Cantopop icon Faye Wong wowed audiences in the mainland and Hong Kong in her reality TV debut with a live one-take music video performance of the song that made her a household name.
Wong — who is often referred to as “tin hau”, which translates to either “goddess” or “empress” — was among singers that appeared on the first episode of a new variety TV show in the mainland called PhantaCity.
The show, which debuted last Friday on Hunan TV, pairs pop stars with directors to film a live music video on the spot.
Everything is done in one take with no edits or retakes, and performed in a 3,000 square-meter studio backstage, while a live TV audience watches.
Proving that this is possible, Wong opened the show with a breath-taking one-take performance of the Cantonese cover of The Cranberries’ Dreams.
Wong’s Cantonese cover of The Cranberries’ hit was featured in the 1994 Wong Kar-wai film Chungking Express, where she played a kooky waitress who falls for a police officer recovering from a break-up (played by Tony Leung).
Wong’s reality TV debut was a big deal for many fans in Hong Kong and China as she has been quite inactive in the music industry since becoming a mom in 2006, and has not released a studio album in more than a decade
She held a Comeback Tour from 2010 to 2012, and her last live performance took place in December 2016 at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena.
The first episode of PhantaCity is currently trending at number 48 in Hong Kong, and you can watch it in full here:
