In March 1979, a boy named Zhao Zhao was born in an ordinary family in Liaocheng, Shandong Province. Because he is "old and has children", his parents have loved him very much since he was a child. Unfortunately, his loving father died when he was 12 years old, and his mother single-handedly pulled him and his two sisters up.
Zhao Zhao likes to listen to music since he was a child, his mother bought him a red light brand dual card recorder, he put it on the bedside to listen non-stop every day, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Europe and the United States, pop, symphony, as long as it is music-related tapes he all bought home, when there is no money, he also stole the family's money to go out to buy. Usually, he took his sister's flute and guitar and studied it himself.
While developing hobbies, Zhao Zhao did not abandon his studies because of this. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to a self-funded school to study foreign trade and economic cooperation, and as a result, he went on for a year, but he found that he was really not interested, but he did not dare to tell his mother, for fear that she would be disappointed, so he secretly dropped out of school behind his family's back.
After dropping out of school, Zhao Zhao dreamed of being admitted to the Conservatory of Music, and he often ran to Shandong Normal University to rub classes. After a few years of running back and forth, Zhao Zhao began to re-examine the matter of the conservatory, in his opinion, the music conservatory environment is mechanical, all people are like a mold carved out, singing when there is no personality and characteristics.
Thinking of this, he was suddenly confused, how could the music he had always liked be like this? Zhao Zhao, who was disappointed in traditional teaching, did not have the strong desire to enter the conservatory of music anymore. Later, after meeting the members of the NONO band by chance, Zhao Zhao completely gave up this idea.
The youngest Zhao Zhao joined the band and served as the lead singer, and he was exposed to a lot of European and American music, and felt that domestic music works were "garbage", so he confidently embarked on his own original music path. Looking back on that time, Zhao Zhao smiled and said that he was really deeply "poisoned".
One day, the band received a performance, just as Zhao Zhao was triumphantly singing his debut work on the stage, the organizers were expressionless and cleaned up the audio and microphone equipment, leaving only an embarrassed face for him.
The first time he sang his own works, he encountered such a heavy blow, Zhao Zhao was very frustrated, but he understood very well that this little thing could not be overcome, and how to deal with greater difficulties in the future, so he quickly adjusted his emotions, with his own enthusiasm, and re-entered the creation.
However, Zhao Zhao gradually realized that he could not realize his dream in this city, so he resolutely chose "North Drift".
In 1999, Zhao Zhao carried a guitar and carried only five hundred yuan to Beijing for the first time and began his long life of north drift. He sang in the Sanlitun bar, worked in the piano shop of the Liuli factory, could not pay the rent and was evicted by the landlord, and also froze pneumonia in the simple rental house.
Life is very difficult, Zhao Zhao often feels that he is tired to trance, always in a state of half sleep and half awake, his mental condition is not good, his life is very unstable, he may have a good income this month, but he may not earn a penny next month.
After drifting north for more than a year, but did not see the light of the dream shine into reality, the pressure of life made Zhao Zhao return to his hometown. Zhao Zhao, who returned to his hometown, was not willing to give up music, and discussed holding two concerts with the band in his hometown, singing Beyond and singing Black Panther, and the field of more than 3,000 people was crowded with people.
Zhao Zhao seemed to see the possibility of development, so he planned to settle down and open a bar with friends, but he was forced to close the door because the little often made trouble.
Zhao Zhao, who was bored and bored, began to miss the pure state of life in Beijing, so in 2003, he came to Beijing again with a dream.
It was also that year that he met Zhao Lei, and the two soon became good friends. Zhao Zhao taught him to play the harmonica and taught him the experience of making folk songs, playing the role of a brother even if his father was also a brother. Zhao Zhao saw his own shadow in this 17-year-old boy's body, young and sunny, full of yearning for the future, so he could give everything he could for Zhao Lei.
Writing songs, making songs, selling songs, and even running through wedding banquets, in order to live, everything related to music Zhao Zhao did. While running around and busy, he never forgot to create, and his understanding of life was written into the song, so that "You are the girl I want", "A Flower" and "Flying Around".
Zhao Zhao, who is famous for several songs, received an invitation from CCTV's "Dream China", but missed the recording opportunity because of pneumonia caused by losing his voice. Fate gave Zhao Zhao a piece of candy, and before he could taste it, he took it mercilessly.
In 2009, Zhao Zhao began to prepare his first album. Without a record company and not wanting to ask for help, he used his few savings to buy a computer with 512M memory, a microphone and a sound card, borrowed a mixer from the bar, and made up a set of recording equipment. Although the hardware is ready, Zhao Zhao will not use it at all, and most importantly, he will not even arrange the music.
Zhao Zhao did not pay attention to these difficulties at all, he studied while groping, the whole album was made, he actually successfully mastered all the skills such as arrangement, recording and typesetting, and one person made "DajingChang" into a band effect.
It is a pity that the album that has spent a lot of effort to make a good job is not selling well because of the lack of publicity channels. Zhao Zhao did not participate in any tour, 3000 albums, released in 10 years, and sold out in 15 years.
After experiencing the last incident, after the release of his second album "Rough" in 2012, Zhao Zhao decided to start his first national tour in his life, 13 cities, walking around, no matter what, there will be a publicity effect. But unexpectedly, due to the rush of preparation, the publicity work in the early stage of the tour was not in place, and when Zhao Zhao's team came to Nanjing Station, only one person sat in the huge audience.
Zhao Zhao, as if he didn't see anything, picked up the guitar and walked to the stage, his fingers gently swept over the strings, and then slowly opened his mouth and sang to the only audience for two hours.
Zhao Zhao, who released two albums, zhao zhao is still tepid. At the same time, many unknown singers became popular after they appeared on the talent show, and only he was unwilling to compromise.
10 years, when Zhao Lei participated in the fast man, Zhao Zhao did not agree, and the "Water Margin Hero" complex in his bones made him feel that he was recruited on the show, "The talent show is completely an opposing camp, such a vulgar thing, how can I stand with them?" In Zhao Zhao's eyes, original music should be independent and not worldly.
A year after the release of the second album, Zhao Zhao, who could not find an outlet in his career, faced multiple difficulties in family and reality. At this time, the staff of China Good Songs found him.
He hesitates, struggles, wanders, he is never willing to compromise with what he once rejected the most, but a man's responsibility for the family is like a heavy mountain that oppresses him and he cannot breathe, he needs to change his living conditions, he needs his songs to produce value.
After much deliberation, Zhao Zhao agreed to participate in the program.
"When You're Old" was as popular as expected throughout the streets and alleys, and the promotional performances flew to Zhao Zhao like snowflakes, but at this time, Zhao Zhao chose to "disappear" and decided not to participate in the music talent show again, "The talent show highlights the synaesthesia elements in folk songs, and personalized songs will be easier to be eliminated." The effect of promotion is there, but Zhao Zhao feels that he has been labeled, and this song is firmly imprinted on his body like a mark that he can't fade.
When participating in the good song, Zhao Zhao was 34 years old, experienced a lot, and understood a lot, for fame and fortune, he described it this way, "When you are hungry, you especially want to eat a dish, but if you can't come up late, you will eat steamed bread to eat, at this time the dish comes up, but you can't eat it." ”
He said that he is very envious of today's young people, who can bravely chase when they have dreams and energy, and if he can be ten years younger, he may participate in all the talent shows, do crazy publicity, and let all places play their own songs. However, after the age of youth and madness, Zhao Zhao no longer cared about those so-called "false names".
A simple word is enough to sum up his current life. The studio of more than ten square meters is the place where he spends the most every day. There was only a workbench in the room with a picture with my mother, and a single bed, where I slept too late to record songs. There were a few guitars by the bed, a pile of instruments on the table, flutes, flutes, basses, etc., and two large shelves filled with CDs and books.
It was in such a place that Zhao Zhao wrote "DreamIng Back to Hometown", "Sound Rhythm Enlightenment", and the well-known "When You Are Old".
Zhao Zhao put more thought into creation, used music instead of his dialogue with the world, and did what other musicians could accomplish in a few years in a year's time. In 15 years alone, two EPs and two singles were released. However, apart from the musical works that kept flowing out, people could hardly hear anything from him.
Of course, Zhao Zhao is not completely isolated from the world, he will do the tour after releasing new songs, he will also accept media interviews and reports, and occasionally appear in Zhao Lei's concerts, but what is left for the world is still the busy back in the studio.
——This article is the original of Jam Music (www.jammyfm.com), and it will not be reproduced without permission.