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Interview with Beyond in conjunction with their New Year Eve Farewell Concert in Malaysia

According to the band, the break up has been on the cards for quite some time now.

Ka Keung: We originally wanted to hold our farewell concerts last year but we could not get the dates at the venue we wanted.

The trio explained that they were quiting the band because it was growing harder to divide their time between the band and their own projects.

Ka Keung: When we got back together to hold the 20th anniversary concerts last year, we realized that we just could not cope with the schedule. We did not have time to handle both Beyond and our own projects, so we all decided that we should just call it a day. Each of us has our won dream and ambitions, and even if we're not in a band together we can still pursue those dreams.

Paul: We just don't want to keep using the name Beyond. We want our fans to be happy, and we wanted to quit while they are still happy with us.

Although by Western rock band standards the band has been fairly clean-cut, it has not been all plain-sailing.

Ka Keung: I think that among Asian bands, we've had some of the biggest obstacles and toughest challenges. We've lost our most important member and that accident was a huge tragedy for all of us.

Ka Kui and Sai Weng started Beyond in 1983, with Paul and Ka Keung joining the band later. In 1993, while filming a TV show in Japan, Ka Kui suffered serious head injuries after a studio set gave way under him. After remaning in coma for 7 days, Ka Kui passed away at the age of 31. Ka Kui's death marked the end of era for Beyond and the beginning of a whole new Beyond. After his death, the remaning three members decided to carry on. Their first post Ka Kui album "2nd Floor, Back Block:, reatured a Beyond sound that vastly different from what they used to come out with.

Ka Keung: The reason why our music was different at that time was simply because Ka Kui was not around anymore. Before he died, Ka Kui wrote almost all our songs. Frankly speaking, our own compositions could never compare to his. But what is most important we never gave up. As long as we continued our own kind of music, we were happy.

The thing that saddens them most is that there have been no new bands following their footsteps.

Ka Keung: We've been around for 20 years. Why hasn't htat encouraged or inspired new bands to come out and challenge us? we are very disappointed about that. It's as if all our effort has been wasted. We are sure that somewhere, there are bands that are even better than us. Why don't they work harder to acheive their dreams?

Sai Weng: Many of our friends are very talented musicians but many have given up music altogether. we are always sad when that happens because it seems like such a waste.

(Excerpt from the Star Newspapers dated 10 October 2003 by Micheal Chang and Li Ee Kee.)

This is an interview done prior to their concert in Stadium Merdeka Malaysia (on the 11th October 2003) after having performed similar concerts in Hong Kong and Beijing to celebrate Beyond's 20th Anniversary.

Ka Keung: Beyond is my main priority, but I do have my own band and am writing a lot of songs right now.

Paul: I have been busy doing production work, developing new bands and trying to be a boss. I hope to help more independent bands release their albums.

Ka Keung: We have clarified many times before that Beyond has never disbanded. It's really funny, because in Hong Kong, people tend to assume the band has disbanded because one of the members starts doing his own thing. Right now, we are like Rolling Stones, where each band member has his own solo projects. We learn a lot in the process and as a result when we came together to record our new album, I realized that we have matured a lot in terms of our views on music.

Ka Keung: First of all, we want to thank our fans for being so faithful. We are always absorbing new ideas and this is important because music has to be relevant to that generation. We are still trying to improve ourselves and we hope to keep bringing in new sounds for every generation so our fans won't feel that our music has become dated. The subjects we sing about also have to be relevant because if people can't identify with the song's theme, it won't last long. Furthermore, many people care more about issues around the world than those of love or boy-girl relationships.

Ka Keung: Music is related to the world. If we don't care about the world, we wouldn't be able to write good songs because music does not exist independently. Music is the result of a situation, a moment. It has a purpose, providing a means to record our views on what's happening in the world, society and in our lives. For instance, why do people admire Sam Hui's songs? Why is it that listening to his songs can evoke emotions even now? It's because he recorded the events of that generation. While listening to his songs such Da Gong Zhai (Working People), you don't only enjoy the melody and lyrics, you also get the feel of what that era was like. Music that lasts is music that is relevant to society now, and I hope we can also be like that.

Ka Keung: We have done that before. To some extend, our songs have always highlighted the challenges we have been through.

Paul: Our latest album "Together" is actually about our dreams and hopes through the years. We also have plans for a book that will explain in detail our happiest and most unhappy memories, so that people will know the bittersweet moments we have been through.

Ka Keung: Yes, we did. Actually, we thought about it quite thoroughly, that by the time we are 60 or 70 years old, we would still be playing music with our own recording studio and record company. These are part of our dreams although we haven't achieved much of that.

Paul: When you do something, you have to go all out, especially when it's something you love. The sense of fulfillment at the end of the day is something that can't be bought with money. We have no regrets about anything.

Ka Keung: If we were not close, we wouldn't have lasted 20 years as a band. Maybe it's because we like the same things, we know how to get along with one another and we know each other's character, so we won't do something that the other does not like. Musically, our views are very diverse and we each have different tastes, but we can accept that well.

Ka Keung: Paul is very compulsive, but that is good in a band because it can spark off a lot of creativity. Most of us have this compulsiveness in us, but his is more ballistic. He is more hardworking having released more albums.

Sai Weng: Paul is a music fanatic. Whenever we talk, our conversation would always revolve around music.

Paul: Actually, I think all three of us are music mad (laugh). Ka Keung is the youngest in the band, so we always see him a little boy. He is optimistic and has a very cheerful disposition. I am careless about details. Ka Keung is more meticulous and often comes up with things that we would never have thought of, because he tends to see things in a different perspective. He's rather playful, too.

Sai Weng: Ka Keung has his own flair, plus his lyrics are never repetitive. The way he thinks is unique and very creative. The way he thinks is unique and very creative, and he likes to fantasize a lot.

Ka Keung: Sai Weng is like a big brother and a very good teacher. We leave all the finances to him because he is very rational in his thinking. He is also very hardworking and determined. So, in the end, you have the hot-headed and compulsive one, the playful one, and the cool and rational one - a good balanced for a band.

Many said that Beyond is the best band to come out of Hong Kong. What do you think?

Paul: In music, there is no such thing being the best or worst band. We may not be the best, but we do try our best to be a good band.

Ka Keung: A compliment like that can be both good and bad. It would be bad because this means there are no other bands to carry on what we have started. There are quite a number of bands out there, but they have limited opportunities, and major corporations don't take a hug interest in them. I really hope that in future, there will be more bands that can be called the "best", not just Beyond.

Besides Beyond, there does not seem to be another band that is as committed to its music. Do you think so?

Ka Keung: Building a band takes time. When Beyond first came on the scene, we faced lots of challenges and there were many misconceptions about us. Then, we began making more commercial music, people said our music was not good. Even then, we were still trying to find our direction. Other bands need to be given time to find theirs.

Paul: We understand the challenges they face, because we are in commercially driven society. If you are staring a band when you are a teenager with no responsibilities, you can concentrate solely on your music. But after you reached your 20s, there will be pressure from your family as they ask if you would be able to earn a living playing music. Forming a band under such circumstances can be tough, and it depends on whether they have perseverance. This is a hurdle that most bands can't get passed.

Sai Weng: I believe it is this spirit that our fans admire in us. Like Paul said, we are stubborn because of our love for music. We will continue playing our music, even if we don't have enough to eat or our families scold us. Like most parents, ours are concerned for us. But we insisted on playing our music and pursuing our dreams, and this spirit has influenced our fans' support that we're called the best band. Personally, I feel we are just a good band. There may be a lot of other good bands out there, but perhaps they lacked the unrelenting spirit that Beyond has. My advise is to persevere.

Paul: There are many indie bands in Hong Kong which we don't know of. Some of the bands we know are Zen, Hiong Lan Sai, Long FU, Primal shape, Pixel Toy, Sonic Tempo and King Lychee,, which I helped develop. However, the music scene is growing and many of these youngsters have begun their own musical creation process. We just need to give them some time.

Ka Keung: When we first started out, we only wanted to play certain types of songs, but later on we understood about the market needs and we did some commercial stuff as well. We have also become more mature and learned to face challenges and have come to realise that there is more to it than just playing music. Music is also a medium that can be unsed to promote peace and speak out against dissatisfactions in society.

Paul: Now, we do not need to promote ourselves by appearing on television in movies and doing things unrelated to music in the hope that people will accept us and our music.

Paul: The first album "Zoi Kin Lei Siong" because the album concept had never been done before, and we were the only ones who dared to do it. We did everything ourselves, invested our money, published it is cassette format and then sold it from door to door. Even when we did not have the money we still pursued it because is was something we strongly believe in - that there would be people who love it. It is an important chapter in our band's history. It made us confident of pursuing the road ahead. The album was very experimental and I am proud that Beyond released such an album.

Paul: When we first released our albums, we only hoped that people would like our music, that they would sell and reach number one on the charts. But after 20 years, we now hope our music will leave a mark in the Chinese music scene. As a musician, the biggest achievement is to be able to use your music to move people. Maybe our music will influence youngster to pick up the guitar and create their own music as well.

Sai Weng: We want to tour the world and also dreamed of performing in China and we are doing both now. To be able to accomplish or dreams is satisfying and we are very happy with that.

Ka Keung: Another dream is establishing our own label. Pail is now working on helping independent musicians, because if big corporations do not want to help, we will try to help them as much as we can. That way we hope to promote the spirit of rock bands or bands in general.