Upclose with Thierry Nkeli Faha
Thierry Nkeli Faha is a West African musician who just can’t get enough of Hong Kong. A talented guitarist and singer who left then came back, he recorded his first album here three years ago, and regularly collaborates with local musicians.
HK Magazine: How did you end up working with half of Hong Kong?
Thierry Nkeli Faha: I spend my time in clubs where there’s live music. I go to see what Hong Kong musicians are doing and I jam with them. I’ve met most of the people I work with through clubs.
HK: Singer, songwriter and poet. What do you write about?
TNF: Human beings as a whole. I sing about hope, and a better future for humanity. I sing about justice, nature, beauty...
HK: What’s so wrong about humanity?
TNF: The main thing is we don’t protect nature enough! And we must. I draw attention to that. We owe so much to nature – protecting it also means not uprooting those who are already there. And do we need to produce so many things? I’m not suggesting we go overboard; just have more concern about waste. One reason I really appreciate a city like Hong Kong is that besides buildings, you have so much green. Hong Kong is wonderful for that. Nice city, nice forests, nice beaches...
HK: You don’t think Hong Kong’s beaches are pretty dirty?
TNF: I grew up by the sea. I spent my childhood fooling around, swimming all day, going to help fishermen, I know what a beautiful beach is. South Bay is my favorite one in Hong Kong.
HK: You come back a lot. You must really like local music?
TNF: The variety is interesting. You can have jazz in one place; in another place, indie. Still another, you have the chance to see Cantopop. The best thing is, musicians here are much more interested in musical adventures. I’ve never been lacking for musicians to play with. This is not always the case in other cities, like Paris – musicians are so snobby! Recording studios here have great equipment and very professional engineers as well, and the cost is much lower than in western countries.