My Ears Through the Years with Fa and Fon
Welcome back to My Ears Through The Years! The series where pairs of ears, attached to brilliant brains, belonging to amazing creatives in the industry, spill the tea on what they’ve been listening to all their lives: the bops, the belters, the bangers, and everything in between.
This week we’re joined by the have the incredible directing duo Fa and Fon. Known for their electrifying fusion of futurism and pop culture, Fa and Fon’s work is deeply rooted in their rich Asian heritage, working with global brands like Converse, Nike, Fila, and BBC. But what do these directors have in their headphones? Well, we have two words for you. Bryan. Adams.
Q> Hi Fan and Fon! Tell us, what were both your earlier memories of music?
Fa> We grew up in Thailand so the first time I remembered dancing to music was actually at a traditional Thai trot concert. I don’t know who was playing but I just remembered it was super bright and vibrant. You know when you have a distant vague memory of something and you’re not quite sure if it was real or not but at the same time it was also incredibly clear as well? I also remember ‘Wind of Change’ by Scorpions, our Mum used to play it a lot in Thailand.
Fon> I think my first memory of music is from 7/11 stores in Thailand. They always play the best music there, either a ballads or a drama soundtracks. Or Bryan Adams ‘Summer of 69’ which randomly always used to play in malls - what a banger!
Q> And what was the first music you bought yourselves?
Fa> I think I bought an Avril Lavigne album with my own money from working at the local golf club.
Fon> It was strangely Aqua, I was obsessed with the Barbie girl song and played it on loop! I remembered thinking they were the coolest band, I saved up my pocket money to get it. Then when I got older I started getting cooler CDs, like Evanescence and Green Day.
Q> What was the first gig you went to?
Fa> Sugababes! They were so good but also kept forgetting the lyrics and kept restarting the song.
Fon> Sugababes for me also! if we don’t count the Thai trot singers.
Q> What’s the first song that comes into your head at any opportunity?
Fa> Right now it’s Kendrick Lamar ‘Not Like Us’ but just that bit that goes “They not like us they not like us” and “a minooooorrrr”… on a constant, never-ending loop
Fon> Mine would have to be randomly “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada. I don’t know why but it’s in my head for good. I think even if I lost my memory in a freak accident, I would remember that song.
Q> Your first slow dance…
Fa> S Club 7 – ‘Never Had a Dream Come True’. They always played that at school discos
Fon> I think it would have probably been at prom, to Whitney Houston ‘I Will Always Love You’ which is far too romantic for a 15 year old!
Q> A song you could never escape from…
Fa> ‘Everything I Do’ - Bryan Adams. Our family loved that song, they play it at every family gathering, car journeys, birthdays, etc.
Fon> See above! I wanted Bryan Adams to be my Uncle. I remember pretending I was heartbroken when I listened to ‘Please Forgive Me’ as an eight year old. We also watched Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves on repeat because of ‘Everything I Do’. My mum has an unhealthy obsession with Kevin Costner.
Q> A song you grew up with…
Fa> Anything Bryan Adams, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton… all the sad ballad legends. I think our family was a bit on the dramatic side! Oh and as a family we went through a Micheal Flatley ‘Feet of Flames’ phase (or maybe not so much a phase - we all still love him like15 years on!) but we used to play all the tracks from that concert a lot. We also grew up with t.A.T.u, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down, Linkin Park, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, all the angst rock songs to level out the ballads our Mum was blasting 24/7.
Fon> My Mum loves aerobics, so we listened to a lot of high energy music too, Cascada, Aqua, Basshunter, Madonna. That song ‘Infinity’ by Guru Josh was a big vibe.
Q> Your walkout music…
Fa> Kanye West – ‘Wolves’. It’s dramatic and eerie.
Fon> Mine would be ‘Run This Town’ by Jay-Z and Ri Ri . Or “Five Thousand Singles” by Saint JHN. I want to make an impact.
Q> Your dancefloor anthem…
Fa> ‘Wild Thoughts’ by Rihanna or any ABBA song.
Fon> ‘Work’ by Rhianna or ‘Represent’ by the Orishas.
Q> Your go-to karaoke…
Fa> ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA.
Fon> ‘Left Outside Alone’ by Anastacia and ‘Torn’ by Natalie Imbruglia. Heartbreak songs always do well at Karaoke.
Q> Your musical guilty pleasure…
Fa> I don’t really have a guilty pleasure to be honest, I listen to whatever I like with no guilt!
Fon> Same with me, I don’t really get embarrassed when it comes to music, I like what I like. I guess it would be 'Warriors” from the Micheal Flatley, Feet of Flames soundtrack, I speed walk to that song a lot.
Q> A song that reminds you of family…
Fa> All the sad ballads of the '80s, '90s and early '00s, Feet of Flames… we were the youngest in the entire family so we grew up with the adults and older kids playing music from the eras most prominent to them. We didn’t hold a lot of power on the car radio!
Fon> Bryan Adams is pretty much a family member at this point, so all his songs remind me of home. Also heavy metal and rock. I went through an emo phase, so most of the songs on Guitar Hero, ‘Through the Fire and the Flames’ by Dragonforce, Papa Roach, Atreyu, Evanescence.
Q> An artist you learned to love?
Fa> I think Elton John’s music, as a kid I just didn’t get it but now I realise he’s a lyrical legend.
Fon> That’s a tricky one, I think as a kid I hated Scorpions. I thought they were corny but my mum played them on loop, so I learned to love them.
Q> A song you wish you wrote…
Fa> ‘Black’ by Pearl Jam, ‘Silver Springs’ by Fleetwood Mac, ‘Young and Beautiful’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’ by Lana del Rey, ‘In the Shadows’ by The Rasmus… there’s so many I could go on all day.
Fon> ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence, ‘This Little Bird’ by Marianne Faithfull, ‘Lucky Ones’ by Lana del Rey, ‘Flightless Bird’ by American Mouth, and ‘Wasted On You’ by Morgan Wallen.
Q> An upopular opinion?
Fon> I don't have one for this, I actually do like mainstream music!
Fa> Yeh same I like almost everything!
Q> An artist you think is underrated?
Fa> 070 Shake, Last Dinner Party, Infinity Song, Gia Ford, Nemahsis
Fon> Amber Mark and Infinity song
Q> Your desert island disc?
Fon> Oh this one is hard, I would need a song that will uplift me so I can get my survival instincts on while also something that will romanticise this event or I’ll go crazy. ‘Praise Jah In The Moonlight” by YG Marley or Lana del Rey’s ‘Born to Die.’
Fa> I’d have to say an album because one song will drive me crazy, any Lana del Rey album will keep me alive. Melancholic but alive.
Q> A song you would like to be played at your funeral?
Fa - Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here' if it were sad but I’d properly want it to be a bit more dramatic like ‘I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight’ by Cutting Crew played on the organ with doves flying around, everyone is in a black Chanel suit with fog machines and fake lightning.
Fon> I would want it to be tragically happy. ‘Lucky Ones’ by Lana del Rey, 'Neo Surf' by 070 Shake and then I would go in with some rock - 'Don’t Cry' by Guns and Roses… and obviously Bryan Adams.
Q> Best sync moment?
Fa> It was from the very first Fast and Furious movie. When Brian and Vince fight there’s a song ‘Watch Your Back’. I also loved the earlier Fast and Furious movies and I just remembered thinking that scene was so cool and that song really made it more intense whilst resonating so much on that particular era and style tribe. Also ‘Youth of the Nation’ by P.O.D in Blue Crush made me want to surf. Before that movie Hollywood painted female surfers in a very different light, and that movie and its soundtrack made everything more dangerous and the female surfers more daredevil.
Fon> ‘Love is Strange’ Dirty Dancing. In Baz Lurman’s Romeo and Juliet, in the petrol station scene when the Montague boys sing ‘Pretty Piece of Flesh’ by One Inch Punch, I remembered they were so vile yet so poetic.
Q> Music that made an ad campaign..
Fon> I’m sure everyone would say the Cadbury eyebrows song. I also really like the Mercedes-Benz ‘Chicken’ commercial, Diana Ross ‘Upside Down’.
Fa> Phil Colins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ for the Cadbury ad with the drumming gorilla.
Q> Best theme song?
Fa> The Kim Possible theme song, a literal childhood classic and such a bop. Oh and Scooby Doo!
Fon> The Bleach theme song ‘Number One’. ‘Asterisk’ by ORANGE RANGE, and The Attack on Titan theme ‘Feuerroter Pfeil und Bogen’. And there’s ‘Samurai Champloo’ - Shiki No Uta. And COWBOY BEBOP ‘Tank!’ by SEATBELTS. Oh and Tokyo Ghoul “Unravel”
Q> Your favourite film soundtrack / score..
Fa> We loved watching movies growing up so there's a lot of movie OST that we grew up loving, this list can go on and on forever. Aside from the running theme of our family’s obsession with Bryan Adam’s ‘Everything I Do’ from Robin Hood the Prince of Thieves, my other top Film OST faves are the ‘Marry Me’ suite from Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember hearing it for the first time when I was around 13 and just thinking that I’d imagine this is what love sounds like. I just have such a strong love for Hans Zimmer to work with him is the ultimate goal. Also, every Lord of the Rings soundtrack. We grew up reading and watching LOTR and ‘The Shire’ is the sound of our home in the countryside on a hot summer's day.
Fon> The soundtrack to the BBC TV show ‘North and South’ is honestly so beautiful. The score ‘Look Back’ when Thorton wanted Margaret to look back at him because she’s moving to London, and he’s waiting in the snow, argh heartache!
Q> The track you’d love to sync…
Fa> ‘Religion’ by Lana del Rey, ‘Not Gonna Get Us’ by t.A.tu, ‘Nutshell’ by Alice in Chains, ‘Here Without You’ by Three Doors Down, ’Power and Control’ by Marina and the Diamonds, ‘Alejandro’ by Lady Gaga, ‘Lost On You’ by LP, ‘Nothing Matters’ by ‘The Last Dinner Party’, ‘Breakers Roar’ by Sturgill Simpson, ‘Di mi nombre’ by Rosalia, ‘The Loneliest’ by Måneskin… there’s too many!
Fon> Lana’s cover of ‘Summer Wine’, ‘Cool’ by Gwen Stefani, ‘Going Under’ by Evanescence, ‘Toxicity' by System Of A Down and Panic! At The Disco ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’. Oh and also ‘Teenagers’ by My Chemical Romance and lastly ‘Hung Up’ by Madonna.
