Wang Lee Homhopes to turn the Mandarin music scene on its ear with hi new album "Revolution".
One humid afternoon five years aga when he was 17, Chinese-American Wang Lee Hom listened to a Mandarin album--Andy Lau's Forgettable Waters--for the first time. He was not impressed.
Born in Rochester, New York, he was a music major at Williams College in Massachusetts at the time and found the Mandarin pop scene a bore, and indurty which churned out run-of-the-mill, formulaic songs.
Two years later, armed with a recording contract with Decca, he set for taiwan in hopes of adding a dash of colour to the monotonous music scene there. And he succeeded beyond his expectations, His first album, Beethoven, wowed the industry with his manly baritone voice and musical arrangements, which featured classical music instruments like strings instead of cheesy synthesizers.
Critics were excited about this promising newcomer, with his wholesome good looks and his mature delivery. Still, increasing numbers of teenyboppers such as Daniel chan were entering the scene. Because Wang was still in unicersity and did not have the time to give many concerts, he soon became another face in the crowd.
Now that he has graduated and has moved to a new record label, however, he is ready to turn the music world on its ear again with Revolution, his first for Sony and his fifth so far. Bursting with ideas and aspirations, the 22 year-old is ready to give his all for his singing career, he said at a press conference last Friday.
"This album signifies a new start for me. I've become my own producer," he said in Mandarin, with a slight American accent. "Besides, i've graduated and so, am considered an adult now....so i hope that people will look at my songs from a new perspective."
Apparently, he wants people to look at him in a different light too. Clad in a grey suit and maroon shirt, he has shed his old bubbly, boyish image. Wang certainly is serious about his work. He revealed that when he was producing this album, he slept an average of only three hours a day.
"I'm prone to doing duch crazy things," he said. "I never force myself to do things according to a planned schedule. I go according to my feelings and can just concentrate on one thing and work non-stop on it." He said his dedication to his work extends to his personal relationships as well. Although he has been linked romantically to three women--singers Shunza, Coco Lee Wen, and Mavis Fan--he claimed that he is actually, a faithful lover.
"All those rumours about me and the other female singers are unsubstantiated. They are all fabricated. In fact, i don't even know any of them well on a personal basis at all!" he said with exasperation. He claimed he is still unattached and vowed that he would give his heart and all to one women should he fall in love.
Quoting the lyrics of the title track of his album Revolution, he declared: "She'll be the sum and i'll be the earth that revolves around her!"