Mavis Hee

Mavis Hee Pee Hong[1] (born 27 September 1974) is a Singaporean singer, songwriter and actress. She was the second runner-up and also Miss Photogenic and Miss Amity in the Singapore's Miss Chinatown Pageant 1992.[2]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Hee.
Mavis Hee
Hee in 2012
Born (1974-09-27) 27 September 1974
Singapore
Other namesXu Meijing
EducationEast Payoh Secondary School
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
Years active1994–2000;
2006–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Labels
Stage name
Traditional Chinese許美靜
Simplified Chinese许美静
Hanyu PinyinXǔ Měijìng
Birth name
Traditional Chinese許美鳳
Simplified Chinese许美凤
Hanyu PinyinXǔ Měifèng

Career

In 1994, songwriter and producer Chen Jiaming organised a singing contest to scout for potential singers for his new record company.[3] Hee entered the contest and was picked by Chen.[3] Hee's first album Knowingly (明知道) was released in August 1994. After the release, Taiwanese singer-composer Jonathan Lee invited her to join his production company. However, Hee rejected the offer so that she could continue working with her mentor, Chen.

Hee went on to release other chart-topping albums. Her debut album in Taiwan, Regret, propelled her to regional stardom. She was labelled "Heavenly Queen Killer" (天后杀手) for having beaten Faye Wong and the 'Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop' in sales charts. The album sold 600,000 copies in Taiwan alone. Her next album, Living By Night (都是夜归人), chalked an impressive 550,000 copies in Taiwan. Both albums sold more than 2,000,000 copies in Asia with Regret selling close to 2,500,000 copies.

Following the success, Hee broke into the competitive Cantonese market with the release of Listen Quietly (静听精彩13首). The album topped the Hong Kong International Federation of Phonographic Industry sales chart for 3 consecutive weeks, beating Hong Kong singers Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Sammi Cheng.[4] She became the first Singaporean to win the Most Popular Female Singer award in HK Metro Hit awards, beating Faye Wong.

In 1995, Hee acted in Mediacorp's drama serial, Tofu Street.[5]

She also released a compilation album, Beginning To Listen: Review 1996-1999, which sold close to 500,000 copies in Taiwan. Its success is attributed to the only new song "The Cigarette You Smoke" (你抽的烟) in the album as it is made popular by being featured in a Taiwanese TV series.

Her last studio album to date is the electronic infused Static Electricity (静电) in 2000. She remains best known for her ballads, some of which have become classic songs, such as "Regret" (遗憾), "Iron Window" (铁窗), "Living By Night" (都是夜归人), "Sunshine After the Rain" (阳光总在风雨后) and "Moonlight in the City" (城里的月光).[6]

In 1998, Hee was handpicked by the cinematographer Christopher Doyle to star in his directorial debut film Away With Words.

Hee faded out from the entertainment scene after 2001, when her record company, What's Music, was absorbed into Universal Music Taiwan, and the company could not accommodate her artistic integrity within commercial considerations. Hee was also appointed a cultural ambassador for China in 2001. She also recorded the hit single "Watch TV" with fellow Singaporean singers Tanya Chua and Stefanie Sun and was a guest presenter at the Star Awards 2002 as well as Star Awards 2006.

Her major public performances after 2006 include CCTV's annual mega Mid-Autumn Show 2008 which raised Hee's profile briefly throughout China and Asia, as well as being a special guest during Nanyang Technological University EMBA's 10th Anniversary Celebrations[7] and Stefanie Sun's concert in 2014.[8]

In 2015, Singapore's Mediacorp released a drama serial titled Crescendo that is loosely based on Hee's singing career.

In 2021, Hee released a re-recording of "Moonlight in the City" in partnership with Disney+, to promote the expanded library of Asian content on the platform. The release was accompanied by a music video featuring Hee performing the song with people of various ages. In an email interview with 8 Days, she also expressed her plans to release new music soon and tour China in the next year.[9]

In 2023, Hee performed at the National Day Concert held jointly by Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp.[10] She was also part of the lineup for a number of music festivals in China in cities including Hainan, Xi'an and Shanghai.[11]

Personal life

Health issues

From 2003 to 2004, Mavis Hee was known to have travelled around Italy. In June 2006, Hee was arrested after harassing two hotel guests at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.[12] She was warded at Singapore's Institute of Mental Health and diagnosed with clinical depression after a short stay of four weeks. She thanked her fans for their support in late 2006.[13]

Hee received the NHG Exemplary Patient Award from IMH on 27 October 2014 where she discussed her experience with clinical depression openly and has strongly advocated for mental wellness, encouraging people to seek treatment early.[14]

Social causes

Hee became the ambassador of Singapore's National Kidney Foundation in 1999 and also a volunteer in Youth Challenge in the same year. She performed the Singapore National Day Parade 2000 theme song, "Shine on Me", together with Jai Wahab.

Hee appeared as a special guest on 13 February 2007 at a Charity Concert for Silver Ribbon (Singapore) and sang "Moonlight in the City". On 27 September 2007, Hee's 33rd birthday, she released two new singles after a hiatus of seven years. They were the theme songs of the movie, Anna & Anna, "Remain Behind" (留下) and "Unknown Location" (不知处). In June 2008, Hee performed the opening act for a charity concert with other Singaporean singers to raise funds to help the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, she sang "Moonlight in the City" and "Sunshine After the Rain".

Discography
  • Knowingly 明知道 (1994) (Mandarin)
  • Regret 遗憾 (1996) (Mandarin)
  • Living By Night 都是夜归人 (1996) (Mandarin)
  • Spreading 蔓延 (1997) (Mandarin)
  • Listen Quietly 静听精彩13首 (1997) (Cantonese & Mandarin)
  • Cover Myself 好美静 (1998) (Cantonese)
  • Ex-Friends EP 一场朋友EP (1998) (Cantonese)
  • Happiness Is Not Wrong 快乐无罪 (1999) (Mandarin)
  • Beginning To Listen: Review 1996–1999 (Mandarin)
  • Static Electricity 静电 (2000) (Mandarin)

Filmography

Television series

Film
  • Away with Words (1999)

References
  1. "Hee's got a dream come true". South China Morning Post. 11 October 1996. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. "Mavis Hee". Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  3. Chung, Winnie (11 October 1996). "Hee's got a dream come true". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  4. Lim, Paige. "10 things to know about the 90s". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  5. "《豆腐街》上 许美静有牵手情". Shin Min Daily News. Singapore. 18 September 1995. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. Hee, Mavis. "Mavis Hee". iTunes. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  7. "NTU-Nanyang Business School Chinese Nanyang EMBA's 10th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  8. "Mavis Hee makes guest appearance at Stefanie Sun's concert". All Singapore Stuff. 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  9. "Mavis Hee Is Grateful She Was "Still Given A Chance To Live" As Her Health Was "Not Too Good" During The Pandemic". 8 Days. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  10. "Kit Chan, Ayden Sng, Mavis Hee & More Set For Gardens By The Bay And Mediacorp National Day Concert 2023". 8days. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  11. "暌违23年国庆演出再献唱 许美静：人生圆满 | 早报". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  12. Yap, Desmond. "Mavis Hee sets up three rules for local media". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  13. Lee, Sze Yong. "I am okay now, thanks". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  14. Naidu, Lalitha. Celebrating Exemplary Patients (PDF). Institute of Mental Health. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
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