S2O, commonly known as the world’s wettest party, hit Los Angeles for the first time to cool off a hot summer with a star-studded lineup that included Steve Aoki, Afro Jack, Elephante, and many more. This was also the first time two well known independent Hong Kong artists, Eric Kwok and Dan James, came together in their debut as Ho Ho One. “Ho Ho One in Cantonese means Lucky. Very Very Lucky,” said James. The two lived up to their name as they threw red good luck bags to the crowd during their performance with some lucky audience members even receiving a hundred dollar bill! “In Chinese culture, luck is a big deal,” Kwok shared.
Performing in Los Angeles for the first time was an impactful experience for the duo, Kwok described it as “It feels like if I’m dying on my death bed, the memory would flash before me. It’s up there on top of my list.” James and Kwok were extremely grateful for the energy the LA crowd brought, “that’s one of the main reasons why we do this, you know? Like, you want to feel that crowd’s reaction…that gives us that extra push,” said James.
Both artists, historically known for their softer, slower, and calmer vocals with performances on Hong Kong’s TVB Stars Academy, truly flipped the switch when they came to LA with their up-beat, high energy, Cantonese inspired 80/90’s mixes. Kwok described their sound as spicy, “like Hong Kong’s spicy fish balls. One of the most famous street food delicacies in Hong Kong.” The two started collaborating together when Dan moved to Hong Kong and reached out to Eric for assistance on writing a Cantonese song. “Eric is one of my idols and mentors and I approached him to ask if he could write a Cantonese song for me. The magic happened, sparks flew, emotions were high,” said James.
Eric mentoring Dan on singing in Cantonese was what really sparked the start of Ho Ho One. When James selected his favorite song amongst Kwok’s discography, the two hit the studio and got straight to work. Eventually the duo started discussing what they wanted to bring to the rest of the world with the new group they founded, “We want to show to the Western world that…Cantonese is not that hard to learn.” The duo took heavy influence from EDM pioneers like Calvin Harris and David Guetta to MC’s hyping up the crowd within rap like Jay-Z and the effect of songwriting inspired by the Beatles. Ho Ho One’s sound is truly special as they incorporate Hong Kong elements from street food to Cantonese lyrics mixed in with EDM and all the above to give their audience that new spicy flavor.
