Big Boyz Club
Eddie Ho is a social worker who started Big Boyz Club, a boy band of 11- and 12-year-old students from Ma On Shan. BBC now has 4,200 fans on Facebook. Michelle Ho talks to Eddie Ho Chun-yin and band members Ian Tang, Ben Chan and Kenny Cheng about the group.
HK Magazine: So, what’s Big Boyz Club all about?
Eddie Ho Chun-yin: We sing about injustice in society in an R&B or hip-hop style, because more people can relate to that. It all started three years ago with a singing group, and I thought, ‘Why don’t we start a boy band and do something for society?’ As a social worker, I want to raise kids with civil minds and critical thinking skills. We all relate to topics such as moral issues, national education and the rich-poor disparity, and hopefully our songs can raise public awareness.
HK: How does it feel to have more than 4,200 Facebook fans?
Ben Chan: It’s beyond all my expectations. I joined BBC just for fun at the beginning and, gradually, we started to get noticed. Some of my classmates see our band as idiotic and daydreaming. It’s a natural thing I guess, because there must be good and bad feedback.
Kenny Cheng: People still treat me the same way. But my sister did say to me, “with great power comes great responsibility.” I guess it means I’m growing up. But I’m just a regular kid after all.
EHC: Not to brag, but all the kids here are genuinely humble and don’t see themselves as celebs. As a small and independent production, everything we do is to achieve our goal: to “Voice Out.” Sometimes fans do stop by and ask for pictures or autographs.
HK: You covered Beyond’s classic “Great Wall” for the June 4 anniversary. Do you hope to be like Beyond one day?
BC: Beyond is legendary in Hong Kong, and our message is similar to theirs. They had an album named “Continue the Revolution” and it truly speaks to us.
KC: On top of that, their last live show was near the June 4th incident, and we thought it would be a good idea to sing their song to remember the past. Hong Kongers never get bored with that song!
EHC: I’m a die-hard fan of Beyond because of their commitment to music and rock ’n’ roll. Their songs are always about peace and love, fighting for your dreams and criticizing injustice. It’s silly to compare us with the legends. We are just trying to express ourselves through music and somehow influence people with positivity.
HK: What do your parents think?
Ian Tang: My dad plays music and he totally supports my band. As for my mum, she knows nothing about it. As long as I can balance my schoolwork and BBC, I’m safe.
HK: Any super-eager fans?
[Everyone looks at Kenny]
BC: A girl fan from our primary school added Kenny on Facebook and bombarded him with messages saying “I love you,” ”Goodnight” and heart-shaped icons. That’s a rare case in the group.
KC: I don’t know her much, so I defriended her on Facebook.
HK: What about Big Gurlz Club, then?
EHC: Many fans did suggest this—but then, what do I know about girls? Besides, BBC and BBCJ (Big Boys Club Junior) have already taken up a lot of our time and resources. We chose to have a boy band in the first place because the general public consider boy bands as rebellious, and we wanted to change that.