ProfileThe legacy of Ellen Joyce Loo, trailblazing Hong Kong guitarist who spoke her truth

This is the 82nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Eight years after her sudden death shook music fans across Hong Kong, Taiwan and beyond, Ellen Joyce Loo Hoi-tung’s legacy as a cultural trailblazer continues to grow. Shifting effortlessly between vulnerable lyricism and distorted power chords, the fierce guitarist lived boldly in an industry demanding conformity. An outspoken advocate for mental health and LGBTQ visibility, she used her craft as a lifeline. “When I feel depressed, I write songs. It has become my soul-healing process,” she told HK Magazine in 2011, two years before being diagnosed with type 2 bipolar disorder. Born in Toronto in 1986, Loo moved to Hong Kong at age four. Raised on her father’s musical diet of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, she found his guitar at age nine and “forced” him to teach her. “I was so into it that I didn’t do my homework, I didn’t watch TV; I just practised and practised,” she told the South China Morning Post’s Post Magazine in 2017. The meteoric rise of at17 In 2000, a 14-year-old Loo met Eman Lam Yee-man at an unplugged musical competition. Their chemistry – Lam’s folky voice and Loo’s rhythmic grasp – caught the attention of Cantopop veteran Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, who signed them to his label, People Mountain People Sea. Loo and Lam, who was about three and a half years older than Loo, then formed at17, which was named after Janis Ian’s 1975 song “At Seventeen” at the suggestion of Lam’s brother, Chet Lam Yat-fung. Disillusioned with traditional education, Loo lived up to the name of her new duo and dropped out at 17. “I hated music at school. I hated the choir and the syllabus,” she told HK Magazine, recalling how a teacher had failed her for performing Radiohead’s “Exit Music (For a Film)” – Loo was a huge fan of the British band – at a school show. Her mother was dismayed, but her father was supportive “because he always wanted to be a pilot but … he had to earn money for his family,” she told Post Magazine. “That’s the story he told me when I wanted to pursue my dreams.” Committing full-time to her craft, Loo – affectionately known to fans by her nickname “Rockmui” – and Lam carved a distinct “folktronica” (folk and electronic music) niche in a Cantopop landscape dominated by ballads. Unlike the overtly feminine idol groups of the time, they projected a gender-neutral image. Hits like “The Best Is Yet to Come”, from their 2002 debut album Meow Meow Meow, became generational anthems. Their 2003 follow-up album, Kiss Kiss Kiss, proved similarly popular. From session player to solo star By the mid-2000s, Loo was recognised as one of Hong Kong’s premier guitarists. She earned her first external composition credit on Miriam Yeung Chin-wah’s 2003 hit “Enter the Dragon” and worked as a session musician for top-tier artists including Yeung, Sammi Cheng Sau-man and Joey Yung Cho-yee. In 2010, Eason Chan Yick-shun recruited Loo as lead guitarist for his massive DUO world tour. She remained fiercely defensive of her instrument throughout. When asked in a 2014 SCMP interview if it bothered her that true pop stardom in Hong Kong required singing rather than just playing guitar, Loo countered by referencing the American guitar legend: “Like Steve Vai?” She went on: “I think it’s good enough as long as you personally believe that you’re a star, though it’s true that there are way too few people who understand the importance of guitarists. I used to take that to heart when I picked my jobs, but I’ve realised it didn’t work that way.” The pursuit of her own musical voice eventually led to a new chapter – at17 went on hiatus in 2010 after releasing four albums in total. Relocating to Taiwan, Loo shifted the primary language of her songs from Cantonese to Mandarin and released her 2011 debut solo album, The Ripples, establishing a reputation not only as a guitarist but also as a songwriter, arranger and chorus singer. Her pivot proved successful: her 2012 album You Hide Silently earned her nominations for best Mandarin female singer and best composition at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards in 2013. Confronting bipolar disorder Despite her career progress, the chronic perfectionist struggled with her mental health. She pinpointed preparations for her 2013 debut solo show at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium as the start of a rapid decline, suffering depressive episodes where she could not sleep, write or listen to music. Diagnosed with type 2 bipolar disorder, Loo began taking medication and turned to painting as psychotherapy, subsequently showing almost 100 artworks at PMQ’s 2015 “Pillow Talk” exhibition and raising funds for the Early Psychosis Foundation. “It taught me a lot. It gave me a lot of courage to face myself and my life,” she told Post Magazine about fighting bipolar disorder. “It ripped me open and taught me what it really is to be alive.” Symbolising a new chapter of independence, Loo shaved her head on stage during her 2015 Rockmui 29 Live concert, even performing the once-rejected “Exit Music”. She later cited Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, who also lived with bipolar disorder, as her inspiration. Advocacy, identity and a lasting legacy Loo’s authenticity extended into her political beliefs. She co-recorded “Raise the Umbrella”, the unofficial protest anthem of Hong Kong’s 2014 Occupy movement – an act of advocacy that resulted in her being dropped from the Strawberry Music Festival in Guangzhou in 2015. Equally courageous about her queer identity, Loo publicly came out while accepting an award for best arrangement at the Golden Melody Awards in 2017. “Without her, I would not have written my first Mandarin song seven years ago,” Loo said at the awards as she revealed her marriage to Taiwanese cinematographer Fisher Yu Jing-pin in Canada the previous year. “Without her, I would not have developed my career in Taiwan. I have to thank my wife.” She added: “I know the world is imperfect. So is my music and myself. But having you, who would still need perfection?” In December 2017, Loo reunited with Lam to celebrate the 15th anniversary of at17’s formation with live shows at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, a milestone she called a “reunion of two grown-up women” after seven years. Though she appeared optimistic and active with new projects, Loo died by suicide on August 5, 2018, at age 32, after falling from her Happy Valley residence. Around a thousand mourners showed up at her funeral service, and her death triggered widespread discussions about the stigma surrounding psychological illness. Beyond her discography, Loo was also an accomplished composer for cinema, having won best original film score at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015 for The Midnight After. She was credited posthumously for composing “Fly” in the Oscar-nominated 2019 film Better Days, winning best original film song at the 2020 awards in Hong Kong. In the final interview she gave to the SCMP, published in December 2017, Loo said, “At this time of my life, I feel that I’m more inspired by gender and political issues as a musician and as an artist. I want to speak up for women and sexual minorities.” As the eighth anniversary of her death approaches, Loo is remembered not merely as a fearless guitarist, but as an artist who proved that vulnerability and strength are not opposing forces. She carved out a space for countless others to exist without compromise. If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.