Anita Mui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anita Mui
梅艷芳
Mui in 1990
Born	(1963-10-10)10 October 1963 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, British Hong Kong
Died	30 December 2003(2003-12-30) (aged 40) Hong Kong Sanatorium, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Burial place	Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Occupation	Singer actress
Years active	1982–2003
Parent(s)	Tam Mei-kam (mother)
Family	Mui Kai-ming (brother) Mui Tak-ming (brother) Ann Mui (sister)
Awards	Best Actress (Asia Pacific Film Festival) 1988 Rouge Golden Deer Awards for Best Actress 2002 July Rhapsody Other awards Hong Kong Film Awards – Best Actress 1988 Rouge Best Supporting Actress 1984 Behind the Yellow Line 1997 Eighteen Springs Best Original Film Song 1988 Rouge 1991 The Twin Bracelets 1993 The Heroic Trio Golden Bauhinia Awards – Best Supporting Actress 1998 Eighteen Springs Golden Horse Awards – Best Actress 1987 Rouge RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards – Golden Needle Award 1998 Silver Jubilee Award 2002 MTV Asia Awards – Inspiration Award 2004 New Talent Singing Awards – 1982 winner
Musical career
Also known as	Madonna of the East
Origin	British Hong Kong
Genres	Cantopop Mandopop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Capital Artists (1982–2000) Music Nation Group (2001–2003)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	梅艷芳
Simplified Chinese	梅艳芳
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Méi Yànfāng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Mùih Yihm-fōng Jyutping Mui4 Jim6-fong1

Anita Mui Yim-fong (born October 10, 1963 – died December 30, 2003) was a very famous singer and actress from Hong Kong. She made huge contributions to the Cantopop music scene and won many awards. People saw her as a true idol throughout her career. She was often called a Cantopop diva, which means a very successful and celebrated female singer.

Anita Mui was known as the "daughter of Hong Kong." She was also called the "Madonna of the East" after a concert in London. This nickname stayed with her and helped her become famous around the world.

In the 1980s, Anita Mui changed music with her exciting dancing and unique style on stage. She was famous for her amazing costumes and powerful performances. She had a deep voice, which is rare for female singers. Her fans were not just in Hong Kong but also in Taiwan, mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia. Anita Mui stayed popular for 21 years, from 1982 to 2003. Her career ended when she announced she had cervical cancer. She passed away later that year at the age of 40. Her sister, Ann, had also died from the same illness at age 40 in 2000.

All About Anita Mui

Her Early Life (1963–1978)

Anita Mui had a tough childhood. She was the youngest of four children and was born in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Her father died when she was very young, and her family was poor. She had to leave school around age 13 or 14 to help her family.

To earn money, Anita started performing at just four years old with her older sister, Ann. They sang Chinese operas and pop songs in theaters and on the streets. They performed in many nightclubs to make a living.

By age 15, performing so often affected her voice. Doctors told her to rest for a year. Her voice became deeper after that, but she continued to sing.

Becoming a Star: Singing and Acting (1982–2003)

In 1982, Anita Mui entered the first New Talent Singing Awards. She won the competition with the song "The Windy Season." This was a big step, even though she had already been singing for over 10 years.

After winning, Anita released her first album, Debt Heart, with Capital Artists. Her next albums, Red (1983) and Leaping in the Spotlight (1984), were much more successful. She developed her unique style with help from fashion designer Eddie Lau. She won the RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs award in 1983 and 1984.

Her success continued, and she won her first top 10 Jade Solid Gold Best Female Singer award in 1985. She won this award every year until 1989. In 1989, she won the Gold Songs Gold Awards for her famous song "Song of the Sunset."

Mui at the "Anita Classic Moment Live 2003" concert in the Hong Kong Coliseum

Anita Mui released 50 albums in total. Her best-selling album was "Bad Girl" (1985), which sold over 400,000 copies. Throughout her career, she sold 10 million albums.

In 1985, at just 21, she held her first concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum. It lasted for 15 nights, making her one of the youngest singers to hold such a big concert. In 1987, she set a new record with 28 concerts in a row at the Coliseum. This earned her the nickname "Ever Changing Anita Mui." Her fame grew internationally, and she was invited to sing at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. She performed in 300 concerts during her career.

In 1990, Anita Mui announced she would stop accepting music awards to give new singers a chance. She held 33 farewell concerts before taking a break from the stage. She returned in 1994. Anita also helped many new Hong Kong singers, including Andy Hui, Denise Ho, and the band Grasshopper.

In 1998, at age 35, she received the RTHK Golden Needle Award. This is a lifetime achievement award, and she was one of the youngest to receive it.

Mui's star on the Avenue of Stars

Her Acting Career (1983–2002)

Anita Mui was also a well-known actress across Asia. She starred in over 40 films in 20 years. She acted in action, thriller, and martial arts movies. She also took on comedic and dramatic roles.

She won her first acting award for her role in Behind the Yellow Line (1984). In 1987, her performance in Rouge won her the Best Actress Award at the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1989. She also starred with Chow Yun-fat in A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon (1989), which featured her famous song "Song of the Sunset."

Anita Mui showed her talent in comedy in films like Justice, My Foot! (1992) and Fight Back to School III (1993) with Stephen Chow. She also starred in the popular action film The Heroic Trio (1993) with Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung. She gained international recognition by starring with Jackie Chan in The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) and Rumble in the Bronx (1995).

In 1997, she won another Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Eighteen Springs. In 2002, she won Best Actress at the Changchun Film Festival for her performance in July Rhapsody.

Anita Mui was supposed to be in Zhang Yimou's film House of Flying Daggers (2004). However, she passed away two weeks before filming her scenes. Out of respect, the director did not cast anyone else, and her character was removed from the movie. The film included a special message "In Memory of Anita Mui" at the end.

Helping Others: Activism and Charity (1989–2003)

Anita Mui was also involved in politics and charity. She attended a rally in Hong Kong in 1989 to support democracy during the Tiananmen Square protests. She even promised not to perform in mainland China after that.

Anita Mui was very active in charity work. After a big flood in Eastern China in 1991, she joined other Hong Kong stars in a concert in Beijing to raise money for flood victims.

In 1992, she helped set up a nursing home in San Francisco. The mayor of the city named April 18 "Anita Mui Day." In 1993, she started the "Anita Mui True Heart Charity Foundation." She also helped create the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild. The city of Toronto, Canada, declared October 23, 1993, "Anita Mui Day."

One of the care centers established by Mui.

During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, she organized a fundraising concert called the 1:99 Concert. This concert raised money for families affected by SARS and included many famous celebrities. She received an award for her efforts against SARS. In 2003, she wrote a book called The Heart of the Modern Woman, and all the money from the book went to the Children's Cancer Foundation.

Personal Life

In 1990, Anita Mui dated Benjamin Lam Kwok-bun for three years. Despite rumors, she remained single for the rest of her life.

Her Legacy

Bronze statue of Anita Mui in Hong Kong

On September 5, 2003, Anita Mui announced she had cervical cancer, the same illness her sister had died from. She held a series of eight concerts in Hong Kong in November 2003. These were her last performances.

At her final concert, she symbolically "married the stage" while singing her hit song "Sunset Melody." Her last song on stage was "Cherish When We Meet Again" on November 15, 2003. She passed away from cervical cancer and lung failure on December 30, 2003, at age 40. Thousands of fans attended her funeral in January 2004. Her ashes are kept at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.

After her death, several projects honored her life. In 2007, a TV series called Anita Mui Fei was made in China about her story. In 2004, the Anita Mui True Heart Digital Multimedia Studio opened at the University of Hong Kong. A cafe in Causeway Bay called Happiness Moon is also dedicated to her.

On October 11, 2008, TVB aired a show called Our Anita Mui, where friends and colleagues shared their memories of her. On July 18, 2014, a statue of Anita Mui was unveiled on Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars.

In 2019, a film called Dearest Anita was released. It focused on people whose lives were changed by her work and charity. In 2021, a movie called Anita told her life story, with model Louise Wong playing her.

Discography

Usually, English translations of Chinese titles from AnitaMuiNet.com are used. However, some English titles are different from the website, and some other albums are romanised in case accurate translation may not be possible.

Studio albums

Cantonese

Capital Artists Ltd.

• Sum chai (Debts of the Heart) 心債 (1982)

  Also includes solo recordings by members of the Hong Kong pop band, Siu Foo Deui (The Tigers) 小虎隊

• Red Anita Mui 赤色梅艷芳 (Chek sik Mui Yim-fong) (1983)

  Sometimes referred as Red 赤色 (Chek sik)

• Leaping in the Spotlight 飛躍舞台 (Fei yeok mou toi) (1984)
• Chi seoi lau nin (The Years Flow Like Water) 似水流年 (1985)
• Bad Girl 壞女孩 (Waai neoi haai) (1985)
• Yiu neoi (Temptress) 妖女 (1986)
• Burning Tango 似火探戈 (Tsi fo taam gwo) (1987)
• Flaming Red Lips 烈焰紅唇 (Leet yim hung seon) (1987)
• Mung leoi gung tzeoi (Drunk in Dreams Together) 夢裡共醉 (1988)
• Mellow 醉人情懷 (Zeoi yun tsing waai) (1988)
• We'll Be Together — EP (1988)
• Lady 淑女 (Sook neoi) Artists Ltd. (1989)
• In Brasil (sometimes referred as In Brazil) (1989)
• Say It If You Love Me 愛我便說愛我吧 (Ngoi ngo been soot ngoi ngo ba) (1989)
• Cover Girl 封面女郎 (Fung meen neoi long) (1990)
• Anita Mui (梅艷芳) (1991)

  Sometimes it is called Yook mong ye sau gaai (Jungle of Desire) 慾望野獸街

• It's Like This 是這樣的 (Si tze yeung dik) (1994)

  Sometimes, it is referred to as This Is Anita Mui 梅艷芳是這樣的 (Mui Yim Fong si tze yeung dik)

• The Woman of Songs 歌之女 (Goh tzi neoi) (1995)
• Illusions 鏡花水月 (Geng faa seoi yu) (1997)
• Variations 變奏 (Been tzau) (1998)
• Larger Than Life (1999)
• I'm So Happy (2000)

Go East Entertainment Co. Ltd.

• With (2002)

Japanese

English titles are official English titles used by record labels for below releases: Express (part of EMI Japan)

• Fantasy of Love / Debt of Love 唇をうばう前に / いのち果てるまで (kuchibiru woubau mae ni / inochi hate rumade) — EP (1983)

  "Fantasy of Love" is the Japanese version of the Cantonese song "Gau cheut ngo dik sum" (交出我的心). "Debt of Love" is the Japanese version of the Cantonese song "Sum chai" (心債).

• Marry Me Merry Me / nantonaku shiawase 日い花嫁 / なんとなく幸せ (nichii hanayome / nantonaku shiawase) — EP (1983)

  Marry Me Merry Me is sometimes referred as Marry Me Marry Me.

Mandarin

Rock Records

• Manjusaka 蔓珠莎華 (Man zhu sha hua) (1986)
• Ever-changing Anita Mui: Flaming Red Lips 百變梅艷芳:烈焰紅唇 (Bai bian Mei Yan-fang: lieyan hong chun) (1988)
• Intimate Lover 親密愛人 (Qinmi airen) (1991)

Other record labels

• Caution 小心 (Xiaoxin) — Capital Artists Ltd. (1994)

  Hong Kong edition of this album consists of Cantonese versions of some Mandarin songs.

• Flower Woman 女人花 (Nüren hua) — Music Impact Ltd. (1997)

Anita Music Collection Ltd.

• Moonlight on My Bed (or simply "Moonlight") 床前明月光 (Chuang qian ming yueguang) (1998)
• Nothing to Say 沒話說 (Mei huashuo) (1999)

Concert albums

Capital Artists Ltd.

• Anita Mui in Concert 87–88 百變梅艷芳再展光華87–88演唱會 – Cantonese (1988)
• Anita in Concert '90 百變梅艷芳夏日耀光華演唱會1990 – Cantonese (1990)
• Anita Mui Live in Concert 1995 一個美麗的回響演唱會 – Cantonese/Mandarin (1995)
• Anita Mui Final Concert 1992 百變梅艷芳告別舞台演唱會 – Cantonese/Mandarin (2006)

Music Impact Ltd.

• Anita Mui 1997 Live in Taipei 芳蹤乍現台北演唱會實錄 – Mandarin (1997)

Music Nation Records Company Ltd.

• Anita Mui Fantasy Gig 2002 梅艷芳極夢幻演唱會2002 – Cantonese/Mandarin (2002)

Compilation albums

Compilations released after 2004 are not included here: Capital Artists Ltd. (Cantonese)

• The Legend of the Pop Queen: Part I and Part II (1992)
• Lifetime of Fantasies 情幻一生 (Ching waan yat sang) (1993)
• Change 變 (Been) (1993)
• Wong tze tzi fung (Majestic) 皇者之風 (1993)
• Dramatic Life 戲劇人生 (Hei kek yan sang) (1993)
• Love Songs 情歌 (Ching goh) (1997)
• Love Songs II 情歌 II (Ching goh II) (1998)
• Anita's 45 Songs 眾裡尋芳45首 (2001)
• Tribute to Anita Mui 梅‧憶錄 (2004)
• Faithfully 梅艷芳 (2008)
• In the Memories of Anita Mui 追憶似水芳華 (2013)

Other record labels

• Anita Classic Moment Live 梅艷芳經典金曲演唱會 – Mui Music Ltd. (Cantonese/Mandarin) (2004)
• Anita Mui Forever 永遠的... 梅艷芳 – BMG Taiwan Inc. (Mandarin) (2004)

Awards

• New Talent Singing Awards winner 1982
• Top 10 Jade Solid Gold Best Female Singer Award 1985–1989
• Top 10 Jade Solid Gold Gold Song Gold Award for Sunset Melody (夕陽之歌) 1989
• Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress 1985 for Behind the Yellow Line
• Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress 1988 for Rouge
• Asia-Pacific Film Festival Awards for Best Actress 1989 for Rouge
• Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress 1989 for Rouge
• Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress 1998 for Eighteen Springs
• Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best Supporting Actress 1998 for Eighteen Springs
• RTHK Golden Needle Award 1998
• Golden Deer Awards for Best Actress 2002 for July Rhapsody

Filmography

TV series

TVB

See also

In Spanish: Anita Mui para niños

• Asteroid 55384 Muiyimfong
• Music of Hong Kong
• Cinema of Hong Kong