Cover Melanie C’s fitness-centric single, ‘Sweat,’ brings the perfect dose of high energy to a rainy Hong Kong afternoon.
Melanie C’s fitness-centric single, ‘Sweat,’ brings the perfect dose of high energy to a rainy Hong Kong afternoon.
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Upgrade your rainy day commute with a curated soundtrack designed for Hong Kong’s wettest season.
With Hong Kong officially entering its wettest stretch of the year—averaging over 300 mm of rainfall this month alone—grey skies and sudden downpours are almost indispensable in the daily forecast. But a heavy monsoon trough doesn't mean your day has to stall; it just means it is time to change the soundtrack.
When rainstorm warnings hit and the city slows down, the right music transforms a dreary day into the perfect excuse to reset. Whether you are watching the storm from a high-rise apartment, watching the harbour blur from a café window, or simply trying to make a rainy commute a little more bearable, a curated playlist is essential.
From the energising club banger from a Spice Girl, to a delicate ballad by C-pop's new vocal powerhouse, editors at Tatler Hong Kong have rounded up a thoughtful selection of tracks perfect for navigating Hong Kong’s stormiest season. Plug in your headphones and watch the downpour.
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‘Sweat’, Melanie C
Above Spice up your day with Melanie C’s high-octane energy.
What’s better than a high-energy dance track to cut through the rainy day gloom? Earlier this month, Melanie C channelled her “Sporty Spice” persona with the release of her highest-charting solo album, Sweat. Spanning 13 tracks, the project was heavily inspired by her twin passions for fitness and DJing—a lifestyle that clearly pays off. Looking as radiant and fit as ever at 52, the pop icon has shared that she feels her most powerful and energised today, a triumphant contrast to her past struggles with an eating disorder. The album is also an ode to her roots in European rave culture during her teenage, pre-Spice Girls days.
The title track, which cleverly samples Diana Ross’ 1982 disco classic Work That Body is a pulsing, bass-heavy motivator. Melanie C harmonises with the Motown Queen on the original song's numerical chant: “Reach, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 / Stretch 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 / Push 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.” It is the perfect high-octane soundtrack whether you’re dodging the downpour during a gym session or navigating Hong Kong's crowded MTR stations.
Cyril Ip, Features Editor
‘The Look of Love’, ABC
Above Turning up the nostalgia with ABC’s absolute classic.
I’ve decided that the way to combat the atmospheric weight of a rainy season is with unabashed theatricality. The Look of Love by ABC isn't just a song; it's high-gloss, unapologetic pop perfection by a band that wore suits in gold lamé. Singer Martin Fry drops bon mots—“If you judge a book by the cover, then you judge the look by the lover...”—over orchestral stabs, and that bass line refuses to let you sit still. The song hits every one of my joy buttons, and literally culminates on a note of cheers.
I hear you—a song from 1982 might feel like ancient history, but while you’re “getting cozy” with a melancholy playlist, I’ll be over here tapping my toes to a masterpiece that hasn't aged a day. You call it a throwback; I call it a winning strategy for a rainy day. Pro-tip: Scrub to the 0:43 mark. Could this lyric be any more on topic? (We miss you, Chandler!)
Karen Vera, Regional Content Director
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‘Zhu Yu’, Shan Yichun
Above Soulful, breathtaking vocals from C-pop’s finest, Shan Yichun.
There is something charged about the moments before heavy rain—that airless, oppressive stillness that feels like the world holding its breath. Zhu Yu captures just that. Released last year by Chinese singer Shan Yichun, its clipped drumbeat echoes raindrops hitting the ground, while the lyrics feel deliberate rather than forced for rhyme’s sake. For anyone who works with words, that is no small feat.
Shan occupies a rare position: one of the most commanding voices of her generation, yet carrying the restless, Gen Z energy that sets her apart from the polished establishment. When she first performed the song on Chinese singing competition show Singer in May 2025, the arrangement was built for the room—four ascending high notes arriving alongside a crack of thunder, lifting every emotion to its peak. A heavy downpour mutes everything else. So does her voice.
Cathy Huang, Fashion Editor
‘I Will Wait for You’, Michel Legrand
Above Adding a touch of Michel Legrand’s vintage glamour to the feed.
My musical accompaniment is dictated by the temperament of the downpour. A thunderous storm demands the raw, jagged energy of Yungblud, while a soft, whispering rain calls for the velvet intimacy of Laufey and Stacey Kent. Yet, as a die-hard romantic, it is Michel Legrand’s heartbreaking I Will Wait for You from the 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg that sweeps me away into the ache of young love.
The film traces the brief, passionate romance of 17-year-old Geneviève, an umbrella shopkeeper, and her car-mechanic lover before he is conscripted into war. The haunting silhouette of a lover left behind on a departing train, the swell of Legrand’s soulful orchestration and the vivid, saturated hues of the umbrellas against a grey backdrop—it is all the alchemy one needs to find colour within an otherwise bleak and ghastly day.
Zabrina Lo, Senior Arts and Culture Editor
‘Walking in the Rain’, The Ronettes
Above No one captures the feeling of yearning quite like The Ronettes.
Rainy days bring out the hopeless romantic in me. There’s something so atmospheric and dreamy about this song, which incorporates the sound of rain pattering and occasional rumble of thunder, that I think perfectly captures the sensation of yearning: desiring something, or someone, out of reach—as The Ronettes croon, “I want him, and I need him / And someday, someway, I'll meet him”; crafting an ideal, and believing in the possibility of attaining it: “I'll be certain he’s my guy by the things he’ll like to do / Like walking in the rain / And wishing on the stars up above / And being so in love”.
Cat Wang, Leadership Editor
‘Wui229’, Hsien Ching
Above Effortless, breezy hip-hop from Golden Melody Award nominee Hsien Ching.
For a lighter, more effortless vibe to counter a grey afternoon, turn to Wui229 by Hsien Ching. Recently nominated for Best New Artist at Taiwan's prestigious Golden Melody Awards, the rising hip-hop talent delivers a track that is deceptively breezy. Grounded by her soft, instantly recognisable vocals and refreshingly sincere lyrics, Wui229 offers a comforting, upbeat warmth—think of it as a much-needed dose of indoor vitamin D while the rain taps against the glass.
Ginia Chan, Digital Content Manager
Cyril Ip is the Features Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where he shapes digital strategy, curates long-form features and drives trending cultural coverage across multi-platform digital experiences. He writes about culture, society and self-development. Having lived and worked across Hong Kong, mainland China and the UK, he brings a multifaceted background that spans media, music and publicity—including a four-year tenure as a culture and diplomacy journalist at the South China Morning Post.
