Members of HK boy band Mirror say they read comments from fans to improve themselves

(Clockwise from top left) Keung To, Edan Lui, Anson Lo and Jer Lau. Photo: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

In Part II of The Star's exclusive 30-minute interview with Hong Kong boy band Mirror, Anson Lo, Edan Lui, Jer Lau and Keung To (with Lui and Lo taking lead speaking in fluent English) spoke on the group’s English single, what they constantly argue about and the difficult part about being the most recognised faces in Cantopop. (you can read Part I of the interview here.)

Congratulations on the release of Rumours. It must be different from singing in Cantonese. What was the recording process like?

Anson Lo: The recording process was fun, but also challenging because it was our first time recording a song in English. We had a coach who taught us a lot about pronunciation, the flow, and how to sing in US pop style.

And this song is special, because it’s kind of a dark, more hip-hop, trap music, something we have never done.

Mirror has been seen as the band who has rejuvenated an interest in Cantopop, which was losing its appeal. What is it about Mirror that’s making young people love Cantopop again?

Lo: First of all, I think that’s an over- rated statement. But we’re happy that you would think like that, or some people might think that way too.

Edan Lui: I think we are very lucky. We have fans who really love us, so whenever we release a song, they will help us advertise it or looping the songs (on radio by requests) and that will get more Hong Kong citizens exposed to our songs.

We are influenced by K-pop and other music styles. So, the music we put out are more trendy. Perhaps this helps attract more Hong Kong people to listen to us.

Growing up, who are your musical heroes and inspirations?

Lui: I love Jay Chou.

Jer Lau: Coldplay.

Keung To: Ne-yo, I love R&B.

Lo: Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, all the pop divas and kings. I’ve always liked US pop culture.

I started falling in love with dancing because of Justin Timberlake’s live performances. I learned his dance routine by myself, just fooling around at home.

The 12-member Mirror was established through a reality talent show called Good Night Show – King Maker in 2018. Photo: Handout

In Hong Kong, there are many singers with great careers. Whose career do you hope to emulate?

Lo: I look up to Aaron Kwok and Sammi Cheng because, yeah they sing, they dance, they act very well. If one day I can work with them, be on the same stage with them performing together, then that will be a dream come true.

Lui: Maybe Andy Lau because I hope that I can have a career that people will respect. Maybe someday when you become older, you can offer something back to this industry or you can help artistes of the new generation. So I think he is one of my role models.

Lau: Eason Chan, because because he sings very well. His voice always manages to touch me. So, he’s my idol

Keung: Aaron Kwok too. Because I love to dance. If I have a chance, I want to learn how to dance like him.

In recent years, you guys have pursued solo careers as well as branch out into acting. Which artistic pursuit is your priority – music or acting?

Lo: We’re greedy. We want both, so we do both. But it’s very time consuming and it’s quite tiring as well. But I think we can manage that.

Lui: I think it depends on the ability and the desire of different individuals.

For me, I like performing, dancing and singing, but at the same time, I also like acting and doing variety shows.

But for Jer, he really loves singing.

So it depends on what role we choose to concentrate on.

(From left) Anson Lo, Jer Lau, Keung To and Edan Lui, photographed in Malaysia on May 15, 2023. Photo: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

What’s the most difficult part about being a celebrity?

Lui: The loss of privacy. For example, like today, maybe we want to go shopping, or explore Malaysia but we need to be concerned about the safety and other issues. In the end, we will just choose to stay at the hotel.

But I think when you get something, you must lose something. This is fair.

Lo: Dealing with rumours and also the false statements made about me. My preference is not to explain or to clarify (every rumour) on my social media every time.

So a lot of the time, I have to just deal with it, pull myself together and not be affected by it.

That’s kind of stressful because we are human beings too, and we have feelings.

So I think being misunderstood is one of the one of the biggest difficulties.

To care for his mental health, Anson Lo turns to his family and friends. Photo: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

How do you care for your mental health then?

Lo: Turning to someone you trust is the most important thing. I turn to my family and friends. I talk to them every day so I won’t explode or say something bad on social media.

Lui: I do things I like, such as playing basketball and computer games. You need to know how to ignore negative comments on the Internet, especially when they are ridiculous.

Lo: You have to be clever about (reading comments). When they are not facts, we ignore them.

But actually, sometimes some of (these comments) are quite helpful. Maybe they’re criticising your singing skills, or your dancing skills or acting skills, and when you see those comments, it reminds you that you have to be better.

You intentionally read comments about yourself? That seems counter-intuitive.

Lui: Reading comments is one of the ways for us to keep our minds clear so that we won’t fall into a trap and think that we are really good or that we are doing well. We need to know the truth.

Lo: So, yeah, we just need to know the balance between ignoring some comments and also making use of others.

Contrary to rumours, the guys in Mirror don’t hate one another. Photo: Mirror/Instagram

There are 12 of you in the group. Twelve guys with 12 different personalities. Tell me, what do you guys argue about and how do you solve disagreements in the group?

Lo: We disagree on so many things (laughs). You’re right, 12 different people with different personalities, different tastes in music and dance styles... we actually fight a lot.

In terms of choosing songs or dance styles, we have our weekly or monthly meetings where we have discussions.

Also, luckily we have a leader (in the group), so when there’s a disagreement or we can’t have a conclusion, we leave it to Lokman to decide and then we will agree with his decision.

Keung To says he was inspired by US singer Ne-Yo as he loves R&B. Photo: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

Finally, since your English song is titled Rumours, what’s the most ridiculous rumours you have heard about yourself?

Keung: That I am dating this person or that person.

Lui: That we hate each another (in the group). People creating dramas about us.

Lo: Yes. (One where) maybe someone took a photo of me and I happened to look at another member a certain way, and they would start to say that I’m giving this member the evil look, that I hate this member. That’s ridiculous! We usually just laugh about it.

Lau: That I like to eat.

Lo, Lui, Keung: That’s not a rumour! (all three laugh)

Lau: C’mon man!