[ENG SUB] Story Behind Song Rearrangements Hua Chenyu 华晨宇 訪談新浪娛樂

*Sina Interview with Hua Chenyu <The Next S2>
Story Behind Song Rearrangements*

Hello friends from Sina, nice to meet you. I'm Hua Chenyu

*The story behind rearranging <<Code Name: Contra>>*

[Q: Were you good at playing this game (Contra)?]

Yes, I was pretty good at playing it. It's from my generation

Em... yes, people my age played it

When I was young, I played....

..It's called...SUBOR

the red and white game console

[When you were first given this randomly picked song <<Code Name: Contra>>]

[were you excited?]

[Or did you feel it was just like <<Great Sage Equaling Heaven>> with only a short melody and you were not prepared for it at all?]

Oh yes, when I first got this song, I searched my mind

'Is there a song called <<Contra>>?'

So I thought 'Maybe someone wrote it afterwards?'

I thought it was an actual song

But when they played the music... It was actually just the BGM of the game

And I went 'Urrgh, I'm finished'

It was kind of like <<Great Sage Equaling Heaven>> that I got last year

And then, I thought 'Okay, maybe I have to write a new song'

And then I...

went back to play the game right away

To get the feel of playing it again, to get familiar with it

and also to listen to the BGMs of different levels

To find a... (melody)

and rearrange it into something I wanted

and then select some music elements (for the song)

*There are many people who commented that <<Code Name: Contra>> is similar to <<Great Sage Equaling Heaven>>. What do you think about that?*

They're completely different

My goodness

Anyone who could say this must be someone who doesn't know music

If I were to explain it to them, it would be like giving a lesson, and it would be so hard

I...Perhaps, I'd need to teach them a lot of stuff before I could even start explaining

[Maybe they just thought that the two songs seem similar in genre?]

Then maybe for these kinds of people, in their world

there's only (the difference between) rap and singing

fast songs and slow songs, love songs and rock songs

or love songs and... and... and what else...? Love songs and hip-hop (songs)

[Yes. Perhaps they just know a bit about music genres, and can't actually understand what music is about]

It's okay, I...

I can even play rock (music) on the piano, so it's likely if I...

If I don't explain that this is rock, maybe they'll think that I'm singing a love song

Yes, isn't that true?

That's why it would be so tiring to explain it to them

They're completely different

Those two songs

It's just that both have rock elements in them

[We saw that when you were writing the song, you jotted down some keywords for the lyrics]

[for example, 'warrior' or whatever. Have you thought of trying to write lyrics completely on your own?]

[Usually when you're answering questions, your command of language to express yourself and your organization of words are quite good]

It's not good at all

[So speaking is fine, but you can't write lyrics?]

I can only speak very plainly in straightforward terms

Also, my vocabulary is very limited

Yes, it's just, erm...

Every time I need to use a particular word, I need to think for a long time before I figure out how to say it

Yes, it's just...

I can only speak very plainly

[But you always have an idea of what a song should express, right?]

For songs, yes

[So when you're composing a song, you'll simply throw out a few keywords]

[but you'll still be very finicky about the lyrics]

Yes. It actually means that I've already set the topic

the main topic of the song, and the direction of the lyrics

So the lyrics can't go off topic. If they do, then they'll have to be revised

[Of all the songs you've composed, which one of their lyrics got revised the most?]

Many of them did, let me think...

The slower songs...like <<Giant Deer>>

There were many versions of <<Giant Deer>>'s lyrics

A lot of people wrote the lyrics

In the end, I chose a version that came closest to the melody

And after choosing it, I asked the lyricist to further revise the lyrics

[You won't consider writing your own lyrics in the near future?]

No I won't, because I think that my lyrics can't keep up with my melodies

Because I think that a lot of my melodies...

cannot be expressed with words

*The story behind rearranging <<A Song at Midnight>>*

[Right before filming the episode in which you sang <<A Song at Midnight>>, you were busy with other work]

My concert

[So you were in an exhausted state when you were about to perform the song, and Leslie Chung (the original singer-songwriter) means a lot to you]

[When you got this song, could your body and spirit keep up with (the requirement of) the song?]

Yes, I was (exhausted). On that day, I was actually a little worried

I knew that I was really tired that day. My vocal cord wasn't in good condition too

and then... ehm...

When I saw the name Leslie Cheung on the screen, I was like 'I'm finished'

I couldn't believe I had to sing (that song)

That I just had to perform his song at a time like this

And then

I felt anxious that night, yes

On top of that... Actually, this song didn't need any rearrangement

Because usually, if it's Leslie Cheung's song, I'm not willing to... make significant rearrangements

[Oh, so you deliberately left it the way it is? Because I knew there were only minuscule adjustments, and was worried that it was because of your exhausted state]

No, no

I didn't really consider my condition

Mainly I think from the perspective of music

This song shouldn't be altered because it's already very good

[For the past several years, you've been working rather hard. Have you ever landed yourself in this kind of situation before?]

This was the first time. It's actually mainly because

on the previous day of my concert... my concert was held in two consecutive days

so on the first day of my concert, there were some technical problems

My in-ear monitor was faulty for the entire concert that day

No, actually the mic was faulty

The mic picked up too many sounds-- the mic was too sensitive

This kind of mic, if it's in a smaller place, like... like in a recording studio

it would have been great because it's the best type in the world

But for my concert, it was (held) on an arena stage (four-sided)

All the speakers... I mean... because from my in-ear monitor

what I heard would be different from what the audience heard

because there was a delay between me singing it and them hearing it

That is, the music heard by the audience got picked up by the mic

So the delayed music was picked up, and in my ears was the original music

There were also sounds outside (of my ear-monitor). All these sounds were mixed up

It was a jumble of noise in my ear

[I heard that during the rehearsal, you had tinnitus. Were you scared?]

[In that moment, did you worry that your career as a singer has come to an end?]

Yes, I actually did think of it in a flash

but I was more concerned that I wouldn't (be able to) perform the song well

But if (it meant that) my singing career would end, that... that... that didn't really matter

If I couldn't sing anymore, then I couldn't sing. What can I do?

But this song, if I...

Because I really didn't want to sing this song when I was not in good condition

...yes, so I was a little

worried

*The story behind rearranging <<I'm Not Good Looking, But I'm Very Gentle>>*

(In <<I'm Not Good Looking, But I'm Very Gentle>> you wore a mask. Can it be interpreted as that of a 'weird character' or something else?)

(Not only are <<A Song at Midnight>> and this song about these 'weirdos', but your own <<Quasimodo's Gift>> in your album is also about an alienated character)

[Why do you love these kinds of characters so much?]

Because they're small characters. I really like small characters

[But why? These are small characters with big imperfections]

Because a small character can do many things that other people can't

These small characters have strength

And this type of strength is lacking even in many so-called "big characters" in people's eyes

[So, was it after you sang the song in the album, performed and learnt about this type of small characters that you've found a kind of resonance with them in the soul, or was it since before that?]

Erm...

I... it was maybe because of my first album

I... I... Because I...

In a lot of songs in my first album, I just wanted to express something small

Yes

Like <<Quasimodo's Gift>>, <<Glimmer>>, <<Ashes from Fireworks>>,

all of them express things from the perspective of small characters

Because I really wanted to... because it's very similar to my own personality

That's why I like... There was a resonance for me

It's all about resonance, and I just wish that...

I hope that I'm somewhat similar to these small characters

They have a different kind of strength

It's just like... that time, when I first debuted

Many people thought that 'Hua Hua is like a small child, but he's different onstage'

There was a type of... energy

So I think...

that it was very similar to my inner state at that point

[When you first debuted, many people looked at you like a child who was a little weird]

[and Quasimodo was regarded as very 'different' too. Is that why...?]

Yes, I really resonate with this character, really

It was like...

I just felt like I could really understand

[You said that wearing a mask is to let the audience get more into the song both visually and acoustically)

[But when you yourself was wearing a mask, would you also feel more in character?]

Yes, I said it then, I said...

I said that if I took off the mask-- if I didn't wear it, then I couldn't sing this song

Because I would be unable to... empathize

I wouldn't know how to

It's just that I wouldn't know what type of expression I should use onstage when singing this song

And then... so, I just wouldn't have the right emotions

When I wore the mask, I would know how I should sing it

and also let the audience feel what I wanted to express

The mask... was the song

Yes, very important

[But in the middle of the song, you took off the mask. What were you trying to express with this designed gesture?)

It was... What I was thinking was...

When I took off the mask and walked back towards the audience

it was actually at the end of the song already

There were a lot of things that you needed to try

The first part of the song was projecting a...

a...

a somewhat insignificant feeling

or the feeling of being insecure

Because you... you could only stay in the corner

drink on your own, and look at the rest of the world from outside

You would feel very insignificant

Then actually, in the end

when you took off the mask and presented yourself to the audience

You were releasing yourself, letting people know that

I...

I started to express the moral of the song to people, which is

'I may be ugly and not good-looking, but I'm really gentle, and I'm not someone bad'

*The story behind rearranging <<Dad, I'm Home>>*

[A song like <<Dad, I'm Home>>... At first when I found out that you were going to add a monologue to it, I was worried that it would be awkward]

Yes, yes

[but you actually completed the song very well]

Because... After I saw the lyrics of the song

Only after reading it,

I suddenly had an epiphany for rearranging the song that way

Because I thought that the lyrics are very straightforward. (There are) no fancy or complicated meanings behind them

And then

It was just telling a very simple story

But most of the time, in rap...

it's easier for people to neglect the actual lyrics

Because it's too fast

It's too fast and it causes the audience to (be at a loss)

Unless you have the lyrics in your hand and you're reading along as you listen to the rap

But if you're just listening to the song, it's a lot harder to instantly understand the rapping

So, I thought...

Such great lyrics

It reflects a social issue

So I wanted to, in a short period of time, let the audience

very quickly

let them understand the lyrics, understand what it means, what I was saying

That's why I wanted to use this more extreme way of presentation

And then...

And then I just decided to

deliver it as a monologue

The reason why it was so difficult was...

I needed to sing, I needed to play the piano, and I needed to act

On top of that, I had to...

in a very short period of time, when there were no others to talk with me in the play, and I could only talk by myself

and that I had to pull the audience into the atmosphere quickly

That was actually quite difficult

And also, the things I was saying had to follow the rhythm of the music I was playing

I couldn't just say it whichever way I wanted to

I had to control how I said them

The speed of my speech

Every word had to be said in tempo

But it also couldn't be too aligned with the tempo because then it wouldn't be a monologue anymore

so it was just really hard to control everything

That day I was just...

I just brought the piano into... into my room

That day after rearranging it, I just kept practicing it in my room

Kept on practicing the performance

[Then like what Keren Mok said, that you're the singer who has the best acting skills]

[Have you ever been interested in or wanted to give musicals a try?]

Musicals... I've actually thought about it before and then...

Yes, musicals, acting, I've thought about these, and then

I thought that a lot of things

You have to...

You still have to learn a lot about it

After learning more about it

Maybe then I could act

Act as a character I really like, right.

[Why don't you tell us about your fourth album? Any surprises? I heard it's already half-completed?]

Right now, I have a song that I really like...

I made it into a...

a 'part one and part two' kind of feeling

More precisely, I divided it into two songs

But these two songs are talking about... about the same thing

[I feel this kind of experiment is really cool]

But in the music itself, there are unique variations

After listening to it, you'll probably just think that these are two different songs

But if you really pay close attention, you'll realize that these two songs are actually one whole song

You don't have to rely on the lyrics to make the connection

Just from the melodies, you can tell that they're from the same song

Just that

There'll be something really magical

[After watching a few of your performances, I'm intrigued. Will the audience get a chance to see you in the role of other characters?]

[For example, in your new album, will you focus more on the MVs, or act as a particular character in them?)

MV?

Ehm...

MV...

[We're all excited about you acting as different interesting characters in the MVs of songs from your new album)

(Like when you filmed a short movie for your first album)

I never thought about the MVs

MVs are for after everything has been done

[So you don't care about post-production and what everyone else does? You simply focus on the songs themselves?]

Yes, I only want to think about music

In my head, all imageries have to do with music

But sometimes I don't really hope to...

I don't really want to give details about the imageries

[So you want to leave room for imagination?]

Yes

Those who know me know that I don't really... I rarely film MVs