Dreams and Reflections with Anson Lo

After selling out his first run of solo concerts in July, Mirror member and Prestige 40 Under 40 honouree Anson Lo talks about his love for his family, his passion for performing and how the past five years have transformed his life beyond his imagination.

Creative Direction and Photography Karl Lam
Styling Bhisan Rai
Hair Denny Ku     
Make-up Rainbow Cheung     
Styling Assistant Serene Cheung    
Production Assistant Gary Lee, John Yan   

Wherever Anson Lo – or even just an image of him – appears, you’ll find hordes of fans with phone cameras at the ready. The 28-year-old Hong Kong native has risen to stratospheric levels of stardom not just in this city but around Asia – and all within the span of five years. So when I sit down with Lo in a St Regis Hong Kong suite to learn about his journey, there’s a sense of pressure I’ve seldom felt.

But given his kind, polite and honest demeanour, far removed from the popular image of a superstar, my nerves dissipate fast. There’s an aura about Lo, one that immediately makes you feel connected with him. Some would call it charm, but from my experience speaking with him that evening it’s to do with deeper and more personal values.

Lo was raised in what he says is “a loving family that provided anything and everything he needed”, with a mother who, though an accountant by profession, was a caregiver by nature. Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Ariana Grande may all have been idols for the Mirror member, but his greatest source of inspiration remains his mum.

“Ever since I was a child, she’s been my role model,” Lo reflects. “She’s strong and independent, she’s well-mannered and she’s responsible. She strikes a great work-life balance, so I look up to that. Whenever I consider my relationships with my friends or co-workers or other members of Mirror, I always think about the values my mother instilled in me. Whenever I need constructive criticism for my work, I always turn to her.”

Their relationship continues to flourish today but, as in most families, there were challenges along the way. When Lo decided to drop out of university to become a dance instructor, his decision caused a rift between him and his favourite person in the world.

“Thinking back now, it really was a bold decision,” Lo admits. “I was in the first term of my third year in university when I decided to pursue dancing full time. I was struggling a lot internally, but when exam time came, I just decided not to go. The first thing I did after that was call my mum to tell her I’d decided to drop out. She went quiet for a whole minute.

“Our home stayed quiet for the next two to three months because my parents were quite disappointed about my decision. Years later, they told me they were really just worried for me, because being a dance instructor wasn’t really a job that demanded a lot of respect, especially in Hong Kong. They were also worried about me being able to earn a regular income.”

But all that changed after the airing of Good Night Show – King Maker. Following stints as a back-up dancer for Aaron Kwok, Kelly Chen and Coco Lee, Lo was scouted by industry veteran manager AhFa Wong, who convinced him to join the reality-TV show. It wasn’t an easy task though, as Lo says he didn’t really want to sacrifice teaching time to practice for a talent competition because it would have meant less income.

“When AhFa reached out to me, I hesitated for sure, because at the time, I never thought about entering the entertainment industry,” he says. “I never thought about being an artist and being in the spotlight. I was content with being a dance instructor. When I was invited to join the competition, it meant losing a lot of time teaching, which affected my income, so I was very hesitant. In the end I decided to give it a try, not because I wanted to enter the entertainment industry but honestly just to gain some exposure. I thought it might help my dance-instructing career.”

And help his career it did. Although he only made it as far as the top 30 contestants, Wong never lost faith in him, and when the boy group Mirror was proposed in late 2018, Lo was one of the first to be invited. This time, there was little hesitation.

“I jumped at the opportunity,” Lo tells me with a laugh. “It was after I’d lost the King Maker competition, which made me realise I really wanted to join the entertainment industry. So when the opportunity came, I was ecstatic. I knew there was no guarantee we’d succeed, but being a part of Mirror allowed me to pursue my dream, so I said yes straight away.”

Lo might have thought there was no guarantee of success, but that word doesn’t even begin to describe the cultural phenomenon Mirror has become in Hong Kong. Billboards, brand ambassadorships, record and film deals, sold-out concerts and music awards have come flooding in over the past three or so years. Lo built strong relationships with his fellow members, like Keung To, fellow 40 Under 40 honouree Edan Lui and, most importantly, Jeremy, with whom he says he says he shares the most chemistry. But the first two years? Those weren’t so easy, Lo admits.

“I never imagined it would become what it is now,” he says. “When Mirror and I first made our debut, the media, internet users, and even family and friends around me would make fun of me or praise me ironically. They thought it was a circus act, dancing around and singing. But I ignored all those comments and kept my head down. So back then, I never imagined I’d have the amount of fans and support that I do now.”

With a level of support most can’t even fathom, it was time for Lo to make his solo debut, and in 2020, he released his first single, “A Lifelong Mission”, while his first solo concerts were held earlier this year to sold-out stadiums. Within the same year of his solo debut, he won the Best Newcomer Bronze Award at the 2020 Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation, and the Best New Artist Gold Award at the 43rd RTHK Top 10 Gold Song Awards in January the following year. But perhaps his biggest accolade yet – and the one that’s moved him the most emotionally – was winning Best New Asian Artist Award (Mandarin) at the respected 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), which marked his first international break.

“It was so unexpected. Even though I entered the industry, I never thought my name would come up in relation to MAMA, so when I won the award, I had to question whether I was dreaming or not,” he says. “My family was so happy for me, and looking back at the past three years, I was very proud of the work and effort I put in. Every piece of art I release, I pour my heart and soul into it. There’s a lot of things behind the scenes that people don’t see, but I keep those memories in my heart, so when I win awards like these, it means even more to me. That night, my mother wept, which never happens.” What a far cry from the night when Lo told her he was dropping out to pursue dancing.

With singing and dancing mastered, it was time for him to dive into acting, which he says he’s now learned to love. “I actually didn’t enjoy it at all when I first started,” he admits. “I thought I had no talent and I’d never studied it properly. When I was in We Are the Littles, I finally had a proper character to play, but it turned out to be one of the darkest periods of my career so far.

“Every day, I felt insecure about my performance. I felt so unnatural and that I didn’t belong there. Other crew members would joke about how robotic I was and I’d receive a lot of criticism from the director and producers. But eventually I reached a stage where I started feeling more comfortable on set, and the first time I actually fell in love with acting was when I starred in Ossan’s Love. I made sure I did a lot of prep work to understand the script and the character. After that experience, I fell in love with acting.”

Singing, dancing and acting puts your face on almost every wall and surface in the city, and Lo’s rise to fame over the last five years has been extreme to say the least. For a natural performer like him, though, who’s known he wanted to become an entertainer since appearing in his first musical play in secondary school, adjusting to it didn’t prove too difficult. What’s been tough, however, has been keeping up with his fans’ expectations.

“I was very excited at the start. It’s hard not to be happy when you see your image on billboards. My dad saw an ad with me on it and texted me saying, ‘You made it!’ So I was very happy. But after a while, the pressure sets in. When more and more people pay attention to you and get to know you, expectations begin to build, and it becomes ever harder to impress them. You need to constantly surprise people with new work, and that’s difficult to maintain, no matter who you are.”