{"id":160153,"date":"2021-03-29T07:20:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T23:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/?p=160153"},"modified":"2025-01-03T13:09:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T05:09:59","slug":"lil-ashes-interview-recall-a-little-bit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehoneycombers.com\/hong-kong\/lil-ashes-interview-recall-a-little-bit\/","title":{"rendered":"We sat down with Hong Kong band Lil\u2019 Ashes to chat about making music in Hong Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are here for all the great Hong Kong musicians, including My Little Airport<\/a>, Wesley Jamison<\/a>, and Thud<\/a>, so we were thrilled to sit down with these talents. Consisting of Pollie Tong and Jonathan Wut, Lil\u2019 Ashes started performing at local cafes and livehouses in 2012 and have since gained a dedicated following with their heartwarming English folk songs, as well as Cantonese pop tunes. The two got signed to Sony Music Hong Kong in 2013 and we sat down with them to talk about life as musicians in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

An interview with Lil\u2019 Ashes<\/h2>\n
\"Lil\u2019
Jonathan Wut and Pollie Tong from Lil\u2019 Ashes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Named after two things: Jonathan\u2019s cat whose name is Chan Chan (meaning ashes in Cantonese) and one of Pollie\u2019s favourite childhood songs More Than Ashes, Lil\u2019 Ashes were born in 2012. Using Lil\u2019 instead of Little is a way of saying how small and insignificant each individual is compared to the rest of the universe.<\/p>\n

Hi, Pollie and Jonathan. Lil\u2019 Ashes are often described as sweet and lovely, but having known you for years, I know you (especially Pollie) have had your sad moments. What\u2019s your songwriting process like when you\u2019re dealing with emotional ups and downs?<\/h3>\n

J: There is an obvious distinction between our song demo and actual production. We projected a lot of intense feelings onto our song demo, and that really needs to be altered a little bit before being shown to the world. If you listen to the album\u2019s demos, you\u2019ll probably be shocked by how different it\u2019s from what you usually hear from Lil\u2019 Ashes (laughs<\/em>).<\/p>\n

P: Songwriting is an exit for us to express those emotion, like catharsis. My hope for the song is that when we hear it (or people hear it), we can find a way out of our negative emotions.<\/p>\n

\"Lil\u2019
Elmo is one of Pollie\u2019s favourite cartoon characters as Elmo represents joy and peace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who are your biggest musical influences?<\/h3>\n

P: The Carpenters! Their music definitely planted a seed in me when I was little. Hopefully, we can do the same with kids these days. If we\u2019re talking about Cantonese singers, then it\u2019d be Ivana Wong and Eman Lam.<\/p>\n

J: When I was a kid, probably Bee Gees and Sam Hui. Now, I really like Of Monsters and Men and Oh Wonder.<\/p>\n

Recall A Little Bit is a concept album on children\u2019s songs, what inspired you guys to make that decision?<\/h3>\n

Pollie: When we first did a cover on a children\u2019s song called Little Sun (\u5c0f\u592a\u967d), I felt like we were on the tip of the iceberg of something really special, as if those were hidden gems that have been waiting for us to rediscover. We ended up deciding to do a full rearrangement on these songs. The album is called Recall A Little Bit because we hope to bring back some memories from the golden days of Cantonese children’s songs for both kids and grown-ups.<\/p>\n

Which song on the record means the most to you?<\/h3>\n

J: Definitely Little Sun for the both of us. I used to listen to that cassette tape with my sister all the time when we were kids.<\/p>\n

P: The song is about starting fresh every day, like you\u2019ve got enough to worry about for today, so don\u2019t get stressed over about what\u2019s coming the next day.<\/p>\n