Uncovering the Mystery Behind @gaugaugaupost, Hong Kong’s Weirdest Instagram Page

Have you ever had someone rush up to you in a sleek, black leather jacket armed with a microphone in right hand and recording you with an iPhone in left, whilst they ask you what you are listening to on your phone?

No? We thought so. However, this may change soon.

Hong Kong’s latest Instagram trend has been kickstarted hard with the crash landing of @gaugaugaupost - 搞搞搞 (gaau2) - a wacky page that has garnered upwards of 15,000 followers in just over a month in a series of videos probing people on the street.

To uncover the why, who, what, which, and where of @gaugaugaupost, The Beat Asia spoke to the founder of the page to see why people’s music is so interesting.

The @gaugaugaupost Instagram page is simple: a collection of roughly one-minute-long Instagram reels, with a new video released daily.

Each video under the page begins with the anonymous man, who runs the account, racing to an unexpected stranger-cum-interviewee with a robot voice overlayed on the video, sounding the phrase, 你聽緊乜歌呀？(nei5 teng1 gan2 mat1 go1 a3), translating to “What song are you listening to?”

Each video features four city walkers on their commute, shopping trip, or stroll in the city, quizzed on what song they are jamming to – be that Cantonese rock ballads, Taiwanese love songs, American rap, Brazilian Zumba beats, British pop, Japanese tunes, DJ tracks, Hindi ballads, and “heavy stuffs.”

With the first video releasing on Jan. 7, the account posts a video every day, reaching thousands of views of eager Instagrammers seeking music recommendations and the reactions of surprised Hong Kongers.

When asked by The Beat Asia on why he created the account, the founder said “it’s about action. Do something. Create. Let’s do it. Why not?”

“I think people are interesting with their music [and are] surprisingly open to [being asked about what they’re listening to.”

The anonymous man said that reactions both in person on the street and online on Instagram have been overwhelmingly positive. The four subjects often appear shocked when interrupted on the street but typically happy to share what they are grooving to.

“People like it on [Instagram]. The views and likes and follows surprised me, and I like it when the musicians [and] the artists [that people are listening to] see the post and react to it. This adds layers to it [and is] beautiful.”

“I like it when people find music that they like from the posts and search and listen to the songs.”

“I think that’s what the people like to see. We are free to enjoy our music from different time, culture, language, and genre.”

However, the founder does not have a favourite genre, artist or music when asked by The Beat Asia, but rather appreciates all genres and sounds - “different music hits different.”

As reported on a Q&A session in early February, the founder of the account will mainly roam around popular shopping areas in Hong Kong with great foot traffic – Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Mei Foo, and Kowloon Tong.

In keeping with the current schedule of @gaugauguapost, expect constant and consistent content. “I want to create more [variety] and more [different] videos.”

“In the future, this page is going to save mankind from wack contents, changing the algorithm, create a better metaverse for everyone.”

In the interview with The Beat Asia, the anonymous founder wanted to “thank people for sharing their music [and] for supporting.”

“Let’s make the city life more interesting and the world a better place,” he said in his final comments.

As addicted fans of his account, we are eager to see the future of @gaugaugaupost.