In the sugar-coated world of Cantopop, Shirley Kwan's rebellious and headstrong nature really makes her stand out. She took part in the 1986 New Talent Singing Championship with Andy Hui and Leon Lai, but her big break came in 1988 when she won the Grand Prix in Japan's Marine Blue singing competition. As the leading female singer of the '90s, on a par with Faye Wong, Kwan refused to sing exclusively ballads that would be popular at karaoke and instead drew from her international upbringing, taking in R&B, rap, techno and rock in her music as she mixed English, Cantonese and Japanese in her lyrics to create a body of work that is upbeat, lively and experimental.