At 00:00 on January 18, 2019, Chen Hongyu sang with his friends and entered the age of thirty.
After a song "Ideal Thirty" was well known to the audience, the connotation of "maturity" and "achievement" given by the public was textbook-like in Chen Hongyu - this year, he released his fourth creative album, the name was "Thirty"; he built a unique house in his hometown erguna, "Zhongfangji", realizing the ideal that had been born since his student days; a month later, on November 23, he would also hold his first solo concert in the Workers' Gymnasium. Freeze another highlight moment in your life.
Chen Hongyu. Photography / Deji
Not long ago, the Beijing News reporter met Chen Hongyu of the "30-year-old limited edition". When talking about the upcoming and landmark concert of the Workers' Stadium, he calmly threw out a set of "nail theory" - in his view, whether it is writing songs, building houses or opening concerts, it is like nailing nails in the trajectory of life, "If you don't nail a nail here, you may forget to turn around." So now when I have the ability, I will do a little more work, and if I can nail more, I will nail more, and I know that I have existed in this world. ”
Nail 1: Beijing Workers' Gymnasium
It didn't happen overnight.
On this day, Chen Hongyu and the musicians met at 6:00 p.m. to rehearse for the concert in the recording studio. An hour in advance, he stepped into the door dressed in black and black pants, carrying a guitar on his back, and carrying a cold air from the outside.
After sitting down in front of the Beijing News reporter, our topic naturally began with the "Workers' Stadium Concert", "Exactly thirty, I feel that I have to keep a memorial, play a big game, and add some ideas accumulated through performances in recent years." His thoughts, frank and direct.
For Chinese musicians, the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium is a landmark performance landmark, and Chen Hongyu agrees, "There is already history happening there, so there seems to be an illusion that 'you can become history if you stand there'." He used the word "illusion" to describe the experience, "because I didn't think of the show as a 'bigger stage,' but closer to a 30-year anniversary." ”
And this "memorial" is not something that everyone can accomplish.
Chen Hongyu in the performance. Image source its Weibo
One day in September 2015, Chen Hongyu and musician friend Ma Yuyang were recognized by two fans while passing by the workers' stadium.
At that time, his debut album "Poetry Radio Under the Smoke" had not yet been officially released, but he had become famous for his musical works, "I will come to open a show later," he wrote on the same day, like a foreshadowing of his life.
"At the time, I really didn't dare to think about it, it was just a joke, but now it seems that I can really do it." In fact, the process of realizing this idea is not achieved overnight, and the length of time experienced in the middle is actually very important to a person. If this length of time is scientific and rational enough to conform to the life cycle of this person, then its occurrence will be more natural, and when it stands on the stage, it will be not sad or happy, not humble and unobtrusive; if it is realized too quickly, it may be a little stalled and abnormal. I think I'm still in the former category, so I'm not too excited right now. ”
Speaking of this, Chen Hongyu made another analogy: "In fact, from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, I have begun to think about this matter, and then I can only climb it at the end of this year." It's kind of like, you win five million, you're so happy, but you can't receive the prize until ten years later, so you slowly get used to that feeling. Ten years from now, perhaps inflationary, five million is worth only two dollars now, and you can only buy one ice cream. ”
Nail 2: "Ideal Thirty"
To put it mildly, it's a process of self-approval.
The first stadium concert was named after the masterpiece "Ideal Thirty", which seems to be a rather ritualistic thing. But Chen Hongyu quickly used cold humor to dispel the meaning behind it, "In fact, I took this name because I thought it would be helpful for the audience to find performance tickets." ”
The cover of Chen Hongyu's first studio album, Poetry Radio Under The Smoke, includes "Ideal Thirty".
After causing everyone in the room to laugh, he became serious again and talked about his way of getting along with "Ideal Thirty". Like many musicians, Chen Hongyu has also experienced the ups and downs of a song's popularity. Nowadays, "Ideal Thirty" has more than 400,000 comments on NetEase Cloud Music, which has brought popularity to the singer himself by its own efforts, and has also left a certain stereotype in the hearts of the audience, "In fact, I am like the process of two people meeting each other, when I first met, I felt awesome and happy, and then slowly I will find each other's shortcomings." "Chen Hongyu introduced another metaphor here." "Ideal Thirty" began to bring me a lot of gains, but slowly, like many artists or musicians, I always felt that my famous works were not perfect. At the same time, it also gave me the label 'folk' without defining myself as a 'folk singer'. ”
However, with the precipitation of time, Chen Hongyu was relieved again, "Let's say Xuanhu point, this is a process of self-recognition." Later, I felt more and more that this song was a real part of me, and it would not change its properties because of the environment. And before this year, I said that I am an independent musician, not a folk singer, but this year I am really seriously thinking about the meaning of the word 'folk' for me. Because the audience is particularly sensitive and intuitive, they approve of what you have, and a label is formed in their minds. And, what is a folk song in China now? I'm actually willing to really explore this topic in the music that follows. ”
Nail 3: The Joy of the Crowd
Entrepreneurship can also be very artistic.
From the beginning of entering the public eye, Chen Hongyu has another title in addition to "singer-songwriter" - the founder of the music label ZhongleJi. Graduated from Inner Mongolia Normal University majoring in news gathering, editing and production, he has a very good sense of management and communication. Now, under his leadership, he is doing folk song compilations, holding New Year's Eve concerts, and supporting a new generation of creators... The development of Zhongle Ji is full of wind and fire.
Once upon a time, for Chen Hongyu, who had just graduated from college, writing songs and singing was only a record of life, "Compared with the word music, I originally thought that zhongle ji would become the basis of my livelihood." But the direction of fate has always been unexpected, "I didn't expect the result to be the opposite, and music has become the foundation of my life." Now I'm using my own music and taking the company to do more interesting things. ”
Regarding the sentiment of the creator and the rationality of the operator, Chen Hongyu, who is "half seawater and half flame", is currently well balanced, "an album is released every year, just like the annual diary, I don't care whether the market evaluation is good enough." But to be a company, I need to have an entrepreneurial spirit, to consider the market as much as possible, to consider business. ”
Regarding the relationship between art and business, Chen Hongyu has his own set of logic, "No matter what, if you can make a sense of commemoration and make your own logical values, it is all art." Including entrepreneurship, everyone feels that business has nothing to do with art, but I think that if you can do it beautifully, have your own set of things, it will also be beautiful. ”
Nail 4: The Chronicles of the Many
Let every "lonely home" face their own hearts.
At the end of the summer of 2019, a pure black cube building with a side length of 7.7 meters was built on the Hulunbuir Erguna Grassland. This seemingly "unreliable" ideal that Chen Hongyu has sprouted since his student days has finally been realized on the outskirts of the village where he was born.
The Chronicles of the Multitude. Figure source Zhongfangji public number
The Chronicles is a black square space in which all the tools that humans rely on for information are removed: the Internet, mobile phones, books, and even clocks, but gives the occupants the carrier for export, paper, pen, piano, guitar... Zhongfangji can only accommodate one person to live alone at a time, and every "lonely home" who comes here will face his heart.
From design to construction, Zhongfangji used more than two years to finally complete, Chen Hongyu always flew back to his hometown between performances, moved bricks, and supervised the work. He revealed that a total of seven figures of money were invested in the project, "because the first time it was built, there were many uncontrollable factors, and it also cost some unjust money, but finally there was a house." ”
Inspired by Robinson Crusoe, Chen Hongyu hopes to explore the topic of "man and relationship" through the Party Of All: the relationship with others, the relationship with oneself, and the relationship with all things. Every solitary person who comes here will leave a "gift" for the next solitary person in the black square box at the entrance. As the master of the Fang Ji and the first solitary person, Chen Hongyu left a note that read: Every first thought here is a treasure.
Nail 5: "Thirty Years"
We are willing to cooperate with Tang Yingfeng for a long time.
Chen Hongyu loves to travel, explore, and look for more unknown possibilities, and "repetition" is not a key word in his life, but also in creation. But through his third album, With the Wild, he also understands that it's not absolutely right to seek change.
"'With the Wilderness' is actually written a bit 'flying' and adds a lot of electroacoustic instruments. Because at that time, I felt that I had to do every style I wanted to try. But I still somewhat overlooked something about the nature of music. For example, some songs are written by you sitting on your bed at home and singing on an acoustic guitar, but if you have to package it as party music, it will make people feel screwed. ”
Cover of the fourth creative album "Thirty".
After experiencing some regrets about "With the Wilderness", the fourth album "Thirty Years" satisfied Chen Hongyu, who regarded it as a "induction". At the same time, he once again invited his old partner Tang Yingfeng to take on six-sevenths of the lyrics of the new album, "I think it is basically difficult to find a partner who cooperates so tacitly." I have a vague hope that as the cooperation between the two people becomes more and more precipitated, we can always maintain a certain degree of synchronization in the understanding of the work, hoping that everyone can connect more closely from life to the work, last for a long time, and become a real old partner. ”
Dialogue with Chen Hongyu
Beijing News: After entering the "thirty years" for more than half a year, what insights have you gained in the process of the passage of time?
Chen Hongyu: First of all, "Ideal Thirty" is a relatively important song for me, and at the same time, I am also over 30 years old for the first time, and I have no experience, so I am very excited. For young people in this era, 30 years old does sound like a particularly important life threshold, and this number seems to remind you, "You are two enough, it is time to three." "To me, it also has that meaning. It reminds me to think, how is your life now? Many people, including you, will ask you what are your plans for 30 years old? I also ask questions about 30 years old in interviews, and I think this kind of "soul torture" is what really affects you.
Beijing News: The first time you stand on the stage of the Workers' Stadium and sing, will you design some unusual bridge sections?
Chen Hongyu: For example?
Beijing News: For example, some singers will challenge singing and dancing in landmark solo singing...
Chen Hongyu: (Laughs) Someone in our company sang and danced on the spot some time ago, and I watched his video and imagined that if it was me, I guess it was enough. I'm already quite complicated, somewhere between reason and sensibility, half flame and half seawater, but singing and dancing doesn't exist between flame and seawater. So I'd probably prefer to show people a story that is like your life, with happy times and times of depression and mania. At the same time, I also hope that the audience who feels that I am a particularly quiet folk singer will also see a different side of me, such as a little irony, a little darkness. Especially on the big stage, the combination of sound and light will make this side of me more explosive.
Beijing News: Calm as you, will there be nervousness before the performance?
Chen Hongyu: Yes, the heart will beat, and then I want to go to the toilet, and my palms will be cold and sweaty. Basically now, before every show of my own, I do that. Then, when you finish singing the first song on stage, these states will magically disappear immediately. So the first song of each of my shows is often the most risky, as long as it is no problem after that sentence.
Beijing News: Many people think that the "folk song fever" has passed, do you think that the changes in the entire music market environment will have an impact on your own creation?
Chen Hongyu: I have not accurately judged, but in the so-called market, or the number of fans, there must be some impact. But this is the objective law of the market economy. This year I became acutely aware that the existence of all musical genres is necessary, with their audiences. As a musician, the most important thing is how you relate yourself to this necessity, or find your place in the necessity.
Beijing News: After the concert at the Workers' Stadium, are there any plans to be implemented?
Chen Hongyu: In the first half of next year, I am going to get a motorhome and take a few music friends on a road trip. It's a pure road trip with no promotional or performance purposes to see if it can bring some inspiration like you say singing and dancing. If there is an improvisation in the middle, record it, and if not, treat it as a trip.
Written by Yang Chang, a reporter from the Beijing News
Edited by Wu Longzhen Proofreader Zhai Yongjun