Pop Asia
Magazine No. 50, April 2004, pages 96~97
J-version >>
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The front-runner of Taiwan pop, still unshakably popular throughout the Chinese world, talks about his career and further ambitions |
Wakin
Chau led the Taiwan popular music industry in the 1990s. He had
been less active from the late '90s until last year, when his
best songs album Keep Wakin
1987-2002, released to commemorate the 15th anniversary*
of his debut, topped the Taiwan music charts. We took this opportunity
to ask Wakin for a retrospective look at his 15 years** in the
Taiwanese popular music industry.
in the mountains, but . . . .
What do you
think has been your role in the Taiwanese pop music industry
in the '80s and '90s?
I don't think
I could have established myself in this world if I'd debuted
10 years earlier or later. It was perfect timing. In 1987, when
I made my debut with Direction
of the Heart, the so-called "campus folk music" boom had begun to fade
into chaos. Then came Lo
Ta-yu with spectacular sounds, and Jonathan
Lee was starting to produce fine tunes. It was the time
when popular music entered a new stage. These two men were among
many talented
artists of Rock Records, the label to which I belonged
as well; it was an exciting place that allowed us to make new
attempts. In the early 1990s, we were free to make albums putting
our own thoughts and views of life into the lyrics and melodies.
The music world began
to change its nature in the late '90s as Taiwan's pop music market
reached its full growth, the standard was established, and R&B
was gaining popularity. The music world is like an organism,
and it's natural to change its nature as time passes. I knew
that very well, but I grew a little tired around 1999. I had
my own standard that I'd developed by that time, and I couldn't
change my style to make popular R&B tunes. Nevertheless,
looking for something
different from my previous albums, I secluded myself
in the mountains to drive myself into intensive songwriting.
Such efforts almost bore fruit when the best songs album was released
and became a hit (laughs). Ironic, isn't it?
Do you think
there's a distance between the current musical trend and your
own style?
Today's pop
music sounds fast and inorganic to me, and I feel that it's not
what I want. Suppose that today's popular songs are like "color
TV" and the songs I've written are like "black-and-white
TV." Color images are enjoyable, but occasionally viewing
black-and-white images makes you think they have some "flavor"
as well. That's fine with me, and I believe it's why last year's
best songs album sold so well.
As I grow older,
I want to continue
musical activities and
deepen in flavor.
Which album
or song do you have special feelings for among your 20 plus albums?
Well, it's
hard to say — I love them all. In terms of the quality,
the album would be My
Little Paradise in 1996. I wanted to make an album
back then that you could listen to at any time of the day. So
I remixed my previous songs with the band. The song would be
I Will Marry You
Tomorrow. I wrote it to echo the sentiments of a
woman marrying the next day. Memorable songs are
The Flowery Heart and You
Make Me Happy and Sad. The original of The Flowery
Heart is "Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana o" written
by Shoukichi Kina
of Okinawa. I participated in the Okinawa Music Festival back
then. Listening to the song, I was so moved that I included it
in the album for the memory, intending to breathe new life into
the CD.
You Make Me Happy and Sad was written by Chage & Aska and became my signature song. There was a plan back then to make an entire album of Chage & Aska titles, but that approach was abandoned in favor of choosing just one. So I picked Otoko to Onna (Man and Woman). Luckily, the lyrics of the song were good, but no one expected that it would become a big hit not only in Taiwan but also in China.
What is your
future plan?
There are many
artists in other countries, like Eric Clapton, Ben E. King or Japan's Keisuke Kuwata, who remain the same,
or rather, deepen in flavor as they grow older. Like them, I
want to continue musical activities while I keep changing. At
the moment, I'm writing a movie script, and I'm thinking of doing
the directing and music for it. I can't tell you the story yet,
but I assure you that it won't disappoint.
____________________________
* ** In fact, 2004 marks Wakin's 20th year in the music business.
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*J-to-E
translation by A. Kobayashi
Much appreciated!
Edited for the WWS by A. Kurita
