Upclose with My Little Airport
Don’t be deceived by My Little Airport’s sugar-coated melodies. The indie duo’s lyrics touch on everything from politics to sex to suicide. Singer-songwriter Ah P (pictured, right) tells Winnie Chau about their new song, “Donald Tsang, Please Die.”
HK Magazine: Tell us about yourselves.
Ah P: Nicole (the vocalist) and I formed My Little Airport in 2004 when we were still journalism students at university. We have no musical skills to speak of. Actually, we gave up our musicality and went straight for the song content, which is what matters most. I’ve been playing with my $100 dollar Casio toy keyboard because we can’t afford proper equipment for electronic music. Our recent songs I play mostly with my acoustic guitar.
HK: Your songs often deal with sex. Why?
AP: It’s a theme that people never get bored with. I particularly like to talk about foreplay and sexual fantasies. They are the greatest parts in sex in my opinion.
HK: What made you write the song, “Donald Tsang, Please Die”?
AP: It was triggered by Donald Tsang’s comment on the June 4 Massacre. He puts everything behind his economic interests. I posted the song online the day after he made those comments. I got both positive and negative feedback. Those who criticized the song said I went too far, asking him to die and all... But they don’t see that it’s just a matter of expression when you say when you tell people off. I am not literally asking him to die.
HK: What about the song “To Face Magazine Reporter Ivy”?
AP: This is about my experience with the reporter Ivy who approached me for an interview about “Donald Tsang, Please Die.” I asked her not to reveal my day job, but when the magazine came out, right there was my job—they even interviewed my boss. I’m not blaming her. I just feel that sometimes we have to go against our conscience to earn a living.
HK: What would you say is the difference between mainstream and indie music here in Hong Kong?
AP: I think what mainstream musicians do is sing something awful with confidence. Indie music, on the other hand, gives people outside the establishment a voice.