Ever since Eric Tsang announced the formation of Hong Kong’s new boyband Loong 9, the group has been receiving lots of criticism for its name, with many calling it tacky and old-fashioned.
So why Loong 9 again? Well, there are nine members and the word ‘Loong’ was meant to symbolise the Year of the Dragon, which is the year the group was formed.
Yes, we know it sounds ridiculous.
But all that hate doesn’t seem to bother Eric, 70, a single bit.
At a recent charity event for his new Hong Kong comedy We Are Family, Eric said he had expected people to react this way.
“Ever since we chose [the nine of them] and gave them this name, it started a chain effect! At the beginning many people asked: ‘What’s wrong with you to choose such a name?’,” recalled Eric.
“I don’t think there’s a problem though. Now so many people are talking about it, it creates so much hype [for the group]!” he laughed.
Eric also doesn’t mind people making fun of the group.
“Let’s just wait and see, in the future you’ll know that this name is a blessing!” he said, adding that all that matters is whether the group manages to succeed in the long run.
“If the group is popular, then it’s a great name. If they flop, that means we gave them the wrong name,” Eric said.
He went on to cite some of Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan’s hit movies, which Eric said were badly named.
“Why did Jackie Chan name his [1983 film] Project A? He just named it for the sake of it! But now everyone knows that title,” he averred.
Eric then argued that many things started off with names that have no meaning, but eventually became incredibly well-known.
“Like [Jackie’s 1985 movie] Police Story. It’s literally about the story of a policeman. Is that considered a good name? Initially people also asked: ‘You couldn’t come up with a better name and had to call it Police Story?’ but the movie went on to have two sequels!”
So, let’s just wait and see if Loong 9 makes it, yeah?