The 12 most popular Cantopop karaoke songs from the 2000s

If there’s one Cantopop song that’s made for karaoke, it is this one. Jade Solid Gold sees Ku belting out a medley of 39 hit love songs originally sung by various popular Hong Kong artists like Joey Yung, Andy Hui, Miriam Yeung, Leon Lai, and more. You may not know every single song in the medley but that’s okay, because there’ll definitely be someone else in the karaoke room who will gladly hop on – we’re used to microphones being frantically passed around whenever this track comes on.

Well, the song title pretty much speaks for itself. While most Cantopop songs involve heartbreaks one way or another, this breakup tune speaks to those who simply want their way out of a loveless relationship. A duet version was later released featuring Leehom Wang (王力宏), which further boosted its popularity with karaoke-goers.

Combining two of Hong Kong’s best musicians, Love Is Hard is a 2002 duet by Jacky Cheung and Anita Mui. This is a great duet for a karaoke beginner as Cheung’s and Mui’s parts are mostly separate without much harmonising needed, but still contain that back-and-forth element that makes dueting with a partner fun. Love Is Hard became the title song in the soundtrack for the movie July Rhapsody, which was also Mui’s last big screen appearance before she passed away in 2003.

Choosing just one great song by Eason Chan is…impossible, but if we had to choose one that resonates the most with Hongkongers, Tourbillon would be our choice. Vocalising our city’s materialistic and profit-driven culture into a poetic and emotional song, Tourbillon questions whether happiness can be defined through one’s possessions and achievements.

Leo Ku has too many hits to count – the man has won over 300 music awards and accolades after all – but somehow it is this track that many of our non-Cantonese friends can sing. To be fair, its chorus is very catchy, and also contains the classic line ‘I’d rather be a cat or a dog than be a lover’. Everybody loves belting out that part. Iconic.

Denise Ho, aka HOCC, brings her angelic singing voice together with the wistful melody and gripping lyrics in this classic. Using a tree’s growth rings as a symbol, the lyrics describe the progression of a relationship as it comes to an end. Something that many of us who have experienced a heartbreak or two can relate to.

Here’s another Eason Chan hit to add to your song queue, because this man has simply had too many bangers. One of Chan’s most popular tracks, Today Next Year is a melancholic love song that details missing a past lover. It was used in the OST for the 2002 movie If You Care… (also starring Chan), and also has a Mandarin version named Ten Years (十年).

Not many people now know that this hit song by Hacken Lee is actually a remake of the Japanese track Half Moon Serenade by Naoko Kawai – and why would they, with how popular the Cantonese version is? Full of pining and longing, this song likens a lover to the moon that stays silent and distant far away in the sky. Queue up this song for a great chance to belt out all those pent up emotions.

If Eason Chan is the king of Cantopop, then Joey Yung would be queen. With a beautiful melody elevated by Yung's crisp vocals, My Pride became somewhat of an anthem of the city due to its positive and uplifting message. See? Cantopop doesn't always have to be so depressing.

Never heard of Wedding Card Street? How about Lee Tung Avenue? What was once known by the locals as Wedding Card Street in Wan Chai, Lee Tung Street was dubbed the 'printing centre' of Hong Kong, especially for wedding invitation cards. The street was sadly demolished to make way for what we now know as Lee Tung Avenue. This song perfectly reflects on those long lost sentiments, and strikes an emotional chord with Hongkongers who are concerned about the destruction of our city's heritage.

A song that basically put rock bands back on the map of Hong Kong’s music industry. Led by frontman Alan Po, this song was a particular hit as it gave a cheeky reference to Po’s vocals that has been widely compared to Eason Chan’s. Since this karaoke hit, the band has gone on to release many more chart-topping songs including Forest (森林), Black Fanatic (黑色狂迷), A Love Song (一首情歌), and many others.

How can we talk about any song from the 90s without mentioning Twins? The debut of the duo in 2001 took the local music world by storm as the group was the first of its kind in Hong Kong. There are many great hits to choose from, but Next Stop Tin Hau is one of the most recognisable songs as its lyrics conveyed a story of innocence and passion of chasing one's dream. The song was also a soundtrack for a movie of the same name, starring Ah Sa from the group.