The interview with Chen Linong was on a sunny and sunny afternoon. At this time, he had just released his second solo album "Heliocentrism The Heliocentrism", which was during the promotional period, which gave me the opportunity to chat with him face to face with him in a comfortable and natural state (the interview was mainly a text interview, and going to the camera face-to-face interview was a more ideal way for me personally). Although I have always paid attention to his musical trends, been to the scene, written a lot of music reviews, and heard a lot of positive comments about him in others, the opportunity to get closer to him is more precious.
In the process of interviewing Chen Linong, I had drawn up a complete outline in my previous preparations, and in the interview, I also talked along this order from the first "Out of Place" to the second specialty "Heliocentrism", and from the first "Flip" of the song, each song was talked about one by one, almost touching on the story related to each song. Entertainment interviews are more about presenting a person's fun and uniqueness through interaction, while music interviews are about returning to the music itself to excavate music and people. So under this logic, from the surface to the point, the macro to the planning and singer consciousness level, and the subtlety to the cooperation, details and processing of each song, are rolled out in turn. During the visit, the farmers answered many questions in my heart one by one and contributed a lot of golden sentences.
Of course, in addition to the content of the interview, what impressed me the most was his humility, self-knowledge and sobriety.
Whenever a musician is mentioned, he will attach the suffix "teacher", which is very polite. His sincerity can be sensed between his words, and Chen Linong especially cherishes this musical cooperation with each musician and teacher. When it comes to music content, his box of words also slowly opens, happily sharing these experiences of making music - about demo and small details of recording songs, special training and singing for a song, short tidbits of shooting MVs, and even some of his views that he usually talks about not too much, etc., which are precious to a singer in his formative years. Chen Linong on the stage shines in the eyes of fans, but what about Chen Linong, who has faded the aura of the stage and returned to the accumulation and expression of music? Maybe this interview will give you some answers.
More importantly, he has always maintained his sober and self-aware mentality in the impetuous entertainment industry, eliminating negative emotions with optimism and turning positive energy into resonance with fans. There were many breakthroughs in the second specialty, and there were even many things that had not been tried before, and Chen Linong already knew what he wanted to present. "Extreme" is one of the core keywords in the interview, and music is something he values very much at this stage.
Written by: Pippi
In the wrong box
On May 29, 2020, Chen Linong released his debut album "Out of Place", handing over his first work in the music scene with an album work that he summarized as a "self-exhibition".
As a newcomer, especially a newcomer to the debut of an idol, the first work is often of a predetermined meaning - it needs to consider how to strike a balance between fans and the market, between popularity and self, it needs to find the definition of the work itself, and of course, it needs to let the album be heard and paid attention to. Fortunately, Chen Linong's first answer sheet caused a lot of repercussions inside and outside the industry, and he also achieved many good results after that. For Chen Linong's next musical journey, this is undoubtedly a good signal.
A year and a half later, Chen Linong released his second album "Heliocentrism", which has been waiting for fans for a long time, on December 31, 2021. In the meantime, he spent a lot of time and energy to improve his singing ability, explore his limits, and in the final work, the fans obviously heard his all-round growth and told everyone that he had more possibilities. From the first specialty to the second specialty, Chen Linong's singer portrait has gradually become clear.
Pippi: What do you think has changed the most in a year and a half from the first to the second day?
Chen Linong: In the middle of the first specialty to the second specialty, what I have always pursued is singing, which is my singing ability, because the improvement of singing ability allows me to control a variety of different musical styles. In the second specialty, it is also 12 songs, and the style of music has become wider than that of the first specialty, which is a breakthrough for me.
Pippi: Did you do any specific preparations in the middle?
Chen Linong: I can practice my voice repeatedly. When it comes to recording, I will discuss with the teacher the direction of the style, and what kind of style I want to express, and sometimes I will add a little teacher element. The teachers I work with each time are more famous and senior, so I am given a lot of help. Learn in the process and then finish the album.
Pippi: I interviewed Velian before, and he also mentioned that you went to him specifically to practice his voice. I'm curious if each song will specifically find these teachers involved in the creation to do individual special training?
Chen Linong: (pondered for a while) Mostly, yes.
Pippi: In the more than a year since the launch of the first specialty, farmers and farmers should have received a lot of evaluations from inside and outside the industry, some good and some not so good, do you think these evaluations have an impact on the second proprietary? Or is there any enlightenment for you?
Chen Linong: As a newcomer, in the face of the opinions of fans and friends or professional music critics, I will absorb the good and the bad, and I will feel what the public aesthetic is. But one of the more important points at the moment is that you are just starting out, so what I care more about is whether I have learned things from my works and whether I have made progress, and this proportion will be greater than some of the opinions they have given me. I will pay attention to whether my requirements have been met and whether I am satisfied.
Pippi: What is the place that can reflect "progress" in the second specialty?
Chen Linong: It can't be completely said that there will be such progress in the second specialty, because even before the first specialty, I was more acute about singing, and I may have mentioned it in previous interviews. As time went on, I later realized something and found that it was useless to put it on a lot of things. You have a lot of idols, you have a lot of goals, you have to know that many things can not be achieved in a short period of time, after all, it took people more than ten or twenty years, or even thirty years to have such a position or the current level, and they can't reach it quickly. To paraphrase a word "Take Your Time", it would be better to slow down your rhythm, let yourself have more time, and maintain a good and healthy attitude to progress. In the whole process, at present, it is slowly and steadily, step by step, and slowly go up. For the progress of singing, it is a major core.
Pippi: So you tend to go through a gradual process, accustomed to finding a rhythm of your own between yourself and the market, including with the audience.
Chen Linong: Yes, this is the long-term solution. I used to be in a hurry, so anxious that I might feel uncomfortable.
Pippi: If you were to describe "Out of Place" and "Heliocentric Theory" in one sentence, how would you define them?
Chen Linong: "Out of Place" is an exhibition of the self, a business card for self-introduction; the concept of "Heliocentrism" is "the earth revolves around the sun", in the process of rotation, the sun has warmth and love, day after day, we are also living every day, facing various things, "Heliocentrism" is about the process of finding love and self-growth.
Heliocentrism says The Heliocentrism
The second special is named after "Heliocentrism", which is a concept of returning to the original self, but the style of the music is diverse and rich, and through the connection of the works, Chen Linong has a lot of inner expressions, and each song has a point, carrying some of Chen Linong's stories.
The song sequence is very interesting, and the number of song names on this album is increasing sequentially, 12 songs can meet the listening preferences of different listeners, and also shape a new look of the whole album with a pyramid structure.
Pippi: Why did you come up with the idea of using "Heliocentric Talk" as the title of the album?
Chen Linong: Just mentioned "Heliocentric Theory", it is very similar to people's daily living conditions. This album has 12 songs, representing my different stories, as well as some of the emotions or things that come down every day, "Heliocentrism" contains the whole big picture, and its whole concept is our lives. Like "Turning the Page" and "The Road to Happiness", we must go through the road, and we use "Heliocentrism" to package it.
Pippi: Let me mention one more thing I'm curious about. Because there is a song also called "Heliocentrism", is it the first song title, or the first album title?
Chen Linong: (Silence for a while) The title of the first song.
Pippi: And then decided to make the title of the song the title of the album?
Chen Linong: Yes, that's right.
Pippi: Will there be entities in the second specialty, can I spoil it a little? Will there be any special design?
Chen Linong: I hope to make an album design that makes everyone feel different from the past. The design of the album can be worth collecting.
Pippi: I have received many demos created by teachers this time, do you usually listen to their own works?
Chen Linong: The teachers I look for to cooperate with are usually my favorite music teachers, and then I go to the teachers to invite cooperation.
Pippi: Which song was the first to determine the demo?
Chen Linong: The first thing to determine the demo was "Not Scattered". At that time, I wanted to make a song for the graduation of campus students and the beginning of the school season, and the song "Not Scattered" was very suitable for the campus, a feeling of parting.
Pippi: Why do you think this song will appeal to you?
Chen Linong: "Not Scattered" is a kind of separation and attachment, and it is like a vision of the future. It's like saying we're going to separate now, and we're looking forward to the future, and even more so for myself. Although separated, our hearts and thoughts did not disperse, it was a warm and a little painful feeling.
Pippi: So it was this song that was first recorded?
Chen Linong: The first record was actually "Turning the Page", which is also a song that I like very much.
Pippi: Did you decide to put this song in the first place in the prelude?
Chen Linong: Speaking of the prelude, it is a concept designed by the boss and the company. When you drew the pyramid with a white print, you will find that the characters are from short to long, step by step. Why is it designed that way? The concept of that design is like the feeling of me going from 1 to 100, slowly trying to grow up, progressing.
Pippi: Like the first one is all four words, this one is a pyramid, in fact, there are some designs in it.
Chen Linong: At that time, the reason for the four words, you have to say what kind of pursuit there must be, in fact, there is no. Why do you have to be four words, but it just so happens that many of the previous songs, including "There are dreams to be", "Young Innocence", his first single "I am yours", "Half of me" are all four words. The first album was all four words to deepen everyone's impression.
Pippi: Why did you make some trade-offs? For example, some songs are not finally included on the album. I'm still curious, like "BEST Makes The King", "Momoura Boy", and some theme songs and other songs?
Chen Linong: In fact, those singles were released before, and they were also arranged for each design project, and the songs now included in the album are also structured, which is reasonable to put in the new album of "Heliocentrism". Including the theme song of yogurt "The sourness of youth is also sweet", and Wang Yanlin sang the song "Marry Me Today". These capitals have been sent out in advance, and the boss and I don't want to fill the album with filling, hoping to give everyone some more hearty, fresh feeling, so that everyone can listen to music with a feeling of being worth the ticket price.
Pippi: Which song has been recorded the longest?
Chen Linong: "The Gas Furnace of the Old House".
Pippi: Is it because the song may have more emotional parts?
Chen Linong: The emotional part is one aspect. There are also many tones in Minnan language, which are specially requested by the producer Xiao Huangqi teacher, and they are also self-requirements, and Minnan songs need to spend a lot of time to sculpt. I'm ok with Hokkien, but it's still a lot worse if you can speak and sing. Therefore, the teacher was very careful in sculpting the words and the singing method was also very strict, so we spent three days recording.
Pippi: Do you think that language is an aspect that takes more time and energy in singing?
Chen Linong: Actually, not really. I feel like I have a little bit of talent for language, it's not about applying life, it's about how I learn. So I will have a lot of attempts in the future, and Cantonese songs are also a learning.
Pippi: Yes, because I heard you were learning the Cantonese song "Dependent on Each Other". Like the first album has English cooperation, this one has Hokkien works, so it's quite interesting.
Chen Linong: Yes, every new album hopes to give you a little surprise. A small surprise this time was "The Gas Stove of the Old House", which is a Hokkien song I dreamed of. Use Hokkien songs to express the thoughts of your mother and the warmth in the hearts of the wanderers in a foreign land.
Pippi: I've seen some comments saying I wish the song had a Chinese, but I like it myself to sing in Hokkien.
Chen Linong: If you Chinese, you may feel a little different. But everyone's preferences are different, and they will certainly have their own ideas.
Pippi: The two albums have one thing in common, both are 12 songs, and this one is also a completely different 12 songs. Did you want so many songs on one album in the first place, or did you decide in the end? Do you think this is the impact of the recording industry on you under traditional industry?
Chen Linong: In fact, the boss told me the idea, he said that our music should be a sense of Chinese music inheritance, the focus is on listening well, in fact, it has not been affected by the previous music industry. Think about what the original purpose of the music we made was? I think it is the album's many songs, so that the story background of different music, the interests of people who listen to music are completely different, so that fans and friends who like different music can find a song they like from the 12 songs on the album. If you don't like to hear this one, listen to the next one; if you don't like it, you can listen to the next one, and there are 12 chances (laughs). If I don't like to hear it, then I will continue to work hard.
Pippi: Yes, because a lot of singers in the same period have been making EPs, and some of them have been consecutive singles. There are also many singers, although it is said to be a big album, but often 10 songs are not enough. So is it what you want and insist on doing on an album? Will the EP be launched later?
Chen Linong: Yes! Making an album is one of our insistences. EP singles I think can be connected between the album and the album, of course, all need its functionality.
Pippi: Do you think that in addition to your boss, the environment you are in might affect you to do these things? Like want to do a full album, want to try the current music?
Chen Linong: A little bit. I think the idea is good and we should stick with it.
Pippi: Which song are you most worried about singing live at the moment? Which song will you be afraid to sing to the audience?
Chen Linong: It should be "Heliocentric Theory"! The difficulty coefficient of this song is relatively high, and it is also a self-breakthrough of its own.
The possibility of sound
The first two songs of the song are "Turning the Story" and "Not Scattered", and the lyrics are from Xu Yuanting and Jia Wang, which is another collaboration between Chen Linong and Jia Wang in the second specialty, but the creation, presentation effect and singing are completely different. Chen Linong mentioned a word "functional" in the interview - each song has a different audience group and function for him, so there will be many corresponding adjustments in the singing, and there are more possibilities in the form of the voice. Of course, many of the songs in "Heliocentric Talk" have such a way of playing, and each song will touch the hearts of some people and achieve empathy under their own understanding.
Pippi: The first two songs, "Turning the Page" and "Not Scattered", why did you think of working with Xu Yuanting and Jiawang in this album?
Chen Linong: The first cooperation with Teacher Jiawang was the first album "Nothing to Know", and it was also the first cooperation with Xu Jiaying LaLa Sister, which was the musical cooperation between Teacher Jiawang and LaLa Sister found through the relationship with the boss. The condition for inviting teachers is to enjoy each teacher's music and then like it. So the second album invited the teacher to cooperate again.
Pippi: The two songs seem to have a little bit of a difference in how they are sung.
Chen Linong: Each song has a different audience group, and its function is not the same. The feelings or something referred to in "Turning the Page" mean that everything is always to be turned over, and the expression of this song is definitely different from the parting and inspirational feeling of "Not Scattered". It's not about how to do professional training for these two songs, because after the whole two albums, each song has a lot of different ways of dealing with it - not only these two songs, each song must first understand its function, its direction, its story, its music; and what kind of feeling you want to hear, which also includes the magnetism of the sound. Like the first album "Out of Place" there are a lot of subwoofers, everyone will hear. This one will have a lot of different things, and now it feels like a possibility of playing with sound.
Pippi: So what do you want to present to your fans or listeners as your dictionary understands "flipping"?
Chen Linong: Everything in the world, everything must have a past day, everything is the same. There will be a time in your life when you learn to forget and try to be liberated. After this time has passed, you still have to have your own life and your own goals, and you have to be happy, I think this is important. Turning the page is to let every unhappy thing pass.
Pippi: After doing the second specialty, what will you want to do next to "flip the page"? What else do you want to try next?
Chen Linong: Maybe too much... I may not be able to give a more practical example at this time. Because it is still moving forward step by step, it has not yet reached a general direction and needs to turn the point in time, it needs a specific time to find.
Pippi: "Not Scattered" reminds people of their time on campus, are there any particularly memorable memories of campus? Can you share it?
Chen Linong: The closest time to debut was high school. Frankly speaking, I think of some of my former campus life, when I was studying performing arts, learning everything, and learning mostly from the foundation. A concept in school is that students "touch" in high school - hosting, dancing, singing, acting, etc., will do a full range of groping learning. At that time, I would run into a lot of classmates, and the run-in of this campus life was precious. Everyone is confused, but in order to complete the campus homework, whether it is a dance that everyone wants to dance together, or participate in the ticket sales performance of the kind of large-scale campus stage play, these feelings will make me very nostalgic, and the current state of work is completely different, in short, like everyone is very nostalgic for campus life.
Grow sour and sweet
Before the album was fully released, four songs were released first. In addition to the "Not Scattered" just mentioned, "Respect growing up", "Marry Me Tonight" and "The Sourness of Youth is Also Sweet" also correspond to some fragments of Chen Linong's life. During the interview, he shared with me some of the stories of the three songs.
Pippi: "Respect for Growing Up" will remind me of the previous year's "Young Innocence", both songs about the growth of teenagers. This song was released as a 21st birthday single, and the more realistic and chorus parts are more explosive, what do you think is the most rewarding in the process of growing up? If "respect growing up" is specific to a few words, what do you think is "respect"?
Chen Linong: First of all, let me talk about what I think of as "respecting growing up.". I am especially suitable for "respecting growing up" now, maybe out of society, I have been honing for a long time in the academic stage, at this stage I will feel that I am getting closer to the rules of the game of the whole society step by step, slowly coming to this world, and then slowly adapting to it. In this process, like everyone, there must be a lot of tempering and bitterness, every day is progressing and growing, and it is not easy to face anyone or anything. Therefore, "respect for growing up", in fact, "respect" is the present self, the future self, and the past self. All the way to today, no matter how many achievements, or now in a confused or ascending stage, the song is very suitable for everyone to listen to. I think this song will resonate more is that it records everyone's hard work all the way to the present, but also a song to cheer for themselves, so that their future is more momentum, its function point is here.
Pippi: It will have a balancing and extending effect. The chorus of this song is very explosive, I have sung live before, the high-pitched area of this song is actually not too much in the past works, is this what I wanted to present at that time?
Chen Linong: Haha thank you (laughs). But at present, the completion of his own singing of "Respect for Growing Up" should be quite high, and I hope that I have been improving. How much did I exaggerate the "treble" thing before—when I was a kid singing, I would ask myself: Am I a bass in my life? Why can't I sing high notes? Some people say that they are born, but for me, I have been insisting on learning, and only now have I found that I have grown and improved a lot. With these improvements, I discovered one thing that singing is the same as everything that can be practiced continuously. Your limits may be different from other people's limits, but if you haven't tried, your inner limits are not your real limits, which can be exchanged for hard work. Just take the opportunity of this interview, I want to tell some friends who like to sing: Don't be discouraged in the face of this aspect, you can definitely sing, maybe it's just the wrong way. I used to be confused too, so I'll always take the time to work on it.
Pippi: Perhaps the hardest part is Heliocentrism.
Chen Linong: Yes, but "Heliocentric Talk" is another Level, not the same.
Pippi: I noticed that in other interviews you said you wanted to test your singing limits. Those two songs include your entire album, what do you think you might need to overcome at this stage?
Chen Linong: I think it should be all-round. People say "ten years to sharpen a sword", the breath of singing, or the control of sound, and how to switch between resonances freely and so on. Then go and make your own sound area very wide, you can go up and down, you can go down, these things are all going to take time to train, definitely not a step to the sky. I am now in a good state of mind, which is a relatively healthy learning stage.
Pippi: "Marry Me Tonight" is a wedding blessing song written for friendship, and you were also involved in the lyrics at that time, why did you come up with such a song?
Chen Linong: Yan Lin and I have always been very good. The boss once told me that it is a rare and valuable thing to make good friends in the entertainment industry, and he suggested that you should not sing a brother song, and I think it is good. But as time went by, the "brother song" became a "wedding song" – the reason was that he told me that he was getting married, so it was better to have a wedding greeting song and prepare a surprise gift for him and his sister-in-law, and the song began.
Pippi: The last album had a song "Taste of Summer", this one is "The Sour and Sweet of Youth", both of which are the theme songs of yogurt, but they serve the album very well.
Chen Linong: Yes, it's not just a commercial feeling. It is also our very careful cooperation with the brand, thank you very much for the yogurt has been giving me a lot of support!
Pippi: I noticed a lot of life-like details in this song, such as the addition of electric guitar, and then the rhythm of this song is relatively light, why do you want to use this song as the first song to be pushed out?
Chen Linong: "The Sour of Youth is Also Sweet" is actually specially carefully designed for yogurt, and it was released first because of the work arrangement, so it is the first place of the album.
Pippi: This song has a MV, what are the more difficult things to forget when shooting?
Chen Linong: It's hard to forget (laughs). At that time, because I was accidentally injured because of recording the program, I shot the commercial and MV in those two days. The whole process is more patient, and then the weather is very hot, and the symptoms are more serious, so it is very embarrassing. But fortunately, all the shooting was successfully completed, thank you very much for the understanding of the brand customers and the director and cast staff on the day, thank you!
From imitation to himself, Chen Linong constantly broke through
Imitation seems to be something that every singer does at the stage of growth, and Chen Linong does not shy away from imitating singers to sing. But the trade-offs made after imitation, especially to tease out their own unique side, this is where singers need to consider. Being too much of it isn't necessarily a good thing, because what sets you apart the most is often where you stand out in the market. Chen Linong's cooperation with different outstanding musicians in this album has faced these problems head-on and sung the voice that belongs to Chen Linong with his own characteristics.
Of course, in addition, he also challenged his previously untouched high pitches, facing the most difficult techniques and singing high-difficult songs.
Pippi: Here are a few songs with the title of the same name and singles from other musicians tailored to you. Working with different good musicians, they should all give you some help. Just mentioned the song "Heliocentric Talk", there is a particularly high technical difficulty, there are more things at the inner level, this song has a "you" second-person concept. What are you trying to say in this song?
Chen Linong: (Contemplation) This is also the place where I have been struggling. One of the feelings mentioned in the lyrics is that it will feel like I'm attached to someone. After that, whether this person disappears or leaves, I myself must have the stubbornness of becoming the sun. Originally, you couldn't leave this person, but this person left. The lyrics mention "I'm the sun from now on", and I'm going to spin around myself now, which is another point that listeners can get. In the lyrics, if you have a similar experience, the song will be a very good empathy channel, and there is something hidden in the lyrics.
Pippi: I interviewed Chen Jianqi before the launch of the first special project, and the second specialty once again collaborated with him on a song "Re-selection", which also had Cai Jianya to compose the lyrics. Teacher Jianqi and Jianqi have also cooperated from the beginning to the present, is there any new story in the process of this cooperation?
Chen Linong: There is a relatively happy thing in the process of cooperation. The first time I worked with Mr. Jianqi was in "Decoding Game", and then the second collaboration was "Out of Place", "Nothing to Know", and the third time was "Re-Selection". The biggest, most fun, and one of the things that I am most satisfied with is that you will find that the requirements given to you by Teacher Chen Jianqi are more efficient than before, and it is also a progress for yourself. In the past, the standards proposed by the teacher may be difficult for me to do, but when recording this song, the teacher said that I felt like I was enlightened, knew what to do, and made progress, which is another process of growth. So it's getting better and better to communicate with the teacher about the interactive recordings, and each teacher can teach you more things, and you can absorb them well.
Pippi: So did you have any problems before, or did you get stuck?
Chen Linong: It's not that it's stuck, it's that the recording time will grind a little longer. [Laughs]
Pippi: Was this song "Re-Selection" recorded faster?
Chen Linong: Actually, it's fast. The first day was less than three hours, and after the second day, the teacher simply cut a rough idea, specifically to see which place felt that it was not enough, we made up a little, this time it was completed relatively quickly.
Pippi: Working with Tanya Tsai is also the first time. Is her demo given to you early and then selected early to enter the album?
Chen Linong: This song was included in the album relatively late, it is relatively relatively a song included in the back, why did the Tanya sister who was found at that time have this song, the reason is that I have always admired the music of the Tanya sister I found, and this "Re-Selection" it just matches the current world, each song has its function, at that time we were just in a special period, it came very cleverly (laughs), I think it is very appropriate, this song is also a song that many people like. Thank you very much To Sister Tanya and Teacher Jianqi.
Pippi: Next is Lin Junjie's "Xiangyang of the Initial Heart", because you have covered his songs before, and some will appear on his birthday, so when did you invite this song?
Chen Linong: At that time, JJ brother held an online birthday new album launch, I went to do a mysterious guest he did not know, went to the scene to deliver cake. That's when the boss said, well, it's almost time, you have to say what you want. I invited JJ to sing, and at the same time shared with him my love for JJ's music (laughs).
Pippi: I succeeded in chasing the stars.
Chen Linong: I have been very successful in chasing stars, and I am very lucky. After Brother JJ agreed, he began to slowly proceed.
Pippi: The demo of this song should have been sung to you by himself, did he have the experience to teach you to sing this song?
Chen Linong: The singing skills of the song "Xiangyang of the Initial Heart" are fully displayed in JJ Brother's demo, he said that he didn't need to give me too much guidance, and after a little talk about a song, you would find that what he said was to the point. You go back and listen to the demo sung by Brother JJ, and you can absorb it relatively quickly. In fact, the song "The Sun of the Initial Heart" is heavy on the emotion of biting words, but it is very difficult at the moment. However, I am very grateful to Brother JJ for the song that was tailored for me. I am also very grateful to Mr. Ma Yufen, Teacher Aaron for singing for me.
Pippi: That singer Lin Junjie, Cai Jianya, including many singers with high recognition of the creation, singing their songs may fall into a feeling that makes people feel like them, how do you do this distinction yourself?
Chen Linong: I think we must know how to imitate. When you first started singing, imitation was a necessary process, and it was also a relatively good learning process - you need to have a framework first, you have to take it from others, and it is not necessarily a thing to think out of your own imagination. So after you take it, after a long time and skill, you have to know what your position is. If positioning is just rapping as a hobby, it doesn't matter, people may say "You imitate too much!" Haha, and it's good, and the functionality is achieved (laughs); but as a singer, we need to have our own characteristics and be unique. So it is necessary to have its own style flavor into it. So when will this "taste" be added? Quite simply, if you learn first, learn Ta, you must be deliberately leaning there. After that, when you feel that you can relax, then come back and sing by yourself, and when you sing this, you can start to be casual, and "casual" is to put in your own feelings. At this time, you will have more of a taste of your own singing.
Pippi: When was the collaboration with Velian determined?
Chen Linong: Teacher Wei Lian's music has many very good works that I appreciate and like very much. Later, after Singing his song "Girl", I was also honored to work with him. This song "On the Road to Happiness" is a very magical song, myself, including the staff, and many other friends, the song "On the Way to Happiness" does not need too much communication, we will say a sentence "This song... The more you listen, the better." It listened to it for the first time, listened to it for the second time, listened to it three times, it was completely different, it felt superimposed, a very magical song, and thank you Teacher Wei Lian and Teacher Arwen.
The capital of the young is young
In addition to lyrical slow songs, the two fast songs on the album, "Reverse the Future" and "Love Me More", have also attracted the attention of many people and become the favorite of fans. The effect of Chen Linong's attempt and training in the fast song is remarkable, which also fully illustrates the straightforward attitude of young people - "the capital of young people is young".
Pippi: "Reverse the Future" and "Love Me More" both belong to a strong sense of rhythm, which is a musical face of your outside of lyricism. This kind of fast song often pays attention to the sense of atmosphere and rhythm, how do you usually balance such songs with different styles?
Chen Linong: I myself think that there is a more important point between singing fast songs and slow songs, that is, your "pain" in singing is completely different, and then there is the difference in rhythm. For example, when we sing a slow song, the timeline is the same, the length of the beat is the same, but you can sing the beat in a slow song, or you can use the fast song to DADADA, word by word is clearer, concise and powerful to sing. (Nong Nong sang "The Sun of the Initial Heart" in the slow version and allegro respectively during the interview) Obviously, the timeline is the same, but the singing method will definitely be different. In the field of slow songs, I am relatively good at it; when it comes to fast songs, I need to spend a lot of time to familiarize myself with the song, and then I will discuss with the singing teacher, every time I sing a fast song, I will communicate with the teacher what kind of an emotional singing method will be better, whether this side needs to be concise and powerful, whether it is going to make a Flow change over there... It is possible that every time I am learning, singing is indeed a kung fu.
Pippi: We have all seen it, because the farmer you are singing fast songs and you have been making progress. Speaking of this song "Love Me More", you still have the lyrics to participate in this song, what do you hope to express through this song?
Chen Linong: "What is the capital of young people?" "To be young is to have love to say out loud. The expression of the whole lyrics is very crisp and straightforward, and young people are more unabashed, and they will have a sense of bravery and not shyness. Through these blunt words, young people can feel what their situation is, and whether they should tell your favorite person "Love Me More" like this song.
Pippi: Will this album have a lot of attitude in it?
Chen Linong: There will indeed be a lot of positive energy released on the album, which should mean that it is constantly released in life. It is accompanied by your life, and then extended from the song work, its function is very wide, but also let everyone feel that the world is warm.
Pippi: When it comes to talking about "real" and "positive energy", do you resist some people's packaging?
Chen Linong: Is it that if one day I have an acting work, I play the domineering president, and then people see Linong saying "Hello, Linong hegemonic president"? [Laughs]
Pippi: No, I want to ask you for fear of being characterized? For example, many people say that Chen Linong's slow songs are particularly good, and he likes his subwoofer, will you go to the market to do such a thing? Of course, "Heliocentrism" actually breaks this character, because we have all seen a lot of breakthroughs.
Chen Linong: This is fine. I think being a singer, if you can do this field with ease and change, it is a good thing, of course, it depends on whether you are willing to do this attempt. Some people may not sing fast songs, but it does not mean that I want to sing fast songs, I just like to sing slow songs, and I am comfortable in music, I like it, everyone appreciates it, this is enough! The point is to see what you want to do, and it is more important to be able to be happy.
Pippi: Would you be a singer who is willing to constantly jump out of your own safe zone?
Chen Linong: Relatively speaking, it should be. Keep jumping out of the safe zone, and one day you won't be upset about the whole zone. Although it is difficult, we just say a large percentage, this will also, that will also, so it seems to be not bad.
Pippi: In response to the "human design" I just talked about, I would like to add a question. Because I have asked Velian a similar question in previous interviews, that is, will you resist human design, such as to cater to the market packaging to become another more people like, but not necessarily your own appearance.
Chen Linong: You discussed another level, whether to adapt to the market's demand for you.
Pippi: Because I just mentioned "real" and "positive energy", I wanted to ask about this topic in passing.
Chen Linong: I think this thing is like a word "Balance" spoken by Teacher Zhang Yixing, it is not just dancing, it can be placed in many aspects of life. I think you can think a lot about why you need a balanced existence, and sometimes it may be better not to be too extreme.
The authenticity of the hometown allows more people to know the Hokkien language
People and things in my hometown often carry the thoughts of singers. The previous album's "Gentle Time and Space" and this album's "Gas Stove of the Old House" have all completed the expression of love for his family in Chen Linong's own way.
Pippi: Why did you come up with the idea of making the Hokkien song "The Gas Furnace of the Old House"?
Chen Linong: My dream is to be able to sing a Hokkien song of my own one day, which is the feeling of home. Because I have spoken Hokkien with my family since I was a child, this is also a lyric of my own, I will think that it is an authentic way to my hometown, and let more people know Hokkien songs.
Pippi: So at the beginning, did you decide to ask Xiao Huangqi to work on this song?
Chen Linong: Yes! I have always thought of the opportunity to cooperate with Teacher Xiao Huangqi.
Pippi: When you sang, did you do any training for the song? Is there a place to share in particular?
Chen Linong: In fact, the main thing about singing Hokkien songs is to bite the words, but in terms of emotions, the advice given by Teacher Xiao Huangqi is not too heavy, you must have a real and sincere feeling, and we spent a lot of time pondering on this.
Pippi: Should there be an MV after this song? Can I talk about this? Is there anything I can share about the MV? (During the interview, Chen Linong knew that Chinese New Year's Eve would release the MV of this song, and he also watched the MV of this song together for the first time) So how many episodes of this concept will there be? Because I just said that "Heliocentrism" is the first episode, will there be other stories after that?
Chen Linong: Yes! This is the second episode of The Gas Furnace of the Old House, and there are two episodes in this series.
Pippi: It's equivalent of a two-episode micro-film concept. Is there anything I can share when I was filming?
Chen Linong: When shooting, it is more of a breakthrough in acting. Although I am a singer, I am still very concerned about acting. From "Gentle Time and Space" to "The Gas Stove of the Old House", some emotional factors of their own lives are used, "Time and Space" is the father, and the "gas stove of the Old House" is the mother, so that his feelings can be released from some more basic and simple things in everyone's life. Thank you also for Sister Jin Hua and Li Mu for filming my MV!
Pippi: So these two songs are also a little selfish of yours, thinking that you will make a song for your parents on the album.
Chen Linong: Yes! I hope that my songs can also represent everyone's family story.
End
At the end of the interview, it was still about planning and words that I wanted to share with fans, which was the perfect conclusion for this visit.
Pippi: Is there any plan or breakthrough in 2022?
Chen Linong: Actually, there are all of them. I don't talk too much about breakthroughs now, but I still want to go to a higher level on the basis of the original. Because I know that I can't be in a hurry, "the cost of youth is young", so I hope to step more solidly, more steadily and more progressively on the basis of the original.
Pippi: Last question, is there anything you would like to share with fans and fans?
Chen Linong: Thank you very much for giving me a lot of support and encouragement, maybe not perfect, but I will continue to work hard to bring you better energy, better works, and have fun with nong sugar fans. That line is not to say, "The most important thing is to be happy", it is this feeling, and it is the most important thing to want everyone to be happy. (End)