As a child growing up in Hong Kong, pop and hip-hop artist Dr. Holic 何博士 never imagined that he would ever perform on stages in North America and Asia.
“I was brought up in a very traditional Asian family—I wanted to be a doctor,” the Toronto-based trilingual performer tells Pancouver over Zoom.
“I studied chemistry and biology, even during high school,” he continues. “My parents said that I needed to be a professional to raise myself and provide good value to the family.”
In high school, Dr. Holic began singing with classmates. And he found joy being in front of audiences. Later at Chinese University of Hong Kong, he joined a dance society, where he was exposed to hip-hop.
“I started to learn how to do my own music,” Dr. Holic recalls. “Back then, it was just fun—a leisure activity for me.”
His life took a dramatic turn in 2018 when he became a contestant on the ViuTV reality show King Maker. His collaboration with Keung To on “Qi Tian Da Sheng” by Hua Chen Yu helped made Dr. Holic a household name in Hong Kong. It also exposed him to the inner workings of the entertainment industry.
Next Thursday (November 6), Dr. Holic will perform at a free Jade Music Fest showcase at the Revue Stage on Granville Island. He says that the alias “Dr. Holic” plays on his family’s ambitions for him to become a professional.
Watch the official music video of Dr. Holic’s “RICE! ( Not So Bad – Drill Ver.)” (above).
Dr. Holic quits his day job
After his appearances on the reality show, Dr. Holic went on to become a high school teacher in Hong Kong. However, he couldn’t shake his desire to pursue a professional career in music.
“During the time I was teaching, I realized it’s a great job; it has great value,” Dr. Holic says. “But it might not be the thing that I would like to do.”
So he took a chance and quit his classroom job, saying goodbye to a stable career. Eager to investigate how Western music could be integrated with pop sounds from Asia, Dr. Holic packed his bags and moved to Toronto.
“I chose where Drake is from,” Dr. Holic replies. “I like Drake, I like Justin Bieber, and I had the chance to study and work here to learn more.”
Dr. Holic points out that as a member of Generation Z, he’s living in a rapidly changing world. Nowadays, it’s so much easier to communicate globally through social media and channels like Zoom.
“It’s great that we can have more connections through the culture,” he states. “So, maybe we can think of more possibilities other than just being a doctor, engineer, lawyer or accountant.”
In 2023, he released several songs, including the imaginative “Rice!”. He describes it as a “drill hip-hop testament of his journey from Hong Kong to Toronto”, pulsing with nostalgia, culture shock, and resilience. Dr. Holic sings “Rice!” in English, attracting more than 800,000 streams with this innovative mix of East and West.
“I was influenced by the local culture in Toronto,” he says. “It was like I’m a freshman here in Toronto.”
Watch the official lyrics video for “Like Sunshine” (above).
Finding his voice in Mandarin
Through “Rice!” and other early songs like “CASINO: and “Crashibng Chase”, Dr. Holic reflects a variety of influences. They range from star rappers like Eminem and Vancouver-born Edison Chen to Cantopop legends like Alan Tam and Jacky Cheung. In various Instagram posts, Dr. Holic also demonstrates nifty footwork, reflecting the theatricality of the Hong Kong music scene.
“Cantopop is definitely one of the things that influenced me a lot because when I grew up, I listened to all of old songs of what they call the golden era,” Dr. Holic notes.
More recently, he has been releasing songs in Mandarin. They include the dreamy feel-good “Like Sunshine” and the melancholic break-up song “New York to Taipei”.
Even though his first language is Cantonese, he sometimes finds it easier to write and perform songs in Mandarin because it has four tones, compared to the nine tones in Cantonese.
“That’s why I have less Cantonese songs for now,” he says. “For the future, I would like to do more Cantonese compositions.”
In the meantime, he’s preparing to release a Mandarin-language EP, which will include “Like Sunshine”.
“It’s like a song for your friend, your partner, your important one,” Dr. Holic adds. “It just feeds the feeling of the summer in Toronto.”
The keyboard-driven balled “New York to Taipei” will also be on the EP. He wrote it to convey what it’s like being in a long-distance relationship.
It’s something that he has experienced firsthand.
“I realized that when she was in Asia and I was in Toronto, the whole world is different,” the artist declares. “You can’t even do Zoom or Facetime sometimes because when I start a day, she’s ending her day.”
Watch the official lyrics video for “New York to Taipei” (above).
Event details
Dr. Holic will perform at a free Jade Music Fest showcase that begins at 6:30 p.m. on November 6 on the Revue Stage (1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island). The showcase will also features the band Sultry! and solo artist Sunny Daydream. For more information, visit the Jade Music Fest website. In addition, Dr. Holic will perform at Triangle Square at noon on November 8 as part of the Jade Music Fest’s “Granville Island Takeover“. Find Dr. Holic on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Instagram. Follow Pancouver on Instagram @PancouverMedia and on Bluesky @pancouver.
