Not content to sit back and watch her star rise, Jade Kwan Sum-yin has been spending time acquainting herself with a broad cross-section of the community.
The singer has taken the past few months off from her hectic work schedule to visit churches and schools in Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland and share her experiences. Kwan also found time to visit seriously ill patients, as well as write some new songs.
'I've been thinking about what it means to be a singer,' the 25-year-old says. 'Fame and money are all very well. But, ultimately, you're just doing these things for your own sake. Life is short. As I've got older, I've come to realise that I should use my time and celebrity to do something meaningful.'
After winning the All Chinese New Talent Singing Contest in Canada in 1999, the University of British Columbia graduate returned to Hong Kong to launch her music career. Her debut album, Jade-1, was released in the following year. A series of awards, including the International Federation of Phonographic Industry's best-selling female newcomer, gave Kwan the opportunity to stage a solo concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum last year.
She says she realises that, to remain in the Hong Kong public's eye, she'll have to do a lot of promotion work and other jobs that will keep her away from her music. But she's refused to be lured into acting, insisting on keeping her primary focus on music.
'People will say I'm very limited - few singers hit the big time with just that one string to their bow,' she says. 'I don't care. I'm not going to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week just to be a megastar.'
Kwan says she's happy with the way her music career is progressing. 'Everyone goes for different things,' she says. 'Not everyone wants to be aggressive. I've spent a lot of time and effort on making my music. If people like it, that's good enough for me.'
While working on her latest album, to be released in August, Kwan is dividing her time between Hong Kong and Singapore. And she has some powerful friends helping her. The production team consists of Taiwanese singer-songwriter David Tao Zee, Singapore's Li Shin Shiong (singer Stefanie Sun Yan-zi's producer) and local producers Chan Kwong-wing and Carl Wong Sheung-chun.
In a departure from her previous albums, which won fans with their soulful ballads, Kwan's latest offering will have a distinctly upbeat feel.
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