Reporter | Jiang Yunan
Edit | Li fang
Music is a footnote to the times. Looking back at the year of Gengzi, at a time when the epidemic has led to the stagnation of many industries, Chinese musicians have shown a steady stream of creative motivation. On the occasion of the old and the new, Apple Music invited ten groups of musicians active in the 2020 Chinese music scene to share their New Year song list. The song list was officially launched on February 5, showing the diverse regional characteristics and aesthetic tastes of musicians.
Interface Entertainment and Apple Music invited five groups of musicians to talk about their thinking on the music industry in the previous year and look forward to the future direction of music and life.
During the discussion, Ardor, the representative of the new ethnic music, and Ai Zhe, who combines rap with ethnic style, expressed their views on the rise of ethnic elements in Chinese music; rapper Thin E.SO and Rapper Ai's rap style entered the mainstream of Chinese music; and the Taiwan Band Chair Orchestra and Hong Kong musician Feng Yunqian also described the development of music creation and the music industry under the epidemic from a personal perspective. I hope that their music and the stories behind their music can bring a different kind of hope and strength to the ugly year.
In the same time and space, the song lists selected by the five groups of musicians represent different musical aesthetics and regional characteristics. The first element to be noticed in the song list is the strong national style, the most famous representative of which is Ardor. After leaving the Beijing music scene in the heyday of his career and immersing himself in the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas for five years, Ardor re-emerged from the jianghu with new national music and founded the label "The Land of Birth and Nourishment". In the summer of 2020, on the stage of "Sister Riding the Wind and Waves", Ardor brought new ethnic music into the public eye with "Brother Lied" and "A Bridge of Fate". In Ardor's playlist "The Sound of the New Year's Heart" compiled for Apple Music, the music of new ethnic styles at home and abroad naturally occupies a place. As a pioneer in bringing national music to the stage, how Ardor views the adaptation and dissemination of national music is a topic of interest to us.
Coincidentally, there are also musicians from Kashgar, Xinjiang, who compile songs with ethnic music elements into the song list. "Rap" and "nation" are two characteristics that cannot be ignored in Eger's music. From "Little People" in 2018 to "The Voice of Kashgar" in 2020, he integrated a strong hometown complex and national music style into rap music. In his love-themed Chinese New Year song list "DO 4 LOVE", the musical styles vary greatly from rap to rock to pop, which represents his wide range of musical interests. Äger makes no secret of his desire to blend multiple musical styles, especially to bring musical elements from ethnic minority areas into his creations. In the face of the trend of merging ethnic elements with rap styles, what will be the idea of the new generation of musicians Ai Ge?
Another rapper thin man E.SO share a playlist that is different from Èger's. In his playlist "Goodbye 2020 Joys and Sorrows", he selected the songs he listened to when he was alone, hoping that this playlist could accompany everyone. The Taiwanese musician, who has been exposed to hip-hop since he was 12 years old, has witnessed hip-hop music becoming mainstream in Chinese music and also the process of becoming impetuous. He soberly and calmly realized that the Chinese audience's understanding of rap music may be limited to the understanding of rap musicians, and thus felt a sense of responsibility as a Chinese rapper. How to localize hip-hop music from Europe and the United States is a problem we want to discuss with thin people E.SO.
Similar to the combination of the two musical elements of Skinny E.SO, Feng Yunqian, a Hong Kong music composer who grew up with Edmonton, Canada, is also deeply influenced by a variety of musical styles and musical cultures. Although the epidemic in 2020 slowed down his creative speed as a love of co-composing, this year, he still released two albums, detour and Imagination, singing the journey of life with a deep and gentle voice. In his song list "Ready For a New Year", we can clearly see that his selection of songs shows the characteristics of combining Chinese and Western, including Chinese and European and American pop music, and K-Kop joins it. He hopes that this playlist will bring love, positiveness and healing to the audience. Under the epidemic situation, how Feng Yunqian finds creative inspiration and how to view the Hong Kong music scene in 2020 is a topic we want to know more about.
Love, positivity and healing. The theme of Feng Yunqian's song list may remind many listeners of the style of the Chair Orchestra. In the summer of 2020, the Taiwan Band Chair Orchestra brought a different atmosphere to the variety show with a slow and comfortable style in "The Summer of the Band". In compiling the Chinese New Year song list "Continue Rollin' On" in 2021, the Chair Orchestra added songs that the three members liked at different times, and admitted that these songs sometimes affect their creative thinking. In this "This is a chair" playlist, in addition to the familiar and comfortable musical atmosphere of the listeners, it also contains the hope that the three members hope that the listeners will capture the small beauty in their lives and continue to move forward. Then, how the chair orchestra summed up the gains and feelings of the previous year, how to look at the future, and how to "continue to move forward" is the direction we ask them.
<h3>New Folk Music:</h3>
<h3>"Explain the national music in our hearts in the way of our generation"</h3>
Interface Entertainment: Speaking of ethnic music, I have to mention that in "Sister Riding the Wind and Waves", Ardor took us to appreciate the new national music with great characteristics. What motivated you to devote yourself to the creation of new folk music?
Ardor: In the years when I left the Beijing music scene, I found that there was a lot of good music in the mountains, but it was not known by more people. I felt sorry for them and wanted to bring them out for more people to hear. But this sharing cannot be copied, but improved. It's like a new pie dish. The local food may be too spicy, so how to make the urban people accept the new pie and make it satisfy the appetite, we have to do a lot of work from it.
Interface Entertainment: Compared with traditional folk music, where is the "new" "new" of "new national music"?
Ardor: The "new" of "new national music" is our new generation of young people, using our generation to explain the national music in our hearts, and to let these new listeners have empathy and feel related to themselves. It is not only one ethnic group that listens to the music of its own people, but it makes everyone feel that these national music is related to everyone.
Interface Entertainment: That is to say, let national music connect with everyone. We know that the music of Aije is also very ethnic, in addition to your own ethnic group, is there any music of other ethnic groups that has left a deep impression on you?
Ai Ge: After participating in the "China New Rap" competition, I participated more in music festivals and online performances related to hip-hop music, and there were not many opportunities to contact national music. The reason why I was very impressed by ethnic music is because before my debut, I was influenced by the famous Xinjiang rock artist Palhati. He has a band called Yogurt Band, which combines the form of folk music with rock and roll for secondary creation. Following the yoghurt band for more than two years, many of the festivals we attended were about ethnic music. I was also impressed by the Hanggai band and the Kazakh band IZ in Inner Mongolia.
Interface Entertainment: The three bands mentioned by Ai Ge come from different nationalities and different regions, each with its own characteristics. Ardor, what do you think is the relationship between the cultural characteristics of different regions and music? Will the two nourish each other?
Ardor: For example, in our Xiangxi folk customs, the labor trumpet of playing cun during the New Year can be combined with rap. Different labors will have different trumpets. The rhythm of trumpets and the Rap of the West can be merged. Rap's rhythm is more complex and musical. The rhythm of the labor trumpet is more focused on helping the labor to be done better. Therefore, when the two are integrated, it is necessary to keep the original ecology, scene and emotion of the labor trumpet, and to be more ornamental and auditory.
Interface Entertainment: When introducing the new album, Ardor mentioned that he wanted to make national music "very fashionable and cool" and "let national music and pop music blend", where did this idea of combining ethnic music and popular music come from?
Ardor: A lot of folk music in foreign countries has become internationally popular. For example, Spanish music in Latin America and national music in Scotland have become popular songs that are loved by listeners all over the world. The national music of these different countries can do it. So there are so many ethnic minority music in China, why don't we try it? At least a small group of us can do something and try to make them the new voices representing china in the Chinese music scene and the international music scene.
Interface Entertainment: Were you initially worried that this new style would not be accepted?
Ardor: Of course I'm worried. We really went through a period of loneliness, buried in the ground for years. It's been 8 years since I did this. It was really in the 8th year that everyone began to know "what kind of form and impression the new national music is" about. This is just the beginning.
There are many difficulties, there are difficulties in different periods, and the solution is to keep our eyes on the front. Feel like it's the right thing to do, and you stick to it instead of focusing on the difficulty.
Interface Entertainment: Can you please tell us about ai ge's attempt to blend ethnic elements with modern music?
Ége: I think that my fusion of folk music and pop music is an attempt or a rough, relatively preliminary one. There are also a lot of such cases in the industry: find a national instrument to pair it with popular music. This is a rough initial approach. But national musical instruments can not only be used as embellishments, but it can carry more things with a sense of atmosphere. With modern instruments, you can still pop the scales of folk music. How to let the audience feel the power of modern music, but also to feel the power of the nation, this is very subtle. I'm also slowly exploring. I hope to be able to interpret it in my own way. It's a very challenging thing.
I've properly added some ethnic elements to my music, and I don't know if listeners can hear it, most notably Little People. I've been trying to incorporate these elements into my music, little by little, to subtly, to normalize this style in my music.
Interface Entertainment: Nowadays, pop music borrows more and more ethnic elements, in your opinion, when did this trend begin? And what are the trends ahead?
Egger: If you classify music by ethnicity, there are a large number of integrated peoples in the world, so there has been a fusion of national music since ancient times. It's just that I'm a post-90s person, and after I was born, the music I was exposed to was like this. Going back in time, the earliest Chinese-style jazz music on the beach, like the familiar "Night Fragrance", is considered national music because they are integrated into the Chinese five-tone scale. The fusion of national music is a common thing, and it will be an inevitable trend in the future.
China is a multi-ethnic country, each ethnic group has its own unique culture, I think it is only a matter of time before a hundred flowers bloom. I am also very happy to see more independent forms of folk music combined with modern music with their own tribal culture. The nation is the world, and I have always believed in this saying.
Now that network technology is so developed, people are accepting more and more musical styles. Musicians will also pursue more and more extremes in the creation of music. Coupled with the fact that it is now the era of "bedroom music" popularity, musicians can create independently, regardless of the limitations of recording equipment. I have a rough estimate that I think there will be a lot of good music in 5 to 10 years.
Interface Entertainment: Continuing with the previous question, I would like to ask Ai Ge, what kind of impact do you think this trend will have on Chinese pop music in the future?
Ége: I can only be a witness and see what kind of impact it can have. I think it varies from person to person. To give an example, Mr. Choe Kin is Korean, he led the entire rock culture, and is a rock godfather level figure. We can't tell whether it's the Korean music culture that influenced Chinese rock or Choi Kin himself, so I think this question is still relatively difficult to answer. Musicians will bring together their unique logo and music to show everyone, and I am optimistic and looking forward to it.
<h3>Mandarin Hip Hop Music:</h3>
<h3>"If one person can have a large audience at once, it is a responsibility and an honor</h3>."
Interface entertainment: In addition to ethnic elements, rap elements have gradually moved towards the mainstream of Chinese music. The popular hip-hop style is actually an import of Europe and the United States. May I ask the thin man E.SO, what do you think is the biggest difference between Chinese music and European and American hip hop music?
Skinny E.SO: The two are not the same in the usage of words. Two different languages, grammar is also different, so when writing Chinese rap, I think there are more word games (wordplay) to play, it takes a little more time to think, so Chinese rap music is a more brain-burning thing for me. We also care a lot about the lyrics, quite about the content of the words and the vocabulary used. This is where people on both sides listen to music differently.
There are also differences in the object of your speech when creating. In Europe and the United States, people enjoy music quite a bit, and many people care about the feelings brought by the whole music, because they like to dance. In this part, he may hope for a very direct, musical impact, but the Chinese world is not very dancing, we are more subtle, we like more introverted, inner things, so relatively in the text will pay more attention.
Interface Entertainment: We also see some rappers incorporating elements with their own local characteristics into their own works, how do thin E.SO think about this practice? Will the rap music originating from Europe and the United States be "localized", will this become a trend of thought?
Skinny E.SO: Combining elements of one's own region with rap is very common in hip-hop. We've always wanted to do that. In many of our samples, we will also intercept some old Chinese music samples to do. It's all about finding a resonance from the middle. In the past, when we were working the words, we would also try very hard to add some of the more colloquial Taiwanese dialects to the lyrics, and we also hoped to combine our culture with hip-hop music.
Interface Entertainment: Thin man E.SO once mentioned in an interview that this generation of Chinese hip-hop musicians now shoulders the responsibility of "defining" Chinese hip-hop music. Because although Chinese hip-hop music has gone mainstream, the public is not concerned about singing music and hip-hop culture itself, but on rap musicians. Can Ai Re talk about his views on this point of view?
Ége: I remain neutral. There are many ways to style music. Some people catch the eyeballs through the musical forms they are engaged in, some people catch the eyeballs through their own personal charm, and some people catch the eyeballs through their own works. Now this era is more colorful, the number of listeners is large, the interests are also very wide, and there are different standards for music requirements. Whether through music or through personal form, it is a very good thing to be able to have a group of people who pay attention to themselves first.
I don't think we have to delve into this, time will tell. If a guy has been rapping for 20 years, I don't believe that after 20 years, someone who knows him says he's just a singer. Naturally, he would show everything he was engaged in. It's all a matter of time. If a person can have a lot of audience at once, no matter what they like, I think it is a responsibility and an honor.
<h3>Music creation in 2020 is unusual:</h3>
<h3>"In a world that changes more, we slow down even more</h3>."
Interface Entertainment: 2020 is a special year for all of us. I would like to ask Feng Yunqian, has the events of this year affected your creation? How do you keep your creative inspiration?
Feng Yunqian: Of course there is. We recently released a new album, Imagination, which is about awakening and awakening to what is most important in life. The reason for this concept is that in the past two years, not only the epidemic, but also too many things are happening all over the world. Once I had dinner with my friends, and they said something that impressed me: How so many things are happening everywhere in the world, is it about to end the world? It was because of this that I finally chose the topic of awakening and wrote some songs in this direction.
In terms of creative inspiration, in fact, because of the epidemic, the number of songs I write myself has decreased. I enjoy co-writing with others. Also, I need to go out and find inspiration, such as going out to climb mountains, running, going out to do something else to get inspiration. Sometimes when you are stuck at home looking for inspiration and can't find it, you will have a little headache and upset. I'll go out for a run. When I'm running, I'll empty myself, and when I'm not thinking so much, my thoughts will come naturally. Combine some of the things that come to mind naturally, and the inspiration comes.
Interface Entertainment: What about Aije? What do you think about the impact of various things happening in 2020 on music creation?
Ége: I think everyone is thinking this year. Sometimes at home, you really just have to sit there and pass the time. There is a saying that boredom is the source of philosophy, because of boredom, you may think more things, you will make more associations, and the creative angle is more independent. I used to communicate with a large number of musicians, or influence each other with my buddies. Last year was more to test the creator's independent creation, independent thinking, and independent consciousness.
Moreover, I think that for the word "life", all human beings at present have rethinked and understood. For my creative work, being alone has made me think more and gives me more inspiration.
Interface Entertainment: When it comes to solitude, we have to ask the skinny E.SO who left the group for the first time and made his own album. Do you think being alone is helpful for music creation? Privately, will you enjoy being alone?
Thin man E.SO: I am a person who needs to be alone. As creators, we need to take the time to think. In times like this, it's hard to really be alone. When you're alone, you're still connected to the world with your phone. So I am more and more cherishing this time alone. Usually when we get along with people, it's a bit like we're sending out messages and receiving messages, and in that process, it's hard to sort out something in the middle. So, I think being alone is like putting together the messages we're getting back and then allowing yourself to think about these things, and you'll have a clearer idea of what you're getting.
Interface Entertainment: Compared to the three musicians who need to create their own music, the Chair Orchestra has always been creating music as a group. Zhongying, Bo Yuan and Yongjing, what kind of impact has the epidemic had on you?
Chair Orchestra: From 2020 to this year, the epidemic has made the pace of the whole life different, and it has also made our current thinking completely different from the beginning of 2020. In a world that changes more, we slow down more, and then when things come, we adapt and always prepare ourselves. When you are always changing, calm your mind more, and then concentrate on what to do next, and then the time will be better.
We never thought about staying in Beijing for so long, nearly seven or eight months—the first time we've been away from home for so long. During this period of time, our mood will still be more impetuous, because we don't know where the next work time is. We seem to be waiting, but also slowly learning, in the process of waiting to seize the time, we should do everything we should do well.
Interface Entertainment: If you were to summarize 2020 with a single keyword, what words would the three members of the Chair Orchestra choose?
Chair Orchestra - Zhongying: If I were to summarize, I would choose "complex". Because of the epidemic, some of the songs on our new album were completed in Beijing. Changing an environment had a big impact on myself at first, that is, not creating and producing music in an environment that I was familiar with. When I see that the album is really sent out, the mood will be a little more mixed.
Chair Orchestra - Bo Yuan: In one word to describe 2020, I think it is "unforgettable". 2020 is too complicated, too many things are happening, and everyone is facing something special. Coupled with the first time I left my family for such a long time, I really felt the very exaggerated love and attention of my family. Going out and having family support outside is a very important and great nutrient.
Chair Orchestra - Wing Jing: I use a key word to sum up the musical feeling of this year as "evolution", the "evolution" of "evolution". Many different senses opened up this year. I have more imagination, and more things to describe, and the boundaries are getting wider and wider. I feel more like trying to describe something more nuanced, which feels great.
Interface Entertainment: What about the pan-rap field? Can the thin man E.SO think of a key word?
Skinny E.SO: I don't think hip-hop music has changed much in 2020. Honestly, I've heard quite a lot of indie rock music, and there's a lot of good compositions. I don't quite know why, but it's true that's how I feel.
Interface Entertainment: What is the situation in the Hong Kong music scene in 2020?
Feng Yunqian: I will use "fire". I think the Hong Kong music scene is very "hot". Last year, I went to an awards ceremony. Organizers say the last time the Metro Awards presented so many songs was in 1996. In other words, there are still many people in the Hong Kong music scene who are constantly making songs. Under the epidemic, perhaps because the performance is cancelled or postponed, many people will continue to make music with "fire".
<h3>Thick Accumulation Thin Hair 2021:</h3>
<h3>"If everything is OK, we work in large quantities and move on with our lives."</h3>
Interface Entertainment: May I ask Ardor, what different places will you go to in 2021 to dig up "new folk music"?
Ardor: Because our new folk music is not only for listening, but also for experiencing. In 2021, our entire team should strive to bring the performance, whether it is a landing performance or a touring performance, to the public's vision, so that everyone can more deeply understand what is the new national music. Of course, there will be some places to collect wind, but it is not yet decided which places to go.
Interface Entertainment: What about the Chair Orchestra? Do you still have plans to go on variety shows?
Chair Orchestra: If everything slowly gets better, we will still arrange more tours this year, and we will gather old songs and new songs into a special session to meet with everyone. After that, we expect to have a show related to Real Love Is..., with a dedicated show that tells more of the story of this album. We will definitely produce more new songs this year. Please stay tuned.
After that, will you participate in the variety show to see the fate. Participating in variety shows is also quite a big impact on our music, and it is also quite interesting to see and know different musicians and know their creative concepts. We continue to create, and if we have the opportunity to share it with you, we do not exclude any occasion.
Interface Entertainment: New songs and new albums are something to look forward to. I heard that Aije is also working on a new album, what are the new plans for 2021?
Egger: The new work plan is to do a lot of work! Last year was really idle for half a year, and in the second half of the year, there were some times when I had to face work, which felt a bit like a child letting go for three or four months of summer vacation, and then suddenly returning to school to start classes. The work will still be continuous, which will keep me in shape. Wang Aether and I plan to release our co-authored album in June. This album adds more stream-of-consciousness stuff. I will also try to add my own national stuff. The dialect of Xinjiang and the dialect of ether meet together, which is also a way of integration.
In the second half of the year, I have my own mixtape plan. I want to work with admiring rappers, no matter what the style. 2021 is a state of accumulation and thin hair, I believe everyone is also all. 2020 has passed, and it is hoped that the global epidemic in 2021 can also be handled properly. So if everything is OK, we work in large quantities and move on with our lives.
Interface Entertainment: So what about Feng Yunqian? What are the new aspirations for music and life in 2021?
Feng Yunqian: In terms of music, I think I will continue to sing and make songs. I'm also quite greedy. I would like to be able to have my own solo concert. Of course, it depends on the situation of the epidemic, after all, safety is the most important. Also, musically, I'd like to be able to try out the role of executive producer, that is, to help people make music, and I might even want to try to be an executive producer for my own project. Also, recently my brother and I wanted to do more online work and make more films. In terms of life plan, I want to complete the marriage thing. Originally, I planned to get married last year, but I didn't finish it because of the epidemic. So I hope this year can get this done. If I can get married again, open my own concerts, and sing songs again, it will make my 2021 more abundant. I'm also working towards that goal.