Steven Ma to release another album, for Dad this time

Steven Ma to release another album, for Dad this time ; Horse year, want to be an outstanding horse.
馬浚偉再推專輯送給爸爸 馬年「做隻出色的馬仔」

source: singpao 2014 Feb 03

In 2013, besides venturing north to film tv series, Steven Ma also announced the establishment of his “Zhong-Hong Taoyuan Steven Ma Work Studio” in Beijing.  In 2014 Boss Ma will implement his multi-hyphenated career plans in music, movie and television pursuits, release a new music album, direct a movie, and work out in preparation for filming. This year of horse Boss Ma will transform into that famous anime mule, Midori no Makibaō《熱鬥小馬》, charging full steam ahead like this lyrics in the anime themesong "to be an outstanding horse (ma jai)".





In 2013 Steven released a Christian music album (the last one was ten years ago). June this year he will release a new Mandarin and Cantonese music album: "The album will also convey Christian messages but this time will incorporate ample pop music elements. In March, will plug a new song. Last year the song I composed "For Mother: Weary" was dedicated to my mother, this time the new song is for my dad."    

Film MV as Mini Movie
Steven says forthrightly that whether in Hong Kong or mainland, the music albums market is sluggish because people's consumption spending pattern has changed long time ago.

"People look to the internet now. Buy songs, watch movies and tv series online. The viewing platform has changed to mobile platform, tablet and cellphone, nowadays there are fewer commercials because the advertisers can now invest in mini movies to deliver their ad messages.  Likewise, I'm going to shoot my mvs as mini movies, who knows they may produce ample unexpected harvests."  Steven points out the hits of an uploaded good mini movie on a mainland online site are counted in hundreds of millions, can imagine just how great the potential is.

Ascended to "Boss Ma" 
While still in TVB Steven already knew of the owner of Zhong-Kang Tao Yuan Company, CEO Huang Hong, but at the time when the latter (tn: via company contact) proposed a mutual work collaboration, Steven declined because he was still contracted to TVB then.  He says: In 2012  I established "Little Ma Work Studio"「小馬工作室」in Hong Kong.  Later while in mainland I met up with CEO Huang and we clicked instantly.  His company invested in me to open a work studio and gives me lots of flexibility.  (The studio) will produce movies, tv series, and also will sign up artists." Thus, Steven has ascended to "Boss Ma". (Ma Lo Ban)

In 2014 Steven will embark upon the directorial road because in Hong Kong there is an entrepreneur (lo ban) who will invest in his first directed movie. The script written by Steven himself is a family based premise.  "Must get the script right first before mobilizing the hardware because once on the horse, falling off it is not permissible, can only charge forward towards the goal."  

This first time directing, will brook no blunders; can't let himself or other people down so Steven must intensify his learning: Last year I shot the mvs myself.  This time I'll also be responsible for directing all the mvs; the plan is to shoot them as mini movies so that I can also hone my directing skill concurrently."  Steven, who always seems so stable and pragmatic, is thoroughly prepared for his directorial debut journey. We'll just have to wait and see.

No Set Bottom Line
On the day of the interview, Steven looked fit.  He said with a smile : "Earlier (tn: previous interviews), I joked I work out in preparation to shoot revealing scenes in a romance film but honestly just how permissible tv series are."  Steven said the real reason for his desire to build up his muscles and to get a ripped abs is because when he was filming TVB's Storm in a Cocoon he weighed only 63 kg (140 lbs) looking much like a "dried person".  "Storm in a Cocoon" will air in February, you all can observe.  Even though at the time they all said I looked fine but I just couldn't get past myself so I started working out.  Now I'm at 70 kg (154 lbs). "  

First time directing requires preparation practices; his working out is an exercise in preparation. Steven said with a smile: "If suddenly need to film a revealing scene or a shot, if I had not work out then I'd tell the director no. Haha, because I'd a paunch. Even though I have no set bottom line, but of course no total nudity scene."  Steven is building up his body in preparation for a film.

Back in 2013, Steven filmed two tv series, "Legend of Kublai Khan" and "Yuan Yang Pei" in mainland. He said the strenuous physical exertion in filming notwithstanding, the biggest exertion in that year however was in the brain.  "Constantly thinking, and preparing lots of plans. I believe 2014 to 2016 will be important  to me because they will be the years of harvest." 

His motto is a classic line from this 1989 movie  "Proud and Confident"《傲氣雄鷹》starring Andy Lau:  Self-confidence may not necessarily ensure a win, but without it you will surely lose.「有信心未必會贏，無信心一定會輸。」Steven said: "You've prepared many plans, when the opportunity comes you can use them.  With ten opportunities then need to have ten plans. Even though in the end only a few succeed. If well prepared then will feel confident, though may not necessarily win but won't lose either." 

The Horse year is here, "Boss Ma" wishes everybody peace, good health, and smooth sailing, most importantly, cherish what you have and the people around you.

Postscript: For the Horse year "Chinese New Year Horse" photoshoot, there's no better choice than Steven as the lead actor. In his 2000 tv series "On the Track or Off "《勇往直前》whereby he portrays a horse trainer, he was trained for six months at the (HK) Jockey Club.  The resident coach of the on-site filming location  "Lo Wu Saddle Club"「羅湖騎術會」commended Steven's skill in handling horses when on two separate occasions he happened to see Steven single-handedly maneuvered a ten-year-old Jockey Club retired white horse's "take-off", and handled a mountain pony「積梳神駒」.

source: singpao 2014-02-03 22:02:00
reporter 雲遜 photographer 吳國明