A double-decker tram remembering Chinese kung fu legend Bruce Lee in Hong Kong Photos: IC

A musical event kicked off in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sunday to select the most popular songs saluting those who have contributed to protecting local safety and the health of residents such as police and medical workers.

A total of 34 songs were nominated, with the first round of voting running from Sunday to January 31. The finalists will proceed to the next round of voting.

The 34 songs contain both original and derivative works. To qualify, the songs have to have been released for free online.  

At the awards ceremony that is scheduled to be held at the end of February 2021, other awards will be given out such as best male singer, best female singer and best composer, Jacky Ko, a key opinion leader (KOL) who runs a multimedia production studio in Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Monday.

Several original songs that he had a hand in producing are among the nominees. 

One of Ko's songs named "Wuhan Jiayou" (Come on Wuhan) was made to encourage Wuhan residents to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The song was released in February 2020 online and has been viewed more than 100 million times, Ko said.

"I and other Hong Kong KOLs including Annie Kwok donated money and supplies to Wuhan when the city saw the serious epidemic, and also made films to cheer up local residents," Ko said. 

"But we did not feel this was enough and then produced this song to tell them that Hong Kong residents are together with them."

Ko and other web celebrities played the song at some Hong Kong schools to arouse young people's feelings of patriotism.

The themes of many of these songs revolve around supporting Hong Kong police and the national security law for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong LegCo member Junius Ho Kwan-yiu also joined in the production of another song about the national security law and appeared in the song's music video.

"Hong Kong was enveloped in darkness during the riots and is now because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we want to encourage Hong Kong residents through these songs and pay tribute to those who have done their best for Hong Kong," Ko noted.

The event is being held by Major TV and Soapbox HK.