Sandy Lam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sandy Lam
林憶蓮
Lam in 2024
Born	(1966-04-26) 26 April 1966 (age 59) British Hong Kong
Occupation	Singer actress producer
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Lee ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2004)​
Musical career
Genres	Cantopop Mandopop electronic
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Stardust (1986–present) Universal Music (2012–present)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	林憶蓮
Simplified Chinese	林忆莲
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lín Yìlián Yue: Cantonese Jyutping lam4 jik1 lin4

Sandy Lam (born April 26, 1966) is a famous singer, actress, and producer from Hong Kong. She became well-known in the 1980s. Her music reached many fans across Asia. She has released over 30 albums in different styles. These albums are in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese.

Sandy is one of the most famous artists in Chinese-language music. She is known for her success and for always trying new things. She often steps outside the usual music styles. Her albums, Gaia (2012) and 0 (2018), both won her a Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Female Singer. This is a very important music award.

Sandy has worked with many record labels. These include CBS Sony Records, Warner Music, Rock Records, Virgin Records, Capitol Records, EMI Music, and Universal Music.

Early Life and Family Music

Sandy Lam was born in Hong Kong on April 26, 1966. She was the oldest of three children. She grew up in a place called North Point. Music was always a big part of her family's life. Her father came from Shanghai. He was a professional Erhu musician, playing a Chinese string instrument. He played with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Her mother performed Yue opera in local places.

From DJ to Actress

In 1982, Sandy was a high school student. She went to Marymount Secondary School. A classmate asked her to try out for a job as a disc jockey (DJ). Soon, she started working part-time at Commercial Radio 2. Her stage name was "611."

By 1984, she became a full-time DJ. A talent scout from CBS/Sony Records noticed her. She was singing Crying in the Rain at an outdoor show. She signed with CBS/Sony in 1985. Her first album came out in 1986. Around this time, Sandy also acted in movies. These included Merry Christmas (1984) and The Intellectual Trio (1985). She also played a nurse in a TV show called "左鄰右里" (1985).

Starting a Music Career

Sandy's first album was not a huge hit. It was a Cantonese language album. Its style was like the popular Japanese idol trend. But this style did not make her famous in Hong Kong right away.

Things changed with her album Grey (1987). People in Hong Kong started to see her as a serious singer. The main song "灰色" and her cover of Berlin's Take My Breath Away (from the movie Top Gun) became very popular. These songs helped her win her first awards at the 1987 Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation. She also showed her talent for different music styles on her jazz-inspired album Ready (1988).

The City Rhythm Series

The City Rhythm series truly made Sandy a big star. This was a set of three albums released between 1988 and 1990. City Rhythm showed Hong Kong her amazing musical skills. These albums sold very well, becoming platinum records. Sandy was an Executive Producer for these albums. They were full of catchy dance-pop songs and ballads. Many of these were originally by Western artists.

City Rhythm was the first successful concept album in Cantopop. The songs were bold and focused on women's experiences. They showed life and love on the busy streets of Hong Kong. The series presented a woman who knew what she wanted. Each song explored a different part of life. Sandy covered songs by artists like Martika and Taylor Dayne. This made her seem fresh and young. Through this series, Sandy captured the excitement of 1980s Hong Kong. She also became known as Hong Kong's dancing queen.

The Wildflower Album

In 1991, Sandy worked with Singaporean songwriter Dick Lee. They released the album Wildflower (野花). This album was about growing up. Wildflowers were a symbol for the journey of a modern Asian woman. Wildflower was a beautiful mix of Eastern and Western music. It blended traditional ideas with Western jazz.

This album showed Sandy's amazing talent and versatility. It also started the 'Unplugged' trend in early 90s Cantonese music. This meant creating real and raw music that connected deeply with listeners. At first, people were not sure about the album. But it is now seen as a very important and influential album in Cantopop history.

Breaking into Mandopop

At the same time, Sandy also started to become popular in Taiwan. She began her journey in the world of Mandopop. Her first Mandarin album was Home Again Without You (愛上一個不回家的人) (1990). This album was a huge success. It sold over 600,000 copies in Taiwan alone. This success encouraged many Hong Kong musicians to try making Mandopop. It marked the start of Taiwan's strong influence in pop music.

The Success of Love, Sandy

In 1995, Sandy worked with Taiwanese music producer Jonathan Lee. They released her fourth Mandarin album, Love, Sandy. This album had ten songs, including ballads, love songs, and R&B-inspired pop. It was a massive hit. It sold 800,000 copies in Taiwan and 3 million across Asia. This made her famous in new places like Singapore and Mainland China. Almost every song became a hit. Many became popular songs for KTV. It is still one of the best-selling Mandopop albums ever.

After her 14th Cantopop album Feeling Perfect (1996), Sandy spent most of her time in Taiwan, China, and Japan. In 1997, Sandy acted in Hong Kong's biggest musical, Snow.Wolf.Lake. She played the main female role. The show had 42 sold-out performances in the Hong Kong Coliseum. This is still a record today.

Returning with At Least I Still Have You

Sandy took a break after her daughter was born. She then came back with new Mandarin albums in the early 2000s. She kept improving her skills and trying new things. During this time, she released Clang Rose (1999). This album was praised for being new and different, but still popular. Her album Sandy Lam's (2000) included the huge hit song At Least I Still Have You (至少還有你). A Korean version of this song was made by Super Junior-M.

For the first time, Sandy helped write songs on her album Truly… Sandy (2001). She co-wrote four songs. In the same year, Sandy performed in an Andrew Lloyd Webber concert called Masterpiece. This concert was in Beijing and Shanghai. In April 2002, she sang the Mandarin theme song, On My Own, for the musical Les Misérables in Shanghai.

In 2005, Sandy released her first Cantonese album in almost ten years, True Colour. After her Mandarin album Breathe Me (2006), Sandy took another break from releasing new music for six years. During this time, she went on tour. She also thought about new directions for her music. From 2009, Sandy started working on an album that she wanted to be very different. She wanted to change how she made music.

The Gaia Album

In 2012, Sandy released Gaia (蓋亞). The album was named after the Goddess of earth in Greek mythology. It was a very experimental album. She tried new sounds, including New Age music. This added a fresh style to her music.

Gaia was seen as a great comeback. It was also called a landmark album in Mandopop. Critics praised it for being new and groundbreaking. Sandy won four awards at the 24th Golden Melody Awards in 2013. These included "Best Mandarin Female Singer," "Best Mandarin Album," "Best Album Producer," and "Best Musical Arranger."

Sandy kept challenging herself. In 2017, she joined the TV show Singer 2017 on Hunan Television. This show introduced her to a new generation of fans.

Cover Albums and Singer 2017

Sandy briefly returned to Cantopop. She released two albums of cover songs from 1980s Hong Kong. These were Re: Workz (2014) and In Search of Lost Time (2016). She changed the songs to different styles.

In January 2017, Sandy joined the TV show Singer 2017. She was one of the first eight singers in the competition. She won the show on April 15, 2017.

The 0 Album

In 2018, Sandy released her 12th Mandarin album, 0. This album had little advertising. It took three years to make. 0 continued Sandy's journey of trying new musical challenges. Her first single, "Core," was a second collaboration with Mayday's lead singer Ashin. 0 is a deep and thoughtful album. It tries to understand the many ideas of "zero," like beginnings and endings. Sandy won "Best Mandarin Female Singer" and "Best Vocal Recording Album" for 0 at the 30th Golden Melody Awards in 2019.

Personal Life

Sandy married Taiwanese singer and producer Jonathan Lee in 1998. They had a daughter named Renee (李喜兒), born on May 17, 1998. Sandy and Jonathan Lee divorced in 2004. Sandy was in a relationship with drummer and songwriter Jun Kung from 2011 to 2019.

Discography

Filmography

Motion Pictures

Television

Major Awards and Achievements

Published Work

See also

In Spanish: Sandy Lam para niños