Lowell Lo is a rarity. Famous for his songwriting – his work has been performed by George Lam, Jacky Cheung, and many others – he’s a versatile Old Cantopop Hand. He also has impressive credentials in jazz and folk. Lo’s singing is so distinctive that critics have tagged his oeuvre “Chinese blues”. Since leaving music in 1993, Lo has been an active environmentalist. Now, after an 18-year absence from the stage of the Coliseum, he’s set to return for a much-anticipated show.

What does music mean to you?

Music is my sub-consciousness. You can’t write a song that moves people if it doesn’t move you. Music composition is not about piling up material. I believe the songs that I wrote were not written by me. It’s some higher power who conveyed his message through me. I’m merely a channel. I’m just basically downloading information from the universe. When you sing a song, don’t think, just do it.

What do you think of jazz as opposed to other genres of music?

Well, to me, jazz and classical are on the opposite sides of the spectrum. On one end, you have jazz, which is freestyle. It’s music from the heart. On the other, you’ve got classical music from the masters, which don’t allow much improvisation. In the middle, you’ve got pop and rock music. I’m just a folk singer. I love all kinds of music but my roots have always been in folk. Also, the blues has influenced me in a lot of ways.

Before you quit the music scene, you had a rather successful concert at the Coliseum in 1990. Tell us about that.

Wow, that was a good feeling. They told me it was a much-anticipated show. It was unique in that the style of that concert was very American – there were no dancers, no extravagant clothes, and no glamour. I just sang from the heart.

Would you say that your upcoming concert will have a similar style?

Yes, but this concert has a definite theme – the environment and the need to protect it. The year 2050 will be a turning point. Food supplies will be at an all-time low. There will be no food in Egypt. The world will face dire and real challenges. My performance will go through the history of our planet, song-by-song,. It’ll even feature the rap group Farmer to rap on my new song, 2050. Speaking of rap music, do you know who was the first rapper?

The first rap song I heard was Rapper’s Delight in 1979 by the Sugarhill Gang. But I was told by others it started long before that.

The first rapper was Bob Dylan. But strictly speaking, it could be said that it was Shakespeare. He was the master of rap about 400 years ago.

Henry Chung

Lowell Lo plays the Coliseum on Fri 16 and Sat 17.