Like every other opening line for all my blog posts: It has been a gajillion years since I've blogged and I have been inspired to resurrect this thang! As always, much has happened since my last post and while I may not verbalize it all the time, there is in fact a lot that goes through my mind. Various thoughts, insights, emotions, make their occasional appearance in my absolutely cute journal (proud purchase with a gift-card, so really, free on my part: win-win), but most thoughts are actually internalized and circulated during my LONG commute to and from work - why yes, by God's Grace, I have been working full-time at the International Rescue Committee as an assistant case worker. That is another miraculous story in and of itself testifying to God's provision, timing, and faithfulness. We'll save that for next time.
And now you must be wondering what this "big commotion" is all about. Well, let me just say, probably to none of your surprise, I am quoting directly from WLH 王力宏's new single 火力全開 (huo li quan kai: open fire)
- I'm sure some of you have decided to stop reading just about, now - which apparently is so "controversial" it stirred up a whole mess of talks, debates, angry Youtube commentators and loyal fans to his defense. Obviously, to dedicate an entire blog post to one song, I have no less to comment on this piece. While most of you, I'm sure, are not the least interested in WLH, or Chinese music for the matter, this song opened a can of worms that I've kept to myself for a while. So let's just say that while "analyzing" this piece, I am also using WLH's song as a springboard to express some of my own somewhat hidden emotions and thoughts. Perhaps you'd get a glimpse of how I perceive the world. If you decide to continue forth... BRACE YOURSELF. I am expecting something massive, considering this post is almost a compilation of days-worth of careful thinking. How unfortunate that I find it difficult to write long literary analysis, whereas this? pfftt. "EASY JUBB"! Here we go.
Actually, maybe you should listen to the song first:
Just to start off, I can understand how 火力全開 can potentially be "controversial", or how WLH can come off as a "cultural brat", as some You Tubers like to say. In fact, he can come off as having excessive Chinese pride, consequently, undermining western artists and culture. Logically speaking, I can see that, especially when I saw this: "勝利不必等待 因為 MUSIC- MAN 的 到來" (victory does not need to wait, because Music Man has come) - that, I do not condone. Experientially though, I think otherwise. Though both supporting and opposing parties like to claim their "objectivity" in the manner, there is absolutely no way to be unbiased and "objective" when it comes down to it. I will openly admit my bias towards WLH. Why? His music, his character, and his overarching concepts speak to me. My personal experiences fuel a response that would never allow for me to fully comment objectively, whatever that's supposed to mean. I try not to
blindly follow, and I do not always agree with everything this guy does, but more often than not, he uniquely and very tangibly affirms and gives courage to some of my thoughts on my own identity having grown up in a different environment than perhaps 90% of my friends (aside from the more-than-obvious objective truth that my identity is found in Christ). For those who find interest elsewhere or are strongly opposed to him, you likewise may have something or someone else who speaks to you more than what WLH has to offer. Simply put, accept the fact that you are equally biased. One You Tube user comes to mind as we speak (I know, I know, I actually took the time to read through a good many pages of comments). She, I'm assuming based on the channel name, engaged in on going debates in regards to how horrendous this piece is, and how rude WLH is. It was intriguing how much offense she took from the piece and was literally machine-gunning down other users' comments. So I decided to check out her You Tube channel, lo and behold, to my
GREAT surprise, a Lady Gaga fan. So that explains it all. Lady Gaga was listed as her favorite artist. All her uploaded videos were that of Lady Gaga. Simple! Her preference. Perhaps that is why she is so enraged, because WLH probably unintentionally offended her "favorite" with "你說 Lady 卡卡 我說 何必 怕他" (roughly translated as "you say Lady Gaga, I say why should I be afraid of her), except I still cannot understand how saying that would come off as offensive. Perhaps Lady Gaga's music speaks to her. Who knows? Maybe I'm just making too many assumptions of her. Maybe I will wake up to her gunning-down my post. Ha. But I would like to think that my blog is far from the vicinity of the public eye. Eh. I'm sure many had similar assumptions. Little did they know that those assumptions would lead to their demise - ching chong ling long anyone? ha. Anyways. I digress. Appreciating Lady Gaga? That is something I personally will never be able to understand. Why? I have my own convictions that would not allow for it. Beat wise, I do like a few of her songs - Just Dance, Telephone, Poker Face, and I admit her voice is decent and she's got some piano skills, but aside from all of that, Lady Gaga in no way or form speaks to me and I can never identify with her work, and least of all, how she portrays herself. In fact, I fear for dear life for the next generation if she is the so called "western icon" or "goddess". I don't discount her hard work and talent, but she is just not someone I can or am willing to identify with. Anyways, all this to say that we are all quite biased and it seems so silly to be enraged by others' opinions... in regards to one song. Worse, is seeing both sides firing at each other with ignorant and disrespectful comments. With that being said, I guess I can now finally present my biased opinion about this new single: a response shaped by my personal experiences, culminated and summarized through this piece - OK, culminated? i probably exaggerated a bit.
Conceptually, 火力全開, I think, embodies everything WLH has been developing and promoting in his creative career- the "chinked out" style. It may be the most explicit one yet. A full combination of the Chinese and English languages, "familiar American musical styles", Chinese instrumentals, topped with a futuristic, modern/old school martial arts music video, whereas his previous "chinked-out" pieces have been
slightly more subtle in their east-west blend. If anything, he just stepped up his game! For the better or for the worse,
beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
火力全開 is presented through a
war analogy perhaps to illustrate a cultural clash, movement, evolution maybe, or even the creation of something new. I don't think it necessarily equates to the Chinese taking over the West's music industry and being king of the world, but I do think it puts into perspective the problem with an oft-too romanticized and glorified West, and the struggles and desires for equal recognition and appreciation for innovative work from a Chinese American artist. The invisible uphold and bias towards American music inevitably play the role of an unnecessary oppressor to, in this case, Chinese music gaining international recognition. And it may even come directly from the locals over there in Taiwan. Why do you think there is such a big movement among the You Tube stars these days? It has always been, unfortunately, quite. a. journey. for Asians to make it big in the American music industry, showbiz, and whatnot. They are doing covers of American songs. They are writing songs with musical styles that do not necessarily diverge greatly from the American norm. Yet, why is their audience still predominantly Asian?! I can't be sure, but I think and hope that they are in some way or form revolutionizing this. strange. happening. Imagine how much harder it would be if the musical style were completely different and the lyrics sung in a different language? I do think there is much room for improvement in the Chinese music industry. Many other cultures do have innovative musical styles, breakthroughs, and presentations that the Chinese seem to be lacking in sometimes, and I hope that it would in turn challenge Chinese artists to pursue something greater than the c-pop norm while other countries continue to do the same for their music. Is Wang Leehom not taking on that very challenge, even if it may cost popularity and album sales? Is Khalil Fong not doing the same by bringing in heavily jazz and blues influenced music into the Chinese music industry? I'm pretty sure that is not plagiarism and definitely not too "American sounding", as some commentators ridiculed in regards to 火力全開, but rather an opportunity to highlight the interconnectedness of the world we live in - OK, you probably think that I am 101% for this new song, but in fact I am not. Oh, but not quite against it either. Just bear with me.
I always loved the concept and visual of a
bridge. I feel like one on so many levels, which I will not elaborate here lest you die reading this already massive post. Because musicians like WLH and KFong embody this supposed cultural bridge in which I am familiar with, I can easily identify and find comfort in their work. Yes. In this case, interconnectedness between the American and Chinese languages and cultures. Honestly, there are some melodies and beats that can potentially interchange between the English and Chinese languages, but for your average ABC, somehow the appeal is less when the song is sung in Chinese, right? Or there is an automatic assumption of a Cpop stereotype that stops one from even taking the step to listen to the song. Don't get me wrong, I am not judging you if you find no interest in Chinese music. I think it is more on the attitude level that I find problematic. Being in a multi-ethnic office setting, and surprisingly a minority, I decided to burn a sample WLH CD for my two coworkers: white Texas boy "A" and American-born Armenian girl "L". I appreciate the fact that "L" even listened through the CD and commented on how she loved the parts with Chinese instrumental. As for "A" and his peculiar taste in music, I was not at all offended when I realized that he probably did not get through the CD. Why? Because he, as a person, is open to and appreciative towards other cultures and languages, non-judgmental towards those who are different from him, and one who had the nerves to pick up Farsi on his own. So really, I find it not offensive at all. He knows old school Chinese music that my gramma doesn't even listen to and watches more Stevan Chau movies than I have ever watched in my life time.
Seriously, we're in the 21st century and everything is about globalization. Even Master's in Social Work programs (disconnect? sorry, that is one of my options I plan on pursuing in the future) are focusing more and more on social work on the international level. Living in this day and age, I dare say it would be ignorant to remain in an American bubble with off-the-hook American pride. What I mean by that is a pride that fuels contempt for other cultures, sometimes in very subtle ways, as in "let ME the American HELP YOU so you can model your ways after MINE and also be GREAT". We all like to think that we aren't like that. I would like to think I'm not like that. But even though I convinced myself that I am passionate about other cultures and languages, I was and still am guilty of that pride. And how did that come about? Let me bring you back to parts of my past...
I always tell my friends I progressively became more Asian... explicitly Asian... as the years have gone by. In high school, even a bit in middle school, I felt that the Asian side of me was a bit repressed. There was always a negative ring to being called fobby and I did not like it. at all. Oh the days when fitting in seemed to have taken priority over everything else. I once heard a friend claim that she is the coolest fob one will ever know. I thought she was cool already. Why did she have to label herself as a cool fob?! Clearly in some of my social circles, F.O.B. was NOT the way to go, even if it were not explicitly said that way. Ironically, this came mostly from Asian Americans too. Not too pleasant, ey? So, as a young immature individual at the time, why would I have wanted to be associated with anything but the norm? Even though people may say otherwise, I still think calling someone a fob is mildly derogatory. Actually, let me clarify that. Most of the time, it is all in
good fun when people joke around about it. However, it can come off as offensive if the person saying it holds an attitude characterized by pride and a lack of openness and acceptance towards other cultures. Unfortunately, my own experiences in my Asian-American circles conclude that there is a major lack of mms... i guess raw openness and appreciation towards Asian cultures, one without an America-the-great type of attitude. In this case specifically, it would be a lack of openness toward and appreciation for Chinese music, media etc. (and I am just using Chinese most of the time for obvious reasons: blog post inspiration and my own experiences - so, sorry for the narrow discussion). There seems to be no such "prejudice" when it comes to food, or Latin America, or Africa because somehow food and all things non-Chinese just somehow seem cooler. Is that not so?
Personal experience: I posted multiple WLH videos, and even ENGLISH interviews on Facebook, only to receive something along the lines of "oh you EFF OH BE :P" from one who has never even given the artist or my experiences a chance. Perhaps I find it offensive because I connect that type of
joking-contempt as a direct disregard for my personal experiences. I would not have felt so strongly if the comment were along the lines of "Oh you WLH fan girl". However, I never addressed this issue because it is my bad for not explaining to that particular individual
why I find it offensive. Come to think of it, I am curious to know as to what IS so fobby about listening to WLH anyway? Because he is singing in Chinese? If I were to play his English covers without showing his face, I assure you nobardy would make the fobby connection. If it is a heavily hip-hop R&B based song sung in Chinese, is that still considered fobby even though the musical style is more on the American side? So is the Chinese language the fobby aspect? Or the fact that he is interested in producing Chinese music that makes him by association, fobby? If he were to converse with someone in English and not hint at his interest in the Chinese language, culture, and music, would he then still be considered fobby? You would probably just see him equivalent to any other ABC, no? So does listening to a piece by a straight up China/HK/TW born artist make me
EXTRA fobby then? What a strange phenomenon. Anyway, what if I listened to a ton of Spanish songs, or Euro-pop, or Brazilian music or something? I can almost guarantee that it would seem much cooler than listening to Chinese music, and I can almost guarantee that there would be no labels attached. You never hear people say things like "oh wow, you are SO Mexican", or "hahaha you're so European". Strange, isn't it.
Most "fobs" end up succumbing to this label and attempt to repossess the word, as you can see in the case of the "cool fob". I did not like it at all, but I too came to accept it, and even joined in on the bandwagon in using it. Up to this day, the remnants of my giving-in is still evident in my speech. I still blurt out things like: I do not like fobby hair. That is such a fobby shirt. I love fobby stationary... At the end of the day, no one is to blame for my choice of actions, except for myself. I cannot tell you how much I wish I had thought for myself at the time. I wish "fobby" wasn't my first association when I spoke or heard Chinese in public (what was I even thinking? How cool is it to know more than one language? and to know one of the most prominent languages of this day and age!) I wish upon hearing "you are SO LUCKY to be an ABC. I want to be one!" I didn't choose to let that get into my head, but it kind of did. I always wonder where I would be now had I not experience that invisible label. I did not care much about such a label when it came to my college days, but that is also when I started swinging into the other extreme. I believe my second or third year of college was characterized by greater outbursts of "YEAH. HONG KONG! CHINESE MUSIC! CHINESE LANGUAGE! SHANGHAI! TAIWAN!" whatever, you get the idea. And now, I am finally beginning to realize that this current public embrace of my "past", is almost a form of
retaliation. I honestly don't think I would have swung in this Asian-lovin' extreme if those sentiments were not hidden for so long.
Sentiments can lead to accentuated action when done in retaliation. Ironically, this response actually led me to greater appreciation for the Chinese culture, history, and language. I cannot say the same if I were living in Hong Kong or Shanghai... then I just might have a longing for American culture. Again, whatever is
lacking, if you will. Any element missing makes me INCOMPLETE. Oops, tangent. So for a good few years of my life, I did not allow a fair share of... well, expression, from the Asian side of me. As a result, I harbored an internal competition between the American and Chinese cultures and languages. When I finally came to my senses, I naturally
spoke out for the
underrepresented and
fought for what is
lacking. "
This fight for equality" makes perfect sense then, right? A competition, yes, but not for the sole purpose of winning, but rather for an equal opportunity. Hence, "打倒帝國主義" (down with uh imperialism?! don't know the translation, but essentially the concept of an empire). I always wonder how my perspective would be different if I gave both parts of me a fair chance. I'm sure I'd still have a preference, but by no means an extreme over another, like now. Perhaps it is no different in WLH's choice of expression through this piece, knowing that Chinese music never really had its place in the Western world and that many of the Asian youth (OR MEDIA) nowadays put all-things-American on a pedestal. Could it be that Chinese music is underrepresented internationally and even sometimes among its own people -
even worse, then heck yeah,
fight for equality! Shrugs. Just a guess. Although I may not be the biggest fan of the musicality of this piece, it somehow does comfortably reflect my personal experiences, as explained earlier. As an amateur artist myself (not musician), I know that there are some ideas that require very explicit or even corny presentation to get a point across. Subtlety sometimes just does not cut it, and I think 火力全開 mirrors exactly that. It seems clear enough for me to understand the assumed statement WLH is trying to make. Unfortunately the boldness of such a move can often times come off as a bit cheesy, or could potentially cross a line that may cause more controversy than one may want - quite evident in this case...
As an American born Chinese himself who loves and is heavily influenced by American artists like Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Leonard Bernstein, MJ, to name a few of the contemporaries, it seems unlikely for him to completely discount American influence or to not appreciate the American side of him even though he is so gung-ho on promoting everything Chinese. Have you not seen the international make up of his concert touring bands the past few years, and how he has had a range of musical exchange with people all over the world, including American artists? If anything, I take 火力全開 more as a form of desired
openness and
dialogue between the two cultures and languages in this increasingly interconnected world (solely my interpretation). Perhaps this seeming declaration of war instates an overlooked presence. In my case, I realized that there
is. no. dialogue. when an individual can not even see past F.O.B. ya know what ah mean? They will NOT even get to the music, which is what... music should be about, not some preconception based on the general geographical location. How will people hear the music for what it is if all they hear is FOB or assume that all music coming from HK, TW, and China is C-pop, and that anything that remotely sounds American equates to plagiarism or a lack of innovation on their part? I guess that provokes me to talk about it THAT much more and subtly causes me to post up THAT many more related videos and links. Unfortunately, doing so also backfires and people just think I am really Asian and a crazy fan girl :)
Here is an example. Have you heard of 王若琳's (Joanna Wang) 有你的快樂 (you ni de kuai le)?
What is your preconception on this artist and song? Perhaps squeaky girl vocals? That actually ran through my mind before I listened to her, because that is the general stereotype I hold for Asian female singers in the current pop music industry unfortunately... ): Ahknow, I am quite hypocritical. Working on that.
Was it a surprise? Did you expect this gorgeous Ella Fitzgerald-esque voice? Did you even come close to expecting such a jazz-heavy piece? But that would have never gotten to you had you not been open-minded about it, right? Chinese girl
≠ Typical Cpop
≠ no bueno! Of course, that is not always the case, but the good and bad exist in all music, right?
Oh, did I mention that she is an ABC too? In fact she is much more fluent in English than Chinese and probably culturally much more American than Chinese. Had one not known that, the natural assumption upon hearing her Chinese songs would be to associate them with "fob music". Even though fobby is often times associated on a more cultural level, assuming another person's "fobby status" on the basis of language fluency seems common too, and quite foolish. I wonder if musicians like Christina Aguilera would be as famous if she only sang in Espanol. She has pretty good vocals, but language still seems to play an important role in contemporary music. All this to say that even the choice in language brings about assumptions.
Alright. I think I beat... whatever point I was making... to... and I don't know how to finish this sentence - insert sheepish smile -
Back to 火力全開. To be honest, I am no music buff. I cannot for the life of me explain the technicalities of chord progression, the number of identical measures / bars of music for it to be considered plagiarism, or anything of the sort. I am personally not even an avid fan of auto tune or anything heavily digitized for the matter (unfortunately, those songs are always so dang catchy). So, as much of a die-hard fan girl that I am, 火力全開 is not a favorite solely based on my non-preference for auto tune, and it did remind me too much of the mainstream American music that I actually avoid listening to. BUT, but, I will say this: I do not agree that the desire to promote Chinese music and to make it great on an international level requires a removal from Western influence. Sorry if I do not sound cohesive. I read various comments that led me to write about this specifically. Take pop for example, it is generally a shared genre throughout the world, but can be easily and uniquely identified as a certain culture's pop music - kpop, cpop, europop, etc. Hip Hop, R&B, rap, jazz, you name it, are also all infiltrating into THE WORLD and I do not find it problematic that artists use those as influences. Yes, 火力全開 heavily resembles American tunes, but it is refreshing in the contemporary pop world and unique to the Chinese music industry not only because of the martial arts based music video and rather thought-provoking content, but also because of the incorporation of the Chinese bass drum. Such incorporation is ingenious, smooth, and gives much more depth to a heavily digitized song, which I often find lacking in the party, money, sex, and fame themed mainstream American songs. This song may have gone overboard with the American influence, unlike some of his more classic "chinked-out" pieces such as 心中的日月(xin zhong de ri yue), 蓋世英雄 (gai shi ying xiong), 花田錯 (hua tian cuo), and 伯牙絕弦 (bo ya jue xian?), where the Chinese elements were more prominent. In reality though, nothing has changed significantly in WLH's
overarching concept. He didn't quite deviate from his "Chinked-out" style, as it has always been an embodiment of the mixing of East and West - "a school of hip hop that incorporates traditional Chinese elements and sounds", so the man himself describes. I wonder if it would be of less concern to the public if the song were similar to oh who knows... some African, Indian, Middle Eastern, South Central American song...
Perhaps this illustration will help you understand my position. It is IMPOSSIBLE for one to tell me to be completely American or completely Chinese. This sub-culture, new culture, whatever you want to call it, of an American born Chinese who has lived overseas for most of her childhood and even attended a local school during her time in HK, can neither rid the American nor the Chinese influence. Those experiences have shaped who I am today and it would be absurd for anyone to ask me to choose one over the other. Likewise, the Chinked-out genre, while utilizing American influences, incorporates heavily Chinese-rooted elements, from instruments, to art forms, to beats. Would you consider that type of song straight up American hip hop, R&B, or "American auto tune"? I can't (ha! what a joke. I guess to some, auto tune is a uniquely "Western" element - silly people). Would you consider that type of song straight up Chinese pop? No... doesn't quite sound like that either. So is this new? Different? It seems like such simple logic to understand. With that being said, I won't deny that 火力全開 could have been executed a bit differently to avoid becoming, unfortunately, a shadow of American music, but I do not think it is wrong to promote Chinese music that has Western influence and still claim it to be uniquely Chinese because... it is! You don't see that anywhere else. It is precisely the Chinese elements that uniquely identify this type of pop/hip hop/ R&B as "chinked out". Similarly, I do not find his incorporation of an English verse a problem in trying to promote Chinese music, even after saying "別向她們磕頭" (don't bow down to them). In fact, I loved "imma sing this next verse in Chinese" - It gives me a... ermm... probably prideful satisfaction. Not bowing down and succumbing to "them" (I believe referring to the general realm of Western music, symbolized by Lady Gaga here in his song), doesn't necessitate a cutoff from American influences, but rather, a riddance of this invisible pedestal that so oftentimes becomes a hindrance to great potential from the Asian world on an international level. If it weren't obvious enough, let me tell you that this is one of the rare occasions, if not the first time, that WLH dedicated an entire verse in English for a Chinese-based song. It may seem contradictory for one to incorporate a verse in English all the while claiming music as an international language and how it can transcend cultural and language barriers. True, but perhaps missing the point. Could it be that his desire for Chinese music to "level up" (I don't even play games and I know this nerdy term!) to an international level is a greater incorporation of languages and musical influence anchored with specific Chinese elements? Additionally, I do think that him being an ABC well versed in both English and Chinese, as well as Eastern and Western musical forms, spices things up a bit. While promoting Chinese music, it is not confined to your typical Chinese genre, and instead encourages a dialogue with others - exactly my thang.
Apologies for the abrupt end but wow, that was foreal looong as heck. It wasn't as "easy jubb" as I had thought. In fact, I actually might have started this post well over a month ago. The more I wrote, the more I had to consider, and the more I found myself quite hypocritical and not making sense, or even contradicting myself. Ha! Not to mention writer's block and the busy schedule of life. Anyhow, while expressing some of my opinions, I also learned what I had to work on. Win-win situation then I suppose. You might have not noticed, but many of the Chinese artists I enjoy listening to and am more fan girl over, are actually ABC's. I cannot say I am fully immersed in the love for Chinese music. I actually feel the struggle between what I am attempting to promote and what I am so avidly against. Ironic, ey? So forgive my biased opinions and hypocritical complaints. I hope in the end that it was still somewhat thought provoking.
This is neither a professional musical analysis, nor some sociology or anthropology research paper, so I can only engage my discussion as far as. well. this. Since I am an ABC and the two most familiar cultures to me are obviously the American and Chinese cultures, I can only write with this perspective at this point. To conclude...
Well, I don't have a conclusion because all these thoughts led me to think of something rather important: what it means to be a
GLOBAL CHRISTIAN. Originally, I planned on writing about that in this post since it was one, humungous, connected thought process, but I don't even think I can read through this already ginormous, DTrain-esque running post, let alone another looong paragraph on a weighty subject matter.
Stay tuned. I promise it'll be shorter next time.
MISHAP #2: "LOST" LUGGAGE. We arrive at Taoyuan airport in Taiwan, only to find out that both of my suitcases and Ying's big suitcase were missing. After waiting in line for a long, long time, we learned that due to an error in the system, our suitcases were still sitting around in HK, where we had our transfer. The airline staff assured us that our luggage would be delivered to our Taipei location no later than 6pm that day.
