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Joyce Siu

Name: At 17 - Eman Lam Yee-man (right), Ellen Joyce Loo

Date of birth: October 25, 1982 (Lam), March 27, 1986 (Loo)

Place of birth: Hong Kong (Lam), Canada (Loo)

Height: 160cm (Lam), 163cm (Loo)

Favourite singers: Ella Fitzgerald (Lam), Jay Chou Jie-lun, Tom Yorke (Loo)

Favourite movie stars: Jodie Foster (Lam), Meg Ryan (Loo)

Female duo Eman Lam Yee-man, 22, (vocals, percussion) and 19-year-old Ellen Joyce Loo (guitar) inject a refreshing energy into the stale music scene which is saturated with faceless bubblegum idols.

Lam started playing guitar under the guidance of her brother, singer-songwriter Chet Lam Yat-fung, while Loo was taught classical guitar by her father from the age of nine.

The two first met at the Soundbase Festival 2000, an acoustic competition organised by Tom Lee Music, where they were both playing, but with different groups. They were then signed by People Mountain People Sea, a music label under the leadership of alternative icon Anthony Wong Yiu-ming.

Their name At 17 came from  a folk song written by singer-songwriter Janis Ian, which is about a young girl who cannot fit in her social circle.

Regarded as the antithesis of Canto-pop duo Twins, the budding musicians write their own songs. Their debut album Meow Meow Meow (2002) is characterised by innovative acoustic guitar numbers such as the soothing ballad The Best is Yet to Come. Their second album, Kiss Kiss Kiss (2003), is an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, jazz and ballads, revolving around such teen issues as the rite of passage into adulthood and puppy love.

The duo are set to release their new album in July. One of the songs is about Loo's personal growth over the past year.

Since At 17 formed in 2002, the pair have performed in many venues from shopping malls to the 12,500-seat Hong Kong Coliseum.

They have also penned songs for other pop singers such as Edison Chen, Miriam Yeung Chin-wah and Sally Yeh.

Besides the mainstream music scene, At 17 have also ventured into the multimedia arena.

Last year, they teamed up with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and theatre collective Zuni Icosahedron to perform in a crossover concert, Four Seasons Plus.

At 17 have recently been awarded the Best Young Artists by Teen Power of Radio Television Hong Kong as an acknowledgment of their contribution to youth culture.



Duo show talent by penning own songs