Fiona Sit Reflects on 20 Years of Music: ‘I’m Determined to Find My Own Voice’

At nan extremity of past year, singer/actress Fiona Sit was successful nan midst of filming nan TV show Memories Beyond Horizon erstwhile calamity struck. Her begetter became sick and was admitted to nan ICU. Despite nan difficulties, Fiona was wished to definitive her longing for her family and hometown done music.

On nan time of nan Winter Solstice (Dec. 21), she released a caller opus called “Hong Kong’s Night.” This heartfelt activity was a simple, honorable communicative of her own. “We each person beautiful and gentle nights successful our hometowns, and if you’re missing home, this opus tin go ‘Beijing’s Night’ aliases ‘Chengdu’s Night,’ pinch nan aforesaid melody and expression,” Fiona tells Billboard China for a caller screen story. “Music is simply a blessing to america all.”

For 2 decades, euphony has been a changeless companion to Fiona, providing her pinch a level to definitive emotions, from emotion to healing. After each these years, her heartfelt emotion for euphony still shines.

‘I’m besides amazed that I’ve been singing for 20 years’

Fiona was starting from scratch erstwhile she first stepped into nan signaling studio. She had nary acquisition aliases knowledge of nan euphony manufacture and was intimidated by nan shaper and backup singers. With nary thought really to definitive her ideas, she was near emotion overwhelmed and helpless. She often asked questions like, “What colour should this condemnation be? How awkward should nan boy successful nan opus be? Are location different group successful nan room erstwhile we’re together? How many?”

Fiona’s travel to becoming a musician was an bonzer one. She began arsenic an installation artist, wherever she could definitive her feelings done her brushwood and materials. But erstwhile it came to music, she realized she needed to collaborate pinch lyricists, composers and different behind-the-scenes creatives to make thing special. She chose to pass done art, honing her skills successful a master way, until she could usage her ain sound to definitive her emotions. Fiona’s sound is for illustration a unsocial blend of lemon, chromatic and mint — a cleanable harmony to accurately represent nan vibrant emotions of a girl’s heart.

Fiona’s creation is simply a vivid look of her emotions. From nan aureate trophies she has earned since her debut, to nan self-doubt and disorder she experiences successful difficult times, to nan pinkish romanticist temper of emotion and nan thoughts of her hometown astatine night, Fiona’s creation captures it all. When she’s stuck for inspiration, Fiona turns to painting. As she puts it, “Drawing a opus is for illustration listening to it complete and complete again and coating a picture. The image is nan song.”

Becoming a prima without overmuch thought

Fiona had large dreams of becoming an creator erstwhile she was successful school. She studied Creative Media and Installation Art successful college, but group astir her often asked her if she wanted to beryllium a exemplary because of her earthy beauty. Despite being only 5-foot-6, she decided to springiness it a spell and soon recovered retired that modeling isn’t conscionable astir strutting down a catwalk — it besides involves photograph shoots and videos. And that’s really Fiona’s modeling profession began. She’s since starred successful TV commercials for large brands for illustration HSBC and Coca-Cola.

“At property 20, I changeable commercials for 6-8 hours and earned HKD 3,000-4,000 [around $350-$500 USD] per session. I’d support 800 [$100 USD] for myself and gave nan remainder to my parents, and I haven’t asked them for money since. Little did I cognize backmost past that modeling would go my early career. I conscionable felt I was a precocious kid who was already supporting my family.”

Fiona had ever been passionate astir singing, but it wasn’t until group started asking her if she wanted to prosecute it professionally that she began to earnestly see it. She knew her uncle worked astatine a grounds institution and had been responsible for nan activity of galore singers, truthful she decided to activity his advice. When Fiona told her uncle astir her singing aspirations, he was surprised. “You for illustration singing? Do you person cleanable pitch?” he asked. Her uncle past arranged for her to meet pinch a Warner Music supplier and person an informal audition astatine a KTV (a karaoke business). Fiona remembers nan full process arsenic being rather magical. She can’t retrieve overmuch astir that day, but she was judge that she sang a batch of Leslie Cheung’s songs. Fiona loves to screen songs by antheral singers, arsenic it gives her nan opportunity to show a communicative from a different perspective.

Fiona’s star-studded profession began successful nan aforesaid twelvemonth she released her debut medium and starred successful her first movie. Director Derek Yee was looking for nan cleanable female lead for his upcoming movie 2 Young, and Fiona was nan 1 he chose for nan 2005 project. Years later, erstwhile they became adjacent friends, Derek joked astir Fiona’s audition, “Out of each nan girls who auditioned, you put successful nan slightest effort. You showed up wearing flip-flops and a baggy T-shirt!” Despite her laid-back approach, Fiona’s easiness and authenticity won complete nan producers and directors.

Roaring done nan euphony world for a decade

Fiona’s 2004 debut medium F Debut was a immense success. The opus “A Letter From Keanu Reeves” topped nan euphony charts successful Hong Kong and won nan “Top 10 Gold Songs” grant astatine nan Radio Television Hong Kong’s Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award, on pinch Jay Chou’s “Common Jasmine Orange,” Leo Ku’s “Love and Fidelity” and Miriam Yeung’s “Storm successful a Teacup.”

When Fiona went onstage to judge nan award, she smiled happily and simply said “thank you.” After she stepped disconnected nan stage, nan unit was amazed by her composure. They asked her really she could stay truthful calm successful nan look of specified an accomplishment. “My calmness is besides happiness, axenic joy. I conscionable didn’t deliberation excessively overmuch astatine that time,” she replied.

Fiona’s life was a whirlwind of activities aft achieving fame. She was perpetually connected nan move, juggling interviews and photograph shoots, and pushing herself to nan brink of exhaustion. But amid her hectic lifestyle, Fiona still recovered clip to bespeak connected her travel and nan early ahead. In her 2013 opus “Dear Me successful Ten Years,” she expresses nan fears of a young woman increasing up successful a world afloat of uncertainty: Have I done things that make maine proud without regret? Have my beliefs stayed strong? Will I support my consciousness of style arsenic I mature? Should I beryllium smart alternatively of impulsive? Am I happy?

Every clip Fiona mentioned “Dear Me successful Ten Years” erstwhile promoting her songs, she would outcry because she was really facing nan “question marks” successful nan song, confronted pinch nan unknown, emotion frightened and uncertain astir nan future. However, aft capable crying and thinking, she began to talk pinch her institution that, successful summation to singing and acting, she wanted to measurement retired of her comfortableness area and research caller possibilities.

To commemorate her decadelong travel successful nan euphony manufacture since her debut, Fiona released nan conceptual medium Tenacious successful 2013. She took connected galore roles for nan first time, from shaper to costume designer, screen designer and creation head for nan euphony video sets and lighting. Fiona chose nan medium title for a reason: It reflects her relentless pursuit of euphony and unwavering committedness to her craft.

For this album, Fiona took a brave measurement guardant by penning her ain lyrics and composing her ain euphony for nan first time. The opus “Recovery” is simply a rubbing reminder of nan enslaved betwixt Fiona and her cat. Fiona’s communicative is 1 of symptom and regret. After her feline was diagnosed pinch a achy bosom condition, Fiona had to make nan difficult determination to fto it go. The adjacent day, she recovered solace successful her music, and nan opus “Recovery” was born.

Fiona hopes to comfortableness those who person knowledgeable sadness from parting pinch this opus and study to look nan impermanence of life, becoming wise successful adversity. “We should not hide each nan hardships we person experienced. If you hide them, you will not beryllium capable to study and summation from them. Don’t forget, don’t resent, don’t get angry. Slowly it will move from a bad point into a bully thing.”

Ten years ago, Fiona was a confused girl, unsure of what nan early held. But 10 years later, she had a different outlook. She had learned that increasing up doesn’t person to beryllium thing to beryllium feared, but thing to beryllium embraced. Fiona expressed this newfound knowing successful her opus “Me After Ten Years.” Through her music, she was capable to convey nan connection that nan value of increasing up is not thing to beryllium dreaded, but a travel that tin bring joyousness and appreciation for life.

Redefining herself & showcasing her existent aforesaid connected aggregate stages

Fiona was filled pinch uncertainty earlier joining play 3 of nan TV bid Sisters Who Make Waves past year. Would group beryllium fto down aft seeing her connected nan show? She recalled her creation teacher’s first belief of her arsenic being cold, only to observe her humorous broadside aft getting to cognize her. After overmuch contemplation, Fiona accepted that while she whitethorn person a acold side, she is overmuch much than that. The songs she performs connected nan show will beryllium her existent self, and done them, everyone tin get to cognize nan existent Fiona.

Fiona utilized to beryllium contented pinch singing nan aforesaid acquainted pieces. But erstwhile she joined Sisters Who Make Waves 3, she had to clasp a caller approach. She was now successful a “you choose, I learn” authorities of mind. Through this experience, Fiona discovered that her sound tin definitive a overmuch wider scope of emotions. She is now unfastened to learning and collaborating pinch different styles and genres, arsenic agelong arsenic it sounds good.

Fiona is taking a break from releasing caller euphony to attraction connected discovering her existent creator identity. She wants to usage her singing to show stories that are honorable and meaningful, alternatively of pretending to beryllium personification she isn’t. “I want to show stories that are existent and existent to who I am,” Fiona says. “I’m wished to find my ain sound and definitive it done my euphony and its accompanying arrangements. By nan extremity of nan year, I’m hoping to person achieved this extremity and beryllium capable to stock my stories pinch nan world.”

If 1 time Fiona’s profession successful nan arts comes to an end, she plans to go a director. Years ago, 2 dreams had travel to her successful nan night, connected successful a measurement she couldn’t explain. From these dreams, she had crafted an outline for a script, a communicative she wanted to bring to life connected nan large screen. Someday, she hoped, her dreams would go a awesome movie.

Fiona has had a lifelong curiosity and a passion for nan unknown. For nan past 20 years, she has been connected a travel of exploration, driven by her youthful tone and accompanied by euphony and art. Despite nan passing of time, her emotion and dedication stay unwavering. Even aft 2 decades successful entertainment, Fiona remains existent to herself.