Tracy Huang: Soft, Sweet, Sophisticated, Stylish

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Tracy Huang is one of the 300 singers selected to appear and sing in this year's National Day Parade Theme Song for 2019. Question is. Is she Singaporean?  Anyway, here's a look back at Ms. Huang when she was a pop queen in 70s Singapore.

She was the singer with the most beautiful face and was Singapore's sweetheart in the 70's drawing sitting room audiences during her shows on local television singing love ballads. With her beautiful face, soft, sweet voice and sophisticated appeal, Tracy Huang (黃露儀) became a hit with Singaporeans. She became a good friend to all her fans interpreting their joys and sorrows on TV and on vinyl.

In the 70s, when the EP was in less demand, her Long Play (LP) records filled the vinyl shops along North Bridge Road. I remember seeing her albums dominating the shelves in the 70s and were beside Teresa Teng's bit hits.

Huang has two names. In Singapore, she is known as Huang Luyi, but back home in Taiwan, she is Huang Ying Ying. She became a popular singer at the exclusive American Club where audiences were necessarily limited, but enthusiastic. Her specializing more in English songs than in Chinese ones earned her a fan base with local Singaporeans who do not understand Mandarin.

Tracy Huang: Hello Darling 

YouTube Video from Michael Lim

When she came to Singapore, the local television organisation contracted her as a compere for the Chinese Variety Show series. As an example, in one of the shows in April 1978, Tracy was the MC for Musical Showcase for Channel 8  and featured singers, Mimi, The Tang Sisters, Pai Sar, Ai Loon and the popular Ching Wai and Chopstick Sisters. She did well professionally and at that time also signed on with EMI to do covers of English songs.

Her popularity soared and she completed many albums up to the 80s. Name a chartbuster of yesteryear and she would probably have covered it. In fact, she has an album that covered only the sixties biggest hits like San Francisco (Flowers In Your Hair), Fool On A Hill, Hurt So Bad, To Sir With Love, If We Are Only Friends, Rhythm Of The Rain, Sound Of Silence and more.

No Singapore singer can be so demure and enchanting.

Many of her EMI vinyl was produced and arranged by The Quests' top gun, Reggie Verghese and engineered by Vincent Lim. Singapore's ability to produce vinyl of quality in the 70s brought many Asian artistes to our shore to record.

Her first English album Feelings was rewarded with a Hong Kong Gold Disc Award for outstanding sales and a similar trend followed with Mississippi and I Don't Want To Talk About It. She also became a hit in Australia.

Tracy Huang didn't forget her Mandarin followers and the quality recordings set new standards too. Her albums succeeded in the most difficult of markets and she soon became a household name in this region. Slow numbers or fast ones, her sophistication remains. And she has covered many songs, both in Chinese and English.

And if anyone doubted Huang's singing ability just listen to her with, On My Own a 1987 recording where she displays her vocal range, especially at the end of the song. Since 1974 Tracy Huang has recorded 49 albums.

Just wondering where she is today? Anyone?

Images: Google.

Original article: Andy Lim.