You're Nobody To Me
Ellen Loo

2/2
Yoyo Sham

Both Ellen Loo and Yoyo Sham are singer- songwriters from Hong Kong.
And both are linked to one man – feted singer Eason Chan.
Loo is the guitarist at Chan’s concerts, while Sham is his back-up vocalist.
One wonders if the two chat about their music during rehearsal breaks.
Of the two, Loo is better known, given that she is one-half of Cantopop duo at17 and also a successful solo artist who released her Mandarin debut The Ripples last year.
The electronica ballad You’re Nobody To Me shimmers delicately at first and then builds up to a refrain that has Loo proclaiming: “You never had any tears, it’s a waste being good to you/What kind of human being are you, you make me feel ashamed of loving you”.
Also included here is the demo track Bees, which was recorded by singer Denise Ho as Festival Of Youth. The emotive ballad stands on its own and is no mere filler track.
Good as this is, Sham’s second EP 2/2 is even better.
There are two versions of two songs collected here: the wonderfully atmospheric 1/2 Cup and 2/2 Cup, as well as Moving On Pedals and Moving On.
And she manages to make every single version sound thoroughly valid.
Take Moving On, which is about one’s journey through life: “On the flow of life, we’re not as active as we think/It’s as if we got pushed, then take one step and yet another”.
It works beautifully on its own, with a simple arrangement that allows Sham’s lightly husky voice to shine.
The Pedals version builds upon that, and works in bicycle bells and a rhythmic beat that strengthen the idea of a journey.
It won’t be too long before Sham breaks out and Chan will have to look for a new back-up singer.
(ST)