Growing up, Lau read political magazines, watched Western movies, listened to rock and roll music,[2] and developed an understanding of the history of modern China.
[3] In 1986, he participated in a Cantopop lyrics competition, held by the RTHK and sponsored by Taiwanese producer Shou-Chuan Lee.
Lau's entry, "The Unspeakable Future" 《說不出的未來》, won the competition and the song was given to singer Danny Summer to perform.
[1] Unlike famous singers, lyricists cannot count on the royalties from several classics while they have to produce a large number of songs.
[3] At an early age, he often read biographies of political figures, and had a positive impression of the Chinese Communist Party.
[3] The violent dispersing of the crowd of students in Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989 caused Lau to become disillusioned with the party.
Many of his later works revolve around a political theme including "Time Flies" (歲月無聲), "The Great Wall" (長城) and "Never Forget it-June 4" (漆黑將不再面對).
輝常傷感 is a collection of his essays on his moments with Beyond, Cui Jian, He Yong, Lo Ta-yu, Su Rui, and Donnie Yen.
[11] Due to his teenage experience and exposure, he cares much for society but developed a little sense of melancholy in his political view.
Previously, Beyond wrote songs more about personal matter and their frustration on their music path, but Lau's ideas broadened their range of themes.