A rhinoceros is walking on a dust road, wearing a stubborn look.
That is the picture appearing on the front cover of Wang Wei's
first personal album. This 28-year-old young man who had spent 12
years in France said his music journey had just started.
Wang did everything by himself for his first album. He designed
the front cover. He was the singer, producer, and the guitar
player. He even wrote the lyrics and composed the music for all the
songs. He did not want any music production companies to do all
this for him. He might just want them to be the music
distributor.
Wang Wei likes rock "n" roll. To him, it is a kind of music that
can reveal a person's stupidity or naivety. It can express a
person's true feelings at heart. The lyrics in his songs express
his emotions frankly. They are filled with poetic melancholy. They
don't sound hysterical, as if the singers are struggling for
something, just like the rock "n" roll music we often hear. Because
he had been living a rather comfortable life in Europe compared
with other singers, he didn't have the experience of life struggle.
He didn't actually find some work to do, although he did wash
dishes (he did so in order to gain some life experience, not to
make a living). He hadn't lived in dirty basement. So he is not
cynical to life. When you look at him, he seems more like a campus
singer. He even felt embarrassed with his tender skin.
Sometimes he is a stubborn guy. But, in order to become a music
star, he is willing to make changes. He has listened to the
public's opinions, so half of the songs in his second album are
lyric songs.
It's hard to tell which influences him more, Eastern music or
Western music. In his album, one can hear both Eastern style songs
and songs filled with Paris sentiment. His two most popular songs,
A Bright Sky and I'm Sorry, Dear, were both finished in Europe. But
he personally doesn't like these two non-rock "n" roll songs.
Wang uses a Chinese idiom to describe his own life – "The burden
is heavy and the road ahead is long." He predicts that the music
environment in China will become better in future.
"It is my wish that I can finish 20 personal albums by the time
I die. If listeners can feel something from my music, I will be
content," he said.
(Chinanews.cn April 23, 2007)