A man of the world

Boon Chan - The Straits Times
Saturday, Sep 27, 2014

Singer-songwriter Khalil Fong was born in Hawaii, moved with his family to Shanghai at the age of six, and then eventually to Hong Kong.
In a way, traces of that peripatetic past can be found in his music.

Beginning from his debut Mandarin album Soul Boy (2005), he has drawn on a dizzying array of music influences from R&B, jazz, pop, rock, funk and, of course, soul. His latest album, Dangerous World (2014), was even influenced by hip-hop.
Speaking in English over the telephone from Hong Kong, he says: "I got used to adapting to different cultures at a young age. The world citizen perspective is also deeply ingrained in my religious beliefs."

Fong, 31, is Baha'i - the religion emphasises the spiritual unity of all mankind.
He adds: "I don't separate music into genres. I could listen to the poppiest pop there is as well as the odd-sounding indie stuff and I like it the same, depending on my mood. I like all of it and I try to have that attitude in my music, so hopefully my fans get a bit of that music appreciation mentality as well."

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