Speaking of your music career as well as personal style, would you see yourself as a rebel?
I wouldn’t call myself rebellious because I would be affirming a certain kind of convention that I have to rebel against. I’m more like a trailblazer, I want to blaze my trail. And I just do what I feel like doing and I surround myself with the best people. So it’s just a work of joy. 

Tell us more about your new album Rage in Peace and what message it holds for women.
It hits all women, when they slowly enter their 30s, that they need to let go of past trauma or past practices and enter a new era. You are no longer a 20-something-year-old, who needs validation from people, you start to look inside. And that’s when people will start to meditate, do yoga and Pilates—but what every woman really needs to do is look inside her heart to find peace.

And the journey towards peace is to recognise that you have a lot of unprocessed grief in your life—either it’s sexism or expectations of society or glass ceilings. Women also teach themselves a lot of expectations and I feel like when you’re 30, 40 or 50, it’s a journey of self-realisation, to bring you back to peace and be in touch with your soul.

How are you delivering this message of self-realisation to your fans?
It can be delivered through both fashion and music. Like, it’s just the way I dress myself. Clothing is one thing and music, it’s just I find ways to express myself, I found ways to materialise how I feel, from abstract shapes to concrete words. And that’s quite important for me because as soon as I can name how I feel, I feel like the healing or communication begins.

What’s the significance of being an independent singer-songwriter in the music industry today?
I can’t imagine being dependent. So the answer can be very simple: I can’t imagine otherwise. And I can’t imagine being forced or required to do something that I don’t like. Maybe I’m just very blessed as someone who isn’t signed to a major label. 

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians in Hong Kong who are trying to break into the industry?
Just to be yourself and not [rely] on external validation for your art. Go for everything that you want. I always love to see people making their art. It’s just beautiful, to see them create.

How have you engaged with your fan base through a strong connection?
I’m a Cantonese-speaking artist who has grown in popularity across Cantonese-speaking and Mandarin-speaking communities around the world. I communicate my thoughts in my songs as if I were just a writer. I wouldn’t say I have the responsibility to just teach you anything. I just have the responsibility to be beautiful. Be happy (with) myself. And that’s my end goal—having fun while looking fabulous. Not having to worry about what other people feel means I don’t have to dumb myself down. I don’t have to dress in a simple way because others don’t want to see frills, I wear ruffles because I want ruffles.

I strive to embody the strong female character, recognising that true strength includes the courage to be vulnerable. I consciously seek to express my thoughts rather than be a celebrity whose appeal is primarily visual. When I was younger, I often wished for a role model who could articulate the philosophies I was still developing at the age of 14. If I had someone like that in my life back then, I might have felt less self-conscious about my body and my intellect, allowing me to embrace my true self more fully. I believe that simply living authentically is a gift to the world, rather than a heavy responsibility.

You’ve also just added “shop owner” to your resume, please tell us more about this exciting project.
I have a new shop called Syu (meaning tree shop in Cantonese). I just want to build a temple-like structure with a garden for me and my friends to hang out with and for fans to visit. [They can] buy my merch, they don’t even have to buy it, a lot of things are free actually. [It’s] for kids to just play with claw machines. I just want to have fun. 

[The name came from] a lot of songs that I’ve been creating based on the tree theme. I’ve been soul-searching these past few years. [Like trees], you have to draw nutrients before you can offer.

You’re involved in a lot of charitable initiatives. Can you tell us more about the causes you care about and why they’re important to you?
I always fantasise about myself being a rich woman with so much time. Then what do you do? Basically, it’s philanthropy. As a graduate student in cultural studies, I’m very conscious about what philanthropy is like. I have to be very careful. It’s not just about giving money, it might be just extending poverty or extending the problem without helping the causes.

For now, I have set up two scholarships. And I gave another scholarship to the Arts Foundation this year to sponsor an arts camp [with] 50 artists. I first joined this camp five years ago, and I was one of the lucky ones to pay just a tiny sum of money and I spent a whole week having fun and making art. So I wanted to give back. 

Besides giving money, I also lend support to causes by actively going to talks, giving seminars in schools or attending school concerts.

And lastly, Serrini, what are some goals that you’d like to accomplish next?
I’ve been focusing on my creative pursuits, including writing lyrical pieces for other artists while actively working on my next album. I enjoy the process of creating and managing my shop as well. Recently, I’ve been sourcing affordable art pieces from around the world, including charming ceramic items, which I’m excited to share with my fans.

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