今天要走) won the “Jade Solid Gold, Top Ten Songs”. For the fourth consecutive year, Sally has been awarded with the “Most Popular Female Artist” award.
The Coca-Cola Company invited Sally to sing the commercial song Always for Coca-Cola commercials in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Mandarin and Cantonese versions of the song were included in the album Ming Yue Shing (明月心) and Yu Ney Yiow Gwoh Yut Tien (與你又過一天), respectively. The album Ming Yue Shing (明月心) reached an outstanding annual sales record of 500,000 copies.
During the summer, Sally held her third concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum, followed by tour to Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha. All 11 shows were sold out. Sally confessed to the audience her true feelings with gratitude: “I know I’ve been in this industry for many years, and to be honest, I’ve considered retiring on many occasions, but whenever I walk onto stage, seeing the smiles on all your faces, suddenly I no longer want to let this go.” The sincere and emotional exchanges Sally had with her audience proved the living philosophy that she’d always held dear to her heart as an artist. “An artist is someone who makes others happy.”
In August 1993, Sally held five nights of Seew Sah Gsoe Ee Hway Concert at the Beijing Capital Stadium, which set the record of the highest number of nights of concert held consecutively at one venue. Till today, Sally still holds this record.
1994 – Sally released her Cantonese album Nuey Yan Dik Yuek Deem (女人的弱點) and Mandarin album Lee Kai Tsing Ren Duh Rih Zih (離開情人的日子). Both songs were originally by the famous Japanese Group Chage & Aska. Both Hong Kong and Taiwan singers had admired their works. They had asked Sally to sing their new songs, which Sally accepted with great honor. In this Cantonese album, it also included a Mandarin song named Woh Duh I Dwey Nee Shwoh (我的愛對你說), which was exclusively composed for Sally by a composer from China, Li Hai Ying. The collaboration proved to be a success – the song won Sally many awards, including the “Guang Zhou Top Ten Original Songs Awards, Most Popular Hong Kong Singer”, and the “Guang Zhou New Music Top Ten Gold Songs Awards, Top Ten Songs”.
1995 – In Taiwan, Sally left UFO Records, joined Pony Canyon, and released her new Mandarin album Gsen Shing (真心) mid year. The record achieved a spectacular sales record of 300,000 within a short time after its release. The song lyrics were tailor-written for Sally by the lyricist Liu Bing Rui. Sally honestly expressed her innermost feelings about what she was going through at the time and often performed this song with raw emotions. The song received unanimous high acclaims and praises from professional in the industry as well as the public.
1996 – The album True was released. The duet Tan Tsing Showh I (談情說愛) with Sammi Cheng was included in this album. Fook Hay (福氣). Once again, both songs occupied all major pop song charts for many weeks.
July 17th, 1996 – Sally married Lam. Wishing to maintain a low profile and preserve privacy as much as possible, Sally only revealed to her mother two weeks prior to the wedding date that she would be the bride. Sally chose her wedding ring in Taiwan, a simple but elegant platinum ring. Having Lam’s “go ahead”, she also bought a heart-shaped diamond, which symbolized eternity. The simple Western-styled wedding was held on a Golf Course in Victoria, BC. Only families and close friends were invited to bear witness the start of the couple’s new journey. Lam especially composed a song Yuan EE (願意) for his loving wife, which said, “Hearing you say I Do in this whisper but loving voice, admiringly looking at you, I wish the two would find happiness and companionship in each other for eternity…!”, revealing the best wishes they both held for the future. In him she found both the sincerest confidant for life and a compatible partner in artistic pursuits. Fans and audience were thrilled and touched by the final decision they made. Just like what the couple sang in their classic duet Shueen Gsak (選擇), “Smiling and watching the flowers fall on these windy days, drinking and admiring the shining moon while the snowflakes dance… on this journey and in these feelings, we’d walked through together.”
1997 – Stepping in the end of the 20th Century, Hong Kong selected the most classic Chinese songs of two decades, Seew Sah Gsoe Ee Hway (瀟灑走一回) was the only Mandarin song chosen for the “Top Ten Ultimate Gold Songs”. Sally was also selected honorably as one of the “Ultimate Song Chart Top Ten Outstanding Artists”, which confirmed again the irreplaceable and unsurpassable contribution she had made to the 90’s Hong Kong music industry.
1998 – April 10th – 19th, Sally and Lam held 10 nights of concert together at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Even though the show received many praises and spectacular reviews in the media for their outstanding performance, Sally still expressed her wish to take a break and revealed her lack of intention to renew contract with Warner. Sally concluded her 15 years of successful partnership with Warner Music.
2002 – July 21st; for all fans who has been waiting patiently but enthusiastically for Sally’s return, this was a significant day. On this day, Sally officially joined Music Icon and finally came back to “where she belonged” – the stage. After 5 years of sincere waiting and wishing, Sally’s new Cantonese album, You Are Hearing Sally Yeh was released.
The producer of Sally’s new album was Anthony Wong, with whom Sally never worked with before. As always, Sally engagingly participated in the whole process of production, from songs selection to music arrangement, which Sally’s creative work is very apparent in this album. All the awards it won afterward were a real reflection of all the honest efforts put in. The Hardest Love Song to Sing (最難唱的情歌) calmly synced with the listeners’ deepest feelings. Seung Sai (傷逝) became one of the most popular songs people sang in Karaoke, being selected by Karaoke singers for more than 200,000 times. Not surprisingly, this song became one of the biggest winners in all major award shows at the end of the year.
2003, December 11 – “Inside Out Album Launch and 25 Years of Achievement” party was held to celebrate the launch of Sally’s new album. At the party, Sally also announced she would have her “Now’s My Prime 25th Anniversary Concert” in March 2004. Lisa Wong, the host of the night, talked with Sally about her experiences that she had accumulated in her life’s treasure box. All in attendance also watched a video consisted of episodes of Sally accepting awards, acting in movies, etc. to celebrate those memorable moments.
Her husband Lam, parents, good friend Loletta Chu, Jackie Chan, colleagues from her company, four major digital media, sponsors, fans from Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong all came to the party to share this memorable moment with Sally, to bask in the joy of witnessing Sally’s 25 years of brilliance and contribution to the music industry.
To celebrate her 25th Anniversary, Sally released a new Mandarin album Inside Out. This would be Sally’s first time recording an album in Singapore alongside music producer Li Sisong. The entire process was a smooth and enjoyable experience and Sally praised Li to be a good producer. In this album, Sally carefully chose 8 old songs that were her favorites and most memorable during her youth. Each song represented a different era and Sally wanted to be creative with these songs in terms of music arrangement. She did a “dress-up” version by having reworked each song’s structure, melody, and tune while maintaining its genres. As a result, the songs were refreshing, intriguing and full of energy.
2005 – Sally Yeh HKPO Live (Music in Motion Concert) with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
2010 – This Queen of Pop who dazzled the audience with her powerful vocal and charming charisma was the recipient of the prestigious “RTHK Golden Needle Award” in 2010. She successfully instilled the quintessence of Western and Eastern cultures in her performance: her vocal talents are incomparable and her ability to handle a wide range of musical styles made her an icon of the 80’s and 90’s. She had sung some of the most popular songs, which once occupied the first place on all pop song charts. Her enthusiastic and generous personality and her top-notch performance left enduring impression in the hearts of tens of thousands of fans until today, making her a well-deserved recipient of the “Golden Needle Award”.
2012, August 5 – Metro Radio Mandarin Hits Music Awards, Best Hall Singer: Sally Yeh
2012, September 21st – 24th – Sally Yeh Intimately Yours Concert
Gsing Tiow Sai Shueen (精挑細選) was on the Chinese Music Awards Chart for 8 weeks consecutively, making it the “Best Single of the Year”.
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