Stars Academy season 1

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.^[1] 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.^[2] In November 2020, fifteen contestants were introduced to the public through a group performance on TVB's 53rd Anniversary Gala show.^[3] In January 2021, "The First Call" promotional footage was released, showcasing the contestants' vocals in eight group and solo performances.^[4] These performances were also made available as digital singles on various music streaming platforms.^[5]

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.^[6] In early April, additional promotional footage titled "Prequel" introduced actor Sammy Leung as the host and singer Hacken Lee as the coaching supervisor.^[7] Musician Johnny Yim joined the team as the music director.^[8] The show's eponymous theme song was then digitally released on 9 April 2021, accompanied by a music video featuring all the contestants.^[9] The first episode was broadcast on 10 April 2021.^[10] The show used XR technology to create a unique stage effect—the first in TVB's broadcasting history.^[11] A complemental TV programme titled Starry Starry Academy aired concurrently, featuring commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews.^[12]

Coaches of Stars Academy

L–R, top: Hacken Lee (coaching supervisor), AGA, Gin Lee, Janice Vidal
L–R, bottom: Vincy Chan, Pakho Chau, JW

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.^[13]

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.^[14]

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.^[13][15] Episodes 3–4 featured individual head-to-head battles, and the team with the higher overall score would win.^[15][16] 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.^[17] Episode 7 featured three team battles competing for a cumulative score.^[18] 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.^[19][20]

In the next four rounds (Episodes 10–14), the competition returned to an individual format. Episodes 10–11 introduced guest coaches Mag Lam [zh], 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.^[21] Episode 12 eliminated another contestant.^[22] During this time, Hacken Lee departed from his coaching role due to his commitment to Sing! China.^[23] 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.^[24] 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.^[25][26]

• Gigi Yim Ming-hay^[A] (age 16 on the show)^[27] was considered to have the most standout vocals on the show.^[28] Her rendition of Sandy Lam's "Without You, I Still Love You" (沒有你還是愛你) was the first performance that gained widespread popularity.^[29]
• Chantel Yiu Cheuk-faye^[B] (age 14 on the show)^[27] was recognized for her innate musical talent despite not being the most technically skilled contestant.^[19][30] Her rendition of Danny Chan's "Love Prediction" (戀愛預告) became the most-viewed performance, eventually ranking as top six local YouTube videos of the year.^[31][32] One of the judges, musician Harry Ng [zh], commented on being greatly impressed by her storytelling ability in this performance.^[33]
• Yumi Chung Yau-mei^[C] (age 14 on the show)^[27] is most known for her dancing ability, highlighted in her performances, including her rendition of Aaron Kwok's "Wild City" (狂野之城).^[34]
• Archie Sin Ching-fung^[D] (age 22 on the show)^[35] impressed Eric Kwok, a music producer and judge on the show, with his performance of Eason Chan's "The Night No Longer Comes" (黑夜不再來). Kwok complimented him for making the rendition "his own".^[33] Sin and fellow contestant Aska Cheung co-wrote the original song "Puzzle" (拼圖), which Red Team contestants performed in the competition.^[36]
• Rock Ho Chun-lok^[E] (age 24 on the show)^[35] was praised for delivering a "heartfelt interpretation" of Danny Chan's "Wait" (等).^[33]
• Aeren Man Hoi-ting^[F] (age 20 on the show)^[35]
• Kaitlyn Lam Kwan-lin^[G] (age 18 on the show)^[35]
• Hugo Wong Yik-bun^[H] (age 21 on the show)^[35]
• Felix Lam Chi-lok^[I] (age 17 on the show)^[35] was noted for having a distinctive voice timbre.^[37]
• Windy Zhan Tian-wen^[J] (age 15 on the show)^[35] 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.^[38]
• Sherman Poon Ching-man^[K] (age 23 on the show)^[35]
• Aska Cheung Chi-ho^[L] (age 26 on the show)^[35] and fellow contestant Archie Sin co-wrote the original song "Puzzle" (拼圖), which Red Team contestants performed in the competition.^[36]
• Steven Suen Hon-lam^[M] (age 22 on the show)^[35]
• Venus Lam Chi-ngai^[N] (age 21 on the show)^[35]
• Lolita Tsoi Hoi-wing^[O] (age 18 on the show)^[35]

* Song titles are loosely translated into English for better readability. Official Chinese song titles are indicated in parentheses.

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As of September 2021, Chantel Yiu's performance of "Love Prediction" (戀愛預告) has accumulated 4.08 million views on YouTube, making it the most-watched performance. Following closely behind are Gigi Yim's rendition of "Without You, I Still Love You" (沒有你還是愛你) with 2.3 million views, and Yumi Chung's performance of "Wild City" (狂野之城) with 2.18 million views, ranking as the second and third most-viewed performances, respectively.^[31] Yiu, Yim, and Chung also received significant media coverage and were considered popular among the viewers, contributing to the overall success of the show.^[27][40] The finale had an average viewership of 1.57 million, reaching a peak of 1.63 million viewers.^[41]

Danny Chan, the late songwriter of "Love Prediction" (戀愛預告, 1984)―the classic became widely popular again after contestant Chantel Yiu performed it on Episode 8 of the show.

Sandy Lam, the original artist of "Without You, I Still Love You" (沒有你還是愛你, 1991)

Aaron Kwok, the original artist of "Wild City" (狂野之城, 1994)

Alongside a management contract with TVB, the contestants also signed a record deal with Voice Entertainment. In October 2021, a dedicated sublabel, All About Music, was established under Voice Entertainment to handle the release of their musical works.^[58] The top five finalists—Gigi Yim, Chantel Yiu, Yumi Chung, Archie Sin, and Rock Ho—were among the first artists to launch their solo careers under the label.^{[note 8]} In addition to the solo endeavors, All About Music also formed a girl group called After Class which included Gigi Yim, Windy Zhan, Chantel Yiu, and Yumi Chung.^[60] The contestants made their acting debut starring in the musical television series Forever Young at Heart (2021–2022).^[61] In September 2025, Gigi Yim left TVB management and established her own studio to oversee her future work.^[62]

First Live on Stage was a live concert featuring the fifteen contestants, with the music coaches making special appearances as guest performers. Originally planned for two dates, Voice Entertainment added two more dates to accommodate the overwhelming popularity.^[63][64] The concert ran from 12 to 15 August 2021 at MacPherson Stadium, featuring a setlist primarily consisted of songs performed by the contestants during the singing competition.^[65] A televised version of the concert was broadcast on 28 August 2021.^[66]

The contestants reunited two years later for What We Become Live, a concert that took place on 22 December 2023, at Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. The show was said to experience lower-than-expected ticket sales and received criticism for its disappointing setlist.^[67]