Merry Lamb Lamb on Vulnerability in Music, Exodus and Utopian Visuals - polyesterzine.com
Merry Lamb Lamb is the Hong Kong born, London based electronic musician creating an airy, atmospheric soundtrack for her experiences of solitude in the city, growing closer to nature and a melancholy journey of finding belonging. Lamb’s new EP Exodus features analogue sounds and vintage synthesisers, and is a fresh example of how the electronic music genre is expanding and bending today.
Merry Lamb Lamb is the Hong Kong born, London based electronic musician creating an airy, atmospheric soundtrack for her experiences of solitude in the city, growing closer to nature and a melancholy journey of finding belonging. Lamb’s new EP Exodus features analogue sounds and vintage synthesisers, and is a fresh example of how the electronic music genre is expanding and bending today.
With tracks focusing on themes of disconnection from your environment and reality, Lamb is an example of how electronic sounds can evoke complex emotion - creating a wave of music that brings you into nostalgia and sentimentality. Lamb’s openness of personal experience within her music, conveyed via her trilingual lyrics as well as sounds, is for listeners who want to find comfort.
As well as her music, Merry Lamb Lamb has amassed an online following showcasing her personal style, self described as “unexpected, experimental, and future-forward.” Collaborating with brands such as Gucci and Acne Studios, Lamb is not stopping anytime soon.
I read that you grew up listening to Avril Lavigne and Belle & Sebastian - how do you think the tastes of your youth has influenced your music today?
It has definitely shaped my perspective on music. I used to listen to J-pop music when I was a lot younger. People like Namie Amuro, SPEED, and Perfume have opened my portal to music. They’re people I only see on TV, wearing Barbie-like clothes, dancing and waving at you with a smile and a wink. They’re utopian-like. And sounds that are like whips of magic. I used to be like that, enjoying the music without noticing how important it is to listen to honest music.
But then, a shift in my musical taste changed. I grew up in Toronto; I relocated there for school when I was 14. I desperately needed company, so I gravitated towards people like Belle & Sebastian and Avril Lavigne. I spent so much time alone during my youth days, I realised how essential it is to have a person to look up to, almost a shoulder to cry on when you feel weak and fragile.
I took that matter and put it into my music, where I want my music to feel honest and relatable. Sometimes, revealing more of your melancholy side is okay because it is part of your identity, and you should embrace it as a whole.
Being from Hong Kong, studying in Toronto and now living in London, how are these places integrated within your music?
From place to place, I always wanted to feel the most of it. And I got influenced a lot, too, especially when I was in a specific area for over two months. In Hong Kong, I was more stressed and intense. The city was always packed with anxious people, and I never felt relaxed or connected. Although I was born there, I always felt distant and weary. You can feel the intensity when listening to ‘Tranquility, a song based on how I felt about what home is to me. After being so far apart for almost ten years, I returned home to form Merry Lamb Lamb. I felt distant from it because I acted differently to others, culture-wise and personality-wise. The fear of belonging adjustment intensified as I lived in the city. There was a turning point when I started living in the most crowded area in Hong Kong, Shum Shui Po. I felt manipulated by the people around me. I almost felt like people were following me back home because the city was that opposed and breathless to me.
While studying in Toronto, I’m more relaxed but lonely. I was always in solitude, not knowing where I belonged, and couldn’t find my tribe. The bullying situation influenced me so much, which caused me to gain very low self-esteem and an uncanny willingness to trust someone entirely. In songs like ‘Empathy,’ I gravitate toward my melancholy journey of self-affirmation and belonging. It was almost a complaint to God about my whole life, with my knees bowed down. I was constantly drifting. I became easy on myself and felt every encounter in life was meant for a loss. I felt like I was never asking much, yet empathy seemed so far away and out of reach to me all the time.
And now, living in London, I feel like I am more ‘myself,’ London is a perfect balance between Hong Kong and Toronto. It’s not too crowded, but still very vibrant as a city. Where I’m living right now in Crystal Palace, there’s a beautiful lake near my home, and I always go there for a stroll when I need a break from work. I think my new music will relate to themes of being close to Mother Nature. It was never a subject I adapted before, but I felt connected to it after moving here for several months. I can’t wait to see how it will turn out.From place to place, I always wanted to feel the most of it. And I got influenced a lot, too, especially when I was in a specific area for over two months. In Hong Kong, I was more stressed and intense. The city was always packed with anxious people, and I never felt relaxed or connected. Although I was born there, I always felt distant and weary. You can feel the intensity when listening to ‘Tranquility, a song based on how I felt about what home is to me. After being so far apart for almost ten years, I returned home to form Merry Lamb Lamb. I felt distant from it because I acted differently to others, culture-wise and personality-wise. The fear of belonging adjustment intensified as I lived in the city. There was a turning point when I started living in the most crowded area in Hong Kong, Shum Shui Po. I felt manipulated by the people around me. I almost felt like people were following me back home because the city was that opposed and breathless to me.
While studying in Toronto, I’m more relaxed but lonely. I was always in solitude, not knowing where I belonged, and couldn’t find my tribe. The bullying situation influenced me so much, which caused me to gain very low self-esteem and an uncanny willingness to trust someone entirely. In songs like ‘Empathy,’ I gravitate toward my melancholy journey of self-affirmation and belonging. It was almost a complaint to God about my whole life, with my knees bowed down. I was constantly drifting. I became easy on myself and felt every encounter in life was meant for a loss. I felt like I was never asking much, yet empathy seemed so far away and out of reach to me all the time.
And now, living in London, I feel like I am more ‘myself,’ London is a perfect balance between Hong Kong and Toronto. It’s not too crowded, but still very vibrant as a city. Where I’m living right now in Crystal Palace, there’s a beautiful lake near my home, and I always go there for a stroll when I need a break from work. I think my new music will relate to themes of being close to Mother Nature. It was never a subject I adapted before, but I felt connected to it after moving here for several months. I can’t wait to see how it will turn out.
Your Instagram really showcases a really specific fashion point of view - how would you describe your personal style?
In my visual representation, I wanted Merry Lamb Lamb to appear as a whole: an anime-like and out-of-this-world creature. I want it to become almost utopian-like, allowing my audience to be in the clouds. In Merry Lamb Lamb, I want to experiment with a new style for her whenever she presents a different persona. I needed to experiment with new things because I didn’t want her to miss out on how different personas were revealed and how she reacted to them visually. The visual aspect of it really reflects what you do musically, and the visual aspect of it definitely adds a profound layer to your music.
What were your main points of influence for your new EP ‘Exodus’?
I think in ‘Exodus,’ I was in a healthier stage because I was willing to accept my confusion about my identity crisis and belonging more truthfully.
‘Exodus’ was a continuous journey from where my first album ‘Genesis’ started. While I was writing ‘Exodus,’ there were moments when I felt extremely vulnerable because I was home a lot in quarantine and that made me think I had much alone time questioning life, where I’m living right now, and who I am as a whole. But most importantly, I always asked God: praying and wondering. “What is next, God? Where is the next step or dream that you wanted me to achieve in life, and where is it?” All these questions always pop out of nowhere. And I know deep down they were not random thoughts that came out of nowhere; these were questions I’d been longing for, and I wanted an answer to them.
And one day, it came out of the blue. A vision came into my head: the story of Exodus. I remember it is a concrete image of Moses bringing everyone from Egypt to Israel to search for their new home and utopian dream. It became clear and destined where I wanted to have ‘Exodus’ as a theme and the name for my new EP. I was searching during that time for my life purpose and where my ultimate dream was.
‘Exodus’ to me is a fresh chapter to my artistic journey. I could adapt to a new music-writing approach and conquer my weaknesses. And I wasn’t only physically moving to somewhere new but also being able to accept how complex I am, without knowing what would happen through the haze, to have courage, and to move forward every step honestly and faithfully.
Did you have a specific process of songwriting for this EP?
I listened to much more club-oriented music during the writing process of this EP—especially 2-step and dance music. Listening to more dancey music made me feel more empowered about the future.
During the three-year buffer period of COVID, I shifted my way of making music. My partner Lung, my art director, also performs with me. We started to do many jamming sections at our home studio, used field-recording materials on my iPhone as samples, made drum loops on my TR-8S drum machine and found remarkable bass and synth lines to form the base of a song. Most of the songs from the EP, such as ‘Tranquility,’ ‘FOREVER,’ ‘Empathy,’ and ‘Who Am I’ were formed based on loops we did back then during jamming sections.
It is also where I started to become aware that I wanted my music to be able to ‘perform live’ and interact with it instantly on site. How dance music is structured is an open gate for me to experiment using a new view to produce music.
Making ‘Exodus’ made me realise I could capture a more surge and vulnerable feeling that I always wanted rather than what I used to convey, especially in my first album ‘Genesis,’ which is a more mellow and melancholic side of my past.
Your music, visuals and even your name has a playfulness about it - do you think it's important to explore more playfulness in art, especially in electronic music?
Electronic music has so much potential to make it sound fun because the category is so broad and experimental. And yes, it is important to keep my art playful, especially in electronic music. And to me, my aim for Merry Lamb Lamb as a whole is to keep exploring and be bold with my music. I needed to experiment with new things, primarily since most of my music revolves around vulnerability and breakthroughs. Visually and sonically, I want her to try them all, just like what I wanted to convey in my piece: very bold and honest. It will take a lifetime for me to figure out what kind of sound I would love to convey next for my current mood and the message that I want to reveal, which is very exciting.
Words: Charlotte Amy Landrum | Photography: Yumi Laksa
Dazed Mix: Merry Lamb Lamb
THE HONG KONG-BORN, LONDON-BASED ARTIST SHARES A LIST OF SONGS TO ‘SEIZE THE WINTER BLUES’
The Hong Kong-born, London-based artist shares a list of songs to ‘seize the winter blues’
Illustration Jethro Nepomuceno
Merry Lamb Lamb makes music that feels like a late-night drive – something whispered, spacey, and sparse. The Hong Kong-born, London-based artist arrived on the scene with her debut album Genesis last year, where she sang about feeling lonely against lo-fi beats, transitioning effortlessly between English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Having first appeared on a Chinese talent competition Rave Now in 2018, she can also be recognised for her colourful presence across social media, which has led her to campaigns and collabs with the likes of Gucci, Chanel and Acne Studios.
Her follow-up EP Exodus takes a more cerebral approach, through introspective, club-ready beats – think the breezy quality of early Grimes together with Yaeji and Sassy 009. Inspired by the “pessimistic” feelings she experienced over lockdown, the record sounds both insular and bubbly; slow-paced yet rhythmic. “Nothing makes sense to me,” she explains. “When I was writing this EP, [I felt] God is somehow here to prepare something big for me to be courageous and honest, like what God did to Moses.”
For her exclusive Dazed Mix, Merry Lamb Lamb shares “a list of songs to seize the winter blues, feel energised, and groove at home with a glass of natural wine or orange juice”.
Congrats on Exodus. Can you speak a little about the album? What are some of the main inspirations behind it?
Merry Lamb Lamb: Every time I write an EP or an album, I feel like I’m always ‘on the journey’ with it. In my first album Genesis, I wanted to reflect on my past. I used to have a hard time opening up myself to people. I was bullied hard during high school, and when I started to become Merry Lamb Lamb, I was always hiding [myself] to be confident in front of people. There was a turning point when I went to Shanghai for a music reality show. I realised I got clouded by fame instead of my love of music. It was also an essential process for me during that time to accept my loveable side.
As for Exodus, I think it was picked up from where Genesis started. After releasing Genesis, I always prayed to God and asked, ‘What is next? Where is the next step or dream that you wanted me to achieve in life?’ I knew deep down they were not random thoughts that came out of nowhere; these were questions I’d been longing for, and I wanted an answer.
And one day, it came out of the blue. An image came into my head: the story of Exodus. I remember it is a concrete image of Moses bringing everyone from Egypt to Israel to search for their new home and utopian dream. And It became clear that I wanted to have Exodus as a theme, and the name for my new EP.
What’s the thinking behind the album name?
Merry Lamb Lamb: I think ‘Exodus’ means a road out from past failures without knowing what will happen next. Being brave and moving forward, honestly and faithfully with every step, is what I want to bring through this EP.
What would you say are some of your most formative musical experiences? Have they influenced your sound at all?
Merry Lamb Lamb: Grimes’ early live performances blew me away. Although I haven’t seen her live IRL before, I would always watch online and [marvel at] how she manages to do everything herself on stage. Her way of performing is so carefree and wild. It influenced me a lot. After watching a couple of her live videos, I started working on my performance set-up with my partner, Lung, my creative director, who also performs with me on stage. We do everything together, from music jamming on Ableton to turning 4-bar loops into variables and turning them into songs. He adds a third point of view to my music.
Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Merry Lamb Lamb: Growing up, I was inspired by my big cousin, who’s ten years older than me. I’d follow what she listened to, what she wore, and what she thought was excellent to own. I listened to a lot of J-pop, J-anime, and J-electronica music growing up. People like Namie Amuro, SPEED, and Perfume opened my eyes to music. They are very magical to watch, almost out-of-this-world. They’re sounds that I didn’t consider as sounds, more like whips of magic, very cotton candy-like and unexpected.
The worst advice you’ve ever been given?
Merry Lamb Lamb: This is very sad, but I think I had the worst advice from my mom growing up [laughs]. She never liked me to be the odd one out at school and always wanted me to participate more. She even commented on my appearance: I had tired, tiny eyes and a prominent forehead. She would tell the hairdresser to cut heavy bangs for me to cover it up. As I grew older, my bangs were my shield. When I first started Merry Lamb Lamb, she was very sceptical and opposed to it, and she would tell me: ‘Being different is weird’.
If I had thought of changing myself because I’m weird, I would never be able to be who I am today. And I truly thank God I didn’t take the advice from her, because being the same as the others is boring and meaningless. I’ll be just drifting on a street without a purpose.
And the best advice?
Merry Lamb Lamb: I saw this quote the other day by a well-known Hong Kong actor, Steven Ma, who has been in the business for over 20 years: “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect nothing.”
I used to be so ambitious and wanted to do everything because I always had the underlying fear that I didn’t have much time left in life. But failing for a bit isn’t a bad thing at all, because if you don’t make mistakes, you won’t be able to learn from them and grow more mature as a human being.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Merry Lamb Lamb: I’m currently listening to ”Drifter” by Anthony Naples. Because I am in my winter mood right now, ambient music urges me to feel relaxed and reminisce about the year.
Tell us about your Dazed Mix.
Merry Lamb Lamb: My Merry Lamb Lamb Dazed Mix is a collection of songs I’ve loved recently. I also called it a ‘winter alone shower banger mix’. They are a list of songs to seize the winter blues, feel energised, and groove at home with a glass of natural wine or orange juice. Some of my favourites include Louke Man, TEED, Perfume and Shinichi Osawa Big Ever, who are all part of this mix. And I love how the whole mix transitions from sentimental satire into a 2-step bass-heavy subtle club vibe. It’s an easy listening mix you can put on when commuting to work or school, or simply staying in bed to relax and have a good time.
Tracklist
Merry Lamb Lamb - “Empathy”
Louke Man - “Pulled Apart”
Facta, Dorisburg - “Ditto” (Dorisburg Remix)
Bolam - “Flabbergaster”
Leonce - “Penetration Testing”
Big Ever - “Nature”
Lowderz - “Dalecon”
DJ Hedoni£t - ”Untitled #1”
TEED - “Never Seen You Dance Remix”
Perfume - “Spring of Life” (Level3-mix)
WK7 - “Rhythm (Power Snap Mix)”
TAFKAMP, Irv Da Perv - “Why U Wanna Playa Hate”
Spray - “Posture (Correction Mix)”
Dauwd - “The Yuzer”
Amaliah - “T-Siren”
Mr. Ho - “Exxperience (Revist)”
Tzusing - “Residual Stress”
Shinichi Osawa, Paul Chambers - “Singapore Madness”
Glamcult gets to know Merry Lamb Lamb
“I felt like I was Moses in Exodus, going through a desert without water and a suitcase, all alone looking for the promised land”
“I felt like I was Moses in Exodus, going through a desert without water and a suitcase, all alone looking for the promised land”
Meet Merry Lamb Lamb, the London-based Hong Kong-born artist behind the recently released EP, Exodus. Sharing a journey of self-discovery and spiritual exploration, Exodus symbolises a fresh chapter in her artistic evolution, marked by a shift towards a more club-oriented (yet somehow holistic) sound. Opening up about the themes explored in key tracks like Tranquility, Empathy, and Romantic, Merry Lamb Lamb offers us a glimpse into the emotions and experiences that shaped her latest music alongside her dedication to visual synergy even in times of profound self-exploration.
Congratulations on the release of your new EP, Exodus! Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the project?
During the creation of Exodus, I was in a healthier stage…mainly because I was willing to accept the confusion surrounding my identity crisis, and began belonging more truthfully. Within this, the EP became a continuous journey from where my first album, Genesis, left off. While I was writing Exodus, there were moments when I felt extremely vulnerable because I was home a lot in quarantine and had too much alone time questioning life: where I’m living right now, and who I am as a whole. But most importantly, I always asked God: praying and wondering. “What is next, God? Where is the next step or dream that you wanted me to achieve in life, and where is it?” All these questions always popped out of nowhere. I knew deep down they were not random thoughts that came out of nowhere; these were questions I’d been longing for, and I wanted an answer to them. And one day, it came out of the blue. A vision came into my head: the biblical story of Exodus as a concrete image of Moses bringing everyone from Egypt to Israel to search for their new home and utopian dream. It then became clear and destined that I wanted to have Exodus as a theme and the name for my new EP.
Within this, then, how does Exodus represent a powerful and fresh chapter in your artistic journey?
I was searching during that time for my life purpose and where my ultimate dream was. So yes, to me Exodus represents a fresh chapter in my artistic journey. Within the EP I could adapt to a new music-writing approach and conquer my weaknesses. I wasn’t only physically moving to somewhere new but also being able to accept how complex I am, without knowing what would happen through the haze, to have courage, and to move forward every step honestly and faithfully. It was very praiseworthy to see and achieve as a whole.
Alongside these spiritual and faithful revelations, the EP also marks a shift towards a more club-oriented sound. How did this transition into the bold and dynamic tracks on Exodus occur?
I listened to much more club-oriented music during the pandemic — especially 2-step and techno music. I was constantly trapped inside my house, and listening to more dancey music made me feel more empowered and less fearful about the future. During the three-year buffer period, I shifted my way of making music. My partner Lung, my art director, also performs with me. We started to do many jamming sessions at our home studio, making drum loops on my TR-8S drum machine and finding remarkable bass and synth lines to form the base of a song. Most of the songs from the EP, such as Tranquility, FOREVER, and Empathy, were formed based on loops we did back then during jamming sections. It is also where I started to become aware that I wanted my music to be able to ‘perform live’ and interact with it instantly on site. How dance music is structured is an open gate for me to experiment using a new view to produce music. Making Exodus made me realise that I’m capable of capturing the more surging yet vulnerable feeling that I always wanted, rather than what I used to convey, especially in my first album which represented a more mellow and melancholic side of my past.
You mentioned the singles Tranquillity and Empathy, which both served as the first taste of the new EP. Tell me about the themes were you exploring through these songs.
I always asked myself who I was, where I was from, my identity, my tribe, and where I belonged as a child because I often moved from country to country. This feeling of longing, searching for that “ultimate dream” equates to looking for what home is to me. It has become almost an urge for me to explore these sectors daily (even though it is like a never-ending open question). In Tranquility, I rooted back to where I was born in Hong Kong, which felt distant and weary. I left home when I was 14 and was forced to study abroad. After being so far apart for almost ten years, I returned home to form Merry Lamb Lamb. But surprisingly I felt distant from Hong Kong, I was also seen differently by others, culture-wise and personality-wise. The fear of belonging and inadequate adjustment therefore intensified as I lived in the city. There was a turning point when I started living in the most crowded area in Hong Kong, Shum Shui Po. I felt stressed and manipulated by the people around me. I almost felt like people were following me back home because the city was that opposed and breathless to me. The city — and the world — have been so corrupted these past few years that I almost felt helpless and deranged. All these clouded emotions made me want to let my ego out and bounce back to my misfit and unsatisfied accusations about home.
… And in Empathy? This track, though still musically upbeat feels lyrically more pleading.
Empathy continues the journey to self-affirmation and belonging I spoke about earlier. It was almost a complaint to God about my whole life, with my knees bowed down, but I feared accusing him because he is God. In my past life, I was constantly drifting, and not being able to settle was hurtful. Alongside this, the encounters that I had as a child being bullied at high school brought me to realise that I have the habit of forming a fence unconsciously between the outer world and stoning my heart like a rotten egg. I became easy on myself and felt every encounter in life was meant for a loss. Sometimes, when I think about it deeply, all I want from God is to be merciful and give me a hug or a shoulder to cry on when I’m weak. I felt like I was never asking much, yet empathy seemed so far away and out of reach to me all the time.
The track Romantic has led to you being compared to Enya (a compliment always). Can you delve into the emotions and experiences that inspired this particular song?
Long walks on the streets and soliloquized acts were my daily habit in Hong Kong while writing Romantic. Whenever I felt stressed about going to the edge of my tipping point, I would let myself have long walks to look through familiar streets and shops to zone myself out. Although I didn’t have experience walking in a desert before, it almost felt like a desert walk to me. I was very hard on myself to strive for an answer about where I should go next in life because I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere I’d already been. The road seems broad and conquered without a piece of me. Like the title of the album; I felt like I was Moses in Exodus, going through a desert without water and a suitcase, all alone looking for the promised land.
“Where is the way?
Through the promised lands
And through the desert islands
I couldn’t find my way.” — Romantic
Within this, the title feels somewhat oxymoronic; why Romantic?
Picking Romantic as a title for me is uncanny because I find solitude sometimes fearful, but it could be romantic at the same time. Being in the process of feeling afraid about the future and fantasising about it is complex but romantic.
Your music transitions between three languages — English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Is it important for you to express yourself through the differing powers of multiple languages?
I relate to Billy from the book The Minds of Billy Milligan, because that’s how I split my brain when processing things daily. I never force myself to stick with one language because I fear I might take the sparks away from creating songs. I love to take advantage of all three languages to convey different sides of myself more complexly. For example, when writing Empathy, I wanted to convey my calmness and a more genuine side of me. There is an open-your-heart emotion to it, which I felt the most comfortable writing in English because English is my native language. I could be free and become as personal as possible while speaking English. Writing in Cantonese, however, almost feels like a second home to me. It felt like a familiar home but with unfamiliar distant relatives living inside my house. And the way that Cantonese is formed as a language is complex and challenging to learn. You cannot put daily conversations and slang into songs because it will sound weird and unpoetic. Cantonese sounds more like a poem, which adds morals and an underlying double meaning to things. When I speak Cantonese on Who Am I, I’m more implicit and shy, conveying my confusion to my roots. Meanwhile, for Mandarin, there’s a bold and manly guy inside me; straightforward and on point. I can speak my mind without hesitation and don’t hold back. I love it so much because I don’t usually reveal this side of me. In Tranquility, I showcase my inner feisty and angry side, where I can fight like a warrior without doubt and fear. Being able to switch languages doesn’t mean I’m hiding from another personality; it’s not that, it reveals my most truthful side and my state of mind while writing that song. It is so important to express yourself authentically. To me, there’s no other thing that is more important than that.
You have a distinctive visual and fashion identity which too transitions, complementing the themes in your music. For you, how do these aesthetics envelop the overall audience experience of Merry Lamb Lamb?
In my visual representation, I gravitate towards how I wanted Merry Lamb Lamb to appear as a whole: an anime-like and out-of-this-world creature. I want it to become almost utopian-like, allowing my audience to be in the clouds. As Merry Lamb Lamb, I want to experiment with a new style for her whenever she has a different persona to present. For this EP, I needed to experiment with new things, primarily since most of my music revolves around vulnerability and breakthroughs. Visually, I want her to try them all, just like how I wanted to convey myself in my piece: very bold and honest. I never consider my visual and musical identities separately, they were always in sync. To me, visuals and music are inseparable and exist fluidly like water because they’re both the first impression of your identity. And the visual aspect of it adds a profound layer to your music.
What’s next for Merry Lamb Lamb? Are there any future projects or collaborations on the horizon that your fans can look forward to?
I’ve been making new music lately with my partner, Lung. It was my first winter here in London, and I don’t want to waste any of those winter blues to spark my creation. I’ve been inspired by Crystal Palace lately; that’s where I live. There’s a beautiful lake near my home, and I always go there for a stroll when I need a break. I think my new music will relate to themes of being close to Mother Nature. I can’t wait to see how it will turn out. And for future projects, an interesting one will come up with my girlfriends Miso Extra and Aimei媚. It will be a collaboration song coming out next January 2024. It is a song about being fully empowered after an unforgettable breakup. It was also my first time collaborating with more than one artist, and it was fun and surprisingly enjoyable. I can’t wait for you guys to listen to it.
Words by Grace Powell
Images courtesy of the artist
Listen to Exodus here!
MERRY LAMB LAMB: ‘EMPATHY’ IS A GATEWAY TO MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR RELIGIOUS-THEMED ELECTRONIC MUSIC -loverboy magazine
‘EMPATHY’ IS A GATEWAY TO MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR RELIGIOUS-THEMED ELECTRONIC MUSIC -LOVERBOY MAGAZINE
One idea Loverboy has grappled with over the last few years is the concept of ‘home’. Can it really be as simple as a building? A geographic location? Or is it a period in time, never to be repeated? Hong Kong-born, London-based Merry Lamb Lamb looks at this idea of home on her name EP, Exodus, out now via Mad Decent. Taking inspiration from the bibilical story of Moses leading the people to Israel in search of utopia, the six-track EP echoes that journey with moments of strength, serenity & spirituality.
Exodus’ pilgrimage to euphoria opens with the divine ‘Romantic’ before segueing into the seductive ‘Night’, recalling Aaliyah at her most experimental. ‘Tranquility’ is anything but – with Merry Lamb Lamb guiding us to the floor for the UK 2-step moment of ‘Empathy’. ‘Who Am I’ is as filled with as much chaotic-club energy as the title suggests before we arrive at the blissful ‘FOREVER’ with Merry Lamb Lamb singing, ‘Forever I will stay.’
Loverboy sits down with the multi-hyphenate artist to find out more about how creating the EP, skeumorphizing into a tree and her love for Avril Lavigne.
So, Merry Lamb Lamb, your Exodus EP just dropped! Congratulations! We’re in love with ‘Tranquility’. Can you tell us more about it?
I have always had a special place for ‘Tranquility’; I always wanted to write a song that could express the inner feisty and angry side of myself, which people might find rare and odd. Because I’m always a nice girl to everyone, this song reflects my roots; growing up in Hong Kong, I never felt like I fit into their system. I always felt unsafe and anxious living in my so-called ‘home.’
Before I moved to London, I lived in the most crowded place in Hong Kong, called Shum Shui Po, which is very dense and orderless, with many mafia and gangsters fighting around the area. I still remember a crazy person who once pushed me while I was living there in the middle of the night without any signal. I was walking back home with extreme blood coming out of my crooked teeth and heavily bruised knees. I started to build an invisible fence to protect myself because I have anxiety every time I walk back home. I constantly felt like people were chasing me behind my back.
The city and the world have been so corrupted these past few years that we all felt helpless and deranged. All these clouded emotions make me want to let my alter ego out to hide and bounce back to my misfit and unsatisfied feelings about my ‘home.’
With the lyrics, can you tell us more about your current relationship with Hong Kong?
After relocating to London for almost three months, I feel like I’m still in a love-hate relationship with Hong Kong. The love side is being able to tell new friends in London that I’m from Hong Kong, and Hong Kong used to have much artistic culture, with the British heavily influencing our culture so much. The second fact is that knowing my friends and family, especially my grandma, will always root for me no matter what I do and how things turn out.
I still remember it clearly; she always loved to cut out interviews from magazines I’ve participated in and put them into her scrapbook. Some small gestures like this will always let me remember what I miss from not being home that often. The hate side is that I still feel very insecure and stressed about ‘home,’ the fact that I’m not able to be comfortable about myself and that I don’t see a future and hope in the city which freaks me out sometimes.
The video for ‘Tranquility’ is major from the lighting to the looks. What’s your creative process when doing a video?
Whenever I do anything visually and sonically, I share my creative process with my partner and art director, Lung. We do everything together, and I’ll share everything I did with him, from demos to a vulnerable poem, and he will react to it quickly with his visuals and third point of view. The’ Tranquillity’ process started as Lung sought an old school, almost rambo-like boxing ring in London. He said that after listening to this song, he wanted to find a boxing ring to develop it as a satire for me to let out my angry and trapped emotions.
It was also a hidden message that we wanted to portray, almost like an alien-like creature wishing to find her way out through her trapped environment. We wanted to show that alien likeness of her by styling the clothes in this whole music video: an out-of-this-world silver mermaid-like outfit in Moncler Eskimo hat, a disco ball-like top from Rotate Birger Christensen, and a denim mermaid skirt from Rick Owens.
In video-making, we always love to DIY everything ourselves, from video concepts to form a crew of friends with whom we hang out often and styling everything ourselves. Lung and I started an art and video team in 2020 named STAYHOMEKIDS.TV, where we created custom-made, almost utopian set designs for my live sets to make me feel comfortable and almost ‘blend in’ while performing.
But after a few set designs, we started incorporating more units such as art directions, music video directions, fashion-related videos (better known as the Fashion Cool Kids series), photography, etc. We believe that no matter what kind of art media we’ve chosen to portray, the first rule of it has to be fun, DIY, and stay true to ourselves.
There’s also a moment when you are in the ring and your vocals come in through a certain vocoder and from the visuals to the vocals it took me back to Madonna’s Hard Candy era. Maybe this is a reach but was this on the moodboard at all? Haha…
It was interesting to see questions like this because it was not intentional, but now I see a relationship between Madonna and myself after listening to Madonna’s album Hard Candy.
Through the visuals or the song, I wanted to portray a warrior fighting all her fears and kicking them out individually. Therefore, a more vocoder came up in the middle of the second verse; I wanted to create an alien persona to express my inner savage by kicking out my fear one by one, like Chun Li from Street Fighter game, attack, tackle, and score!
The first single from the project, ‘Empathy’ gives us that delicious warm feeling of Y2K era UK garage, 2 step. Thank you! Are there any anthems from that period that you love?
The first UK garage song I instantly loved was the song from Overmono ‘Daisychain.’ It was a song I found on Soundcloud when I graduated from university and returned to Hong Kong to pursue music.
I was still very into J-pop and Japanese-related electronic music during that time. Then I stumbled upon this tune on Soundcloud, and my first reaction was: “Oh my god, this flow and the kick coming into my head!” I like how it flows naturally to your blood cells, and it was also the first time I had witnessed such an impactful four-sequence loop. It could be so emotional and captivating to listen at the same time.
Therefore, I took the aura and inspiration from it and threw it back to where I wanted to write about Empathy: A little admonishing moment with God about my uncanny life that tugs your heartstrings out with the immersive kick and rhythm.
I’ve read how important religion is for you, and I imagine in this song you are singing to God. I am so used to hearing religious themes in RnB, Gospel, Disco – I can’t think of a time I’ve heard it so explicitly in this kind of electronic music before. For me, this feels fresh and new. Do you feel the same way?
I never really stick to one specific genre; when I produce my music, I always go with the mood and theme first, and afterwards, I’ll decide what sort of style I want to go for to convey that particular mood. For Empathy, this song, in particular, I’m directly singing to God. It is a song that I wanted to yell to God sometimes: why do I have to suffer all this pain from my younger trauma from bullying, relocating from unknown places to places? And until COVID, when I hit the point where I had very low self-esteem after relocating back from Beijing to Hong Kong, feeling misfit once again and powerless.
I always questioned myself: why am I still alive, and what am I doing here? I’ll shout to the sky about life being unfair and all. And I remember clearly how I stumbled upon the Overmono song and thought this mood would be a good fit for me to record my state of mind right now about loneliness and self-affirmation from God. But I think ‘Empathy’ is definitely a gateway to more possibilities for religious themed electronic music.
With regards to Christianity then, why did you choose Exodus & Genesis for your two EP titles? How do they differ with regards to the titles/meanings and do you see this as an ongoing series?
I feel like every time I’m writing an album or an EP, I’m always ‘on the journey’ with it or things that I was struggling with and realizing after the album was finished. As for Genesis, it means a fresh start to everything. I chose this name because it also means a sense of self-realization and being reborn again.
During that time, I was struggling hard with the process of reflecting on my past. I always had a hard time opening up about things like being bullied and the fear of self-affirmations from people. I felt like I was always hiding and pretending to be confident in front of people. There was a turning point when I went to Shanghai for a music contest, and I realized I got lost by fame and glory instead of my love of music. It was also an essential process for me during that time to accept both my hateful past and the loveable side of me.
As for Exodus, it is a continuous chapter of Genesis. I feel like I’m on the other stage of life, where I’m searching for my ultimate dream = a music dream almost throughout my life.
I chose Exodus specifically as an EP name because I always prayed and asked God, “What’s next, God? What will my next stage in life be?” And suddenly, one day, this image came into my head: the story of Exodus, where Moses brought everyone from Egypt to Israel to search for their utopian dream.
And now, I’m talking with you in this interview; it all felt like a purposeful dream to me where everything happens for a reason, where God somehow is here to prepare me for a plan of what God did to Moses.
I’m not sure if this will be an ongoing series, but I’m definitely enjoying where my life is taking me, and I’m also excited for the next unexpected one to come.
Can you tell us more about the sequencing on Exodus?
I purposefully put everything in order like this because I wanted to take everyone on a journey to a long Exodus desert walk. From ‘Romantic,’ I wanted to start by bringing everyone into a lonely traveler, looking for a sense of belonging at home or even an unknown upcoming home. As for ‘Night’, it was a track about insomnia and the feeling of relocating so many times, where you sometimes feel almost ghost-like and wake up in an unfamiliar hotel you called home. For ‘Tranquility,’ I wanted to have a considerable tipping point where ‘Tranquility’ comes into play as a high-energy accuse, where I started to feel fed up and tired of my surroundings and ‘trying’ to push away all my fears about my future.
For ‘Empathy,’ I wanted to have a more honest conversation, and I added ‘Empathy’ into the play, a more subtle but honest song about the uncanniness of life. For ‘Who Am I,’ I crawl back into my emotions about who I am and why I exist with a more upbeat, almost nightcore-like song. This is also a song that I am most drawn to within the EP because I laugh about it a lot; I find myself pathetic in finding answers without no end, like an ant following the crowd who needs to be recognized as an individual.
For the last piece of the puzzle, I added ‘FOREVER’ to complete my whole EP. ‘FOREVER’ is one of those rare ones with a positive energy. Because I realized sad happenings and emotions lead most of my songs. But I figured home is not a physical thing to look for; perhaps it is where God is. That’s where I could find my place and forever home.
You’ve said that for Genesis you channeled a cloud. I wondered how that changed for Exodus?
If I have to skeuomorphize myself, I think I’m a tree in Exodus, whereas I was a fragile seed back then that was waiting to be nourished and watered. But after I’ve been through a few thunderstorms and witnessed a couple of storms, I can grow as a beautiful and unique tree. In which I turned my weakness into strength. And I can stand through anything because I’ve been through it already.
I know you are a big Avril Lavinge fan. Can you tell us more about why you connected to her?
Being a shy teenager, Avril Lavigne is a person I looked up to a lot because there was no one or a family member like her that I could have a shoulder to cry on and tell me everything would be okay, and I could just be myself. That might be why I was drawn to her music as a teen and grew up listening to her songs a lot.
I also wanted Merry Lamb Lamb to be the same; feeling relatable is very important. And to have fans that could feel empowered and empathetic. Or people with similar experiences could feel that being related to me is essential.
Our own personal musical spirit animal is Mariah Carey, who loves a lamb herself, and we always ask as a final question, what is your favourite Mariah song?
The song ‘Touch My Body’ is like a favorite tune of mine from her. This song, to me, exudes confidence and empowerment of femininity, which I love. And the vocal stacking from the chorus gives me shivers and surprise at how minimal and good this song is every time I listen. And I love how she calls her fan a lamb too, I’m digging it!
The Exodus EP is out now.
Main photo by Yum! Laksa
Sound Of The Week: Merry Lamb Lamb - kaltblut magazine
Hong Kong native and London-based rising star, Merry Lamb Lamb, unveils her newest EP, Exodus, through Mad Decent, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in her career. To commemorate the release, she also treats her fans to a captivating visualizer for the track “Forever”.
Hong Kong native and London-based rising star, Merry Lamb Lamb, unveils her newest EP, Exodus, through Mad Decent, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in her career. To commemorate the release, she also treats her fans to a captivating visualizer for the track “Forever”.
Following the successful launch of her recent singles “Tranquillity” and “Empathy,” which served as enticing previews for the EP, Merry presents a more daring and club-focused sound with Exodus. She describes the project as a “courageous tale of my journey, in search of a utopian dream.” Throughout the lockdown period, she drew inspiration from feelings of pessimism and anger, channeling them into her music.
The EP commences with the ethereal track, ‘Romantic,’ characterized by breathy, Enya-esque vocals. It explores the concept of anonymous travel and the sensation of being detached from any specific location. “Tranquillity” engulfs the listener with vintage synthesizers and retro strobing shades, while “Empathy” intertwines glitchy 2-step beats with velvety vocals, whispered interludes, and reverberating basslines. The wistful composition, “Night”, was penned during Merry’s quarantine in a dim hotel room in Shanghai, a time when she felt disconnected from reality, likening herself to a ghost due to lack of sleep and appetite. “Who Am I” delves into Merry Lamb Lamb’s identity crisis and her sense of not belonging, incorporating sped-up nightcore production.
Exodus follows Merry’s debut album, Genesis, released in 2022, as well as her recent standalone track, “Night”.
Merry’s music evokes the ethereal quality reminiscent of early Grimes, Yaeji, and SASSY009. Mesmerizing and captivating, her fusion of late-night dancefloor beats and evocative melodies showcases her talent. The remarkable aspect of her tracks lies in their trilingual nature as Merry effortlessly transitions between three languages, each revealing a different facet of her persona. English embodies calmness, Cantonese exemplifies directness, and Mandarin adds poetic nuances.
Having garnered attention with her introspective album, “Genesis,” where she explored a blend of eclectic ’80s pop and pulsating house beats, Merry’s latest single showcases her growth both personally and artistically during the lockdown, delving into themes of identity, displacement, and belonging.
Merry’s journey from being a self-sufficient and reserved teenager, studying arts in Toronto, to establishing her vibrant artistic persona reflects her resilience and self-discovery. Her appearance on the Chinese talent competition, Rave Now, in 2018 was significant in catapulting her into the world of eclectic electronic music. Drawing inspiration from anime, J-pop, Avril Lavigne, and Belle & Sebastian, Merry crafted her distinctive and vibrant identity. Her captivating visual aesthetics and unique fashion sense, showcased on her vibrant Instagram feed, have captured the attention of renowned fashion houses such as Gucci, Moschino, Chanel, and Acne Studios, who have sought her out for campaigns and collaborations.
Exodus unveils the newest phase of this multifaceted artist and creative force, leaving us eagerly anticipating more. Stay tuned for what’s to come.
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Feature photo by Yum! Laksa
Exodus is out now: https://maddecent.ffm.to/exodus
Watch full article here.
9 East and South East Asian musicians worth checking out now - The Face Magazine
As well as working with artists such as Yaeji and Rina Sawayama, Tiger Hagino Reid is the co-founder of ESEA Music – a community for the UK’s East and Southeast Asian music industry. In September, ESEA Music published the (Re)Orientated survey on representation in the industry. You can read the report here.
As hand-selected by the co-founder
of the UK’s ESEA Music community.
As well as working with artists such as Yaeji and Rina Sawayama, Tiger Hagino Reid is the co-founder of ESEA Music – a community for the UK’s East and Southeast Asian music industry. In September, ESEA Music published the (Re)Orientated survey on representation in the industry. You can read the report here.
//Reminiscent of early Grimes, Yaeji and SASSY009, Merry Lamb Lamb’s music is a fusion of late-night dancefloor beats and evocative, ethereal melodies. Her tracks are trilingual – transitioning effortlessly between three tongues, with each language revealing a different facet of her personality: calmness in English, directness in Cantonese and poetic nuances in Mandarin.//
Watch the full article here.
MERRY LAMB LAMB — “EMPATHY” by wonderland.
Intertwining delicate, glitchy 2-step beats with silky vocals, the rising artist unveils a new single, signaling the launch of a fresh chapter in her artistry.
Intertwining delicate, glitchy 2-step beats with silky vocals, the rising artist unveils a new single, signaling the launch of a fresh chapter in her artistry.
Hong Kong-born, London-based producer and singer Merry Lamb Lamb has released her new single and music video, “Empathy.” This bolder and more club-oriented sound marks a new career chapter for the rising artist and offers a taste of what’s to come in her next steps. “Empathy” follows the release of her 2022 debut album, Genesis — an introspective exploration of eclectic ’80s pop and throbbing house beats — as well as the recent standalone track “Night.”
Reminiscent of the airy quality of early Grimes, Yaeji, and SASSY009, Merry’s genre-defying and future-facing music presents a fusion of late-night dancefloor beats and evocative, ethereal melodies. Her tracks are trilingual, effortlessly transitioning between the languages as each one of them reveal a different facet of her personality: calmness in English, directness in Cantonese, and poetic nuances in Mandarin.
Watch full article HERE.
Merry Lamb Lamb x Inner
"With a hairstyle with bangs on the eyebrows and a pair of small eyes, the unique appearance of Merry Lamb Lamb is a living treasure on social platforms, posting many funny and nonsensical short videos to share happiness. And Merry Lamb Lamb, a stage name full of animation feeling, comes from family and friends. "Merry" is a blessing from a mother, hoping that her daughter will become a happy baby, and "Lamb Lamb" is because of small eyes and white skin. A sheep-like nickname. Merry Lamb lamb, whose name is given to happiness, conveys joy through music, art and daily life, and spreads a little sweetness in troubled times." - INNER
"With a hairstyle with bangs on the eyebrows and a pair of small eyes, the unique appearance of Merry Lamb Lamb is a living treasure on social platforms, posting many funny and nonsensical short videos to share happiness. And Merry Lamb Lamb, a stage name full of animation feeling, comes from family and friends. "Merry" is a blessing from a mother, hoping that her daughter will become a happy baby, and "Lamb Lamb" is because of small eyes and white skin. A sheep-like nickname. Merry Lamb lamb, whose name is given to happiness, conveys joy through music, art and daily life, and spreads a little sweetness in troubled times." - INNER
Watch the full interview here
Merry Lamb Lamb Self-Care KIT Playlist For k11Musea
This playlist is a special collaboration by K11 MUSEA x Merry Lamb Lamb. And it’s called the MLL Self-Care Kit Playlist. It’s a playlist that includes House, Deep House, UK Garage music.
MLL Self-Care Kit Playlist
This playlist is a special collaboration by K11 MUSEA x Merry Lamb Lamb. And it’s called the MLL Self-Care Kit Playlist. It’s a playlist that includes House, Deep House, UK Garage music.
I hope listeners can enjoy dancing even in the current situation. We can temporarily forget the struggles and stay safe dancing for one.
Listen to the Spotify playlist here
