King of Kings 王者之王

Galaxie Magazine, 1999

He may be American-born, but Leehom tells Noorsila Abdul Majid he's 100% Chinese.
力宏也许是是生在美国，但他告诉Noorsila Abdul Majid（作者）他自己是百分之百的華人。

By Noorsila Abdul Majid

"When I started singing in Mandarin four years ago, the Chinese language was a problem for me," admits singer-songwriter Leehom Wang. But for the singer, that seemed to be natural. After all, he was born and brought up in New York, U.S.A. However, not being able to spaek the language did not stop him from pursing a career to not only be a singer, but to be one singing in Chinese. He enrolled in Mandarin classes.
身兼词曲创作家的歌手王力宏表示：「我四年前开始唱国语歌的时候，中文对我来说是一大问题」。对于力宏，这似乎是很正常的，因为他在美国纽约出生长大。但是不会说中文并没有因此阻碍他发展音乐事业，为了成为歌手、唱国语歌，力宏选修了一些中文课。

After four years, he speaks Chinese but with a slight American accent. While some Chinese music critics have advised Wang to polish up his Mandarin intonations to sound "more Chinese", Wang insists he has been learning Mandarin diligently and, "I don't sound like a gwailo when I sing in Mandarin. I do use a lot of English in my songs, but I think I sound Chinese."
四年后，虽然还带点美国腔调，但他已经会说中文了。有些乐评家建议力宏加强中文口音，好听起来像个中国人，王力宏坚持他已经很勤奋地学习中文，他表示：「当我唱中文歌时，不会听起来像gwailo，我的确是在歌里边使用很多英语，但我认为我听起来就是华人！」

Language problem aside, Leehom reveals that his family and friends in U.S. were initially against his plans to embark on a musical career in what they claimed was a less lucrative business. "Apart from my mom, no one was supportive of my decision to sing in Mandarin. My friends in the States questioned my decision because they didn't think there was a future in Asian music."
暂时撇开语言问题，力宏透露，在美国的家人和朋友一开始都反对他从事音乐工作，因为他们认为做音乐是比较赚不了钱的事业。「除了我妈以外，没人支持我唱中文歌的决定。美国的朋友甚至怀疑我的抉择，因为他们不认为亚洲音乐有未来。

A graduate of Williams College of Music with a degree in Composition and Jazz Piano, he could have been an American talent singing the usual English songs, but not for Leehom, who said that he would never cut an album in America, that was not to be.
身为威廉斯音乐学院毕业生、拿到词曲创作与爵士钢琴学士学位的力宏，可以是位唱一般英语歌的美国天才，但力宏不这么想，他表示，他可能不会在美国灌唱片，不一定非要这么做！

"I'm not really interested in the American music industry because it is rather stagnant nowadays. Besides, I want to continue making Chinese music which will enable me to keep in touch with my Chinese roots."
「我对美国音乐工业不是那么有兴趣，因为现在它比较没生气。此外，我希望继续创作华语音乐，因为这可以让我持续和我的华裔血统紧紧联系。」

Today, Leehom is one of the most successful composers in the Chinese pop music industry. Some listeners are even calling Leehom "The Chinese Revolutionary" and putting him in a class that boasts fresh new singers like David Tao [Tao Gertz] and Shunza. And if the sales figures are any indication, Leehom seems to be the next best thing. His fifth album, Revolution [Kong Zhuan Zhi Zhuan] it platinum in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, selling more than 200,000 copies in Taiwan alone.
今日，力宏已是华语流行乐界最成功的创作人之一。一些听众甚至称呼他为「华裔革命家」，把他和一些推动新乐潮的歌手，如陶喆、顺子等放在同一等级。假使销售数字是指针的话，力宏似乎是下一个天王。他的第五张专辑「公转自转」在台、马、星都拿到白金唱片，单是在台湾就卖了超过二十万张。

As fans reeled at the success of his fifth album, Leehom stormed up the Chinese charts with his latest Mandarin outing, Impossible to Miss You [Bu Ker Neng Chuo Kuo Ni]. As expected, the album has chalked up a whopping 250,000 units in Taiwan. In Malaysia, it has sold over 15,000 units in two months of its release. Not a bad show especially when a Chinese album would typically sell only 30,000 copies in its entire shelf life.
当歌迷们热烈讨论力宏弟五张专辑的成功之际，力宏已经以最新华语大碟「不可能错过你」席卷各大中文排行榜。这张专辑如预期地在台湾狂销２５万张，而在大马，发行短短两个月就卖了一万五千张。以一张上架的专辑来说，通常只能卖３万张，所以力宏这样的成绩算是很不错。

Success is not a new word for the 23-year-old singer who has moved to Boston continue his studies in music. Growing up in New York, the singer was surrounded by both Broadway and classical music. In fact, he says he often listened to violin virtuoso Heifetz, classical musician Bartok and Broadway musician Bernstein. But he's quick to add that he also liked Stevie Wonder and Sting.
成功对这名23岁刚搬到波士顿继续音乐学习的歌手而言，并不是陌生的字。纽约长大的背景，使力宏为百老汇音乐和古典乐所围绕。事实上，他表示，他常听小提琴大师海费兹、古典乐者巴托克和百老汇音乐家伯恩斯坦等人的作品，但他马上提到自己也喜欢史提夫汪达和史汀的音乐。

When he turned eight, Leehom learnt to play the violin and piano and later the guitar. "As most of my family are doctors and academicians, my parents initially wanted me to follow their footsteps and treat music as a hobby. But that didn't work out," Leehom recalls. Sensing he was gifted, Leehom's parents enrolled him in Eastman Music School and later, Williams College, both reputable conservatories in New York.
八岁的时候，力宏学习小提琴和钢琴，后来也学了吉他。力宏回忆道：「我家族的人大部分都是医生和学术界人士，爸妈一开始希望我追随他们的步伐，把音乐当作兴趣就好了。但这行不通。」在发觉儿子有音乐上的天赋后，力宏的父母就帮他在伊斯特曼音乐学校（Eastman Music School）注册，随后入学威廉斯学院，这两所学校都是在纽约极享盛名的音乐学校。

It was in Williams College that Leehom built up his impressive musical resume. Apart from majoring in composition and jazz piano, the multi-talented artiste composed, arranged and directed a couple of musicals--including a Broadway piece, "The Bite that Burns", which earned him a distinction. Leehom later graduated with top class honours.
而力宏就是在威廉斯学院里累积了令人惊艳的音乐经历。除了主修词曲创作和爵士钢琴外，多才多艺的力宏也谱曲、编曲甚至导演好几个音乐剧，包括让他获得肯定的百老汇名剧「The Bite that Burns」。而之后力宏顶着最高荣誉光荣毕业。

However, his taste for Chinese music developed when his family went to Taiwan. "The Chinese songs playing at that time attracted me and I actually thought that I could make them sound better." Without anyone's knowledge, Leehom sent a demo tape to the management of BMG Music in Taiwan who liked his work and offered him a recording contract.
然而力宏对华语音乐的品味是家人到台湾后才开始发展的，「那时候的中文歌曲很吸引我，我当时也想着，我可以让他们变的更好听。」在没有知会任何人的情况下，力宏寄了自己的试听带给台湾BMG音乐的经理，受到经理的赏识，力宏有了张唱片合约！

In 1995, Leehom under the BMG banner, released My Rival Beethoven [Ching di Bei Duo Fen]. The album was well-received, especially in Taiwan. Three more albums followed before Leehom switched to Sony Music for more creative control over his works.
1995年，在BMG协助下，力宏发行「情敌贝多芬」，这张专辑特别在台湾广受好评。在加入新力前，力宏又发行了三张专辑，而进入新力是为了能对自己的作品有更多创造的空间。

"As a composer, I need more freedom to experiment with my music. I'm the sort of person who uses each album as a tool, to improve my song-writing skills as well as vocals," Leehom explains.The move to Sony has apparently paid off. Leehom now works comfortably at his own pace in his state-of-the-art studio-apartment in Boston.
他解释道：「身为一位创作者，我需要较多的自由来实验音乐，我把每张专辑都当成一种工具，用来磨练改进我的写歌功力和唱功。」换了新东家，显然是值得的。力宏现在可以在波士顿颇具水准的公寓兼录音室里，以自己的步调舒适地工作。

Apart from the albums, Leehom also won awards for Best Male artist and Best Album Producer in the 10th Golden Melody Awards held in Taipei this year. Members of the committee also bestowed upon him the title, "The New King of Pop", outshining more established Chinese singers such as Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok, otherwise known as The Heavenly Kings.

除了这些专辑，力宏今年在台北的金曲奖上获领最佳男演唱人和最佳制作人两项大奖。评审委员会也授予他一项新头衔「流行乐新天王」，这比目前的四大天王张学友、刘德华、黎明、郭富城等人都要更耀眼。

Of the awards, Leehom says, "I'm happy this year has been a fruitful one for me. As a new artist, I didn't expect to win all those major awards. I thought more established singers would win because they seemed to be the favourites."
对于这些奖项，力宏表示：「我很开心，今年对我来说是丰收的一年，身为新人，我之前没有料想到会得到这些大奖，我以为前辈们比较有机会拿到，因为他们似乎才是最有希望获胜的人。」

Unlike some singers in the West, Leehom claims that he does not expect all his albums to be successful. "When I make an album, I'm not in the least bit concerned about it being a huge seller. I leave that to my recording company. I'm more interested in producing good music and in improving my vocals. My album being a hit is just an added bonus."

不像西方的一些歌手，力宏表示，他不期待自己所有专辑都成功，「当我制作一张专辑的时候，我一点都不关心它是不是会大卖，我把这个问题留给唱片公司。比较让我感兴趣的是制作好音乐以及改善我的声音。唱片卖的好只是一项额外的收获。」

Leehom has also seen to it that even non-Chinese music listeners could be curious about his brand of Chinese music. The singer not only sings pop, but has introduced R&B, funk, rock and gospel into his blend of music, something that's hard to find in the Chinese charts today. "People claim I'm exporting American music to Taiwan, but I believe what I sing is still Chinese based because you can't find this blend [of music] anywhere in the States."
力宏也看到，甚至连非华人的听众也对他风格的华人音乐颇感好奇。这位歌手不仅唱流行歌曲，他也一直不断带入R&B、放克、摇滚、福音音乐，并将其融入在自己的音乐中，而这些都是在当今华人排行榜里难见的元素。「大家说我把美国音乐进口到台湾，但我相信我唱的东西仍是有中国背景的，因为你在美国，找不到这样的音乐融合。」

And to critics who still believe that there's no potential in Asian music, Leehom says people are beginning to realise that's not true, "there's a huge potential in there". And for the moment, Leehom seems to have hit the jackpot.
对于那些仍不相信亚洲音乐有潜质的批评，力宏指出，大家开始相信这不是真的，「这里有很大的潜力」。而此时，王力宏似乎压对宝、投对资了！


http://bbs.leehom-cn.com/thread-77-1-1.html