Songs of suffering

Art is a form of psychotherapy. Or at least it is for 22-year-old singer-songwriter Oliver Ching who sees music as a tool for reflecting on human pain.

'Many people ask me why I write about so many unhappy things in my songs. But man must learn from his suffering, and that's what life is about - there is more pain than happiness,' said Oliver.

'You must face your unhappiness, analyse it and then master it so that you may think about it from a different perspective and don't feel so bad next time.'

Dressed in black, this tall and slim musician - who is also a third year student studying politics at the City University of Hong Kong - appears content and relaxed when talking about his second album, Freddy & King, released earlier this month by local independent label 89268.

While his previous album Grace is dedicated to a girl who changed his life, Freddy and King are the names of Oliver's parents, who are living overseas. Oliver said while Grace epitomised the past, Freddy & King represented the present.

'The notion of father and mother implies eternity. Your relationship with most people is unstable and may end some day. But the relationship with your parents will not change until the day you die,' said Oliver.

Most songs in the album, despite their catchy melodies and mesmerising arrangements, are downright dark. But they are not the usual self-indulgent tunes of many local rockers. Instead, the issues brought up by Oliver range from science to politics to religion.