HK singer Eman Lam puts out PR statement, Broadway Circuit dragged into drama

HK singer Eman Lam’s recent statement defending the release of her new song on 1 July 2022 and her religion has triggered public outcry, with cinema brand Broadway Circuit being dragged into the conversation.

Lam released a statement on her Instagram account on 6 July 2022, apologising to her parents, masters and pupils of her religion for involving them in the recent criticisms and insultations after the release of a new song on 1 July 2022 aka the 25th anniversary of establishment of Hong Kong.  Claiming to be a Taoist, Lam explained in her statement that she met the other 20 pupils for a reason and she praised her master as a wise and kind mentor to lead her the way to happiness.

In response to netizens questioning her on luxurious gifts and money from the pupils, Lam insisted that her religion has never raised donations or made promotions, and said the world doesn’t understand why a person pursuing religious practice cannot be materialistic.   At the end of the statement, Lam also condemned the cyberbullying she has faced over the past six months, stating that “Today I say I like Chinese culture and would like to create something on that. Then I got bullied, who would dare to love our country and express their love to Chinese culture?”

The statement further triggered heated discussions across social platforms, with many questioning her political stance and accusing her religious group of being a “cult”. On Broadway Circuit’s Facebook page, many netizens were seen urging for the removal of Lam’s introductory song at the beginning of a movie. The song is played to remind audiences to stay quiet and switch off their electronic devices during movies. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Broadway Circuit for a statement.

A quick analysis by social listening company Tocanan revealed that mentions of the local singer have been increasing since 1 July 2022, and reached a total of 2166 mentions as of 6 July 2022, of which the corresponding sentiments are unfavourable. It affected her net sentiment score to -16%.

Social media monitoring firm CARMA also unveiled that there was a total of 900 results mentioning “Eman Lam” over the from 1 to 7 July 2022, with close to 20k social engagement. CARMA’s general manager Charles Cheung said: “There is no sign of it dying down. The mentions were mostly negative at 53.1%.”

The issue first emerged when Lam released a new song named “中華·頌” on 1 July 2022, praising the Chinese culture and music, as well as her master. “I have always had a strong interest in Chinese music, and I am also fascinated by Chinese literature. When I was a child, I read Chinese literature lightly, and when I grew up, I did not stop learning, learning to appreciate the beauty of ancient and modern Chinese characters,” Lam said on her Instagram post alongside.

Soon after the release of her song, some fans of Lam's threatened to quit her fan club due to the singer’s recent “absurd” actions. This was followed by rumours of Lam’s personal love affairs emerging. Soon after, netizens started to disclose the religious group Lam joined known as "玄武道場" which shared photos showing her master wearing gifts of luxurious brands such as Rolex, Hermes, and others. 

(photo courtesy: Eman Lam's Instagram)

Related articles:

HK singer Chantel Yiu seeks court injunction to stop spread of defamatory videos

HK pop singer Jacky Cheung clarifies use of 'Hong Kong add oil' phrase in video