Hong Kong has always been recognized internationally for its financial sector, but there’s a lesser known booming creative scene bubbling beneath the city. Beyond the many young emerging artists and designers of recent years, the local music scene is now starting to take flight. From underground hip-hop to indie-electronic to pop, we look at some of the city’s burgeoning talents.

1. Matt Force

Matt Force, real name Wang Qing Chun, is a Hong Kong-based rapper signed to local independent hip-hop label Wildstyle. In May 2019, he released his debut album ‘Matt Force’ which awarded him Male Singer of the Year at the 8th edition of the Hong Kong Music Awards. Besides writing his own music, the multi-faceted talent can play both the trumpet and piano. Wang was also one of the few key artists that participated at Hong Kong rap group LMF’s 20th-anniversary concert “LMFXXYEAR.”

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2. Jace Chan 

Singer-actress Jace Chan first gained public attention when she made her acting debut in 2017 on ViuTV’s television drama ‘Margaret & David - EX.’ Two years later, she released three title tracks and was awarded with New Singer Award from Metro Radio. Prior to her music career, Jace worked as an anchor, produced her own YouTube videos and was a styling assistant. Signed to Universal Music Hong Kong, Chan has also collaborated with numerous renowned local talents including award-winning songwriter Terence Lam and rap legend Phat from LMF and 24Herbs. 

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3.N.Y.P.D.

Reminiscent of the sound coming from the ‘90s grunge scene, Hong Kong punk-rock band N.Y.P.D. takes enormous pride in their humble underground origins. Straight out of Tai Kok Tsui, the five-member outfit draws influence from foreign and local sounds, like The Foals, Teressa Teng and Liam Gallagher. The band’s name was inspired by ‘80s Canto-blues artist Huan Du and stands for “Nanyang Pai Dui,” which translates to “Drifters of South Asia.” N.Y.P.D.’s latest self-titled album was released on Yeti Out’s record label Silk Road Sounds. 

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4. Merry Lamb Lamb

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Electronic artist Merry Lamb Lamb is a self-taught singer-songwriter who first learned how to produce her own tracks through YouTube. The artist’s unique sound combines melancholy lyrics with an upbeat digital track. Besides performing in Cantonese, the multilingual songstress also creates music in Mandarin and English. While much of her fanbase, according to Spotify, is from the United States, Merry Lamb Lamb’s star power has not gone unnoticed in her native city, and she has worked with the likes of New Balance, Dr. Martens and Gucci for local fashion campaigns. 

5. Gareth. T 

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After debuting his track “Boyfriend Material” earlier this year, Gareth. T released his first Cantonese track, in which the English translation is “Romantic and Warm.” The Berklee College of Music graduate has written music for many local artists including rapper Tyson Yoshi and Keung To, lead singer and face of the city’s most in-demand boyband, Mirror. Signed to Warner Music Hong Kong, the artist writes and produces his own songs and has garnered media attention for his quirky eclectic style. Gareth. T is currently dating fellow indie-music darling Moon Styles, whom he also released a duet track with titled “Honest.” 

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6. Panther Chan 

Originally from the Guangdong province, the singer-songwriter first got her start in the Hong Kong music industry when she placed fourth in local singing competition show “Asian Millionstar.” Chen Lei, more popularly known by her stage name Panther Chan, has had an extensive music career prior to her being based in the city, first participating in a Japanese music competition and later joining Amuse, one of Japan’s largest entertainment groups. She officially joined Warner Music Hong Kong in 2019 and released her album ‘Honesty’ earlier this year. 

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