New Music: Khalil Fong - 'Journey To The West' (album)

Khalil Fong is back!! His latest album, Journey To The West, is a double album - Black and Gold, each with 10 songs. It's the first album released under his independent music label, Fu Music. There are plenty of amazing R&B tracks. Some of my favourite are: NMW, 味道 (Taste) feat. Zion.T and Crush, 很不低調  and As I do.

Check out his youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/KhalilFongofficial

New Music: Khalil Fong - '聽 (Listen)' (2015)

Khalil Fong released a new song recently - '聽 (Listen)' and it's definitely catchy! I hope this means that a new album is on the way.

Composed by: Khalil Fong/ Derrick Sepnio
Lyrics: C君
Produced by: Khalil Fong/ Derrick Sepnio

Listen below:

Brief Album Review: Khalil Fong - '危险世界 (Dangerous World)'

Album release date: 2014
Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop
Rating: 4.5/5
Brief Review by: jct

I was slightly disappointed with Khalil Fong's last two albums, (15, Back to Wonderland), but his latest album, 危险世界 (Dangerous World), released on April 11, 2014, is highly enjoyable! Dangerous World mainly sticks to the R&B/Soul genre, which I appreciate.

All the songs are a great listen, ranging from up-tempo R&B/pop to slow-tempo R&B/Soul. Khalil continues to provide strong lyrics, tasteful song production, and displays passionate vocals. He also showcases some of his rapping skills in at least 2 tracks. I, especially enjoy the latter half of the album. Overall, Dangerous World proves that Khalil Fong is still a very relevant and creative artist. This album is highly recommended!

Tracklist
01 Welcome
02 危险世界 | Dangerous World
03 Peace (feat. 袁娅维) | (feat. Tia Ray)
04 小方 | Little Fong
05 Soundcheck
06 黑白灰 | Black White Grey
07 桃花运 | Love Blossoms
08 特别的人 | Special Person
09 Weather Report
10 天气先生 | Weather Man
11 枫叶做的风铃 |  Autumn Leaves Wind Chime
12 Boarding
13 巴黎 | Paris
14 爱不来 (feat. 葛仲珊) | Love Doesn't Come (feat. Miss Ko)
15 僵尸 | Zombie
16 Lights Up

New Music: Khalil Fong - '危險世界 (Dangerous World)' (2014)

Khalil Fong will be releasing a new album this April. He recently released the title track from the upcoming album entitled, "危險世界 (Dangerous World)". It's a mid-tempo R&B track with addictive beats and nice lyrics. Looking forward to his new album!! 

Lyrics: Khalil Fong
Composer: Khalil Fong 
Arranged & produced: Khalil Fong, Derrick Sepnio

Listen below: 



Lyrics: 

一條毒蛇別靠近
遇到老虎就要小心
避開獵人的陷阱
別總說那是命運

*緊緊握著我的手
衝出千變的迷宮
我不放開你的手
不讓你受傷害

**我在 這裡證明對你多愛
何時 證明對你的愛now 
再不需要你看left 再不需要你看right 

***在你面前 不管世界多危險 啊
有我站在你身邊 啊
保護你我不厭倦 啊
面對未來的一切一切一起體驗

水中鯉魚也著迷
千紙鶴帶來的含義
這是我們的天意
緣份沒有有效期

repeat * ** ***

一起感受這個地球不同的溫度
在我們的時代創造生命的旅途
用你的心就能發現愛無處不在
快伸出你的手別再怕
No no no no no 

repeat ** ***

#不管世界有多危險
我會一直在你身邊
保護著你我不會厭倦
每一天每一天
只要有你在我面前
就算一起走到邊緣
把它當作我們的起點
每一年每一年

repeat # X3

Lyrics translated:
Don’t approach the poisonous snake
Be careful when you see a tiger 
Avoid the hunter’s trap
Stop saying that is your fate

*Tightly grasp on to my hand
Escape the ever-changing maze
I won’t let go of your hand
I won’t let you get hurt

** I affirm how much I love you right here
When do I prove my love for you? Now
You don’t need to look left
You don’t need to look right

***I’m in front of you
No matter how dangerous the world is
You have me standing by your side
I won’t get tired of protecting you
I’ll face every impending challenge

Carp is swimming in the water
Thousand paper cranes bring forth prophecies
This is our destiny
Fate does not have a validity period

repeat * ** ***

Let’s feel the different temperature of Earth together 
Creating the journey of life in our lifetime
With your heart, we can find love anywhere
Quick, extend your hand, don’t be afraid
No no no no no

repeat ** ***

# No matter how dangerous the world is
I will always be by your side
I won’t get tired of protecting you
Every day every day
I just need you in front of me
Treat it as our starting point
Every year every year

repeat # x3

lyrics credit: jctmusicnotes
lyrics modified from: Goddess1 - onehallyu.com

New Music: Khalil Fong (方大同) - 'Lights Up' (2013)

Khalil Fong released a new song today (Nov. 19, 2013) !!! It's really good!!! It has a bit of JT feel to it too.

Track title: Lights Up
Lyrics/Composer: Khalil Fong (方大同), Fergus Chow

Listen below:



Lyrics:
Wutcha be like
It's a good life
In the limelight
With your heart of gold
I could tell you bout it
Make you doubt it or we could try release your mind and your soul

Wutcha feel like
Catchin' spotlights
In the crowd life
Put ya on a show
You be thinking bout it
Cause you can't let it go
Oh baby

If ever you can't fight the feeling
When the music is right you'll always be true
So stay close to me I can show you girl
Bout all of the things we can do

I got what you want
I got what you need
Just come out and see my world

Girl we gotta go
Girl we gotta leave

Turn the lights up
Put your shoes on
Get your groove on
Ain't nobody stopping us now
Before the night's up
Put your suit on
Get your move on
Get on the floor
I said...

Lights up
No other place I'd rather be
Lights up
Get away for a while girl
Lights up
Leave your worries and fly away

I'd be the one who
You could run to
Bout all the things that
Are out of your control
I could tell you bout it
But you already know

If ever you can't fight the feeling
When the music is right you'll always be true
So stay close to me I can show you girl
Bout all of the things we can do

I got what you want
I got what you need
Just come out and see my world

Girl we gotta go
Girl we gotta leave

Turn the lights up
Put your shoes on
Get your groove on
Ain't nobody stopping us now
Before the night's up
Put your suit on
Get your move on
Get on the floor
I said...

Lights up
No other place I'd rather be
Lights up
Get away for a while girl
Lights up
Leave your worries and fly away

Follow your way to the stars
Don't be afraid I'll be right where you are
We can go on like this forever, and though we're far apart
I don't care what the others say
We'll share another day, baby
I'm here to stay
Show me the way to your heart

Show me the way. Show me the way. Show me the way to your heart
Show me the way. Show me the way. Show me the way to your heart

I said...
Lights up
No other place I'd rather be
Lights up
Get away for a while girl
Lights up
Leave your worries and fly away
x2

Lyrics credit: jctmusicnotes

New Music: Khalil Fong - 'BB88' (2012)

Khalil Fong is back!! His latest work, "BB88" is a upbeat R&B/Soul track. The song has a very fun and playful feel to it as can be seen in the music video. "BB88" is a play on word of the Chinese word "8". Thus, the song title means - baby, bye bye. The song is about being mistreated by his girlfriend, and he's leaving if she continues to be that way as he sings soulfully, "You want me to be jealous, you're making me so mad/ If you don't behave baby, then let's say bye bye".

Support him and get it on iTunes!

Listen below: 


Lyrics: 

Composed/Lyrics/Arranged by: Khalil Fong  方大同
Produced by: Edward Chan / Charles Lee / Khalil Fong

我走一步 你就翻臉
我給你的愛 你說不夠甜
最會裝酷 多麼愛演
媽媽曾經說過不要被騙

#* 說LOVE OH LOVE 這是什麼
OH GIRL你嘴邊的話算什麼
LOVE OH LOVE 你怎麼了
不不不不不 愛不是贏或輸

* BABY別太壞 BABY別破壞
別總是偷偷摸摸 讓我想哭
要我吃醋 你讓我發怒
不乖乖baby就要說88

我走一步 被你搶先
我對你好 但你不給我面
每時每刻都在家裡做臉
也許有那一天有誰來找你代言

Repeat # *

是什麼不妥
是誰闖了禍
請你饒了我
突然間又靠著我
再一拳過來
冷戰一個多禮拜
最後還是要我來猜測
你的感受 是我的博鬥 MY DARLIN'
能何時換​​來一個吻
CAN YOU TELL ME NOW
TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME NOW...

Repeat * x2

Khalil Fong - 'Rosy' (2011)

A beautiful romantic song by Khalil Fong!!! It's a R&B/Soul track composed, written and sung by Khalil. It would've been nice if this song was on his '15' album, but it can be found in the '15 Live DVD'.

Listen below:



Lyrics: 

How can I tell you now what you already know
You are the one I really love
And when I say you're still the one I'm thinking of
I mean that you're the only one for me

Rosy if you hear me
Won't you dare come near me
I cross my heart I've got a lot to earn
And Rosy if you see me
You had best believe me
Oh I got a love I have to give
Forgive me being the one who said goodbye

How can we go back to the way it used be
I didn't know it was true love
I was too blind to see the angels from above
Now I realize you're the one they sent for me

Rosy if you hear me
Won't you dare come near me
I cross my heart I've got a lot to earn
And Rosy if you see me
You had best believe me
Oh I got a love I have to give
Forgive me being the one who said goodbye

Girl if I could turn back the time
Stay by your side
Save you the pain when I walked out that door
Maybe I could put a smile on your face like before
It was wrong for me to deny but now our love has gone
Leaving you then is now leaving me all alone
You know you have my heart, just let me love you

Rosy if you hear me
Won't you dare come near me
I broke your heart for that I have to burn
And Rosy if you see me
You had best believe me
Oh I've gotta love I've gotta learn
Forgive me being the one who said goodbye

Forgive me being the one to say goodbye

Lyrics credit: warner music hk
Lyrics: revised: jctmusicnotes

Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘15’

Album release date: 2011
Genre: Soul/R&B, Retro Rock, Jazz, Cpop
Rating: 3/5
Review by: jct

After a two year hiatus, Khalil Fong returns with his sixth album entitled 15. On this album, he takes his music in a different direction than the one he followed in the past. His usual traditional Soul/R&B has been put on the back burner and replaced by Retro Rock and some R&B/Jazz. Overall, the album is heavily guitar driven which fits the album title as it is a reference to the age he began learning to play guitar.

A Different Path

The album starts off with a mid-tempo R&B/funk track, “Gotta Make A Change” which is about.social and environmental problems in the world as he sings smoothly, “Listen to the tree they see everything you do/ Look up at the sky can’t you see all the things you do become a sign/ That everything you do has a reason for leaving/ If you think there’s a way to change your life/ Then it’s now time to say that I believe.”

The album features a strong guitar presence which marks a different path that Khalil is moving towards. Although he experimented outside the Soul/R&B genre in his past albums, many songs on this album set a tone that are different from what his fans may be used to such as “曇花 (Epiphyllum)” and “張永成 (feat. Ghost Style) (Zhang Yong Cheng)”. Fortunately, the album is not completely devoid of traditional R&B/Soul and romantic ballads. Some examples include the title track, “因為你 (Because of You)” and “好不容易 (Not So Easy)”. The latter track is worth mentioning as it was written to commemorate his friend’s wedding. A 60-piece orchestra is also used to deliver the song which is about commitment to love as he sings, “Because I only love you/ I’ve already changed/ I realized/ Not so easy, not so easy/ Not so easy to find love with you.” Also deserving mentioning are “Over”, which is a R&B/Jazz track about a broken heart and “無菇朋友(Mushroom-less Friend)” which is a sound based word play implying innocent friend.

It is impressive that Khalil wrote the lyrics, composed and produced most if not all the songs, but the lack of traditional R&B flavour is somewhat disappointing. Although Khalil has smooth and soulful vocals, the guitar sounds is sometimes too strong and overwhelm his vocals. Longtime fans of his may have been surprised by the musical direction he went with this album, but there’s no arguing that it shows that he is capable of delivering new things and sounds comfortable in it. This album certainly represents a major leap in many aspects of his musical skills.

Delight or Disappointment

This album represents a bold change in direction for Khalil, who has mainly followed a tradional Soul/R&B path. Although R&B/Jazz are enjoyable, the Retro Rock genre may not delight those who enjoy mainly R&B and R&B/Soul as it is too heavily guitar driven. Overall his latest work will either delight or disappoint listeners depending on whether one can accept his new music direction.


Tracklist:
1. Gotta Make A Change
2. 曇花 (Epiphyllum)
3. 張永成 (feat. Ghost Style) (Zhang Yong Cheng)
4. 因為你 (Because of You)
5. 情勝策略 (Love Wins Strategy)
6. 無菇朋友 (Mushroom-less Friend/ Innocent Friend)
7. 自以為 (徐佳瑩合唱) (duet with Lala Xu) (Self-Assumption)
8. 二人遊 (Two Person Tour)
9. Over
10. Take Me
11. 好不容易 (Not So Easy)

MV: Khalil Fong - '因為你 (Because of You)' (2011)

I previously posted Khalil's new song, and the full MV is finally released. He's pretty silly in the MV, but 'Because of You' is a very nice R&B/Soul song with smooth vocals by Khalil as always.

Watch it below:

New Music: Khalil Fong - '因為你 (Because of You)' (2011)

Yeah!! A new song by Khalil Fong and he sounds awesome! It's a slow-tempo R&B/Soul song with great vocals. Can't wait for his new album!

Lyrics: Khalil Fong
Music: Khalil Fong
Produced: Khalil Fong
Arranged: Edward Chan, Charles Lee, Khalil Fong

Listen below:

Khalil Fong - ' 玩樂 (Play)' (2009)

Just catching up on some Khalil Fong's music. This song was released in late 2009 for a Nokia commercial. It's a mid-tempo R&B/Soul song that he composed and produced.


Listen below:

Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘Timeless’

Album release date: 2009
Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by: jct

R&B/Soul singer Khalil Fong’s fifth album, Timeless, is essentially a tribute to the artists and songs that inspired his music. He covers a range of artists and at the same time adding something new or incorporating his style to the songs. Thus, the album isn’t entirely retro as it somewhow manages to expertly and easily walk the line between classic and modern day R&B/Soul music.

Classic/Modern Day

If you’ve ever wondered how Khalil Fong has an overflowing amount of soul, a large part of the answer is within the songs in this album. He clearly covers the songs that he felt had influenced his music style and lyrics. The artists he covers range from Stevie Wonder to Faye Wong.  The opening track is Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”, in which he kept the music the same as the original, but adding his own distinct sound to it. Maybe the album’s best song is Glenn Medeiros’ “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” as Khalil kept the song simple but at the same time, updating the song to appeal to the younger generation. Not to mention he sings it smoothly with true genuine emotions. Also, deserving mentioning is the cover of Susanna Kwan’s “Frenzy (狂潮)” in which he adds an R&B flavour to it which makes it sound less classical. At the same time, he kept it clean and crisp. This version is certaintly unique as the vocals and style is different from the original. Also, the cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” is an impressive remake as the song is in Spanish and although he doesn’t speak the language, he delivers it very well. If you did not know better, you’d think he can actually speak Spanish. He also adjusted the music and beats of the original song to fit his style and vocals, and the result is impressive.

However, the album does falter slightly on some songs. Although the songs itself are good and well-sung by Khalil, some songs simply doesn’t fit his style or nothing new was added, such as the songs “Bad” and “Remember”.  Overall, the album lives up to its title, as he embedded the idea of timeless, and doing justice to the artists that inspired him musically.

Tracklist
1. You are the Sunshine of my Life (Stevie Wonder cover)
2. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You (Glenn Medeiros cover)
3. Bad (Michael Jackson cover)
4. 狂潮 (Frenzy) (Susanna Kwan (關菊英) cover)
5. La Bamba (Ritchie Valens cover)
6. Red Bean (Faye Wong cover)
7. Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles cover)
8. Remember (A-mei cover)
9. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton cover)
10. Moon River (Andy William cover)

Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘Soul Boy’, ‘This Love’, ‘Wonderland’

Album release date: 2005-2007

Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop

Review by: jct

Note: This is a review for Khalil Fong’s first 3 albums. All in 1 review!

__

Khalil Fong’s music is truly a breath of fresh air compared to the souless, overly computerized music that defines contemporary R&B music. All the songs in the albums are earnest, heartfelt love ballads, and none are boring or generic. With his smooth and soulful vocals and outstanding production skills, Khalil is definitely a true, genuine artist.  

Smooth and Soulful

On his debut album, Khalil sets himself apart from the other Cpop singers by focusing his music on R&B/Soul. And he continued with this tone and image on the next two albums. Khalil’s approach on all the albums seemed to be if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And it worked because R&B/Soul is truly what he does best. However, on Wonderland, he did adjust his music style slightly as he provided more upbeat tunes rather than the slower ballads from his previous albums.

All three albums are pretty much filled with slow to mid-tempo love ballads, with just a couple of upbeat songs. Most of the songs have very original and romantic lyrics. For instance, in the song “Sorry” which is about finally realizing and understanding the pain he had caused to his lover, and apologizing. He sings, “When I turned around, I realized that it was I/That hurt you the most, owe you the most”, and he continues, “Your love is so deep, the deepest love is actually the most silent/ Love can be gentle, love can be cruel/Love’s selfishness, love’s freedom/ Love’s betrayal, love’s struggle/ All these I’ve experienced/ I also have your pain now/ I’m so sorry.” Also deserving mentioning is the song, “Travelling Quartet” which is a duet with Fiona Sit. It’s a love ballad about a brief encounter with a past lover, as they sing, “I didn’t have enough love to give at that time/ Looks like we can only be friends/ The happiness of the past doesn’t turn into sorrow/ Looks like at that moment/ We both were willing to let go.” Other notable tracks from the three albums include “Spring Breeze”, "South Sound", “Shu Li Zhen”, “If You Leave Me Now”, “Love Song”, and “Park”.

Although Khalil didn’t compose all the songs, he did arrange and produce most of them, and the results are amazing. In addition to his smooth vocals, his ad-libs are also really good, and not too overwhelming. Although, there are many highlights, there are a couple of drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that some songs from one album may sound similar to the songs from a previous album. However, it can be forgiven because his songs are still fresh and compelling, and he sounds full of life.

The bottom line is that all three albums are solid packages and demonstrate Khalil’s smooth and soulful vocals. These three albums are highly recommended for those who enjoy R&B/Soul music.

Overall Rating

‘Soul Boy’  - 4.5/5

‘This Love’ – 4.5/5

‘Wonderland’ – 4.5/5

Tracklist
Soul Boy
1. Prologue
2. 妹妹 (Little Sister)
3. 春风吹 (Spring Breeze)
4. 每天每天 (Everyday)
5. 女人 (Women)
6. 叫我怎么说 (Tell Me How To Say)
7. 哪怕 (Who’s Scared)
8. 南音 (Sound of the South)
9. 我们能不能 (Can We)
10. 跳 (Jump)
11. 总结 (Conclusion)
12. 赶场 (Rushing)
13. 等着你回来 (Waiting For You To Be Back)

This Love
1. 愛愛愛 (Love, Love, Love)
2. 蘇麗珍 (Shu Li Zhen)
3. 歌手與模特兒 (A Musician and a Model)
4. 唉! (Oh, Dear!)
5. 四人遊 (Traveling Quartet)
6. 手拖手 (Pulling Hands)
7. 偷笑 (Grinning)
8. Goodbye Melody Rose
9. 詩人的情人 (Poet's Lover)
10. 拖男帶女 (Grab the Guys, Take the Girls)
11. Love Outro
12. If You Leave Me Now
13. 春風吹之吹吹風Mix (The Walk of the Blowing Spring Breeze)

Wonderland

1. Love Song
2. 夠不夠 (Enough?)
3. 暖 (Warm)
4. 愛在 (Love is There)
5. 公園 (Park)
6. 簡單最浪漫 (Simple is the most romantic)
7. 十九八七...  (10,9,8,7…)
8. 未來 (Future)
9. 忘了美麗 (Forgetting Beauty)
10. Sorry
11. 愛愛愛 (Acoustic Version) (Love, Love, Love)

Artist bio: Khalil Fong (方大同)

Profile
Date of Birth: July 14, 1983, in Hawaii, USA
Profession: singer, songwriter
Debut Album: Soul Boy (2005)

Early life
Khalil was born in Hawaii, USA, raised in China, but based his career in Hong Kong. He learned to play guitar and piano on his own at a very young age. At age 16, he wrote songs and sent demos to music producers. He was later recruited by Warner Music Hong Kong.

Career
Khalil Fong is an R&B/Soul singer-songwriter. He has a very distinct style compare to other Cpop singer as his songs are R&B/Soul which is rare in Cpop. His debut album Soul Boy, was released in 2005. In 2009, he released his fifth album, Timeless, which is filled with cover songs that according to him, influenced his music. Although he based his career in Hong Kong, his songs are in Mandarin rather than Cantonese. Khalil is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

In addition to his own songs, Khalil Fong has also composed songs for other artists in Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Amei Chang, Eason Chan, Fiona Sit, Andy Lau, and Jacky Cheung.

Musical Influences
His favorite music genres are Soul, Neo-Soul, Jazz, 50's Doowop and Rock. Musicians that have affected Khalil's songwriting include Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, D’Angelo, R.Kelly, Babyface, Marvin Gaye, N.E.R.D, Musiq Soulchild, etc.

Discography
2005   Soul boy                 
2006   This Love                  
2007   Wonderland              
2008   Orange Moon            
2009   Timeless                  
2011   15      
2012   Back to Wonderland  
2014   Dangerous World    
2016   Journey to the West    

Source: khalil-fong.com.hk, yesasia, warner music hk

 

Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘Orange Moon’

Album release date: 2008
Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop

Rating: 4.5/5

Review by: jct

 

On his 4^th album, Orange Moon, Khalil Fong delivers more well-sung and sensitive R&B/Soul songs that are forever hopelessly romantic. This is certaintly a strong album as he composed and produced most of the songs.

Hopelessly Romantic

The album starts off with the title track, “Singalongsong” which is a mid-tempo song and he sings it completely in English. The song is about writing a song for a loved one, as he smoothly sings, “Girl, I’ll do my best to show these words are true/And if you like to make a song and be in perfect harmony with me/ I find the greatest words to sing/ So we could write our own romantic thing”.

The album is filled with a handful of slow and sensual songs with very original lyrics. For instance, the next song, “Little Bug” with lyrics: “I’m not an expert at saying romantic lines, don’t blame me/I don’t understand, if it weren’t for this tiny bug/That frightened you, making you jump into my embrace/Would I be able to embrace you like this?/I’m really useless/I have to thank this little bug for giving me this chance”.  Also deserving mentioning is a hopelessly romantic song, “Three Person Tour” about a man hopelessly in love with a girl who already has another man, but as long as she is happy, it is enough. He sings, “Quietly, silently, maybe it’s really worth it/I’m still waiting somewhere/Maybe this still qualifies as a type of happiness/At least one of us can still be happy/And that’s already enough.”

The album’s only slight flaw is that a couple of songs may sound similar to tracks from his other albums. But that can be forgiven since it’s not like he repeats himself very often. The important thing is that his songs are still fresh and compelling, and he still sounds full of life.

So, the bottom line is if you’re a Khalil fan, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by the album. Virtually every song on Orange Moon is excellent: the vocals, production and especially the lyrics. And if you’re not familiar with his music but enjoys R&B/Soul, this album is highly recommended.

Track list:

1. Singalongsong (English)
2. 小小蟲 (Little Bug)
3. 1234567
4. 黑白 (Black &White)
5. 如果愛 (If Love)
6. 黑洞裡 (Inside the Black Hole)
7. 三人遊 (Three Person Tour)
8. 每個人都會 (Everyone Will)
9. 100種表情 (100 Kinds of Expression)
10. 愛我吧 (Love Me)
11. 為妳寫的歌 (The Song Written For You) [Singalongsong Mandarin version]