Candy Lo
After a long hiatus, singer and former indie-rocker Candy Lo is gearing up for a new record. In the meantime, she’s been developing a fashion brand and has just released a book about love and life. She talks to June Ng about her journey from a public housing estate to fame and fortune.
I’m the middle child out of three kids. We were a grassroots family living in a public housing estate. No one ever expected me to earn big money. I was pegged as a dreamer.
Poor kids are rich in musical inspiration. We have more experience in real life, we know about reality. This gives our music substance.
I discovered the true diversity of music when I was in secondary school, when I spent most of my time at home alone. I had nothing but my sister’s tape and the radio. But it wasn’t until I saw a VHS of U2 performing “The Joshua Tree” live that I became inspired to form a band.
My first experience in bands was as a drummer. But they were Christian bands from the Sunday school I attended.
My first true band, Black Blue, got me into show business. I started with backing vocals but later took center stage.
That’s when I got noticed—there weren’t too many skinhead chicks playing in bands at the time.