HK pop princess G.E.M. faces US$15 million lawsuit by record label Hummingbird Music

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• I Am a Singer star claims contract ends this month but label insists she is signed until 2022
• Hummingbird said it would suffer a loss of HK$40 million from her departure and another HK$2.6 million from cancelled concerts

 

 

 

 

by Chris Lau   

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3003883/hong-kong-pop-princess-gem-dubbed-chinas-taylor-swift

 

 

 

A Hong Kong singer dubbed China’s Taylor Swift is facing a HK$120 million (US$15 million) lawsuit after she announced she would be parting ways with her record label following years of bitter dispute.

Hummingbird Music is taking action against Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, better known as G.E.M., due to a disagreement over the termination of her contract.

 

Court documents made available by the city’s High Court on Friday allege the singer-songwriter incorrectly claimed in a statement by her lawyers on March 7 that the company had ignored the end date of her contract.

The Hong Kong-based record label, led by founder Tan Chang and Austrian creative director Lupo Groinig, said the pop performer erroneously believed the contract was expiring at the end of March. The music label argued it remained valid until 2022.

 

 

 

 

Hummingbird said it would suffer a loss of HK$40 million from her departure and another HK$2.6 million from cancelled concerts. It also said it would have to fork out 6 million yuan (US$890,000) in damages to a cosmetics brand Tang would no longer be able to endorse.

 

The company wants the court to rule the contract is still valid and that the label continues to hold the copyright for G.E.M.’s work. Otherwise it seeks damages.

 

 

 

G.E.M., whose real name is Tang Sze-wing, rose to prominence in Hong Kong about a decade ago and later found further fame elsewhere in China. Foreign media have referred to her as China’s Taylor Swift for her strong songwriting and vocal skills coupled with her massive following on social media.

 

 

In November she performed as a guest at American space agency Nasa’s Ames Research Centre in California during a ceremony for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, which recognises the achievements of top scientists.

 

 

 

 

Born in Shanghai, she moved to Hong Kong at a young age. In 2014 she finished second in a popular Chinese television singing contest, I Am a Singer.

 

The court documents show G.E.M. was first signed to the label in 2007. Her five-year contract was renewed in 2012 and again in 2014.

 

 

She argued her latest contract should be expiring this year, but the label insists the end date is 2022.

Hummingbird said the deal was signed in 2014 but did not take effect until her prior agreement ended in 2017. It reiterated its position in a Facebook post on Thursday night.

 

G.E.M. posted a statement on Facebook and Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on March 7, alleging she had been “treated unfairly and put under pressure†for years, which had taken a toll on her mentally.

 

 

 

The star said an act by the company in October which she declined to specify had seriously breached the agreement, and consequently trust between the two parties had been “completely destroyedâ€.

 

 

The statement was accompanied by an emotional message which read: “Apart from my father, you were once my most trusted men. Regrettably we have come to a full stop.†She did not say who those men were.

G.E.M. added that she had tried to show patience and understanding but had shed many tears. “I have tried my very best,†she wrote.

 

 

After three months of compromises, “I know this time I really have to stand up for myself.â€

The pop princess last performed on March 9 as part of her Queen of Hearts World Tour. She has promised to play the remaining shows in Malaysia and Taiwan.

 

 

[UMJI MOODS]

That company really sucks. Much love and support to G.E.M..

[Drama Drama Drama]

Fighting Girl