"I won't tell where my inspiration comes from or others may copy my way of getting inspiration," said Nilda Fernandez.

French pop singer Nilda Fernandez, who will be inaugurating the Fete de la Musique, or the World Music Day, in Hong Kong, fully demonstrated his good sense of humor at a press conference held on Wednesday.

Fernandez said his inspiration of composing music comes from everywhere. Over the years, he has been exploring a wide variety of musical genres by traveling around the world, performing extensively in different countries.

To mark the "Year of France in China," the 2nd World Music Day in Hong Kong presented over 20 exceptional and diverse music performances from 17 to 21 June 2005.

The organizer, Alliance Francaise of Hong Kong, has invited Fernandez to perform three exceptional concerts free to public. This is to reciprocate the great support by the Hong Kong and Macao public to the "Year of France in China."

Apart from singing his famous songs, Fernandez will also be playing a guitar during his performances in the World Music Day.

"I think it is necessary for a singer to have a strong musical background as this can help convey one's emotion through music," said Fernandez.

Fernandez was grown under the edification of music and went to solfeggio, piano and guitar classes since he was young. This has been a great help to Fernandez's successful career in music.

Fernandez rocketed to fame in the 1980s with his hit single "Madrid Madrid." Indeed, his distinctive voice, high-pitched and almost fragile-sounding was destined to turn him into an overnight star.

When asked how he protects his voice, Fernandez said he simply does not care about it. He pointed to the scarf he was wearing and said it was not for protecting the throat but to resist the low temperature at indoors as he was "warned" before about the coldness in Hong Kong indoor places.

When asked about his impression on Hong Kong, he said, "I'm happy to be here as there are more women than men in the city." Once again, Fernandez triggered laughter in the room.

Talking about the expectation of the show in Hong Kong, Fernandez said he hopes people can share every kind of feelings including joy and happiness or even sadness through music.

Fernandez will be singing in French at his performances and he said differences in language would not form a gap between him and the audiences.

"People may not be able to understand the lyrics of my songs but it doesn't matter," Fernandez said that he would put in each word and each note of his songs with appropriate emotion which would be a new challenge to him.

Pursuing a nomadic existence, Fernandez continues to switch from one language and culture to another, building up a strong following of fans in the different countries where he performs.

The free concerts in Hong Kong and Macao within the framework of the World Music Day are part of Fernandez's World Tour "Havana-Paris 2005-2006".

According to Fernandez, the world tour was decided in Cuba in early spring 2004 where he decided to collaborate with the famous Cuban pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilan Junco.

The second World Music Day in Hong Kong is a finale of the "Year of France in China." It aims to popularize music among people from all walks of life.

Initiated in France in 1982, the World Music Day is a music fiesta which has spread to more than 250 cities in over 100 countries on every June 21.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2005)