The Legend of the Phoenix, the spiritual antidote?

Original title: The Legend of the Phoenix, a spiritual antidote?

Popular Daily reporter Tian Kexin and Xi student Wang Ziwen

Back then, Phoenix Legend fans were "Uncle and Aunt per Capita". But now, the situation has reversed, the prelude sounded, igniting the audience, the blood of young people instantly awakened, and the voices of the two singers were almost inaudible at each performance site, and more of them were singing and accompaniment after the 90s and 00s......

In 2023, the Phoenix legend will be popular throughout the year. Even at the New Year's Eve concert at the end of the year, as soon as the chorus of lead singers Linghua, Zeng Yi and the popular flower Zhao Lusi was broadcast, it could quickly appear on the hot search. From "Above the Moon", "Moonlight on the Lotus Pond" to "Mrs. Luxury" and "Mountains and Rivers", this music combination known for "bold music + card point rap" does not rely on cool and handsome appearance, nor hot dance, but it has been "resisting" in the entertainment industry that has been updated and iterated so quickly for more than ten years, and even under the multiple promotions of the Internet and the popularity of the C position of the background music of the Asian Games, it has become more and more responsible for the traffic of pop music.

To become the top class today, the support of young people is crucial. Back then, Phoenix Legend fan "Uncle and Aunt per Capita", whose work is the theme song of square dance, is a big hit on mobile phone ringtones. But now, the situation has reversed, the prelude sounded, igniting the audience, the blood of young people instantly awakened, and the voices of the two singers were almost inaudible at each performance site, and more of them were singing and accompaniment after the 90s and 00s...... This made many people suddenly realize that the legend of the phoenix has become a spiritual antidote for contemporary young people.

There are reincarnations and reversals in popularity

Phoenix Legend = Earth Hi?

In 2005, Phoenix Legend participated in the "Avenue of Stars" and won the runner-up. The song "On the Moon" is popular all over the country. Since its debut, for a long time, Phoenix Legend has been unable to shake off the labels of "agricultural heavy metal" and "square dance singer", as well as various jokes that are matched with copycat mobile phones, and young people are quite disdainful of it, feeling that the overly straightforward lyrics and "yo-yo" rap are far from the high-end atmosphere. After all, in the music scene at that time, European, American, Japanese and Korean pop music, Hong Kong and Taiwan songs were in the limelight. Young people prefer to listen to S.H.E's "Super Star", like Eason Chan's "Ten Years" and Joey Yung's "The Girl with Wings", and sing "Lonely Northern Hemisphere" and "Look at Me 72 Changes" as soon as they open their mouths. In contrast, the "national pop style" seems too simple and even a little "not tasteful". Even if most post-80s generations can hum when they open their mouths, they will never blatantly express their liking, because this is really not so sunny and snowy in the circle of socialization, and there is a risk of being ridiculed for "social death".

In nearly 20 years of creative time, it combines simple rap, electronic, dance music and folk songs, and integrates national singing with popular singing, and the first song has their strong IP characteristics - clear rhythm, concise melody, Linghua's high-pitched and loud voice complements Zeng Yi's deep and rich rap, making the work relaxed and layered.

Popularity not only has a reincarnation, but also a reversal. At a time when the more down-to-earth and popular it is, Phoenix Legend just meets the appetite of "Generation Z". In the early years, "Moonlight on the Lotus Pond" and "The Most Dazzling National Style" were popular again, and "Mrs. Luxury" was sung all over the Internet, with a high-spirited and powerful tune and a unique timbre of national musical instruments...... Compared with singers who were born in professional classes and follow refined creation, Phoenix Legend seems to give modern music a different kind of grassroots color.

And grassroots is one of the traffic passwords for the rapid spread of short videos. Taking advantage of this shareholder trend, a simple, easy-to-remember, and catchy song was first regarded as a classic in the Internet field, with a large number of imitations and second creations, and then went offline, and in major music festivals and concerts, there was a phenomenal "human-to-human" and "chorus".

In a sense, both the elegant and the vulgar are appreciated

This scene is so familiar, it seems to be similar to the current popularity of "subject three". Does this also show that the creation of the Phoenix Legend is carrying out the vulgar "saliva song" to the end?

Beijing entertainment critic Zhong Nan does not think so, the popular "Mice Love Rice", "Two Butterflies", "Perfume Poisonous" and so on are all typical saliva songs, which to a certain extent reflect the popular trend of popular music in the society at that time, but lack deeper artistic value and ideological connotation. This kind of creation that blindly pursues traffic is only popular for a while.

Over the years, while maintaining the fundamentals of the creative style, the songs of Phoenix Legend have also tried a variety of different styles, such as the fresh and soft singing and romantic and delicate recitation in "Moonlight on the Lotus Pond", and the rock elements in "Straight to the Clouds", etc., which have always kept the work fresh and attractive, and also presented the characteristics of "new national tide".

"'The most dazzling national style' is in line with the aesthetic needs of young people today. Zhong Nan gave an example, "The melody of "Mountains and Rivers" is passionate and the rhythm is bright, expressing the longing for the future; the melody of "Will Enter the Wine" is melodious and uninhibited, showing the yearning for freedom and heroic life; and the melody of "Wanjiang" is beautiful, reflecting the praise and gratitude to the motherland...... Young listeners can experience the flamboyant individuality, the desire for challenge and adventure, and the recognition of national and national pride from the singing. ”

"The fan group has reversed popularity from the elderly to the young, reflecting the happy spread of 'soil', which is a sense of elegance and common appreciation. Times are changing, aesthetics are changing, and the connotation of 'soil' has been changing, a generation of young people have gone from questioning to understanding to becoming fans of the Phoenix Legend, so that "Mrs. Luxury" sang on the stage of the Asian Games and was recommended to the Internet, shocking a group of overseas young people.

Open up the channel of emotional expression

The reversal of the popularity of the Phoenix Legend is also the epitome of the transformation of social and cultural consumption mentality.

In the millennium, compared with first-tier cities with rich cultural resources and many choices, second- and third-tier cities are very lacking in cultural products, especially the cultural needs of citizens in small cities are difficult to meet. The Phoenix Legend just fills the gap of cultural consumption in the sinking market, and thus lays a solid mass foundation, and listening to the works of the Phoenix Legend has become a way for most groups in society to meet their spiritual needs. On the one hand, their distinctive musical style and simple melodies and lyrics can be quickly sung by the public, and on the other hand, the road to fame of Phoenix Legend has been accompanied by a more extensive and sinking market development, and their popularity is a bottom-up, "rural area surrounding the city" process, which is easier to break through than other pop singers. Their songs can resonate with their parents' generation, and they have also become a collective memory that accompanies the growth of the post-90s and post-00s groups.

More than ten years have passed, and the resurgence of the Phoenix legend stems from the change in people's mentality after the epidemic. After the epidemic, the Phoenix Legend's unleashing performance method and the artist's hearty personality just fit the current context and provide a relaxing outlet for young people.

The popularity of "Mrs. Luxury" proves such an audience psychology. The work has the "familiar taste" of the Phoenix Legend, and obviously adopts the typical Yi music style, based on the unique local instruments and tones, and the original ecological feeling is straightforward and moving, with both a passionate sense of rhythm and an affectionate melody line. "Mount Wumeng is connected to the mountains beyond the mountain...... But the sky is calling you......" The straightforward cry with a strong sense of land, the loud and loud mountain songs, and the frustration of the tone also make young people feel more down-to-earth, becoming a different source of energy in their hearts. At this time, I recalled the joy of listening to "Free Flight" when I was young, and unconsciously activated my blood, and the "soil song" that secretly lurked in the childhood memories of young people became an old wine, opening up a channel for expressing feelings.

In the same way, this can understand why the concerts of senior artists such as Phoenix Legend, Wu Bai, Zhang Xinzhe, and Zhou Huajian are popular, and they can even make artists reverse out of the circle in short videos sung by fans. Young people are enthusiastic about this kind of live performance, and even go straight to the "whole audience to sing together", precisely because they can release the emotions and pressures of work and life, and feel the power of the collective and a sense of belonging. Rather than worshipping idols, they are seeking the understanding and approval of their peers. This interaction, emphasizing young people's sense of self-existence and participation, undoubtedly sends a positive life signal and stimulates the emotion of loving life.

Be vigilant too

The Phoenix Legend has completed the process from "disliked" to "loved", which is also very enlightening for the creation of mainland pop music. It is an undeniable fact that the golden age of Chinese pop is gone. Music styles such as Phoenix Legend, which were not favored before, can become extremely popular at the moment, but in fact, to a certain extent, it reflects the extreme weakness of current pop music creation. Looking at the current music scene, singers frequently perform in major music comprehensives, original and good songs are nowhere to be seen, and everyone is busy in the routine of old songs and new songs. If a hundred flowers don't bloom, it is not surprising that Zhou Shen, Mao Buyi, Xue Zhiqian, and Phoenix Legend can detonate the music market.

It is still necessary to be vigilant that all service traffic for music creation cannot be advocated because of a few individual cases. In the era of short videos, the aroma of wine is afraid of deep alleys. Modern people seem to listen to songs just a few times on the small screen and then forward, which contributes to the explosion of melodies. Under the effect of such a mechanism, a number of assembly-line divine comedies have naturally emerged - direct lyrics, melody brainwashing, and rhythmic dynamics, which further led the creators to attach importance to the network sense of the song, seriously ignoring the theme and artistic conception of the song, not to mention what leading role the work played, resulting in a significant downgrade of music aesthetics.

The market always expects high-quality products, and people always call for good songs. In 2023, the legend of Daolang and Phoenix will become popular again, and there is a sense of fate that they are still in the lights when they look back. The sense of land, nationality and energy in their music provides comfort and strength for the public, and has become a stable spiritual sustenance for many people, which has also made them firmly chosen again. Behind the enduring is not only the well-known songs, but also the long-term popularity is a reasonable manifestation of its creative renewal. What is more valuable than the classics is the continuous originality. Putting it up and eating the old book will eventually go further and further away from the public's aesthetics.

Source: Popular Daily