My Little Airport

My Little Airport
OriginHong Kong
GenresTwee pop, Hong Kong English pop, indie-pop, Cantopop
Years active2004–present
LabelsHarbour Records, Elefant Records
MembersAh P, Nicole
Websitemylittleairport.com

My Little Airport (stylized as my little airport)[Note 1] is a Hong Kong–based indie pop band. They are distinguished by the outspoken political lyrics and distinctive local flavor of their songs,[1][2] many of which featuring English lyrics influenced by the unique spelling, grammar, and rhythm of Hong Kong English. Since their inception, the band has been actively involved in local political movements, most notably their participation in the Umbrella Movement in 2014,[2] and was banned in mainland China in 2019 for their support of the protests in Hong Kong of the same year.[3] Despite this, My Little Airport continues to be popular on the mainland and is one of the most well-known indie bands in Hong Kong.[4][5]

The band's lyrics and music are written by Ah P (Lam Pang) and sung by Nicole (Nicole Au Kin-ying). The duo occasionally invites friends (Ah Suet, who speaks French, for instance) and relatives (Nicole's younger sister) to participate in their albums and shows.

Career

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The band originated during the duo's time as journalism students at Hong Kong Shue Yan College (now Hong Kong Shue Yan University) in 2001,[6] where they began writing songs in both English and Cantonese.[7] In 2004, the duo, along with four other indie bands from Hong Kong, founded Harbour Records and released their debut album The OK Thing to Do on Sunday Afternoon Is to Toddle in the Zoo. They joined Elefant Records in 2006, hoping to gain distribution beyond Hong Kong's small indie fanbase.

In 2009, the group started writing politically themed songs such as "Divvying Up Stephen Lam's $300,000 salary" (referring to the former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong) and "Donald Tsang, Please Die",[8] the latter of which was written after Tsang suggested that the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were insignificant compared to China's current economic power[9] (such social/political themes had already been extensively explored by Ah P with Forever Tarkovsky Club, a side project he had set up with Pixeltoy's Ho Shan between 2007 and 2009).[10][additional citation(s) needed]

A fourth album entitled Poetics – Something Between Montparnasse and Mongkok was released on 23 November 2009, which contains many of those politically charged songs. A fifth album entitled Hong Kong is One Big Shopping Mall was released on 26 August 2011, which received numerous awards (including the title of third best album in Cantonese 2011, by Sina Weibo). In October 2012, the band released their sixth album, Lonely Friday, on the Harbour Records label.

On 30 November 2011, Hong Kong arts and culture magazine Muse named My Little Airport Hong Kong's 'Next Big Thing' cultural heroes of 2011.[11] The song "You Don't Wanna Be My Girlfriend, Phoebe" was covered by the Scottish indie band BMX Bandits.[12]

Style and influence

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Dubbed the "local indie pop darlings" of Hong Kong by the South China Morning Post,[13] My Little Airport is recognized for their "saccharine vocals and simple, almost dreamlike melodies," as well as the satirical and humorous nature of their lyrics.[14] Their musical style draws inspiration from 60s French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and has been described as "soft", "quirkily erotic", and "bittersweet".[15][16]

The duo is also notable for their quirky song titles, often addressed to friends, such as "Leo, Are You Still Jumping Out Of The Windows In Expensive Clothes?" and "Victor, Fly Me to Stafford", or addressed to celebrities, such as "Gigi Leung Is Dead", "Faye Wong, About Your Eyebrows".

Discography

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Studio albums

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Release Year Title Notes
2004 The OK Thing to Do on Sunday Afternoon Is to Toddle in the Zoo Harbour Records/HRCD002
2005 Becoz I Was Too Nervous At That Time Harbour Records/HRCD007
2007 We Can't Stop Smoking in the Vicious and Blue Summer Harbour Records/HRCD010
2009 Poetics – Something between Montparnasse and Mongkok Harbour Records/HRCD012
2011 Hong Kong is One Big Shopping Mall Harbour Records/HRCD014
2012 Lonely Friday[17] Harbour Records
2014 The Right Age for Marriage Harbour Records
2016 Fo Tan Lai Ki Harbour Records/HRCD024
2018 You Said We’d Be Back Harbour Records/HRCD025
2021 Sabina's Tears Harbour Records/HRCD026
2022 Just Kidding Harbour Records/HRCD027

Compilation albums

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Release Year Title Notes
2004 Come Out and Play Various artists compilation album[18]
In the Name of AMK Various artists compilation album[19]
2005 Grassland Music (草地音樂合輯) Various artists compilation album[20]

Silent Agreement/SAIP008

2007 Zoo Is Sad, People Are Cruel Elefant Records/ER-1124

Singles

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Release Year Title Notes
2005 "Victor, Fly Me to Stafford" Radio Singles
"I Don't Know How to Download Good Av Like Iris Does"
"When I Listen to the Field Mice" CD Singles
"Gigi Leung Is Dead"
2009 "I Love the Country But Not the Party" (我愛郊野，但不愛派對) [21]
2021 "Didn't Know Then" (那陣時不知道)
"If I Let It Out" (因講了出來)
"Year of Strolling" (散步之年)
"Every Time You Left" (每次你走的時分)
2022 "LUNCH"
"Nausea" (嘔吐)
"You've Given My" (你把我的)
2023 "Camel" (駱駝) Digital release
2024 “Whiskey" (威士忌) Digital release

References

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  1. ^ "My Little Airport's music, while short, has long lasting and relateable impact". Young Post. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Hong Kong indie darlings My Little Airport back, more spiritual and just as political". South China Morning Post. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  3. ^ 彭琤琳 (19 September 2019). "【逃犯條例】遭網民標籤「深黃」 my little airport歌曲內地下架". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  4. ^ Chu, Yiu-Wai (2017). Hong Kong Cantopop: A Concise History (1 ed.). Hong Kong University Press. p. 191. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1rfzz86. ISBN 978-988-8390-57-1. JSTOR j.ctt1rfzz86.
  5. ^ Sunflowers and Umbrellas: Social Movements, Expressive Practices, and Political Culture in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Vol. 76. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. 2020. p. 170. doi:10.2307/jj.7762618. ISBN 978-1-55729-191-2.
  6. ^ "Hong Kong indie band My Little Airport's five sold-out gigs at Kitec show they've struck a chord". South China Morning Post. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  7. ^ "WoW: We Observe the World". 13 December 2004. Archived from the original on 13 December 2004.
  8. ^ "Hong Kong indie darlings My Little Airport back, more spiritual and just as political". South China Morning Post. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Hong Kong: Donald Tsang, please die!". Globalvoices.org. 18 May 2009.
  10. ^ Cheung, Karen (28 May 2016). "Interview: Meet Vic Shing, the photographer quietly documenting Hong Kong's underground music scene". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Muse Magazine - 大件事 Next Big Thing 2011 is my little airport!". Facebook. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  12. ^ "The BMX Love EP". Elefant Records. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Hong Kong indie band My Little Airport's five sold-out gigs at Kitec show they've struck a chord". South China Morning Post. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  14. ^ "My Little Airport". South China Morning Post. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Meet the Bands". South China Morning Post. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Hong Kong indie band My Little Airport's five sold-out gigs at Kitec show they've struck a chord". South China Morning Post. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  17. ^ "YESASIA: Lonely Friday CD - my little airport, Harbour Records - Cantonese Music - Free Shipping". Yesasia.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Come out and play". South China Morning Post. 15 April 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Top Marx for word Smiths". South China Morning Post. 13 February 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  20. ^ "V.A.:《草地音乐合辑》". 10 March 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2024.[dead link]
  21. ^ Veg, Sebastian (2020). Sunflowers and Umbrellas: Social Movements, Expressive Practices, and Political Culture in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Vol. 76. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. p. 162. doi:10.2307/jj.7762618. ISBN 978-1-55729-191-2.
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Notes

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  1. ^ The name of the band is conventionally written with lowercase letters by the band itself on album covers, the band website and the label website.
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