Hongza found his voice through shoegaze: “My writing is generally autobiographical”
London-born Vietnamese-Chinese singer-songwriter Hongza has quietly become one of the UK's most exciting voices in the new wave of emo-infused shoegaze. As he prepares to release Coming Of Age (Deluxe), an expanded edition of his latest EP, Hongza reflects on the stories behind his music, his creative process and the influences shaping his sound.
Photos by: ©chinstagrm
There is a certain feeling that shoegaze music captures better than any other genre. It's the sensation of staring out of a train window at night, watching city lights dissolve into streaks of colour. It's nostalgia for something you can't quite place, sadness without a clear cause, comfort hidden inside chaos.
For London-born Vietnamese-Chinese artist Hongza, that feeling sits at the heart of everything he creates, and he offers perhaps the simplest explanation. "It's a pillow of dreamy or dark distorted guitars that is paired with airy vocals," he says. "Combining those elements takes you into a state of hollowness and fuels that melancholic feeling in your bones." It's a description that could easily double as a review of his own music. Over the last few years, the British singer-songwriter has quietly become one of the most exciting names in the genre, crafting songs that feel both intimate and cinematic. Built on layers of reverb-soaked guitars and hazy melodies, his music captures the complicated emotions that come with growing up, falling apart, and finding yourself somewhere in between.
Over the past few years, Hongza has emerged as one of the most exciting names in the UK's new wave of emo-infused shoegaze. Drawing from deeply personal experiences, his music captures the confusion, nostalgia and vulnerability that come with growing up in a hyperconnected world. At the heart of Hongza's songwriting is honesty. His lyrics often draw directly from his own life, turning personal experiences into songs that listeners can project their own stories onto. "My writing is generally autobiographical," he explains. "It's always been a way for me to talk about whatever is going on in my life. The best / worst kind of therapy really." The process begins with feeling rather than words. Before lyrics emerge, Hongza builds worlds through sound, using instruments to translate emotions that are difficult to articulate. "Usually I tend to start with guitars, drums and bass to make something musically that captures my current emotional state. Once there's something there I'll start mumbling melodies."
That instinctive approach has become a defining part of his sound, and it's something fans will hear again on Coming Of Age (Deluxe) — which will be released by Killabop on July 29 — an expanded version of his recent EP. Rather than simply revisiting familiar tracks, Hongza wanted to reimagine them through the lens of the music that first inspired him. "There's going to be some new versions of some fan favourites off the EP," he says. "I co-produced the tracks with my guitarist George and it was exciting to give these songs new life."
Central to the release is Lovesick (Alternative Version), a dreamy reworking of one of the project's standout tracks. The original song, written about the ache of loving someone who lives hundreds of miles away, captured the emotional extremes of distance: the frustration of separation and the euphoric rush of finally being reunited. Those feelings remain intact, but the new version shifts the song into a more overtly shoegaze-inspired space. The project pays tribute to the shoegaze bands he discovered during his Tumblr years, a period that heavily shaped his — and so many others — musical identity. The track begins with a “lofi bedroom pop feel to start off with and then creep into a full band wall of sound experience”. It feels less like a remake and more like a parallel universe version of the song.
In many ways, Coming Of Age (Deluxe) feels appropriately titled. It isn't simply an extension of a previous release; it's evidence of an artist continuing to evolve in real time.
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Hongza’s ability to connect with listeners is helping propel him onto increasingly larger stages. This year, he made his debut at the legendary Download Festival, a milestone that feels especially surreal considering he once attended in a very different capacity. "Super stoked about it!" he says. "I drove my pal Dear Tash (read about Dear Tash on page…) to play the same slot in 2022 and had the most incredible time. It's an absolute trip to be able to actually head back and play it."
Like many modern artists, Hongza balances music-making with the demands of social media, embracing outfit videos and vlogs alongside his releases while acknowledging the realities of the current industry. "In an ideal world I'd solely focus on making music," he admits, "but we live in a world where artists do need to make content, so I'm embracing it." Still, music remains the centre of everything. In many ways, it always has been. His father played guitar, his grandmother is a talented harmonica player, and his grandfather made pianos in Vietnam during the 1950s. "So I guess it's sort of always been part of my family," he says.
Talking about his family, if Hongza's Vietnamese and Chinese heritage doesn't directly influence the sonic elements of his work, it plays a significant role in the world surrounding it. Through Chinese captions, retro colour grading and carefully curated imagery, he creates a world that feels lifted from another era. "I love bringing my heritage into my visual aesthetic by using Chinese captions and making it feel like you're watching something filmed in Hong Kong in the '90s." The influence of cinema is impossible to miss. Hongza cites filmmaker Wong Kar Wai as a major inspiration, particularly the dreamlike atmosphere of Fallen Angels. It's an easy comparison to make. Much like Wong Kar Wai's films, Hongza's music lingers in moments of longing and reflection and a dreamlike sense of motion running through both his visuals and his songs.
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Perhaps that's why Hongza's songs feel so natural. They aren't chasing trends or trying to recreate a specific era. Instead, they capture something timeless: the strange, beautiful experience of growing up and looking back at the person you used to be. Through walls of distortion, shimmering guitars and deeply personal storytelling, Hongza is proving that sometimes the most powerful emotions are the ones that remain slightly out of focus.
This year, Hongza is stepping into an exciting new phase of his career. The project not only revisits the sounds and influences that shaped him, but also showcases his growth as a songwriter, producer and artist. As his audience continues to grow, so does his confidence in carving out a place for himself within the UK's thriving shoegaze scene.