Stars Academy is a Hong Kong singing competition television series to find young singing talents. The first season premiered on 10 April 2021 and continued until 19 July 2021 for 14 episodes. Hosted by Sammy Leung, the show featured Hacken Lee as the coaching supervisor, along with AGA, Pakho Chau, Vincy Chan, JW, Gin Lee, and Janice Vidal as coaches. Throughout the competition, several performances gained popularity among the viewers, including Chantel Yiu's "Love Prediction" (), Gigi Yim's "Without You, I Still Love You" (), and Yumi Chung's "Wild City" (). The show was won by Gigi Yim. Following the finale, the contestants held a 4-day live concert titled First Live on Stage from 12 to 15 August 2021. The programme's popularity led TVB to continue its run for a second season (2022). It also inspired other TV shows, including the musical television series Forever Young at Heart (2021–2022) and the youth talent singing show Stars Junior Academy (2022).
Production
Following their previous singing competition series, The Voice (2009–2015), TVB and its subsidiary TVB Music Group (formerly Voice Entertainment, referred to as such henceforth) intended to produce a new programme and opened applications in July 2020. The original concept of the show aimed to discover young talents in Cantopop and involved sending the contestants to different parts of the world for musical training. Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, TVB abandoned this plan and instead conducted the training domestically. In November 2020, fifteen contestants were introduced to the public through a group performance on TVB's 53rd Anniversary Gala show. In January 2021, "The First Call" promotional footage was released, showcasing the contestants' vocals in eight group and solo performances. These performances were also made available as digital singles on various music streaming platforms.
Originally planned for February or March 2021, the competition faced a delay due to a management shake-up at Voice Entertainment, finally commencing in April 2021. In early April, additional promotional footage titled "Prequel" introduced actor Sammy Leung as the host and singer Hacken Lee as the coaching supervisor. Musician Johnny Yim joined the team as the music director. The show's eponymous theme song was then digitally released on 9 April 2021, accompanied by a music video featuring all the contestants. The first episode was broadcast on 10 April 2021. The show used XR technology to create a unique stage effect—the first in TVB's broadcasting history. A complemental TV programme titled Starry Starry Academy aired concurrently, featuring commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews.
Format and competition overview
The fifteen contestants performed individually or in groups in a series of rounds. Except for the live finale, the competition was pre-recorded. Depending on the length, each round was broadcast within one or two episodes. The show employed a panel of 25 professional music judges in each round to critique and score the contestants.
The competition kicked-off in Episodes 1–2 with individual performances from all the contestants. One contestant was eliminated, leaving fourteen to continue. These fourteen contestants were then divided into two teams, seven apiece, named as the Red and Blue teams.
In the following four rounds (Episodes 3–9), the Red and Blue teams competed against each other under the guidance of their respective coaches. With Hacken Lee as the coaching supervisor, the Red Team was led by Vincy Chan, Pakho Chau, and JW. The Blue team was led by AGA, Gin Lee, and Janice Vidal. The losing team's coaches would eliminate one to three contestants per round, as stipulated by the rules. Episodes 3–4 featured individual head-to-head battles, and the team with the higher overall score would win. In Episodes 5–6, the teams competed in five matches, with designated lead vocalists in the first three and collaborative performances involving the full team and coaches in the latter two. The team with the most wins would be the winner. Episode 7 featured three team battles competing for a cumulative score. Episodes 8–9 featured a 1980s–2000s Cantopop Golden Hits theme. Under guest host Alan Tam's guidance, the teams engaged in another series of one-on-one battles, competing for the higher number of match wins.
In the next four rounds (Episodes 10–14), the competition returned to an individual format. Episodes 10–11 introduced guest coaches , Phil Lam, and Jay Fung, joining the permanent ones. Each contestant performed a duet with a chosen coach, resulting in the elimination of one contestant in each episode. Episode 12 eliminated another contestant. During this time, Hacken Lee departed from his coaching role due to his commitment to Sing! China. In Episode 13, Hins Cheung appeared as a guest coach. The six remaining contestants were paired up based on judges' preferences to perform duets, with the higher-scoring contestant from each pair advancing to the top five. The highest scorer among the remaining contestants also advanced, while the bottom two battled in an elimination round, each performing another duet with Cheung, and the one with the lower score being eliminated. The finale (Episode 14) took place on 19 July 2021 and featured the top five finalists. Unlike previous rounds, the finale incorporated both judges' scores and audience votes to determine the winner. Gigi Yim and Chantel Yiu became the top two and competed in a final round. Ultimately, Gigi Yim won three awards: Judges' Choice, Viewers' Choice, and Overall Championship, along with a HKD $100,000 prize.
Contestants
Gigi Yim Ming-hay (age 16 on the show) was considered to have the most standout vocals on the show. Her rendition of Sandy Lam's "Without You, I Still Love You" () was the first performance that gained widespread popularity. Chantel Yiu Cheuk-faye (age 14 on the show) was recognized for her innate musical talent despite not being the most technically skilled contestant. Her rendition of Danny Chan's "Love Prediction" () became the most-viewed performance, eventually ranking as top six local YouTube videos of the year. One of the judges, musician , commented on being greatly impressed by her storytelling ability in this performance. Yumi Chung Yau-mei (age 14 on the show) is most known for her dancing ability, highlighted in her performances, including her rendition of Aaron Kwok's "Wild City" (). Archie Sin Ching-fung (age 22 on the show) impressed Eric Kwok, a music producer and judge on the show, with his performance of Eason Chan's "The Night No Longer Comes" (). Kwok complimented him for making the rendition "his own". Sin and fellow contestant Aska Cheung co-wrote the original song "Puzzle" (), which Red Team contestants performed in the competition. Rock Ho Chun-lok (age 24 on the show) was praised for delivering a "heartfelt interpretation" of Danny Chan's "Wait" (). Aeren Man Hoi-ting (age 20 on the show) Kaitlyn Lam Kwan-lin (age 18 on the show) Hugo Wong Yik-bun (age 21 on the show) Felix Lam Chi-lok (age 17 on the show) was noted for having a distinctive voice timbre. Windy Zhan Tian-wen (age 15 on the show) was noted for her high-pitched vocals. Notable performance including her rendition of G.E.M.'s "Bubble", and "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj. She also performed Sandy Lam's "Without You, I Still Love You" (沒有你還是愛你) as a counterpart to Gigi Yim who also performed that song in a same episode of the show. Sherman Poon Ching-man (age 23 on the show) Aska Cheung Chi-ho (age 26 on the show) and fellow contestant Archie Sin co-wrote the original song "Puzzle" (), which Red Team contestants performed in the competition. Steven Suen Hon-lam (age 22 on the show) Venus Lam Chi-ngai (age 21 on the show) Lolita Tsoi Hoi-wing (age 18 on the show)
Episode performances
Color key:
Episodes 1–2
Order Contestant Song Score Result 1 Yumi Chung "Skylight" () 15Advanced 2 Aska Cheung "Your Name Engraved Herein" () 16Advanced 3 Chantel Yiu "Final Boarding Call" () 9Advanced 4 Felix Lam "No Other Replacement in This World" () 13Advanced 5 Windy Zhan "Bubble" () 24Advanced 6 Rock Ho "Worse Comes to Worst" () 22Advanced 7 Sherman Poon "You Are Your Own Legend" () 8Advanced 8 Archie Sin "Beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree" () 14Advanced 9 Gigi Yim "Unbreakable Love" () 19Advanced 10 Hugo Wong "My Vow" () 13Advanced 11 Aeren Man "Wooden Grain" () 5Advanced 12 Kaitlyn Lam "True or False" () 22Advanced 13 Steven Suen "Special Person" () 20Advanced 14 Venus Lam "I Ain't Got You" () 15Advanced 15 Lolita Tsoi "Science of the Heart" () 4Eliminated
Episodes 3–4: First team battles
+ Order Contestant Song Score 1 Gigi Yim "Snowflower" () 12 Archie Sin "Song of Happiness" () 132 Sherman Poon "Perseverance" () 14 Steven Suen "Full Moon Party" 113 Felix Lam "Mailman" () 7 Chantel Yiu "Escape Door" () 184 Windy Zhan "Suffering" () 10 Aeren Man "Superman" 155 Kaitlyn Lam "Parabola" () 21 Aska Cheung "Love You Too Much" () 46 Hugo Wong "Little White" () 16 Venus Lam "Be Keen on You" () 97 Yumi Chung "Goddess" () 3 Rock Ho "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" () 22
+Team formation and resultRed teamBlue team Aska CheungAdvanced Yumi ChungAdvanced Rock HoAdvanced Felix LamAdvanced Sherman PoonAdvanced Kaitlyn LamAdvanced Archie SinAdvanced Venus LamEliminated Hugo WongAdvanced Aeren ManAdvanced Chantel YiuAdvanced Steven SuenAdvanced Windy ZhanAdvanced Gigi YimAdvanced
Episodes 5–6: Second team battles
+ Order Contestant(s) Song Score 1 Yumi Chung, Kaitlyn Lam, Aeren Man, Gigi Yim "How You Like That" 7 Aska Cheung, Archie Sin "Colour of Your Eyes" () 182 Kaitlyn Lam "Light Years Away" () 3 Windy Zhan "Bang Bang" 223 Felix Lam, Steven Suen, Gigi Yim "Onion" () 22 Sherman Poon, Hugo Wong, Chantel Yiu "Born Second Grade" () 34 Yumi Chung, Felix Lam, Kaitlyn Lam, Aeren Man, Steven Suen, Gigi Yim "Lydia" 2 Aska Cheung, Rock Ho, Sherman Poon, Archie Sin, Hugo Wong, Chantel Yiu, Windy Zhan "Puzzle" () 235 Rock Ho, Vincy Chan , JW "Servant of Love" () 1 Gigi Yim, Janice Vidal "Million Reasons" 24
+Team formation and resultRed teamBlue team Aska CheungAdvanced Yumi ChungAdvanced Rock HoAdvanced Felix LamAdvanced Sherman PoonAdvanced Kaitlyn LamAdvanced Archie SinAdvanced Aeren ManAdvanced Hugo WongAdvanced Steven SuenEliminated Chantel YiuAdvanced Gigi YimAdvanced Windy ZhanAdvanced
Episode 7: Third team battles
+ Order Contestant(s) Song Score 1 Aska Cheung, Rock Ho, Sherman Poon, Archie Sin, Chantel Yiu "Bicycle" () 3 Felix Lam, Kaitlyn Lam "Half Moon Serenade" () 222 Hugo Wong "The Last One" () 4 Yumi Chung, Aeren Man "Dancing Street" () 213 Windy Zhan"Without You, I Still Love You" () 2 Gigi Yim 23
+Team formation and resultRed teamBlue team Aska CheungEliminated Yumi ChungAdvanced Rock HoAdvanced Felix LamAdvanced Sherman PoonEliminated Kaitlyn LamAdvanced Archie SinAdvanced Aeren ManAdvanced Hugo WongAdvanced Gigi YimAdvanced Chantel YiuAdvanced Windy ZhanAdvanced
Episodes 8–9: Fourth team battles
+ Order Contestant Song Score 1 Yumi Chung "Impatient Beings" () 19 Hugo Wong "Side Face" () 62 Kaitlyn Lam "Embraced by the Starlight" () 22 Windy Zhan "I Must Leave" () 33 Chantel Yiu "Love Prediction" () 19 Aeren Man "Don't Know" () 64 Felix Lam "Impression" () 4 Archie Sin "The Night No Longer Comes" () 215 Gigi Yim "Love Trap" () 16 Rock Ho "Wait" () 9
+Team formation and resultRed teamBlue team Rock HoAdvanced Yumi ChungAdvanced Archie SinAdvanced Felix LamAdvanced Hugo WongAdvanced Kaitlyn LamAdvanced Chantel YiuAdvanced Aeren ManAdvanced Windy ZhanEliminated Gigi YimAdvanced
Episodes 10–11