Maturing Into His Own Groove

THE STAR Malaysia, November 22 2001

by Brian Cheong


After his 'fun' movie outing in China Strike Force last year and a year-long absence from the music scene, Wang Lee Hom returns with a brand new CD that is about his most remarkable effort yet.

Young he may be but American-born, Taiwan-based singer Wang Lee Hom is no chip off a boyband block. Where almost everyone his age gunning for pop fame is doing it with toned bodies and pretty faces, Wang goes one up by actually writing his own songs, producing his own albums and playing the instruments.

Wang, sporting much longer hair that makes him hunkier, is back with a new album, The One and Only, a sturdy roster of work that is simply his best yet.

It features Wang in top form when it comes to instrumentation and vocalisation. This is a new, more mature Wang at the helm. After five years in the business, the 24-year-old may have finally found his groove.

"I think this album is a transition for me in terms of the way I work and the way I produce," he said in a recent interview.

"I feel that being a producer, other than the musical aspect, it also has a lot to do with communicating with people, communicating with musicians and finding the right people to work with. I felt that I handled all the aspects better than before. The production went much more smoothly than did my previous albums."

Unlike many of his peers, Wang has the luxury of taking an entire year to work on one album. Smiling, he said: "That's in my contract (with Sony Music Taiwan). I think that alot of time you can't rush yourself to create or to be inspired. Some take faster that I do, some slower, but the most important thing is to find your own pace. From my past experiences, one album per year is perfect."

His busy schedule compelled Wang to take his songwriting on the road. One of the tracks on the album, An Quan Gan (Sense of Security) was written when he was on the way to the airport in Taipei. "I was finally on my way home to New York after a long stint abroad. It tells of the feeling of being able to go home and reunite with your loved ones."

The album, which Wang described as his 'diary' from the past year, is varied in style and instrumentation, making it one of the year's most successfully eclectic albums by a Chinese artiste.

Take the song Jie Bu Liao Ni (Addicted to You) for instance. Not many Chinese singers would dare venture into the depths of laidback jazz and blues in gloomy lounge vibe. But Wang not only did it, he triumphantly mixes what is essentially a Western musical style into a rare Chinese pop treat.

"This song is an example of the spirit of the album. I got a bunch of friends from Berklee (College of Music in Boston) and we went to a friend's studio. "There were three guys; myself on the piano, a drummer and a bassist, and we were having such a great time. We wanted to jam abit and so the bass player started playing this and the drummer started playing and then I started playing and then we were like 'Hey! That sounds really good.' The guys went out for some beer and I stayed back to work on the melodies, and soon the melodies were done and that was it.

"The song writing process (in general) was really painless and natural because nobody ever wrote anything down. It just kind of happens spontaneously." On Wo Yao (which Wang translated to be "Yearnings of My Childhood Spirit"), Wang experimented with surreal mood.

"It's not a love song, for a change, but a philosophical song about what I think are ideals in life. It's about the dreams I had as a child, about strangers coming together on the streets and dancing to whatever music that's playing.

"The female voice on the album belongs to my ex-girlfriend from high school. We've known each other since I was 13. I've always wanted to record her voice and I thought this song was most appropriate."

The mournful title track, one of the best songs from the album, was written while Wang was on a rare holiday in Greece.

"I wanted songs that can translate well onto the stage. So I've set out to make a very 'live' album. There is no electronic music on this album. The sound throughout is very 'live' which is why I think all the songs come together so well on the album.

"It is a successful album because it is able to fulfil the original inspirations that I had at the beginning. I had an idea of how I wanted the album to sound and this album is poretty close to what I had in mind."

Wang has not only grown much more self-assured as a producer, he has quite obviously moved up another level as a song writer and singer.

"Working with my lyricist (Taiwanese He Chi Hong), I learnt about not making my songs too personal. It's very easy, when you have all the control, to make your songs too persoanl and people might not relate to your songs.

"I've learnt how to hold back a little, yet at the same time keep my feelings in the songs."

On vocals, Wang has always applied the same rule. "I understand my voice and I know which songs are suitable and which are not. So when I write songs, I think about my strength and weakness and what I'd like to feature vocally. It's the same thing when I write for other singers; I think about their strengths and weaknesses.

"Of course, my instrument has grown stronger like any muscle when you constantly work it. I really enjoy performing the songs on this album and it's very natural for me when I perform them."

While music remains Wang's priority, he is not at all averse to doing a little acting on the side, despite a somewhat ho-hum debut in China Strike Force. He will next apeear in the long-delayed Tekken, which was shot right after China Strike Force.

"I think for my fans to see me in movies, it's kind of like a novelty, a fun thing to do. I would do another movie but I don't know if I want to do another action movie. I'd like to do some other stuff," said Wang who never ceases to explore unfamiliar terrain.