The album covers in Xiyu Deng’s moving project Cantopop is a visual diary of Hong Kong in transition

In 2019, Hong Kong witnessed extraordinary protests and social unrest as millions of citizens fiercely opposed a proposed extradition bill that threatened to allow the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China. In a bid to regain control, the government implemented the national security law, which criminalised acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces. The aggressive enforcement resulted in widespread arrests and the dismantling of numerous pro-democracy organisations. This political climate had such a profound impact that it triggered a mass exodus, particularly among young Hong Kong residents who began seeking opportunities in countries offering greater political freedoms. “During this depressing time,” explains Los Angeles-based visual designer Xiyu Deng, “musicians there began writing more songs to comfort the citizens and document the city’s challenges. More songs have been written in Cantonese, a major dialect spoken in Hong Kong, as this language became a medium to connect citizens and protect their culture.” In 2019, she began listening to Cantonese pop, also known as Cantopop, and found solace and connection in the music that emerged during this turbulent period. As a designer, she felt compelled to respond to this musical movement through visual art, creating album covers that captured the spirit and sentiment of these powerful songs. So far, she has made 50 covers for songs produced after 2019. Experimental in her approach, Deng explains that every cover features a design determined by the mood of the music. “Some were typographic, while others were more focused on image-making.” One of her favourites, she tells us, is the design for ‘No Tomorrow’ by boy band C AllStar, which evokes the “fear of having no hope” as an alarmist red fills the majority of the space. “When making this cover, I wanted to visualise the feeling of fear in my heart. To me, fear is fluid. When it’s strong, it can engulf my entire thinking. So, I visualised it using gradients to depict the moment the fear flooded over. The black line I added last is a portrait of myself going through such a vulnerable period and trying to ride the waves. This cover is special to me because every time I see it, I feel connected to that vulnerable moment.”