Shentonista Interviews – Kelvin & Aiwei: A Tale Of Insta-Romance

Cupid’s here a-visiting again and we at Shentonista would like to celebrate this season of romance with you by sharing some modern day love stories as part of our “Shentonista Interviews” series. Creative, entrepreneurial and all-around inspiring, these featured couples for our Valentine’s Day special show what makes them tick.

It may sound cliché but our first couple met online, and on the omnipresent Instagram, no less. Meet Aiwei Foo, multimedia artist, designer and Instagram darling who goes by the moniker @awfoo, and her musician partner, Kelvin Ang of the band Giants Must Fall (@kaelawoods). The quirky pair began as virtual pen pals located continents apart, who exchanged candid comments on love, life and inspirations on social media platforms before they even spoke on the phone or met each other. Fast forward a couple of years and they’re now an inseparable pair that gives each other haircuts. Read on for their unique story.

We heard that you met on Instagram.

Kelvin (K): Yes we did meet via Instagram. The bassist of my band was following her and when I saw her pictures I thought they were very nice and started following and liking her posts too. In January 2012, when the band went to France to play in a music festival, I started to become more active on Instagram with my posts and hashtags and she commented on one of my posts. I was very shocked when it happened, I almost couldn’t believe it, I was like “huh!?”

What was the first comment?

Kelvin (K): I was buying a pair of shoes and I hashtagged #shoeofdestiny because they were the final pair left.

Aiwei (A): I think it was the last pair, on discount and it was in your size.

K: Oh yes, correct. So I said, “shoe of destiny”.

A: No, you did not say “shoe of destiny”, you said, “it’s destiny”. And then I commented, “shoe of destiny”.

K: From then she started commenting on more of my posts and we started to get to know each other through that. Gradually it became talking on Facebook and she’ll sometimes send me stuff from Helsinki.

A: I was studying in Helsinki for two years. We only chatted on Instagram. We never talked on Skype or on the phone. We had never met physically and I had never heard his voice nor seen his face before we met at the airport.

K: She only came back to Singapore last October and the first time we met was when I went to the airport to pick her up.

What was your first impression of him when you first saw him at the airport?

A: It’s exactly the same as in the pictures. He just looks exactly the same.

K: I don’t really post photos of myself on Instagram but Aiwei has a lot of herself so for me, it was a lot more interesting. But she looks exactly the same, maybe just much smaller than I expected.

Was it awkward at the airport?

K: Yeah, it was quite awkward and I was very nervous. It was a very hot afternoon so I was dressed extremely casual, bordering on slack. When I was waiting at the gate for her to come out, I felt a bit naked and thought to myself, “first time meeting but I’m dressed in T-shirt, shorts and slippers, it’s a bit chor lor (meaning unkempt in the Hokkien dialect)”. When she came out, she had so much luggage and I was too preoccupied with helping her load them in the car that I forgot about my attire. Thinking back, it was quite funny.

How did you define your relationship then?

A: It was not really like a relationship.

K: No it was not defined. We only worked it out after she came back and it hit me that she’s real, that I’ve actually met the right person.

Do you all influence each other in terms of creative inspirations? Does Aiwei influence your music and likewise, does Kelvin influence your art?

A: I’m not so sure. I can’t really pinpoint it but maybe subconsciously he does.

K: Yeah, when we first started on the digital realm, I would let her hear my songs and she would share her opinions. I guess that helped? They were very private songs that I’ve actually never let anyone hear before. She’s also very supportive of the songs that I do with my band. She really likes them and puts them on loop. It helps to know that she’s always there supporting me.

Kelvin, with Aiwei being an Instagram celebrity, how do you feel when you’re with her? Do you feel any pressure? Is there a decorum that you have to follow?

K: Not really. But sometimes when we go out, people do recognise her and they’ll be like, “It’s Awfoo, it’s Awfoo,” which is her Instagram handle. I am usually the one noticing it and I’ll tell her but she’s usually in disbelief and is quite oblivious to the attention.

A: I feel that all these so-called “Instagram celebrities” are just illusions. It’s not real. It’s just something that’s digital and being contained in this phone that is so tiny. It really has nothing to do with your real life.

K: But her posts are very real. After I got to know her, it’s really just how she is. Some people post for the sake of posting but for Aiwei, it’s just her posting her thoughts and being very real with herself. I think this is why people like her.

So Kelvin, are you also on that path to stardom? Do you watch what you Instagram?

K: Not really, I guess it’s still quite consistent. But when she posts and tags me or my friends, we definitely do get a lot more followers.

So this will be the first Valentine’s Day you both will be spending together. What’s the first thing that you gave each other?

K: Yes, it will be. She gave me a box with letters and an assortment of things… postcards… (to Aiwei) Do you remember?

A: That box is actually an accumulation of things that I collected for him when I was in Helsinki. Sometimes when I go out and see certain things, I’ll think, “hmm, maybe I want to send it to him”. It could be like a tea-bag, a notebook or maybe even a pencil.

And Kelvin to you?

A: (Giggles) He has never sent me anything.

K: (Laughs) Yeah, never. She gave me the box the first time we met at the airport when I went to pick her up.

Is there an item of Kelvin that’s Aiwei’s favourite?

A: Actually, I don’t think I have such a preference.

And Kelvin’s favourite?

K: Actually nothing also. Haha I think maybe it’s her hair.

A: My hair?!

K: Because we cut each others’ hair sometimes. Oh and my Korean housemate perms my hair.

A: We try to be self-sustainable.

K: Correct. Very sustainable.