Roy Tsui

Tsui Ka Ho (Chinese: 徐家豪), born 30 Sept 1980, usually known by his pen name Lam Yat-hei (Chinese: 林日曦) or Roy Tsui, is a Hong Kong lyricist who has written over 80 pieces of lyrics since 2007. He is also a writer and the founder of Blackpaper Limited (Chinese: 黑紙有限公司). Blackpaper Limited is a local publisher which engaged in multimedia creation and advertising campaigns. Multiple business and media channels owned by Tsui under Blackpaper Limited including Whitepaper Publishing (Chinese: 白卷出版社), periodical magazine Blackpaper (Chinese: 黑紙), satirical weekly magazine 100 Most (Chinese: 100毛) and multimedia platform TV most (Chinese: 毛記電視).

Tusi has also been writing columns for several papers like the Mingpao Weekly and the Oriental Daily News.

Biography

Tsui was born in Hong Kong and grew up in a public housing estate at Tai Wo Hau, lived with his parents, grandparents and his auntie. He changed schools constantly due to his poor results and conduct. After secondary school, he took a 3-year graphic design course at IVE.

Roy Tsui dropped out from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) Design.

In 2003, he joined the Commercial Radio Hong Kong as a sound editor, and later, as the coordinator of the online forums. The online forums had been asked to closed one day and Tsui stepped up and told his boss Winnie Yu that the forum should not be closed. Yu wasted no time and asked Tsui to step into her office. She called all the upper management at Commercial Radio and had a meeting around Tsui and the forums were saved. Tsui see this as a great chance to let her take a look of the lyrics he has been writing. Yu requested Tsui to write 10 more lyrics and she called a meeting again. This changed the career path of Tsui from clerk to production. He recommend himself to be the backstage design team for CR1(FM 88.1-89.5) 電台雷霆881 and CR2(FM 90.3-92.1)叱吒903.

He then changed his job once every few months between the ages 23 and 31. He has also been Creative Director of the Skyhigh Creative Partners. He quit it in 2012 as he thinks he could not share any valuable experience and is not good enough as a mentor for the youngsters. In 2007, he wrote the theme song lyrics of the movie ‘Tokyo Tower - Mom & Me, And Sometimes Dad’, called 'gulugulu'. This is considered to be his first signature piece. The song entered the Ultimate Song Chart in the same year.

In 2009, he founded the creative unit "Black Paper" with Ah Bu and Chan Keung. Then he started working on different kinds of creation, for instance, publishing magazines, direct music video and graphic design. He published the one-page magazine 'Black Paper' in Jan 2010. His career as a columnist at newspapers like Ming Pao weekly and RoadShow, City Magazine and Oriental Daily news and Hong Kong Economic Times started at 2011. A year later, he published first book 'idiot'(《白痴》). At 2013 March, he published the magazine '100 most', which reached the break-even point within half a year. He also founded the White Paper Publisher same year, which focused in publishing books of popular culture including fictions, prose and picture books. In the same year, he published the second book 'Green Veins'(《青筋》) and published 'Black Face'(《黑面》) a year after. He later published his first fiction ‘Happy Never After'(《快樂有限》), then ‘Excessively Romantic’ ( 《肉麻》)and in 2015 published ‘Grey Eurasian Collared’ (《灰鳩》). In 2015, he and his team created the TV website, TV Most.

Works

Lyrics

2007

• Freeze - Stepping on the wire ('踩鋼綫')
• Freeze - Maria
• Terence Chi Iong CHUI(小肥) - Time Machines ('時光機')
• Arumimihifumi(有耳非文 )- gulugulu(（東京鐵塔下）'gulugulu')
• Arumimihifumi(有耳非文) - Last day Today ('最後今天（月亮版）')

2008

• At17 - The Date to the Moon ('那天約你上太空')
• I Love You Boyz、HotCha - Let's Play La La La('火熱悶棍La La La')
• Square - ASAP
• Rannes Man(文恩澄) - Entertainment('娛人娛己')
• Arumimihifumi(有耳非文) - Sleepless Actress('不眠優伶')
• Eunix Lee(李卓庭) - One on One('人釘人')
• Eric Suen(孫耀威) - Story of seven million('七百萬人的故事')
• Justin(側田) - Cloud ('雲')
• Miriam Yeung(楊千嬅) - La La Kua La La('啦啦跨啦啦')
• Lowell Lo Feat. Farmer(盧冠廷 Feat. 農夫) - 2050

2009

• Alex Fong(方力申) - Rush ('匆匆')
• Alex Fong(方力申) - Butterfly Flies('撲翼蝴蝶')
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - Roswell('羅茲威爾')
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - In the Dark('摸黑')
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - North South Pole('南北極')
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - 1+1
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - 300 Love Poems('情詩三百首')
• Elanne Kwong(江若琳) - Next, Please('有請下位')
• Sukie Tong(唐素琪) - Clear('清空')
• Janet Yung(翁瑋盈) - Plan A('A計畫')
• Keeva Mak(麥家瑜) - Detective('神探')
• Kearen Pang(彭秀慧) - goodbme
• Kearen Pang(彭秀慧) - Under the Moon ('月球下的人')
• Cilla Kung(樂瞳) - Smiling Fish('微笑的魚')
• Cilla Kung(樂瞳) - Countdown of Death('死亡倒數')
• (李昊嘉、黃貫中、叱咤903 DJ) - The Great Teacher('萬歲師表')

2010

• ToNick - T.O.N.I.C.K
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - East West('東西')
• Fainche Che(車盈霏) - Trophy ('戰利品')
• Fainche Che(車盈霏) - The Weather Girl('天氣女郎')
• Edison Chan(陳冠希) - Love in this World('問世上有幾多愛')
• Jason Chan(陳柏宇) - Don't let it stop before sun rise('日出前讓愛戀延續')
• Bosco Wong(黃宗澤) - The Master('一代宗師')
• Bosco Wong(黃宗澤) - Over the hills('越過高山越過谷')
• Cilla Kung (樂瞳 )- Snowman('雪人')
• Cilla Kung (樂瞳 ) - Human Figure('空氣人形')
• Cilla Kung (樂瞳 ) - Christmas Nobody('聖誕路人')
• Cilla Kung Feat. Luk Wing Kuen@Farmer (樂瞳 Feat. 陸永@農夫 ) - Queen of himono-onna('乾物女皇')

2011

• HotCha - Not Used To('未習慣')
• ToNick - Day Dream ('發你個夢')
• Taichi(太極) - Alcohol this morning('今朝有酒')
• Yu Kiu, Ava(羽翹) - The Gorgeous-ist ('大華麗家')
• Det Dik(狄易達) - Out of City ('無城')
• Mag Lam, Sheldon Lo, James Ng Yip Kwan, Stephanie Ho Ngan Si, Alfred Hui, Ryan Lam(林欣彤、羅孝勇、吳業坤、何雁詩、許廷鏗、劉威煌) - Super Voice('飛聲')
• Mag Lam(林欣彤) - Water('上善若水')
• Kate Tsui(徐子珊) - 'Wax and Wane' Opening Theme Song('半圓')
• Miya(張靈) - Bearable('能捨能離')
• Alfred Hui(許廷鏗) - Water('上善若水')
• Bosco Wong(黃宗澤) - Water('上善若水')
• Michael Tse Tin Wah(謝天華) - Walking Alone('獨行')
• Linda Chung, Ron Ng(鍾嘉欣、吳卓羲) - 'L'Escargot' Opening Theme Song('傷城記')
• Susanna Kwan(關菊英) - 'Curse of the Royal Harem' Opening Theme Song('各安天命')

2012

• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - Online Game'Tales Runner'Theme Song 2012('魅影世紀')
• Det Dik,Rainky Wai(狄易達、蔚雨芯) - Old Camera('傻瓜機')
• Mag Lam(林欣彤) - 'Three Kingdoms'Ending Theme Song('三生有幸')
• Raymond Lam(林峯) - End of Innocence('幼稚完')
• Raymond Lam(林峯) - Same Forest('同林')
• Yu Kiu, Ava(雨僑) - Escape('逃亡')
• Myolie Wu, Johnson Lee(胡杏兒、李思捷) - 'Wish and Switch' Opening Theme Song('交換快樂')
• Joey Yung(容祖兒) - 'The Hippocratic Crush 2'Sound Track('連續劇')
• Sita Chan(陳僖儀) - Noise ('嘈')
• Sita Chan(陳僖儀) - For Thousands of Years('千秋')
• William Chan(陳偉霆) - Queen('女皇')
• William Chan Feat. (陳偉霆 Feat. 泳兒) - Who Am I('我是誰')（Rap Lyrics：馮曦妤）
• Wayne Lai, Wu Ting Yan Nancy(黎耀祥、胡定欣) - 'The Confidant'Ending Theme Song('日月')
• Fiona Sit(薛凱琪) - 'Silver Spoon, Sterling Shackles'Opening Theme Song- At This Very Moment('此時此刻')
• Michael Tse Tin Wah, Niki Chow(謝天華、周麗淇) - 'Sergeant Tabloid' Opening Theme Song('愛從心')
• Linda Chung(鍾嘉欣) - 'Missing You' OpeningTheme Song('幸福歌')
• Shirley Kwan(關淑怡) - 'The Confidant'Opening Theme Song('相濡以沫')

2013

• J.Arie - 'A Secret Between Us'Theme Song('每一次都是你')
• Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn(王梓軒) - 'Midnight Munchies'Opening Theme Song('越夜越快樂')
• Joey Yung(容祖兒) - 'The Hippocratic Crush 2'Opening Theme Song - Sequel('續集')
• Niki Chow(周麗淇) - 'A Change of Heart 'Opening Theme Song('心變')
• Mag Lam(林欣彤) - University of the Weird('怪獸大學')
• Raymond Lam(林峯) - BB（與莊冬昕、林峯合填）
• Edwin Siu(蕭正楠) - 'A Great Way To Care II'Opening Theme Song('圍牆')
• Alfred Hui(許廷鏗) - 'Will Power'Opening Theme Song('遺物')
• Bosco Wong(黃宗澤) - Final Blessing('最後祝福')
• Cai Jun Tao(蔡俊濤) - 'Detectives and Doctors'Opening Theme Song('一點通')
• Rainky Wai(蔚雨芯) - 'Knock Knock Who's There' Theme Song('無話可說')
• Miriam Yeung(楊千嬅) - Classmate('同學')
• Ruco Chan, Edwin Siu(陳展鵬、蕭正楠) - 'Brother's Keeper'Opening Theme Song ('巨輪')
• Ryan Lau(劉威煌) - 'When Lanes Merge'Opening Theme Song('不棄也不離')
• Shirley Kwan(關淑怡) - 'Always And Ever' Opening Theme Song('實屬巧合')

2014

• Mag Lam(林欣彤) - Safety Zone('安全地帶')
• Rainky Wai(蔚雨芯) - Toys('玩具')

2015

• Jan Lamb(林海峰) - TV Most 'Time of Dog'Theme Song-Heartless Years(歲月毛情)
• Raymond Lam(林峯) - 'Detectives and Doctors'Opening Theme Song- Interlinked hearts('心有靈犀')
• Eunice Chan(陳詩欣) - Drama of Love('感情戲')
• Eunice Chan(陳詩欣) - Stupid('蠢')
• Gloria Yip(葉蘊儀) - Rashomon of Women('中女羅生門')
• Stephanie Cheng(鄭融) - The God of Black Face('黑面神')
• Tang Chi Wai(鄧智偉) - Epic('史詩式')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Slow Happiness('快樂很慢')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Near('永遠很近')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Escalator('升降機')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - The Strange Familiar ('最陌生的熟悉人')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Hong Kong Outstanding Junk Youngsters('香港傑出廢青')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Fell Right Where I Fall('邊度起身邊度跌返低')
• Michael Lai(黎曉陽) - Real Fake Literary Youngsters('真偽文青')

Magazines

• Black Paper (2010 -)

Compared to 100 Most, Black Paper is a more heavy and serious magazine. It is more about the society, criticising it. It changes its format once in a while to avoid boredom. It is a one-page A5 size magazine with one side of picture of famous people and the other side filled with ‘black sentence’. ‘Black sentence’ is a short but precise sentence about the monthly theme. His idea is to make the sentences as short as possible so that people would have the patience to finish reading it. The overall style of the magazine is to be ‘somehow’ humorous, sensible and critical.

• 100 Most (2013-)

100 Most is a life style magazine which started by Roy Tsui, Bu and Chan Keung in 2013. The purpose of the magazine is to provide laughter to Hong Kong people. According to Tsui, the editors have huge freedom in which they can choose to write on anything as long as they think it is interesting. Most of the editors are the young post-90s and Tsui believes that they are the only ones suitable to the job as they know what is going on on the internet and they know what is popular. As a boss, Tsui do not have much restrictions on the content of magazines and uses an inactive approach to lead the company. The magazine is mainly about popular culture in Hong Kong. Tsui and his partners hope to educate people about the society, if not, at least people can be entertained from the news of it. The freedom and humour in the magazine is what makes it interesting and popular among the younger generation in Hong Kong.

Multimedia Channel

• TV Most (2015-)

Youngster in Hong Kong nowadays watch less TV. Some of them even regard watching TV as something to be ashamed of. This shows the TV industry has some kind of negative connotations attached to it. Seeing this, Tsui believes that he and his team can do something on this and make television interesting again. Believing TV shows should not be confined in the traditional framework. ‘A single sheet of paper could be a magazine, so why must TV be on TV?’ And hence, he started the TV website, TV Most.

Books

Title	Book Summary	Year of Publication	Publisher
‘Idiot’ 《白痴》	First collection of prose written by Roy Tsui. By stories from daily life, he criticize the modern ‘normal’ society with his unique point of view. Hoping to lead readers to reflect on their own lives and rebuild them.	2012	White Paper Publisher
‘Green Veins’ 《青筋》	“Look at your wrist, we all have a youthful vein.” Another collection of prose of Tsui, aiming to view the society in a different and somewhat weird way, and to use a youthful mind to see the ever-growing-old world. The blue vein we always see on our wrist has been here since our birth. It is just like our youthfulness – it is always here, depending on when you decided to let it out. Then you will realize age is never an excuse because your body is never what carries youth, your heart is.	2013	White Paper Publisher
‘Black Face’ 《黑面》	Some people are often been commented as pulling a long face without realising it. Roy Tsui is also part of them. And from his experience, he thinks that the only advantage brought by this is that one can live comfortably. It is because one does not have to face people you don’t want to see, you don’t have to join uninterested conversations, you don’t have to practice smiling just to please others. You can enjoy your own personal space and do whatever you like – at this moment, all the disadvantages brought by your facial expression means nothing as you do not have to care about any other things but you. This is selfish but happy.	2014	White Paper Publisher
‘Happy Never After’ 《快樂有限》	A collection of 37 short stories about happiness, loneliness and sadness written by Roy Tsui. Sadness is temporary, happiness is temporary. Whatever it is, it will pass someday. –quote from ‘Happy Never After’.	2014	White Paper Publisher
‘Excessively Romantic’ 《肉麻》	Being excessively romantic is an attitude. People afraid of losing things. This fear make us keep our emotions flat as being emotionless is safer. Even if emotions are not expressed, one will need to find a way to release them one day. People kill people suicide. This is mainly because they have been emotionless for too long and backfired in this way. Be mushier to the one you love, as well as to the world.	2015	White Paper Publisher
‘Grey Eurasian Collared Dove’ 《灰鳩》	Most of us in this world chose a life to work day by day. Then, once in a while, we look up to the sky and admire the grey birds fly upon the sky, being free. Perhaps we could not change the environment around us, but we can see what the seemingly sad life really is and practice our mind and set ourselves free in our hearts.	2015	White Paper Publisher

Columns

• Column at Sharp Daily (HK) – White Paper (Stopped Publication)
• Column at Apple Daily – Sink All Other than Books (Stopped Publication)
• Column at MingPao Weekly – Drama of Relationship
• Column at RoadShow – Farewell Love
• Column at City Magazine – Bookstory
• Column at Oriental Daily News - Why not idiotic
• Column at Hong Kong Economic Times – Off Topic

Writing Style

Most of his works are lyrics and started writing books afterwards. He mainly write short stories and prose as he thinks he does not have the time needed for him to write a long fiction. He needs to be completely focused and devote most of his time to the writing of long stories which he could not do so at the present. He writes in mainly vernacular Chinese and sometimes mixed with some spoken Cantonese. He writes in a straightforward style, usually illustrate his point of view by his own experience or the social phenomenon he observes. The productions 100 Most and TV Most of his company adopts a more fun and humorous way of presenting ideas but he himself thinks he is not such a person. He is a more serious and a person who thinks deeply. This reflects in his writings. His books and articles are not as light as the magazines, but sometimes quite dark instead. He adopts an ironic manner to write, especially when criticizing politics in Hong Kong.

Influence to his thinking/ writing

He has been rebellious for most of his life. This can be seen from the number of schools he attended and his career path. He switched his secondary school for almost five times and decided to drop out of IVE himself. For his career path, he first worked as a clerk and then his bravery made him a producer and later an owner of two magazines and publisher.

Family

His family’s way of parenting is one of the biggest influence to his writing and thinking. His family adopts a kind of uninvolved style of parenting, which they do not cast too much control on Tsui. This allows him to do whatever he likes and his family would not interfere his decisions. For instance, even if his father thinks that the secondary school Tsui chose for himself does not fit him, he would not alter his choice but just give a simple criticism on that. His motto of life is not to trust anybody's words, in other words, to keep reflecting on the everyday social customs. He tries to think more about these paradoxical customs and understand the reason behind. He does things he thinks is right. He thinks it is alright to challenge authorities if one do not agree with them, but this has to be with one’s own reason. This view of him is solidified after him reading the book which published in 1895, ‘The Crowd:A Study of the Popular Mind ‘.

Writers/Artists

In addition, Chan Wai Yee(Chan Wai) is the writer who influenced him most. He started reading extensively in his gap year after his decision of dropping out of IVE. The writing style of Chan Wai is also a simplistic way. He understood from her writings that stories does not necessary has to be exaggerating nor too complicated. The stories written by Chan Wai is like everyday life, which is the reason why Tsui likes her books. They may not have dramatic scenes but the simplicity touches people instead. Another artist that he finds interesting is Hsia Yu. There is one particular work Tsui admire, which is her collection of poems 'Pink Noise'. The way she creates inspires Tsui to think out of the box and do things which others may oppose but he likes.

Influential Figures in His Life

Lin Xi is often considered as his mentor in his writing of lyrics though he never admitted it. Tsui first met Lin Xi at a meeting called by Winnie Yu after he submitted his lyrical works to her. Lin Xi always gives Tsui advice when Tsui first entered the industry. Tsui admired Lin Xi’ perseverance most as he can keep editing his own work and keep editing to perfection.

Winnie Yu is another important person that influenced him a lot. She is his boss in the Commercial Radio. She did not directly help him in any way but altered his job career totally. She is the one giving him chance to switch from a clerk to production. The way Winnie Yu influenced Tsui is not by words but by what she did. Tsui admired Winnie Yu for how she would work on an immature idea with him and would not give up discussing and working just to make the idea perfect. She is the kind of person that bans ones idea but would come back the other day with another new idea and then discard that new idea once again because it is not good enough. Her perseverance and the determination to create the best idea influenced Tsui a lot.