Hong Kong singer (1975–2023)
Coco Lee (Chinese: 李玟; 17 January 1975 – 5 July 2023) was a musician, singer, actress, and dancer born in Hong Kong. She was the first Chinese singer to break into the American market and the first, and only, Chinese to perform at the Academy Awards. She was also the first Chinese singer to sing at an NBA game, the first Asian to have concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the first Chinese ambassador for Chanel.
From: Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0)
From Wikidata (CC0)
Inside my solo album, there was a bio of me. Under ‘what is your goal?’ I said: ‘to be an international sensation.’ That is so crazy. A 19-year-old who has just started out – who the heck are you to dream that big? But you’ve gotta dream big. When you have a big goal, you can surpass yourself trying to reach it. If you don’t, you never grow. (2014)
I would like to do a movie about my mum... The story’s got romance. It’s got conflict. It’s got humour and lots of drama. It’s always been a little dream of mine to make the film. She’s been through so much and I learned from my mum that when you have the power to help and give back, you must. (~2015)
I feel very fortunate that I have gained so much experience performing all over the world and it’s great that I could give back by advising these young talents. There are a lot of great singers out there. But it’s all about how you make yourself stand out and make yourself memorable. These kids are the future of our music industry. It’s more meaningful to be able to play a part in shaping them into brilliant artists. - Lee said when talking about her appearance in the Voice of China 2012 as a mentor. (~2015)
She’s my role model, my idol, my legend. She taught me to be a strong, independent woman. I grew up watching how hard she worked. She made me realise that if you want something in this life you have to work hard at it. You’ve got to make the effort. Because of her I was never afraid of hardship. After witnessing all the hardship my mum had been through for us, I was more determined to make it so I could give her a better life. (~2015)
I’m not afraid. I’m fearless. I dare to do things that people don’t expect me to do. Even before I became well known, I was this Chinese singer, singing ballads in Taiwan, wearing shorts and looking like one of the Spice Girls. I was different from everybody else. That was 1994. All the women singers were elegant, wearing dresses and speaking softly, whereas I was quirky and had a crazy loud laugh. I wasn’t afraid to be different and just be me. (~2015)
People were telling me the pressure was nothing like anything you’ve experienced before. But I felt if I was going to be afraid of the consequences I would never make a breakthrough. After all, it’s the same as breaking through in the United States. If I had been afraid of failure, I would never have taken that step. Sometimes in life you have to be brave and challenge yourself to do something that is so out of the ordinary and out of your comfort zone. Sometimes you have to be a little bit crazy to do this. - when talking about the “I am a Singer” competition. (~2015)
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