Punk Turns Bossa: An Interview with Wang Yue

Fans of the disbanded Beijing punk group Hang On The Box (HOTB) should be glad to hear that lead vocal Wang Yue (aka Gia) will release her solo debut this Saturday (November 21) at Mao Livehouse. But before you get all excited, diehard punk fans, weep your tears - the one-time punk-girl-of-the-nation has turned bossa nova in her upcoming album The Brilliant Gia. Chanting gently with lighthearted melodies and soft guitar riffs - it’s hard to imagine this is the same person who trashed the stage while shouting shabi and caodan to the streets.

Besides the genre change, Gia is also planning to take matters into her own hands by starting an organization called Ice Gold, which aims to scout the city’s talent in contemporary classical, indie pop, bossa nova, lounge and trip-hop. In order to find out how she made this u-turn the Beijinger talked to her shortly before her album release.

the Beijinger: It’s predictable that people will say you’ve “changed” since this album is no Hang-On-The-Box. But have you always been into jazz and bossa nova?
Gia: Yes, I was quite into Ella Fitzgerald in high school, especially the beautiful melody of “What A Difference A Day Made”, which seems to be more popular now for the Jamie Cullum version. I like old songs, jazz and all that, and I practice the singing techniques of these songs, which was actually quite helpful to my performance in Hang On The Box. I still consider myself as a beginner to jazz, because all I’ve been doing is collecting melodic songs to improve my sense of melody. I particularly like stuffs from the 50s and 70s - songs like “Girl From Ipanema” will always stand the test of time, and you will hear me singing it in both Portuguese and English this Saturday.

When it comes bossa nova, I don’t know much about it either. I’m only getting my impression of it from those classic tracks, and it sounds lighthearted and comfortable. Take “Aguas de Marco” for example, you’ll find all kinds of different versions of it, no matter it’s Lisa Ono or Cibo Matto, English or Portuguese. Also, singing this song was quite a challenge to my tongue! The lyrics are coming out even faster than some hip-hop songs, and none of the lines are repeated so it’s very difficult to remember all the words. But it also made it very fulfilling once you’ve made it…Wait, am I getting off the subject?

tbj: Kind of, but on the subject of getting off the subject, let’s talk about your creative activities in other areas. I remember you mentioned once an exhibition of your artworks at Ch'ien Men 23.
Gia: My artworks took part in a series of joint exhibitions by several contemporary artists in China in 2008 and 2009. Their existence can be seen as my other ways of communicating with the world besides music. Back when Hang On The Box disbanded in 2007, I was kind of lost after nine years of punk rock. So I started doing paintings and collages, and they helped me to locate my inner strength of musical inspiration. Many of my friends are just surprised at how different the message of my artworks is compared to the hard-rock spirit – they were bright and peaceful. Maybe that reflects changes in my personality. It’s funny that I was asked to sing a HOTB song in the coming album release, but I found it quite difficult during rehearsal – I don’t communicate through uprising rebellion and hard explosion any more, simple as that.

tbj: Tell us something about your guitarist Huang Wei
Gia: Huang Wei was a Xinjiang native, and he used to study recording and music production in university. I knew him through Yi Lina (bassist of HOTB). She knew I was looking for a guitarist who’s into jazz, alternative and bossa, so she introduced us. We talked about music we like and have been working together on this album since the end of 2008. He has a nice feel for rhythm and the way he writes chords is quite different. I’m not trying to be a stereotype here, but I do think Xinjiang people have a better sense for music.

tbj: You team up with ELVIS. T (member of local electronic music label Acupuncture Records) in the final track “Beijing English”, the electronic mix sounds quite out of tune with the album’s bossa nova theme.
Gia: Well, the “out of tune” feeling is exactly what I’m looking for, that says I won’t limit my music to one genre. Beijing is not Hollywood, so I’m just doing everything for fun, not for fame and fortune. I’ve always wanted to make an electronic song about nightlife in Beijing, simply because I’ve been part of the city’s clubbing scene since it started, and the whole lifestyle coming with it influenced me a lot. From the good old days of NO.88, Velvet Room, Cloud Nine, The Great Wall Party and Tango, to the hot-on-the-spot Yen Party and Acupuncture, the boy of Wuliao Contingent becomes a DJ (Shen Yue from punk band A-Jerks, now known as DJ Fatboy Sleep), so does the mainstay of China Fire (Weng Jinhai from grunge band Hongshaorou, now known as DJ Weng Weng)…this song is dedicated to the days that will never come back.

“It doesn't matter which electro-club you are just hit,
on an ordinary Beijing weekend.

You are still on the roller coaster,
feeling freaking high, feeling pretty buzzed.

All ya have to do is to wave your hand and you will get a ride.

Go ahead and settle your ass down.
Welcome to listen Beijing English.”

The currency of Renminbi is up, so you should all speak Beijing English from now on!

tbj: You’ve recently signed to Modern Sky Records, which is kind of a popular label. Do you think that stands in the way of remaining an independent artist?
Gia: Well, I don’t really consider myself as an “artist” because I still feel like a lot to learn. When it comes to the relation between being an independent artist and being signed to a record label, I think it all depends on what you need and what kind of company you are signed to. Mainstream labels take money from people’s pocket by creating popular icons. Take Lady Gaga for example, she is a product of the ongoing global financial crisis. Because nowadays people are spending less money on concerts and records, so as a mainstream record company, you have to generate some kind of buzz for them to get people’s money. Popular icons could never be in the position of being independent, everything they do follows the public taste and they are fine with it. The most important thing about “staying indie” is knowing what you need and how to achieve it. You got to know how to make yourself satisfied.

tbj: What are you listening to right now?
Gia: I’m listening to this French rock band called Phoenix. It’s a shame I didn’t know of them earlier since they’ve been around for years, and I love their music video “1901”. Apart from that, I’m also listening to VV Brown and Télépopmusik. Check out Télépopmusik’s “Dance Me”, what a gem for stretching at home! It’s the kind of electronic music I’m hoping for the next stage of my career, but it’s not easy to handle. Also, The Last Shadow Puppets is pure gold too! They play great melodies just like The Beatles! More to say, The Kooks, Noisettes…Yi Lilan gave them to me, she’s a downloading maniac.

tbj: Do you think you are a nice girl?
Gia: It’s a bit difficult to say. The point is even if I think I am, who’s there to agree or be the one to define the concept? I don’t really know what it takes to be a nice girl, it all depends on perspectives – I was lucky enough to be presented as a bad girl ten years ago when people needed one. On the other hand, my personality can be very different from what people chose to believe – only my close friends will know. Frankly, there’s never been a shortage of “nice girls” and I’m fine with not being one. It’s my pleasure if you think my music is “nice,” other things don’t matter.

tbj: What has or hasn’t changed with Gia since Hang On The Box?
Gia: The early Hang On The Box was all about rebellion - we generated attention, we unleashed hormones, we searched for freedom with discontent, and we wouldn’t go out unless our parents were pissed off with the way we dress - it was just everything a teenager wanted to do, wasn’t it? Then later we discovered changes in our music and melodies besides rebellion. All of these sound pretty punk rock to me.

But I need a warm moment of peace at this point in my life, so it’s reasonable to steer away from rock n roll for a while. Maybe it’s because I’m a curious person, so I’d go ahead and do it once I’m in love with something. I hate to live a life or make music that’s always been the same.

Funny thing is, recently after I “turned bossa nova,” people start to pay attention to the lyrics, and some people told me my lyrics are “poetic”. We wrote poetic lyrics in Hang On The Box too, but strangely no one cared a damn about that, all people see is the “Chinese rebelling girls play rock music” cliché. So I guess you could consider it something that hasn’t changed but people will never notice.

What’s more, I still have passion for melodies and the desire for expression…and I still love to dress up like all girls do~~嘿嘿~~

Wang Yue drops her debut solo album The Brilliant Gia at Mao Livehouse on November 21 (Saturday), supported by Ding Ke. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance, students). 9pm. 111 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng District (6402 5080) 东城区鼓楼东大街111号

Listen to demo tracks from album at www.douban.com/artist/gia/