The passing of renowned Chinese diva CoCo Lee on July 5th has left her fans shocked and saddened. CoCo Lee led the pop music industry with her R&B hits, and many of her classic songs such as ‘Di Da Di‘, ‘The Blade Runner‘, ‘Finish the Winter‘, and ‘Good Mood‘ have become legendary hits. But now that she is gone, fans can only reminisce about her through their music.
When we look back at Coco Lee’s music, it’s not hard to feel the love for the world in all of them. Looking at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we can see that Coco Lee is a powerful motivator who has been changing the world with her talent, gifts, and love.
The SDGs are the 17 goals identified by the United Nations through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They aim to address global environmental, economic, and social issues and propose concrete solutions in order to fulfill the mission of building a peaceful, secure, prosperous, and just world, with the ultimate goal of making the lives of all human beings in the world better.
The First Chinese Singer to Perform at the Oscars, Dedicated to Speaking Out for the Chinese People
Born in New York City on November 1, 1975, Coco Lee’s musical style spans pop, dance, R&B, and jazz. With her soulful and infectious voice, Coco Lee has won the hearts of countless people and has quickly become one of Asia’s brightest stars with her musical talent.
One of the goals of SDG Sustainable Development Goal 10 “Eliminate Inequality” is to enable different races to enjoy equal and fair resources and the opportunity to express themselves to the world. Coco Lee was one of the most outstanding Chinese singers when she entered the U.S. music scene in 1999 and sang the theme song of the classic movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” by director Ang Lee, “A Love Before Time“. She was nominated for the 73rd Oscars, and the song was nominated for the 73rd Academy Award for Best Original Song, making her the first Chinese singer to perform at the Oscars.
A role model for women in Asia, promoting equal rights for same-sex marriages
Coco Lee was also the voice of the animated version of “Mulan” and the original singer of the Chinese theme song “Self” in the live-action version of “Mulan”, including the aforementioned “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” theme song, and the female anthem “Knife and Horse Dance”. She has quickly become one of the most influential Chinese female singers in the world and a role model for female empowerment in Asia. She is also a voice for SDG Sustainable Development Goal 10, “Eliminate Inequality”, as well as a revered practitioner of SDG Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower Women”.
Speaking of gender equality, Coco Lee has also been a supporter of the LGBT community. In recent years, she joined forces with five other divas, including Kenny Tsai, Ai Yi-liang, Cherie Leung, Gigi Leung, and Hsu Ru-wan, to speak out on the issue of transnational same-sex marriages. This was in response to the “Crossing the Oceans to See You” fundraising project. At that time, in order to convey the new age thinking of not being framed by traditional concepts, she emphasized that love does not discriminate between genders. She even said to the world in the camera with deep emotion, “The most everyday happiness after marriage is to say good morning to your other half every day.”
The warm-hearted act of helping the poor is not to be left behind.
Coco Lee, already a diva in the music industry, has not forgotten to actively participate in various charitable activities in addition to her musical achievements. She has been actively participating in various charitable activities and has even taken the lead in urging artists to participate in these activities. Coco Lee helped an elderly man in Changsha, China, sell over 200,000 pounds of mandarin oranges for fear of them freezing in the cold weather. She has also donated materials to help fulfill SDGs 1 and 2, which aim to “end poverty” and “eradicate hunger” whenever a disaster strikes.
After the Sichuan earthquake, Coco Lee attended the SCMP House of Hope charity dinner at the Shangri-La in Hong Kong, where a number of Hong Kong’s business giants were present. She actively used her influence to raise funds for the victims and said at the time, “The Sichuan earthquake has made me realize that I have to cherish life and the people around me. I have to be optimistic and positive when I encounter any difficulties, and I have to have hope in everything.”
A huge loss for the music industry! Defying depression and creating everlasting memories with her classics
Due to her left leg’s birth defect, Coco basically relies on her right leg to support her on stage every time she sings or dances. Coco once said, “After every rehearsal or concert, my leg hurts like hell, but I never let people see my painful side. I just want to present my best side to everyone, and as long as everyone is happy, it’s worth the pain.”
In recent years, Coco Lee has undergone surgery for a recurrence of an old foot injury and has been battling depression for many years. The process has been very difficult, and before she underwent surgery this year, she wrote on her Facebook page, “Now I’m a woman warrior facing a big challenge again.”
Even though she has left the world, apart from her music and songs, from the perspective of a world leader in practicing sustainability, her love, just like her songs, will remain in the hearts of the world forever.
