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The pandemic pulled a lot of families and couples apart, but fortunately for Mikey Martin and Amel Fouad, it brought them together. The singer-songwriter duo, who met in the UK but found home in Hong Kong, are set to take the city by storm with their band A Little of Us – one guitar chord, one harmonised croon and one unforgettable gig at a time.
Both were budding musicians, in two corners of the world, before music school brought them together and, eventually, led to the formation of A Little of Us. We discovered the magnetic duo at a small live-music gig and we were so awed with their dulcet tones we invited them back to perform during Prestige’s Women of Power event in December. The world is deserving to hear Mikey Martin and Amel Fouad’s delicious vocals – and as they now call Hong Kong home, A Little of Us deserves the biggest spotlight this city can offer them.
Mikey Martin and Amel Fouad tell us about their band A Little of Us in the interview below.
Tell us about yourselves.
Mikey Martin: I’m from the north of England, and I’ve always had the urge to perform but wasn’t serious about it until I picked up the guitar at 15. I started posting clips of myself singing on YouTube, which led to management and recording deals around the world. I placed 7th on the X-Factor in the UK in 2014 and performed at Wembley Stadium in front of 75,000 people. But now I’m in Hong Kong, I want to take my career to the next level and I’m so excited to get my start here.
Amel Fouad: I’m originally from Paris, but I moved to Hong Kong when I was 13. I was singing and performing even before I could speak, and when I learned to play the guitar and the piano, I also started writing original songs. I’d perform at luxury events and weddings in Hong Kong, France and the UK. I’m 22 now, but when I was 18, I decided to enrol in music school to further my knowledge in songwriting.
How did you meet and what brought you to Hong Kong?
MM: We met while studying songwriting at BIMM London. We were friends first and actually sang together as friends a few times before our relationship blossomed and A Little of Us was born. What brought us to Hong Kong was the fact that Amel grew up here and wanted to share her home with me. I was flying over to visit Amel and her family, but with the amount of work and music opportunities here for A Little of Us, it became obvious Hong Kong was home for us in 2023.
When did A Little of Us begin and what’s the meaning behind the name?
AF: One week into our relationship, Covid struck and the national lockdown in the UK swiftly began. We were left with two options: either to move away from one another, or to move in together in order to make our relationship work. We chose to move in together and to pass the time, we started to record little video clips of us singing together. Our videos started picking up views and with our growing following we knew it was the right time to turn it into a business project. The name A Little of Us came after weeks of trying to find a duo name – we needed something that says, “Here’s a little of us …” and the rest is history.
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Who are your music inspirations and how have they shaped your music today?
MM: We both take huge inspirations from artists of the past. We’re heavily influenced by The Beatles, Queen, Michael Jackson – we love the longevity these artists have and how their music will last forever. They’ve helped shape our sound and our set list, but we always take a song and make it our own with our unique and creative harmonies and style.
What genre of music do you like to listen to and perform?
MM: Typically, we listen to everything, past and present. It’s pretty clichéd, but it’s the only way we can stay relevant with our music and move forward – we listen, learn and create.
You play a lot of covers and put your own twist to classics. Do you also write original songs?
AF: Yes, every single cover we choose to sing, we strip the song bare and add our own flavour to it, so it becomes our own. We take so much pride in our harmonies and our style. As far as original material goes, we have a catalogue of original songs we plan to share with the world when the time is right.
What plans do you have for 2023?
AF: 2023 is a year of growth and gigs. We feel so blessed to be here in Hong Kong and our mission is to be heard. We aim to play the most amazing gigs for the people here to enjoy.
MM: We want audiences to say, “This is new.” We believe what we do is different. We’re not copying anyone, it’s purely our harmonies, our creativeness, purely A Little of Us. We hope the audience leaves every gig wanting more but also feeling fulfilled for the evening.
Is there a favourite song you guys love to sing?
MM: This is a great question, but the answer is forever changing. Right now, this very second, we love to perform our version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.
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