In 1998, the "Freshman Card Battle" music competition held by MTV Music Station was Jolin Tsai and the fourth place was Jiang Meiqi. They debuted in the same period, but experienced a very different life: one became the top singer in the Chinese music industry, and the other was lost to the crowd, even if there were such golden songs as "Remembering", "How I Envy You", and "I Remember You Again", they were still gradually forgotten. However, when she stood on the stage of Hunan Satellite TV's "Who is the Treasure Singer" and re-sang the classic "Dear Why Aren't You By My Side", everyone was recalled to their former memories.
In 1999, the album cover of "I Love Faye Wong"
Maggie Jiang, it is really a long-lost name.
As a "warm" love song singer, she does not look outstanding, she has a clear and good voice, simple almost no skilled singing voice, will always evoke the deep resonance of the listener's heart, the original song "Dear How Are You Not Around Me", I don't know how many tears of young men and women in long-distance love were harvested that year. However, the competition in the Taiwanese music scene at that time was particularly fierce, with both Sun Yanzi, Jolin Tsai, Xiao Yaxuan, Liang Jingru and other divas, as well as idols such as Zhang Shaohan, Rainie Yang, and Wang Xinling. How difficult is it for Jiang Meiqi, who is in the middle of it, to get ahead? After getting married and having children in 2014, Jiang Meiqi faded out of people's sight, so that Zhang Wei, who has known her for many years, also exclaimed: These years, why are you not around us?
Everyone remembers a Song of Jiang Meiqi, although many people can't remember her - the typical singer is not red. Because she lacks a unified and continuous route planning, this also has a lot to do with her unsatisfactory star path - many times the contract expired without renewal, master Yao Qian left the nest to cause the career to be suspended... "How will I choose between Ge Hong and Ren Hong?" I think it's a little bit harder because for people who like to sing, I think it's important to leave good works, but if the songs don't connect with people, I also feel a little pity. If it is best to achieve a balance, then if you can really only choose one, I think it is quite important for me that the work can be deeply rooted in people's hearts. ”
At noon on May 19, Jiang Meiqi said in an exclusive interview with a Red Star News reporter, "Sometimes standing on the stage feels lonely, not knowing whether your music has been appreciated or recognized by others." I think that's the voice of every singer. But having this stage and playing to the fullest, singing what you want to say to you to the fullest, I think it is also another kind of want to convey. ”
Dear Maggie Jiang, I hope you have always been by our side.
In 2001, the album cover of "Remembering"
Interpret old songs in different ways
Let the young people of today like it too
Red Star News: Why come to "Who's the Treasure Singer"?
Maggie Jiang: When I first received the invitation, I did have a little hesitation in my heart. Because I have children, I will worry that I will not be able to accompany him at home for a while. In fact, I haven't participated in a similar show for many years, and standing on the stage I don't know if I have the courage to do so, and then I am willing to create a new me. But in the end, I chose to get out of my comfort zone and accept a challenge and try that was very different for me.
Jiang Meiqi's family of three
Red Star News: You can't use your own name in the show, but what do you think when you use an "exclamation point"?
Maggie Jiang: At that time, I also had some questions about this part, but the first time I stood on the stage, I knew that I hoped that everyone could see a new exclamation point singer standing on the stage in a more objective way, communicating with everyone with her music and voice, which was also a great start for me. I don't have jiang maggie baggage, I am willing to try any musical possibility on this stage, so this is a gorgeous adventure for me, so far, I feel very fresh, every day is full of challenges, but also very fulfilling.
Red Star News: Why did you choose the song "Dear Why Aren't You by My Side" that everyone is most familiar with?
Jiang Meiqi: I think it has great significance, because this song is a song that many people know me, so I hope to evoke some memories of me, or for example, people after 00 may not know who Jiang Meiqi is, have not heard this song, I hope to stand on this stage and interpret it in different ways, so that today's young people will like this song when they hear it. The recording time of the show is also quite long, so in the later stage, I also hope to find some past works, which may not be the main songs, but there are some good unpopular songs in the album, and I also hope that I can reinterpret them on this stage and let everyone hear these good songs.
Red Star News: If you use your own songs to express your mood to participate in this show, which song do you think is more suitable?
Jiang Meiqi: "Remember", because it reminds me of how I felt when I stood on the stage for the first time, and after I stood on this stage, the fans also remembered a lot of my songs, or the bits and pieces of their young years, during this time I saw the fans' sharing and exchange on Weibo, I had a deep feeling, I was also touched by my fans, this is my biggest gain on this stage this time, and then I also recalled a lot of beautiful times in the past with the fans.
Red Star News: Speaking of fans, two days ago, they helped you, and you also advised fans not to spend money indiscriminately. Recently I heard that your fans have put a big screen for you in Shanghai to support your performance on the show.
Jiang Meiqi: This time, my fans in Shanghai and other cities helped me buy advertisements, in fact, at that time, in the private message on Weibo, I told the fans that I hoped they would not spend too much money on it. Because I know they're very supportive of me, but I'm going to be reluctant for them to spend the money. What the fans said I think is really quite touching, they said that before they were little fans, or students, they didn't have the ability to do these things for me, but now that they have grown up, they have the financial ability to do more things for me, and they feel that these things are something they can do and are willing to do.
Now the way you listen to music is different
But I believe good songs still exist
Red Star News: In the past two years, there have been few appearances, what are you busy with?
Jiang Meiqi: After getting married, I spent more than two years at home, accompanying my children like this, so I didn't release a film for two years, until I released a new album "Dear World" in 2018, and then it seems that I haven't met with fans and friends for a long time, but the music works have actually been every other year and two years, and there will still be works like this.
Red Star News: What do you think about the two things of "song red" and "human red"?
Maggie Jiang: I don't think the two will go hand in hand, and if when your work appears and people don't connect with people, I think it's a bit of a pity. If you can strike a balance in the middle, I think it's the best. Although my musical path has been up and down for many years, I would like to say that sticking to what I love the most is actually a very happy thing, even if the process is difficult. As long as you cross that step, these processes will become the best nutrients, so don't give up what you like, because being able to do what you love is really the happiest. If I really can only choose one, I think that the work of music can be deeply rooted in people's hearts, which is also very important to me.
Red Star News: When you debuted, it was the golden age of the Chinese music scene, how do you feel when you look back at that era now? How do you feel about the current state of the music scene?
Jiang Meiqi: The current musical environment is really different from before, but I often think that people can't always recall the past, I think the process of making music in each era is different, and we must also follow the current era and constantly adjust the way we make music. I feel like I've been able to stay in this music scene, or have some updated ideas in music, just follow the times. Although sometimes I think about the past, it is more important to grasp the future.
Red Star News: Is it hard to find good songs now?
Jiang Meiqi: I think there are still good songs, but now everyone listens to music in a different way, and then it seems that there is no way to calm down and listen and appreciate, and indeed the memory of the song does not seem to be so deep. But I believe good songs still exist.
Red Star News: As a generation of youthful musical memories, what do you most want to bring to the audience when you come to "Who is the Treasure Singer"?
Jiang Meiqi: This time to participate in the show, I saw a lot of Weibo messages, fans will say "I am a tear of the times." In fact, standing on this stage, in addition to bringing everyone a lot of good memories, I also hope to tell everyone through this stage that I like music, this matter has not changed, I am still the one who loved to sing at that time. Sometimes standing on the stage feels lonely, I don't know if my music has been appreciated by others or recognized by others, I think this is the voice of every singer, but with this stage, I can play to the fullest, and Sing what I want to say to you, I think it is also another kind of want to convey.
Red Star News reporter Ren Hongwei according to the interviewee
Edited by Li Jie
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