Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong, who died in February of an undisclosed illness at the age of 41, has received five nominations for Taiwan’s upcoming Golden Melody Awards.
Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua is also in contention for a whopping fifth Best Female Mandarin Singer trophy, after having logged a record four wins in the category.
She is up against Malaysian star Penny Tai, Taiwanese singer-songwriters Vicky Chen and Waa Wei, as well as Chinese-American hip-hop artiste Karencici in her category.
In the Best Male Mandarin Singer category, Chinese singer-songwriter Li Ronghao, Taiwanese singer Ricky Hsiao, Taiwanese pop singer PoLin, Hong Kong indie singer Terence Lam and Taiwanese rapper Trout Fresh will vie for the prize.
The awards, often known as the Grammys of the Mandarin music scene, will be held in Taipei on June 28. Nominations were unveiled on May 14.
Fong’s final album The Dreamer, released in October 2024, was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Mandarin Album. One of its songs, Twenty Three, also garnered nominations for Song of the Year, Best Lyricist and Best Composer.
The Dreamer was also given a jury prize by the Golden Melody Awards. Jury chairman, music producer and singer Ting Hsiao-wen told Taiwanese media that it is an outstanding piece of work.
“He was writing songs with his life – it was a musician showing us his life journey and giving fans a gift,” she said of Fong, who said at the time of the its release that it was a “sick” one as it was recorded during various stages of his illness.
Following the nomination list reveal, Fong’s label Fu Music said in an Instagram post: “Thank you to the jury and music fans for recognising Khalil’s work. He will continue to spread healing and peace through his music in this boundless universe.”
Fong’s death was announced by Fu Music in March. A statement said he “faced a disease with a positive attitude for five years”, without specifying what he was suffering from. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
