Before Mirror and Error, 7 Hong Kong Canto-pop boy bands reigned supreme – from Beyond in the 90s to The Wynners in the 70s
- Before Mirror’s Keung To rose to fame, Mr. member Alan Po impressed with his vocals on If I Were Eason Chan, while ToNick’s Hang Chiu performed with Hacken Lee
- Beyond wrote Golden Years about Nelson Mandela, which the former South African president was ‘deeply moved’ by during his final days in hospital
But what about the OG Canto-pop groups who were just as popular as these new kids on the block? Read on to get to know some of Hong Kong’s older, timeless boy bands who shook up the city’s music scene.
Beyond
Formed in 1983, Beyond is considered one of the most successful and influential Canto-pop bands. Comprised of brothers Wong Ka-kui and Wong Ka-keung, Yip Sai-wing and Paul Wong, the band rotated through multiple members in its early years, but eventually settled with the four members in 1988.
Beyond’s reach expanded across Asia too, but it was during overseas promotions at the height of the group’s fame that tragedy struck. On June 24, 1993, the band appeared on a Tokyo Fuji Television game show, standing on a stage platform that was roughly 2.7 metres tall. Ka-kui and Japanese actor Teruyoshi Uchimura fell from the stage – which turned out to be broken – and sustained critical head injuries. Uchimura survived, but Ka-kui fell into a coma. He passed away a week later at just 31 years old.
