In 2002, whilst still a university student majoring in American Studies at the University of Hong Kong, Kay Tse entered a university singing competition and won First Prize. She also entered an inter-schools singing competition in 2003 and made the final five, impressing one of the judges so much that he offered her a professional contract with his small music label. At the time she was working as a piano teacher.
Tse's debut Cantonese album "Kay One" was released on May 6, 2005 to an unsuspecting Hong Kong public. The album includes 2 non-Cantonese songs, an English version of 《我歌…故我在》 ("The One and Only") and a Mandarin version of 《姿色份子》named "Plastic Roses" (《塑膠玫瑰》).
Initially, due to the dearth of love songs in her albums, Tse was not popular in the mainstream Cantopop market. Nevertheless, many music industry insiders have tipped her singing ability to have big potential (despite her plain looks) and regard her as one of a new breed of 'non-idol' singers who sell their singing ability rather than their looks.
Tse had several hits in 2005. These include the songs:
《姿色份子》, a fast catchy pop tune mocking the Asian dieting trend;
《我歌…故我在》, a slow ballad expressing a singer's feelings on the stage;
《臭男人》, a funky song that makes fun of different types of men;
《開卷快樂》, a fast Jazz song satirizing the tabloid magazines;
《跟我走》, an encouraging, grateful song accompanied by a touching music video to thank her loyal fans who like and follow her music even though she doesn't release many love songs to cater to the mainstream.
On January 1, 2006, Tse won the Bronze Award for CRHK 2005 Best Newcomer, along with Ivana Wong and Janice Vidal who won Silver and Gold respectively.
Despite not appearing in public for most of 2007 for maternal leave, Tse was still one of the top three female singers with the most airplay on the radio.
In 2008, 囍帖街 sung by Kay Tse became the undisputed Cantonese song of the year and has won almost every major award in several categories (including best song, best melody, best lyrics, and best album) for that year in Hong Kong, China, and overseas. Thus, Kay Tse also won the coveted Hong Kong Four Stations Media Award for being the artist who won the most awards in 2008. Consequently, her popularity rose sharply and she has since become one of the top female Hong Kong singers in just a few years.
In 2010 and 2013, Tse released Mandarin albums targeting mainland China and Taiwan markets. She is one of the few newcomers in the 21st century to successfully reach audiences outside of her native Hong Kong, and is now considered one of the top artists from China/Hong Kong region for both Mandarin and Cantonese songs. She was runner-up in a China national singing contest. She once represented China/HK in an Asia-wide concert that took place in South Korea.
Since 2006, Tse has won the CASH Golden Sail Music Awards for best female performance four times.
in 2006 for 亡命之途
in 2008 for 17度 (note: 囍帖街 was also in final 5)
in 2009 for 年度之歌
in 2011 for 你們的幸福
姿色份子
謝安琪 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
瘦削蛋脸 便算合时
手臂只有少许的松弛
已太丢脸 活着没有意思
神奇 保湿的忌廉
能完全锁紧水分去粉刺
更有那彩斑修护店
人在世 无下次 全部要一试
个个变姿色份子
美态等于尊严
纤体主义
扩散了整个城市
如同疫症感染
终于
贝特玛利亚丽塔艾美或翠斯
每个相貌也极似
全没个性与自我的标志
倒模天使
若求令男士目光转移
强作娇艳 实太便宜
跟四周女子互相比试
斗美争艳 实在没有意思
试试 想过得真实点
谁能摇身一变成模特儿
各有各本身的特点
肥或瘦 圆或幼 无谓太刻意
不可思议
个个变姿色份子
美态等于尊严
纤体主义
扩散了整个城市
如同疫症感染
终于
贝特玛利亚丽塔艾美或翠斯
每个相貌也极似
全没个性与自我的标志
倒模天使
不可思议
看看本周的杂志
爱美标准一致
纤体主义
灌溉着这一个城市
全民受到恩赐
不可思议
个个变姿色份子
美态等于尊严
纤体主义
扩散了整个城市
如同疫症感染
终于
贝特玛利亚丽塔艾美或翠斯
每个相貌也极似
全没个性与自我的标志
倒模天使
The lyrics of 謝安琪's song 姿色份子 (zī sè fèn zi) describes the pressures and expectations that society places on women to conform to certain beauty standards. The first verse talks about the desire to have flawless, tight skin and a slim face, expressing the belief that without beauty, life lacks meaning. The use of the words “姿色份子” (zī sè fèn zi) emphasizes the focus on appearance, as the term can be translated to “beauty followers” or “beauty worshippers”. The second verse talks about how women are pitted against each other in a competition to be the most beautiful, but ultimately it is unfulfilling and lacks authenticity. The chorus speaks of the widespread obsession with beauty and how it has become a social contagion or "disease" that infects everyone in the city, highlighting the rampant spread of beauty standards.
The overall message of the song is one of criticism against the societal pressures women face to prioritize appearance and wellness above all else, causing them to lose their unique sense of self and conform to narrow beauty ideals. It also critiques the homogenization of beauty and the expectation that all women should fit a certain mold.
Line by Line Meaning
为何面容净白兼紧致
Why is having fair and tight skin considered important?
瘦削蛋脸 便算合时
Even having a skinny, oval-shaped face is considered fashionable.
手臂只有少许的松弛
Even having a slight looseness in your arms is a source of embarrassment.
已太丢脸 活着没有意思
Feeling ashamed of our bodies to the point of losing any meaning in life.
神奇 保湿的忌廉
A positive view of moisturizing lotion that helps combat blemishes.
能完全锁紧水分去粉刺
The lotion acts as a cure for blemishes by locking in moisture and fighting dry skin.
更有那彩斑修护店
There are even stores dedicated to fixing every wrinkle and blemish on our skin.
人在世 无下次 全部要一试
Since we only live once, we must try everything to make ourselves look perfect.
个个变姿色份子
Everyone strives to be a beautiful person with the perfect image.
美态等于尊严
Having good looks equates to having a dignified status.
纤体主义
Promoting the ideal of having a thin body.
扩散了整个城市
This ideal is spreading throughout the entire city.
如同疫症感染
The spread is similar to how an infectious disease spreads.
终于
The ideal has finally taken hold and become the norm.
贝特玛利亚丽塔艾美或翠斯
The ideal for beauty is represented by specific icons in the media.
每个相貌也极似
Everyone is trying to look like these specific icons.
全没个性与自我的标志
No one has their own unique identity or traits and all strive to look the same.
倒模天使
Others may take inspiration from models, but are just copying their look.
若求令男士目光转移
Attempting to capture the interest of men.
强作娇艳 实太便宜
Forcing a coquettish and flirtatious persona in order to be seen as desirable.
跟四周女子互相比试
Comparing ourselves to other women around us.
斗美争艳 实在没有意思
Fighting for beauty and elegance is meaningless and unfulfilling.
试试 想过得真实点
Trying to live life genuinely instead of focusing solely on looks.
谁能摇身一变成模特儿
Everyone wants to become a model-like figure overnight.
各有各本身的特点
We all have our unique qualities and traits, so we shouldn't have to overdo it.
肥或瘦 圆或幼 无谓太刻意
We don't need to be too hard on ourselves based on our body shape and size.
不可思议
The obsession with having the perfect image is truly incomprehensible.
看看本周的杂志
Looking at magazines as a way to compare ourselves to others and seek out new beauty trends.
爱美标准一致
Everyone has the same standard for beauty and follows the same global trends.
灌溉着这一个城市
These standards are flooding the city, affecting everyone and everything within.
全民受到恩赐
Everyone is impacted by this ideal and as a result, beauty is elevated to a holy status.
Writer(s): bo xian zhou
Contributed by Scarlett J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
丁子香
我04年已經聽佢唱呢首歌
Mo May
喜歡初出道的謝安琪, 而家變哂質
Kay bb
愛kay❤亦愛浦銘心❤
Hiuyee Tang
當年睇“無間音樂”，覺得呢個新人幾得意，有少少靦腆、怕醜，但係又好樂觀😄，啲歌“姿色份子”、“我歌故我在”又幾特別幾創新，就睇好佢👍😆
MARC
當年後生 有本錢
現在年紀愈大愈怕被淘汰
反正倒模天使 也是天使
wong joe
個人也比較喜歡"喜帖街"前的Kay,但一成不變的話會像同期的李卓庭般消聲匿跡
chi keung leung
可否維持在2005年
남고추
唱的跟做的完全不一樣