Pop singer, Jade Kwan (關心妍), was surprisingly left empty handed at the 35th Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, or the RTHK Top Ten, on Sunday night. The 33-year-old Canadian singer was one of the most prolific singers of 2012, releasing two full-length albums in 10 months, both which were certified gold. Jade also held two successful solo concerts – one in the Hong Kong Coliseum on January 20, 2012, and another smaller-scale concert in the Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Center on September 21, 2012. Her best-selling single, “The Philosophy of Lovelorn,” also received numerous nominations and awards at the 2012 Metro Radio Awards and the JSG Awards. Nominated in four categories at the RTHK Top Ten awards, Oriental Daily reported that Jade attended the ceremony believing that she would win at least one of them. Moments before the RTHK Top Ten awards commenced, Jade’s manager uploaded a picture of Jade posing in her orange-red gown, with the status, “Jade is ready. RTHK Top Ten, here we come!” The singer, however, was left empty handed. Her single could not even make it into the list of top ten Chinese gold songs, which was expanded to “top twelve” songs this year. Moments before the award ceremony officially ended, Jade uploaded a status on her Weibo blog. Enraged for her loss, she wrote “Despite all my efforts, it was still disappointment in the end. To all my fans who supported ‘The Philosophy of Lovelorn’ – I am sorry, and thank you! I can no longer stay persistent; I just want to peacefully live my life as Mrs. Yeung from now on! And Happy Birthday, father-in-law!” Jade Boycotts the Awards In a phone interview with Oriental Daily on Monday, Jade admitted that she was disappointed with Sunday night’s results. She firmly expressed that she would not be attending any more music award ceremonies starting in 2014. Jade assured that she will not be retiring from the music industry. Although she has yet to discuss her boycotting plans with her management and record label Star Entertainment, she believes that her agency will fully support her decision. “Yes, I am furious!” Jade finally said. Jade is the third Hong Kong singer, after Alan Tam (譚詠麟) and Leon Lai (黎明), to make the decision to not receive any music awards in the industry. The singer stressed that her decision to retire from music awards was not made on a whim. Jade, who was nominated for the Outstanding Pop Singer Award at the RTHK Top Ten, said, “That last time I won this award was in 2003. I had a lot of hope to win it again this year, but I was disappointed in the end. I really do not know how this game is played. I know a lot of my fans are also feeling very disappointed. Sunday was my father-in-law’s birthday. I could have skipped the awards for his birthday party, but I chose to attend, to support the music industry. I didn’t even win half of an award. This is unfair! “I’ve been in the industry for 11 years. There aren’t many 11 years in a singer’s lifetime, and because of my singing career, I opted to not have children yet. I cannot wait anymore!” RTHK Received No Complaints Upon hearing Jade’s “boycott” movement, RTHK Top Ten producer, James Fung (馮偉棠), laughed out loud three times. Hinting at Jade’s lack of talent, he said, “I can’t help it. A singer’s efforts and performances do not always equate. I feel helpless, but I do hope that she will let go of past grudges and return next year afresh and new. Our door will always be opened for her.” RTHK also did not receive any complaints from Jade’s fans. Creds: ihktv
