Liu Liping
Lau Lai‑ping (English name Apple Lau; born 6 January 1963), nicknamed "Apple Je," is the founder and former owner of the Big Echo Karaoke chain.
Early Life and Career
Lau was born in Hong Kong. At age nine, due to her family's financial hardship, she helped her father with construction site work. After graduating from Elizabeth Estate Secondary School, she worked as a sales clerk in the Yellow Pages directory, founded an advertising company, and sold karaoke equipment.
In 1990, she opened the first Big Echo Karaoke outlet in Yau Tsim Mong District. Over the next decade, she expanded to a peak of 18 locations. However, the SARS epidemic in 2003 led to an economic downturn and forced her to close the chain.[1]
Personal Life
Lau has two daughters and one son. She was previously married to a Japanese national surnamed Nishikawa. After their divorce, she rekindled a relationship with her former partner Michael Mak. The couple planned to marry in 2018, but postponed the wedding due to social unrest and personal considerations.[2][3][4]
On 26 January 2017, Lau and Mak appeared on the Cable TV program Lucky New Year with Mike & Apple.[5]
In July 2020, both Lau and Mak tested positive for COVID‑19 after attending a birthday banquet. They were treated at Queen Mary Hospital; Lau, aged 57, was asymptomatic, while Mak, aged 61, experienced severe symptoms.[6]
Contributions
Lau is credited with discovering and mentoring Cantopop star Joey Yung. She later facilitated Joey’s move to Emperor Entertainment Group. Beyond karaoke, Lau also operated a Japanese‑style restaurant business.[7]
On 28 November 2016, she launched "Big Echo I‑BOX" in Hong Kong, a smart karaoke concept featuring Joey Yung as a guest at the opening ceremony. Joey praised Lau’s eye for talent, saying “Without Apple, there would be no me.”[8][9][10]
References
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-founder_big_echo_1-0
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-2
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-3
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-4
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-rise_of_apple_lau_5-0
- ↑ https://www.mpweekly.com/entertainment/focus/local/book-interview/20191212-176129
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-7
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-8
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-9
- ↑ https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%89%E9%BA%97%E8%90%8D#cite_ref-10