You could say that Danny Loong has made a living out of bucking the trend.

As a kid, he listened to African-American music when his friends were into bubblegum pop. He says in a rough, dry voice that hints at countless cigarettes and late nights spent in smoky clubs: 'The kind of music I liked - blues, soul, funk and black gospel - it was different.

'For a while, I went through a phase where I was seen as weird and eccentric.'

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