King of Kings

"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. Enter the Mandarin classes.

After four years, he speak 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."

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 mum, 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."

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 for Leehom. who said that he would never cut an album in America, that was not to be. "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."

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] hit platinum in Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, selling more than 200,000 copies in Taiwan alone.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. "As a composer, I need more freedom to experiment with my music. I'm the sort of person who uses each album as a too, 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-art studio-cum-apartment in Boston.

Apart from the albums, Leehom also won awards for Best Male artiste 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 sich as Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok, otherwise known as The Heavenly Kings. Of the awards, Leehom says, "I'm happy this year has been a fruitful one for me. As a new artiste, I didn't expect to win all those major awards. I thought more established singers would win because they seemed to be the favourites."

Unlike some singers in the West, Leehom claims that he does not expect all his albums to be successful. "When I make an ablum, 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."

Leehom has also seen to it that even non-Chinese music listeners qould 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."

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.

Galaxie Magazine, 1999
Note: this is in the LATEST issue in Galaxie. Malaysian fans can go grab it now. Galaxie is now also available in Singapore, so, Singaporean fans, don't miss it!!!