What was your favourite song to produce?
I cried [while recording] all my songs and I even made my producers cry. So I don’t know if I would describe the production process as enjoyable [laughs].

With I Love You, I wanted to do something different: getting out of one’s comfort zone is always scary, and it’s much darker compared to the other tracks. We tried ten versions of the song, some more uplifting than others, but we ended up trusting our intuition and stuck with the first draft. The first draft is always the best. 

Despite the name of your new album Water Comes Out Of My Eyes, you’re sporting a vibrant, confident look on the cover. How do you use fashion to communicate the tone of your music?
People describe me as cute, or see me as this little girl, but I really want to change that impression. Even though the title and all the songs are related to crying, crying is not a big deal, and it’s not like you’re weak. I want to show that it’s a strong and powerful emotion. 

There are different sides to [sadness] and I want to express those perspectives [through my look].

You have gone through a fashion evolution since you first started. What do you consider while putting together a look that represents you and your music?
I never thought of myself as a fashionable girl before entering the music industry—I was just trying to wear clothes that were sustainable. I’d borrow clothes from my parents, siblings and friends. Since learning more about larger brands and the lack of sustainability in mass production in the past few years, it’s been conflicting [now that I'm wearing more of them for work].

I’m still figuring out my personality and I’m continuing to change, depending on what I see and what I learn from different people. Right now I’m learning to balance being sustainable and fashionable.

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You also change your hairstyle often—what do you enjoy most about these transformations?
From changing my hairstyle, I learned a lot about change [itself]. People are so afraid of it. I’ve dyed my hair every few months since I graduated from high school, because it feels refreshing. It kind of gives me a new personality, and a new reason to mix and match my clothes, because different hairstyles suit different outfits. 

I often like to put myself in uncomfortable situations until I feel comfortable with them, and changing my hairstyle is one of them. I’ll just go to the hairstylist and just let them do their thing. 

But I have recently decided I will go back to my natural black hair. Another thing I’ve learnt about change is that you can’t experience a big change if you’ve been consistent with something—I have had short hair for a while now, and the only change is to go shorter, but it doesn’t feel exciting. So, I’m going to grow my hair long and then chop it all off.

Describe your current fashion personality in three words.
Colourful, spontaneous and weird.

Do you feel there is an emphasis to meet certain expectations in the music industry?
Yes. It’s so easy to be influenced by all the information and people around you, and there’s a lot of stuff happening [all the time]. It’s really important for artists to stand our ground and be our unique selves. In a way, you could say [being in this industry] forces me to be more like myself.

How does it feel to be a part of a new generation of artists who are representing Hong Kong culture at an international level?
Last year, I didn’t feel as excited about it because it seemed like a burden, a responsibility. Now, after crying and making sad songs for a year, I have promised myself to really have fun with the next album and just make good music. 

I’m planning on singing more songs in Cantonese—my Cantonese isn’t that good, but I’m always learning, and that’s exciting. 

What else do you have planned for this year?
I just came back after spending a month in Tokyo with my boyfriend [Gareth.T], and I felt like that trip untied all my knots from last year. Things have felt a lot smoother and easier since coming back. It’s a nice reminder that there’s a whole world out there. I really hope that I can travel more this year, so I just have to work a little faster and harder.

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