Crank up the Volume

Janice Vidal celebrates female music makers on her new album Daughter, and shares how she has grown from a Leon Lai protégée to a star in her own right

- Zabrina Lo

It's a dream for many Hong Kong singers to perform at the Coliseum, which, over the years, has been graced by the likes of Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Hins Cheung, making it the holy grail for those who seek to be A-listers. But Cantopop star Janice Vidal, who finished her fifth Coliseum concert series in July, has her eyes on another ambition.

For her upcoming album, set for release next month, she wanted to put together an all-female team of musicians. "All the producers and songwriters I've worked with are male," says the singer, who feels that the music industry is male-dominated. "It would be a really fun project to gather all female [artists] to see what we can create together."

The seed of this idea was planted when the Hong Kong singer's face was promoted on the giant screen in New York's Times Square in April last year as part of the Spotify's Equal Global Music Program. Launched in March last year, the initiative spotlights female musicians in more than 50 countries through partnerships, on-and-off platform promotions and a hub that features playlists by female songwriters, producers and artists. Vidal, who is of Korean and Filipino heritage, was selected-alongside stars like Canadian punk and rock singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, South Korean girl group STAYC and Pakistani Bollywood star Mehak Ali-as one of the 400 global ambassadors.

This Equal campaign inspired her to further her efforts in promoting local female musicians and creatives with a new album, which she has named Daughter. From the lyricist, sound engineer and a predominantly female team to the subjects of the eight tracks, the album celebrates female talents and is a platform for Vidal and women around her to express repressed emotions and come to terms with their traumas through the arts.