tech
‘The story of Hong Kong is the sound of it’: the cross-cultural joy of the city’s Cantopop music
Emma-Lee Moss, AKA singer-songwriter Emmy the Great, has written a memoir rooted in her love of Hong Kong’s east-meets-west pop. She picks her favourite tracks
TL;DR
- Emma-Lee Moss (Emmy the Great) explores Hong Kong's history and her personal journey through Cantopop in her memoir, 'My Cantopop Nights.'
- The memoir links songs by artists like Aaron Kwok, Faye Wong, and Beyond to significant life events and the socio-political climate of Hong Kong.
- Moss's own family history, including her father's involvement with the early Cantopop band The Wynners, is revealed through her musical exploration.
- Cantopop serves as a narrative vehicle to understand Hong Kong's cultural fusion, its transition under British and Chinese rule, and its post-handover complexities.
- The book highlights how music captured the mood of Hong Kong through turbulent times and preserved its unique cultural identity.
- Moss's reconnection with Cantopop happened as she moved back to Hong Kong and experienced the city's search for identity amidst political uncertainty.