Forever Young at Heart

Forever Young at Heart (Chinese: 青春本我; lit. My Egoistic Youth) is a Hong Kong musical television series produced by television network TVB. It premiered on 5 December 2021 and continued until 13 February 2022 for 10 episodes. With school campus setting as the backdrop, the show chronicles the lives of a group of secondary school students and their internal struggles at the fictional Innovative Dreamers' College.

Forever Young at Heart
Also known as	青春本我
Genre	Youth Secondary school Musical Ensemble drama
Screenplay by	Erica Li Ki Kin-chung Helen Wong Eric Li
Directed by	Erica Li Ki Kin-chung Ho Chun-yue Yeung Yiu-wah
Starring	Gigi Yim Chantel Yiu Yumi Chung Windy Zhan Aska Cheung Archie Sin Rock Ho
Theme music composer	Andy Schaub
Opening theme	"Forever Young at Heart" by Archie Sin & Rock Ho
Original language	Cantonese
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producer	Yu-fong Peng
Producer	Erica Mak
Editor	Li Ka-wing
Running time	approx. 45 minutes per episode
Production company	TVB
Original release
Network	TVB
Release	5 December 2021 (2021-12-05) – 13 February 2022 (2022-02-13)

Synopsis

School life is often regarded as the most vibrant and carefree phase in a person's life. However, it is not without its share of psychological challenges. This plot revolves around the journey of a group of young secondary school students as they navigate the complexities of their family dynamics, relationships, friendships, bullying, and other issues that arise within the campus. Ultimately, they successfully overcome all the obstacles they encounter, demonstrating their personal growth.^[1][2]

Cast

• Gigi Yim as Gigi Ho Chin-chin
• Chantel Yiu as Chantel Chan Ting
• Yumi Chung as Yumi Yip Man-yee
• Windy Zhan as Windy Ngai Wan-dik
• Aeren Man as Aeren Yeung Ngoi-lam
• Sherman Poon as Sherman Cheung Siu-man
• Kaitlyn Lam as Kaitlyn Lee Heung-lin
• Venus Lam as Venus Fung Lok-si
• Lolita Tsoi as Lolita Lo Lai-sing
• Aska Cheung as Aska Ngai Ka-dik
• Archie Sin as Archie Yip Ar-chee
• Rock Ho as Rock Mak Lok-hak
• Eden Lau as Eden Yan Yin-tang
• Lee Siu-kin as Lai Siu-kin
• Felix Lam as Felix Ko Fu-nik
• Steven Suen as Hu Ji
• Hugo Wong as Hugo Wu Hiu-kong

Supporting cast

• Joey Wong as Miss Wong – a psychologist
• James Ng as Yip Sir – a music teacher
• Brian Chu as Chu Sir – a Chinese teacher
• Andy Lin as On Sir – a geography teacher
• Maverick Mak as Mak Sir – a PE teacher
• Jinny Ng as Miss Yim – a math teacher
• Tania Chan as Miss Man – an English teacher
• Wong Cho-lam as Chow Chi-ching – school chancellor
• Patrick Dunn Tse as O Lam – school principal
• Philip Keung
• Alice Chan
• Chin Ka-lok
• Angela Tong
• Strawberry Yeung

Production and background

TVB's singing competition television series Stars Academy was premiered in April–July 2021 to considerable popularity. In June 2021, the TVB's then-Deputy General Manager Eric Tsang had an idea to create a tailor-made musical television series starring the show's contestants after its conclusion. Some contestants from TVB's dancing competition show Dance for Life (2021) were also cast. He invited content creator Erica Li [zh] to be its creative director. The plotline contains psychological elements, including mental health issues teenagers experience during their adolescent years, infusing with singing and dancing in a secondary school setting.^[3] Screenwriting involved the help of counseling psychologists and the incorporation of real-life cases.^[4] As the cast transitioned from singing to their first attempt at acting, the writers closely followed the contestants' traits while creating the characters and plotline to match their background.^[3] Li personally met with the actors and was inspired by some of their own struggle stories.^[5]

Principal photography ran through September–November 2021.^[6][7] Some of the school-age actors mainly filmed during the weekends to accommodate their academic schedules.^[8] The shooting took place at various school locations including Kowloon Tong and Sha Tin, Hong Kong.^[9][10] The series features various original songs with musician Johnny Yim serving as the musical director and Maverick Mak [zh] as the dance director.^[11][12] Several Stars Academy contestants were involved in the composition and writing process, including Archie Sin, Aska Cheung, Rock Ho, Kaitlyn Lam, and Aeren Man.^[13][14] The series featured supporting appearances by well-known Hong Kong singers, including JW (a Stars Academy coach), Jinny Ng, and James Ng.^[12]

Music

Digital release

Forever Young At Heart
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	2021 (2021)–2022
Studio	Abbey Road Studios[15]
Genre	Cantopop
Language	Cantonese Mandarin English
Label	All About Music
Producer	Johnny Yim

Track Listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"chop-chop (快啲快啲)"	Erica Li & Ka-wai Pang	Johnny Yim	Archie Sin, Aska Cheung, Felix Lam, Hugo Wong, Rock Ho, Steven Suen, Aeren Man, Kaitlyn Lam, Lolita Tsoi, Sherman Poon, Venus Lam & Windy Zhan	3:30[16]
2.	"I Me Mine Myself (自我推介)"	Erica Li	Johnny Yim	Aeren Man, Kaitlyn Lam, Sherman Poon, Windy Zhan & Yumi Chung	3:08
3.	"Everything Will Be Alright (別難過)"	Aska Cheung	Aska Cheung	Aska Cheung & Aeren Man	3:18
4.	"BroMance (兄弟幫) dance version"	Aska Cheung & Ka-wai Pang	Archie Sin, Aska Cheung & Kaitlyn Lam	Aska Cheung, Archie Sin, Eden Lau, Markii & Rock Ho	3:51
5.	"It's Complicated (複雜)"	Aska Cheung	Aska Cheung, Kaitlyn Lam & Johnny Yim	Gigi Yim	3:12
6.	"Soulmate (靈魂伴侶)"	Erica Li & Rock Ho	Bing-yan Leung	Chantel Yiu	3:49
7.	"The Fool (傻人)"	Erica Li & Archie Sin	Kaitlyn Lam	Yumi Chung	2:35
8.	"Quicksnap (#即影即友)"	Ka-wai Pang	Ka-wai Pang	Chantel Yiu, Gigi Yim & Yumi Chung	3:21
9.	"Forever Young At Heart (青春本我)"	Andy Schaub, Erica Li, Aeren Man & Rock Ho	Andy Schaub	Archie Sin & Rock Ho	3:42
10.	"Had It All"	Andy Schaub	Andy Schaub	Andy Schaub	4:06[17]
11.	"BroMance (兄弟幫) Basketball dance version"	Aska Cheung	Archie Sin & Aska Cheung & Kaitlyn Lam	Aska Cheung & Eden Lau	2:06[18]

Physical release

The physical soundtrack album was released on 14 February 2022 and contains all the digital released songs, excluding "BroMance" (Basketball dance Version) and "Had It All".^[13] It peaked at number one on Hong Kong Record Merchants Association chart.^[19] A second edition was released on 14 March 2022 following its first print's popularity^[20] and also peaked at number one on the same chart.^{[note 1]}

List of cover songs

• "School Opening Ceremony" (開學禮) originally by Hacken Lee^[22]
• "Sunshine" (陽光) originally by Leon Lai^[22]
• "Little Story" (小故事) originally by JW^[23]
• "I Still Love You Without You" (沒有你還是愛你) originally by Sandy Lam^[24]
• "Unconditional" (無條件) originally by Eason Chan^[25]
• "Love Is Not Easy" (越難越愛) originally by Jinny Ng^[26]
• The Tales of Hoffmann ("Les oiseaux dans la charmille" aria)^[27]
• "Love Prediction" (戀愛預告) originally by Sandy Lamb^[28]
• "So She Doesn't Love Me Enough" (原來她不夠愛我) originally by James Ng^[29]
• "The Great Waterway" (偉大航道) originally by C Kwan^[30]
• "Puzzle" (拼圖) originally by Stars Academy contestants^[31]

Viewership ratings

Episode	Airing date	Average rating[a]	Ref.
1	5 December 2021	16.8 points	[33]
2	12 December 2021	14.6 points	[34]
3	19 December 2021	11.5 points	[35]
4	26 December 2021	12.1 points	[36]
5	9 January 2022	16.1 points	[37]
6	16 January 2022	16.5 points	[38]
7	23 January 2022	14.6 points	[39]
8	30 January 2022	14.9 points	[40]
9	6 February 2022	14.7 points	[41]
10	13 February 2022	16.2 points	[42]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2022	New York Festivals TV & Film Awards	Children/Youths Entertainment Program	Itself (bronze)	Won	[11]
	Asian Academy Creative Awards	Best Theme Song Or Title Theme	"Forever Young At Heart" by Archie Sin & Rock Ho	Won	[43]

Footnotes

1. According to Hong Kong's Nielsen TV ratings system, each rating point represents about 64,200 viewers.^[32]

1. The weekly "Top ten album" sales chart is announced on RTHK's radio show Made In Hong Kong every Friday.^[21]

References

1. Haitaeng (7 December 2021). 【青春本我】劇情簡介+演員角色+5大重點一覽！《聲夢》學員擔正！港版《歌舞青春》？ [Forever Young At Heart Synopsis and character introduction]. HolidaySmart (in Traditional Chinese). PressLogic. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
2. 《青春本我》《聲夢》《盛．舞者》學員參演 解開學生成長困惑 [Stars Academy and Dance For Life contestants participate in Forever Young At Heart, a new TV series exploring the ups and downs of growing up]. TVB Weekly (in Traditional Chinese). 4 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
3. 【娛樂熱話】《青春本我》聲夢學員首次拍劇 譜寫青春成長日誌 [Stars Academy to film their first TV series; storyline to discuss adolescent growth]. TVB Weekly (in Traditional Chinese). 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
4. 鄺鈺瑩 (27 July 2021). 炎明熹極速擔正做女一李敏任編審：劇集有歌舞、心理、校園元素 [Gigi Yim landed a lead role in the new drama Forever Young At Heart; the drama is written by Erica Li and features singing, dancing, psychological, and campus elements]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
5. 【聲夢傳奇】炎明熹劇集處女作《青春本我》下月開拍《聲夢》15位學員各擁個人單曲 [Forever Young At Heart to be filmed; 15 contestants to release their own singles]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Traditional Chinese). 27 July 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
6. 姚焯菲羨慕炎明熹有處女歌 不停翻Loop乜都肯唱 [Chantel Yiu admires Gigi Yim for having a debut song; continuously putting it on Loop]. on.cc (in Traditional Chinese). Oriental Press Group. 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
7. 頭條獨家丨直擊煞科戲現場 姚焯菲鍾柔美攰到瞓 炎明熹Keep住笑堅捱得 [Filming the Last Scene of Forever Young At Heart]. Headline Daily (in Traditional Chinese). 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
8. 冼麗宜 (2 September 2021). 【聲夢傳奇】無綫連串計劃捧聲夢學員 樂易玲 : 他們值得投資 [TVB Has a Series of Plans to Support the Stars Academy Contestants; Virginia Lok, TVB Assistant General Manager for Artists Management and Development Said "They Are Worth Investing In"]. Ming Pao Weekly (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
9. 無綫眾高層撐新劇《青春本我》開鏡 炎明熹首次演戲非常緊張 [TVB executives gathered to support the blessing ceremony of Forever Young At Heart; Gigi Yim is feeling extremely nervous in her debut acting role]. Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 4 October 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
10. 炎明熹第一次拍劇喊唔出 姚焯菲望到某樣嘢即爆喊 [Gigi Yim struggled to cry during her first emotional filming scene; Chantel Yiu, on the other hand, suddenly burst into tears after seeing something]. Bastille Post (in Traditional Chinese). 17 October 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
11. "Forever Young At Heart - Winners Gallery Details". New York Festivals TV & Films Awards. 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
12. 【娛樂熱話】《青春本我》隆重首播姚焯菲自爆激親導演 [Forever Young At Heart grand premier]. TVB Weekly (in Traditional Chinese). 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
13. 《青春本我》情人節推電視原聲歌曲大碟 Rock為Chantel歌曲填詞 [Forever Young At Heart soundtrack album to be released on Valentine's Day; Rock Ho wrote the lyrics for Chantel Yiu's solo song]. Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
14. 青春本我丨張馳豪劇中演校草 穿校服玩Puppy love禁身體接觸 [Aska Cheung to play the school heartthrob in Forever Young At Heart, displaying Puppy Love in school uniform with no physical contact]. Bastille Post (in Traditional Chinese). 5 December 2021. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
15. 【青春本我x聲夢傳奇】情人節推出原聲大碟 炎明熹＋姚卓菲+鍾柔美3款封套供選擇 [Forever Young At Heart OST To Be Released on Valentine's Day, featuring 3 different CD cover designs]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Traditional Chinese). 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
16. "Forever Young At Heart (Original TV Soundtrack) by Various Artists on Apple Music". Apple Music. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
17. "Had It All (Interlude from TV Drama Forever Young At Heart) by Andy Schaub on Spotify". Spotify. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
18. "BroMance (Interlude from TV Drama Forever Young At Heart) by Aska Cheung & Eden Lau on Apple Music". Apple Music. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
19. "Weekly Album Chart–16 to 22 February 2022" (in Traditional Chinese). Hong Kong Record Merchants Association via The Voice Entertainment Instagram. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
20. "Forever Young At Heart Original TV Soundtrack (OST) (2nd Version)" (in Traditional Chinese). YesAsia. 14 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
21. "Made In Hong Kong Episode 806963". Made In Hong Kong (in Cantonese). 25 March 2022. 36 minutes in. RTHK. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
22. 張國基 (5 December 2021). 青春本我丨首集三場歌舞祖藍有份唱 Archie童年相變全集重點 [Forever Young At Heart contains 3 musical performances in 1st episode; Wong Cho-lam participates in singing while Archie Sin displays a complete image transformation since childhood]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
23. 張俊 (14 February 2022). 《青春本我》｜JW拍喊戲怕無乜貨 李敏祈健聰計劃開續集？ [JW was afraid of being too emotional filming the last scene of Forever Young At Heart; Possibility of a sequel]. Ming Pao Weekly (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
24. 【青春本我】炎明熹演喊戲夠入戲 網民讚Chantel民初Look：菲菲真係靚爆鏡 [Gigi Yim and Chantel Yiu take center stage in episode 3 of Forever Young At Heart]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Traditional Chinese). 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
25. "Forever Young At Heart Episode 3". Forever Young At Heart. Season 1 (in Cantonese). 19 December 2021. Event occurs at 17:39. TVB. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
26. 青春本我．吳若希亂入！唱惡搞測驗版《越難越愛》 [Jinny Ng sings a cover version of her own song "Love Is Not Easy" in Forever Young At Heart]. Forever Young At Heart. Season 1 (in Cantonese). 28 December 2021. TVB. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
27. 詹天文《青春本我》晒高音 Gigi與Chantel聯盟創姊妹手勢 [Windy Zhan shows off her vocals; Chantel Yiu and Gigi Yim form a bond and create a sisterhood gesture in Forever Young At Heart]. Sing Tao Daily (in Traditional Chinese). 8 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
28. Chantel表白慘食檸檬 爆Seed鬧同學「衰人」 [Chantel experiences heartbreak in Forever Young At Heart]. Ming Pao (in Traditional Chinese). 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
29. 青春本我｜第9集｜原來她不夠愛我 原來我坐後備座 [James Ng sings a cover version of his own song "So She Doesn't Love Me Enough" in Forever Young At Heart]. Forever Young At Heart. Season 1 (in Cantonese). 8 February 2022. TVB. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
30. 洪曉璇 (5 February 2022). 青春本我 Chantel姚焯菲嘟咀賣萌勁可愛 C君客串補習天王放笑彈 [Chantel Yiu pouts and acts cute, displaying her charm; C Kwan has a guest star role in Forever Young At Heart]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
31. "Forever Young At Heart Episode 9". Forever Young At Heart. Season 1 (in Cantonese). 6 February 2022. Event occurs at 22:59. TVB. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
32. Nip, Amy (8 August 2013). "Slide in television ratings is no drama, says TVB". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
33. 炎明熹姚焯菲效應！《青春本我》首播收視16.8點 [Forever Young At Heart premiere rating reached 16.8 points]. on.cc (in Traditional Chinese). Oriental Press Group. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
34. 《青春本我》收14.6點 《拳王》贏口碑輸收視 [Forever Young At Heart Episode 2 received 14.6 points]. on.cc (in Traditional Chinese). Oriental Press Group. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
35. 《十月初五的月光》收20.6點 《拳王》收視維持16點 [TV Ratings Report for the week of 13–19 December 2021]. on.cc (in Traditional Chinese). Oriental Press Group. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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38. 黃梓恒 (17 January 2022). 三台收視報告｜《愛回家》重返巔峰 《異搜店》連破紀錄 [TV Ratings Report for the week of 10–16 January 2022]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
39. 黃梓恒 (24 January 2022). 三台收視報告｜《鐵拳英雄》唔爭氣 香港人唔鍾意睇帶貨 [TV Ratings Report for the week of 17–23 January 2022]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
40. 收視出爐！《鐵拳英雄》《青春本我》一齊升 [TV Ratings Report: Both The Righteous Fists and Forever Young At Heart saw higher viewership ratings]. on.cc (in Traditional Chinese). Oriental Press Group. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
41. 林通賢 (7 February 2022). 《青春不要臉》叫好叫座 《IT狗》結局周成ViuTV收視冠軍 [TV Ratings Report for the week of 31 January – 6 February 2022]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
42. 黃梓恒 (14 February 2022). 三台收視報告｜《青春本我》流失觀眾 《家族榮耀》暫成本年最佳 [TV Ratings Report for the week of 7–13 February 2022]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
43. "Asian Academy Creative Awards National Winners 2022" (PDF). Asian Academy Creative Awards. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.

External links

• Official website