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Day Tai

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Day Tai
戴偉
Tai in April 2024
Born
Tai Wai

1973 or 1974 (age 51–52)
Hong Kong
Occupations
  • Musician
  • Composer
Years active2007–present

Day Tai Wai (Chinese: 戴偉; born 1973/1974) is a Hong Kong film score composer. He debuted in the showbiz as a member of the band A-dAY in 2007 before transitioning to film scoring with The Way We Dance (2013). A 17-time nominee at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Tai won Best Original Film Song thrice for The Way We Dance, She Remembers, He Forgets (2015), and Weeds on Fire (2016), as well as Best Original Film Score for Band Four (2023). He is also the composer of Broadway Circuit's "Song of Cinema Etiquette", which was played before films began screening.

Early life and education

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Tai was born into a middle-class family in 1973 or 1974.[1][2] He began learning piano at a young age but did not initially plan to pursue a career in music.[1] His interest in music developed during secondary school, where he cited Taiwanese musician Jonathan Lee as his inspiration to write songs.[3] A devout Christian, Tai initially intended to use music to preach Christianity.[2][3] In 1993, he attended university in Canada, majoring in computer science.[1][4] During his university years, he started writing music and took elective courses to use the school's recording studio, experimenting with producing his songs.[1] He graduated in 1996 at the age of 22 and returned to Hong Kong, initially planning to enter the music industry.[1] He briefly worked at a record shop in Kowloon City and in promotions at Metro Broadcast, hoping to build connections for a music career,[3] but faced rejections from multiple record studios.[1] To make a living, he took a job in IT but remained passionate about music, often playing after work.[1][4]

Career

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In 2007, Tai formed the band A-dAY with his friend Angus Ting [yue], and they won the championship in the CASH Pop Music Composition Contest [zh].[1][5] After their win, they signed a one-year contract with a record label.[2] Tai initially quit his job to pursue music full-time, but they received limited opportunities, leading him to return to IT.[1] Two years later, he resumed sending demos to record labels while holding full-time jobs, eventually receiving several offers for advertising music.[1] After scoring for Fortune Pharmacal, he was recommended to compose the film score for Wong Jing's film Men Suddenly in Love.[3] Although the film was critically panned, it exposed him to film scoring and opened doors in the industry.[3]

In 2012, Tai wrote the score and theme song for Adam Wong [zh]'s drama film The Way We Dance,[1] with James Marsh of Screen Anarchy praising his "attention-grabbing tunes".[6] The film grossed over HKD$13 million and earned Tai Best Original Film Song in the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards.[1] Following the success of The Way We Dance, he began receiving invitations for film scoring, including collaborations with Adam Wong on She Remembers, He Forgets and Weeds On Fire,[1] for which he won Best Original Film Song in the 35th and 36th Hong Kong Film Awards.[7][8] Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter particularly commended Tai's "suitably mid-'80s synth-pop score" in Weeds On Fire;[9] while the band Supper Moment joined the production as the main vocalist Sunny Chan [zh] was a fan of A-dAY.[10] In 2017, Tai composed the "Song of Cinema Etiquette", performed by Eman Lam with animation by visual artist b.wing, which was shown before film screenings at Broadway Circuit theaters.[11] The song went viral in Hong Kong, with HK01 describing it as "widely known" and "one of the most prominent songs in recent years".[11] In 2018, he also wrote music for the crime film Project Gutenberg,[12] which earned him another nomination for Best Original Film Score,[13] and the action film Master Z: Ip Man Legacy,[14] although The Hollywood Reporter's Kerr noted that Tai's score for Master Z was "occasionally off the mark".[15] In 2019, he served as the founding treasurer of the Hong Kong Film Composers Association.[16]

In 2020, Tai began working as a lecturer in film music composition at Hong Kong Baptist University.[2][17] He reunited with Adam Wong for The Way We Keep Dancing [zh], the sequel to The Way We Dance,[18] earning nominations for Best Original Film Song in the 57th Golden Horse Awards and Best Original Film Song in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards,[19][20] as well as winning Best Music in the 15th Asian Film Awards.[21] Tai also composed music for the ViuTV fantasy series Leap Day,[22] and received nominations for Best Original Film Song and Best Original Film Score for the 2021 drama film Zero to Hero in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards.[20] Allan Hunter of Screen International praised Tai's score for Zero to Hero as favoring "soaring strings and heavenly choruses" courtesy of the Hong Kong Children’s Choir. In 2023, Tai scored the musical film Band Four [zh] and the crime film The Goldfinger, earning three nominations and a win for Best Original Film Score in the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards.[23][24] In 2024, he participated in the romance film Love Lies and another Adam Wong film The Way We Talk.[25][26] He was nominated for Best Original Film Score with the former and Best Original Film Song with both films in the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards.[27]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Notes
2011 Men Suddenly in Love [3]
2013 The Way We Dance [28]
2015 She Remembers, He Forgets [29]
2016 Weeds on Fire [30]
2017 Tomorrow Is Another Day [31]
2018 Project Gutenberg [12]
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy [14]
2019 Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch [32]
The Invincible Dragon [33]
2020 The Way We Keep Dancing [zh] [18]
2021 Zero to Hero [34]
The First Girl I Loved [35]
2023 Band Four [zh] [36]
The Goldfinger [37]
2024 Love Lies [25]
The Way We Talk [26]

Television

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Year Title Notes
2020 Leap Day [22]
2022 940920 [zh]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2014 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song The Way We Dance Won [38]
Best Original Film Score Nominated [39]
2016 35th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song She Remembers, He Forgets Won [7]
Best Original Film Score Nominated [40]
2017 36th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song Weeds on Fire Won [8]
Best Original Film Score Nominated [41]
2019 38th Hong Kong Film Awards Project Gutenberg Nominated [13]
2020 57th Golden Horse Awards Best Original Film Song The Way We Keep Dancing [zh] Nominated [19]
2021 15th Asian Film Awards Best Music Won [21]
2022 40th Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song Nominated [20]
Zero to Hero Nominated
Best Original Film Score Nominated
2024 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song The Goldfinger Nominated [23]
Band Four [zh] Nominated
Best Original Film Score The Goldfinger Nominated
Band Four Won [24]
2025 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Original Film Song The Way We Talk Nominated [27]
Love Lies Nominated
Best Original Film Score Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "人物概念：戴偉譜出音樂夢 抱緊點五步堅持". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 22 September 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "People：狂舞派 點五步作曲人 拒絕放棄 信念漸覺醒". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 22 January 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Fong, Kit (4 August 2020). "蘋人誌：從死路鑽出生路　戴偉". Apple Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b 王靖媛 (1 September 2016). "《點五步》金像作曲家：不盡力追夢愧對自己". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ^ 林迅景 (17 March 2023). "中年好聲音｜50歲中佬丁文俊殺入12強　後生時爆肌小鮮肉照曝光". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ^ Marsh, James (24 April 2013). "Udine 2013 Review: THE WAY WE DANCE Finds The Right Beat". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b Marsh, James (3 April 2016). "TEN YEARS Named Best Film At Hong Kong Film Awards As PORT OF CALL Wins Big". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b Hsia, Heidi (10 April 2017). ""Trivisa" biggest winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  9. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (28 March 2016). "'Weeds on Fire': Hong Kong Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ^ 袁曉君 (7 August 2016). "Supper Moment熱唱《點五步》主題曲　掀起全場高潮". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b 陳運濬; 羅偉強 (24 July 2017). "【二汶x戴偉x b.wing】二汶親自解構戲院禮儀歌：而家個個識背". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b "唱《無雙》歌曲！阿水@觸執毛獲贈三個字". Oriental Daily News (in Chinese). 18 October 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  13. ^ a b "【2019 香港電影金像獎】持續更新！完整提名及得獎名單". Harper's Bazaar (in Chinese). 14 April 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  14. ^ a b Kuipers, Richard (10 April 2019). "Film Review: 'Master Z: Ip Man Legacy'". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  15. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (12 October 2018). "'Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy' ('Ye wen wai zhuan: zhang tian zhi'): Film Review Busan 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  16. ^ "香港電影作曲家協會明日成立　韋啟良、金培達任正副主席". Stand News (in Chinese). 18 March 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  17. ^ 盧勁揚 (6 March 2023). "浸大創意產業音樂學生未畢業已入行　自設公司出歌、加入專業團隊". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  18. ^ a b "《狂舞派3》主題曲MV曝光 熱血金句獲網民大讚". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 27 November 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  19. ^ a b "【第57屆金馬獎】《幻愛》《狂舞派3》獲多項提名". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 1 October 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ a b c Soriano, Jianne (16 February 2022). "Hong Kong Film Awards 2022: Full List of Nominees". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  21. ^ a b Soriano, Jianne (8 October 2021). "Two Hong Kong Films Win Best Sound and Best Original Music at Asian Film Awards 2021". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  22. ^ a b "無定向學堂：不輸歐美韓劇 港劇配樂度身訂做". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 4 September 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  23. ^ a b Lee, Edmund (7 February 2024). "Hong Kong Film Awards 2024 nominations in full: In Broad Daylight leads the race with 16 nods, followed by Time Still Turns the Pages and The Goldfinger". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Thai Filmmaker Shares The Goldfinger Win at Hong Kong Film Awards; Tony Leung Takes Best Actor". Khaosod. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  25. ^ a b "我談的那場戀愛丨張天賦深情唱《筆友》 MC難忘吳君如揪心演出". Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). 11 September 2024. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  26. ^ a b "陳蕾 / 手語演繹：鄭進希／黃暐恆 - What If（《看我今天怎麼說》電影主題曲）". my903.com (in Chinese). 13 January 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  27. ^ a b Wong, Michelle (14 February 2025). "2025 Hong Kong Film Awards Nominations". Vogue Hong Kong. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  28. ^ Tsui, Clarence (23 August 2013). "The Way We Dance (Kwong Mo Paai): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  29. ^ Wong, Chi-wah (14 December 2015). "黃志華：唱出夢想". Hong Kong Economic Journal (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  30. ^ "廖啟智被熱血新進打動《點五步》炮製土產棒球奇兵". Ming Pao (in Chinese). 5 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  31. ^ 施玲玲 (16 January 2018). "【黃金花】趙學而唱主題曲　金像獎最佳歌曲戴偉陳心遙暖心新作". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  32. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (5 June 2019). "'Chasing the Dragon II: Wild Wild Bunch' ('Jeui lung II: Chaak wong'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  33. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (24 June 2019). "'Invincible Dragon' ('Gaulung batbaai'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  34. ^ Kuipers, Richard (6 December 2021). "'Zero to Hero' Review: Biopic of Hong Kong Paralympics Champion So Wa-wai Has Just Enough Grit to Offset Its High Sugar Content". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  35. ^ "林二汶靚聲配學生妹不能相愛劇情 《喜歡妳是妳》MV睇到心痛". Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  36. ^ 葉文影 (23 October 2023). "重聚 音樂家族". Yazhou Zhoukan (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  37. ^ Berra (20 December 2023). "'The Goldfinger': Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  38. ^ Napolitano, Dean (14 April 2014). "Wong Kar-wai's Big Night". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  39. ^ Napolitano, Dean (5 February 2014). "'The Grandmaster' Leads Hong Kong Film Nominations". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  40. ^ 李思朗 (29 January 2016). "【金像獎】提名名單全面睇　港產片《踏血尋梅》獲13項提名". HK01 (in Chinese). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  41. ^ Hsia, Heidi (8 February 2017). ""Soul Mate" dominates 36th HKFA nominations". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
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