Listen to Denise Ho's "Montreal" at the end of the world

Jan 10, 2023

Fortunately, the high spirits of that day have not subsided today, so I had a great time. After all these years, I returned to the streets of my memory and still lived up to the passion I felt when I set out.

Yesterday I talked with my friends about Denise Ho. I couldn't help but talk a lot about her and her works. On the way back, I thought, why not recommend more of this righteous person I admire and her works to everyone. So this article came out.

I hesitated about which song to recommend first. If it was her most famous love song, it should be "Wood Grain"; if it was a song that had a greater impact on her political activities, it might be "Hold Up the Umbrella"; if it was a song that sang for the LGBT community, it would probably be "Illuminati" and "Rolls-Royce"; if it was a confession of her personality, "There is Kind of Person" should be suitable; she actually has quite a few champion songs on the three channels; there are even more that I personally prefer... But after thinking for a long time, I decided to introduce "Montreal" to everyone first.

For many people who are not so familiar with Denise Ho, this song may be more unfamiliar than the other songs mentioned above. Of course, she has been banned in China for many years, and many friends may not have the opportunity to get to know Denise Ho, and at most have vaguely heard of this name.

Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1977. When she was 11 years old, her family immigrated to Montreal, Canada. At the age of 19, she participated in a singing competition and returned to Hong Kong. She became a disciple of her childhood idol Anita Mui and gradually made a name for herself in the Hong Kong music scene. At first, she was not smooth sailing and was not valued by the company. It took her five years to release her first personal EP. But around 2007, she finally became one of the top singers with her outstanding strength and excellent works.

The lyrics of the song "Montreal" were written by Wyman Wong for Denise Ho, and are full of her personal memories and emotions.

忘了雪是冷的忘了马路那么阔家里比印象更加远忘了这是我房忘了学会结他一天首次作歌空想的冠军歌当天我一脸陶醉光宗耀祖再回去但我拼拼搏搏活了这些年问一句记忆的街区离家少年里可有顽童已归队和你啜著奶昔研究偶像发饰参加表格已填妥即将出去live gig当天我一脸陶醉光宗耀祖再回去但我拼拼搏搏活了这些年在这里有否很心虚曾经爱过的可有追还是渐被过滤当天那高涨情绪今天是否还未退让我痛痛快快玩了这些年又归去记忆的街区提醒我年岁功课完成了几许何事要出发实在没有忘就算在途上偶尔也沮丧成长再迷惘回首满地可有月光woo~想起那一脸陶醉今天值得捱下去就算跌跌碰碰活了这些年在这里我都不心虚曾经爱过的都有追蛮力尚未有累当天那高涨情绪今天幸好还未退让我痛痛快快玩了这些年又归去记忆的街区仍不愧面对出发时热血之躯

After years of working in Hong Kong, she returned to the place where she grew up as a teenager. She got used to the climate of Hong Kong and forgot what it felt like to snow, forgot that the streets she walked on when she was young were so wide, and even couldn't remember what her home looked like at that time. But she still clearly remembered that it was here that she first learned to play the guitar and compose music, fantasized about her dream of becoming a singer, and looked forward to leaving here to show her talents.

Did the young man who left Montreal with full of passion succeed? She has many commercially successful works, as well as works that fully express her self-pursuit and concern for social issues. She has held concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum, has countless champion songs, won the Most Popular Female Singer and the Most Popular Female Singer, has two stage plays, and was even nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress. In Hong Kong, she has her family, her best friends, and her Rosemary. She is also very popular in mainland China and Taiwan. 14 years ago, Denise Ho was successful, right?

2012-2014 should be a watershed in her life. At the end of 2012, she officially came out at the Hong Kong Gay Pride Parade, becoming the first Chinese female star to come out publicly. In 2013, she launched the "Support Gays and Fight Discrimination" campaign, which received widespread response. I believe many people still remember the scene of many celebrities responding on Weibo at that time. She went against the "political apathy" of Chinese stars in a specific position and publicly supported the Sunflower Student Movement. In 2014, the conflict between Hong Kong and the mainland intensified and evolved into the Umbrella Revolution. She actively participated and was arrested at the front line of the sit-in. In 2019, she joined the anti-extradition movement, was arrested, lobbied the United Nations Human Rights Council, and spoke at a hearing of the US Congress... Since she came out, she seems to no longer compromise for commercial performance and began to let go and do what she believes in. She was banned by the mainland, arrested by the Hong Kong government many times, splashed with paint in Taiwan, and her concert was withdrawn by sponsors... She did not look back. To this day, people in mainland China who don't know much about the Hong Kong music scene might call her "sock spirit" when they mention her name. People who often listen to Cantonese songs might shake their heads and say, "Why do you touch politics and make me unable to listen to songs?" People from other places might first think she is a civil rights activist, and then remember that she used to be a singer. In fact, she is still singing, but she is under great suppression. Even the rental space for her studio will be terminated and she will be driven away under the pretext of suspension. During the epidemic, she and her brother each had a keyboard and simply sang online to accompany fans, but the barrage of insults still floated from time to time.

Did she regret her choice? I often wonder when I listen to "Montreal". Just like the chorus repeatedly asks, after all these years of struggling and stumbling, standing in the place where I grew up, did I feel guilty and afraid to face the self who started from here? I have asked myself this question too. Every time I think of my 17-year-old self, it is always difficult to explain to her my compromise and waste of time in these years. But I think that Denise Ho should have no regrets when facing her 17-year-old self.

"Have you ever failed your passion?" Wong Wai-man also asked these questions in "To Me Ten Years Later". It was also a very good song, so much so that Wong Wai-man used it as the ending song of his concert YY, a show of his works after his debut for decades. But in comparison, Denise Ho made "Montreal" more soulful. This is her song, and also belongs to everyone who has lived up to their youthful sincerity and would rather be covered in bruises than look back for their persistence.

This is my favorite version. Denise Ho, now 18 years old, no longer has the brilliance and passion she had when she was at the peak of her popularity. Returning to her Montreal home, she dedicated this song to Montreal and her friends who live here, with simple piano accompaniment. She couldn't continue singing several times, but finally finished the song in tears amid the supportive chorus of fans. She couldn't help choking up when she sang "I forgot this is my room," "But I have stumbled through these years," and "Thinking of that intoxicated face, today is worth enduring." But in the end, she "still lived up to her passion when she set out."