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Bianca Wu isn’t just a pretty face – she can swing too. Although not yet a household name in Hong Kong, she has quickly made her way into the Canto-jazz scene and is famous for performing live with a jazz trio, often featuring pianist Mark Peter and bassist Sylvain Gagnon. Born in Szechuan and raised in Guangzhou, Wu’s graduate studies took place at the New York Film Academy, where she majored in acting and film production. She started her singing career in Hong Kong in 2006 and immediately won the IFPI Best Selling New Female Artist award. This summer Wu has a busy schedule with the release of her new CD and a few side projects, including a starring role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, performed with the Hong Kong Children’s Choir at Sha Tin City Hall.

You have a new album out soon…
Yes, we already plugged two songs on the radio: Picasso and One Person. The third single, coming up, is called East Wind and should be getting airplay soon. The first song on the album is, however, What a Wonderful World. We recorded that song in New York City with the legendary pianist and music director Harry Whitaker. After hours of recording, I was tired but I wanted to record that song. So Harry and I just played a duo. It was a heartfelt version of the song, as Harry and I had been fighting and making up over the course of the recording session several times. That song was a testimonial of our commitment to the project, and we decided to use it as the first track of the CD.

Do your recording sessions all take place between Hong Kong and New York?
That’s usually how it works. My last English jazz album Sings Timeless was a live studio recording that took place in New York. It was recorded in a mere two days. Most of the songs on my new album were recorded in New York by the region’s best musicians and were recorded in about two days. The song One Person was recorded in Hong Kong’s Avon studio and we asked around to find the best musicians to be involved in it. Luckily we found Johnny Yim to arrange the song and Jun Kung to play drums.

How did jazz come into your life?
Before I listened to jazz, I was quite close-minded about music. That completely changed when my friends invited me to watch some live shows in New York, at places like Iridium and Smalls. I became flirtatious with jazz and eventually fell in love with it. I started from listening to easy-listening jazz like Diana Krall, which became a window for me to explore the more sophisticated kind of jazz. Then I encountered the music of Shirley Horn and I realised how much Krall resembles her. It’s inevitable to compare the two.

In Hong Kong, you work with some great local musicians too, such as Ted Lo, Sylvain Gagnon, and Mark Peter. How do you like them?
I try to work with authentic musicians and team up with the cream of the crop. For me, it’s very important to have an upright bass playing behind as the instrument produces a classy sound and has a nice texture. I also think it’s very stylish to sing alongside an upright bass. Sylvain happens to be one of the few excellent upright bass players in the city. I’d love to have the chance to work with guitarist Eugene Pao, too.

What’s the difference between New York and Hong Kong’s music scenes?
I have seen many great live shows in New York that made me sigh. I wish there were more live venues in Hong Kong for singers and musicians to just have fun. Also in New York, the radio stations are more conducive to different genres of music. In Hong Kong, on the contrary, the radio stations are more conservative and less open to music that has potential. The Hong Kong music industry is too market-oriented.

I love the jazzy song Hand, Heart that you recorded with singer-songwriter Chet Lam in 2006. How did that song come about?
That’s a very poetic and picturesque song. I first met Chet Lam at a RTHK function in 2006. I saw this boy singing into the microphone for the first time and it gave me goosebumps. I said, ‘I want to work with him.’ After we were introduced, Chet wrote me the song and even sang chorus on it. You can hear a lot of jazz influence in Chet’s singing, as jazz was his first love.

What are your musical aspirations for the future?
I think I have found my directions in jazz, R&B, and soul with new concepts. Music is like fashion – it marinates with time. I fall into the category of Canto-jazz, which appeals to a crossover of audiences. I hope that traditional jazz listeners will have an open mind and accept my jazz-infused Canto-pop music. I just want to share good music with all my fans.

See www.biancawu.com.
Henry Chung is one of Hong Kong’s leading bluesmen and harmonica players.