A Popstar Musician
Up Close and Personal
When we finally meet for a proper interview, Lee Hom is already on the last leg of his promo tour. Tired may be an understatement. But even though he has been bombarded by questions endlessly in the last two days, the singer is talkative and perceptive. Yes, he is also very nice.
You have talked about your music but hardly said anything about your singing. How did you train that baritone?
I have an independent vocal coach, Dr. William Riley. He also coaches Celine Dion and Michael Bolton. He was introduced to me by Sony Music in New York last year. He taught me a lot about vocal production. He does not influence you with a particular kind of vocal style, but, rather, he teaches you how to sing correctly, how not to hurt yourself when you’re singing for a long period of time and how to avoid getting tired.
How would you rate yourself as a singer?
(Smiles) To me, the voice and my my composition, producing, arranging is one single presentation. I write for my voice. I know what kind of songs I don’t sing very well, and those I do. (Pauses) I want to be a great artiste. I never thought David Bowie was a good singer because he was very raw. But pop music is about feeling and it is more important for an artiste to have a unique quality. I strive to be unique. There is nothing wrong in delibrately writing pop music. But within the big commercial picture, I still want to have my own unique ideas and styles. And I think I did that with this album. There’s a deeper kind of appreciation.
How much creative control do you have?
I have all the say on thsi album. The company just gave me the budget and I got complete control. This happened only after I received theBest Producer nod at the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan last year.
How do you feel when your fans get all excited over you?
I want to be very open to my fans. When they really like you, it’s such a nice feeling.
And when they hug you spontaneously?
That’s adorable!
In the last few years you have been travelling for several months a year in Asia, receiving star treatment at every venue. When you return to the United States(to hometown Boston) do you have to make a huge adjustment to being just anoter regular guy?
I’m consistent as a human being. There’s no difference between the Lee Hom in Asia and the one in America. Well, the only difference is that I probably don’t have to shave and just wear my pyjamas around the apartment when I’m home. But there were some strange moments when I would be walking down in the streets of Boston or New York and there was nobody whispering, “Hey, is that Lee Hom?” (Laughs) But it’s important for me to have that balance. It’s nice to just be a nobody and I can concentrate on composing, go to symphonies and visit musuems.
Are you a loner?
Yes. I go from hotel to hotel and meet different people(in Asia). At night, when I don’t work, when I’m back in my room, that’s when I get to be more consistent as a human.
Would you say you’re comtemplative?
I’m a romantic person. I’m interested in existential philosophies, not the hard reasoning sort propounded by German philosophers.
How do your American friends react to your fame in Asia?
They don’t know the concept of Mandopop. They don’t even know the difference between Thailand and Taiwan. But my closest friends who are also musicians, they know how hard it is to be one.
Do they envy you?
They envy the fact that I have a niche in the music world.
How do you remain so refreshingly scandal-free?
It’s stupid sometimes. I’m personally not interested in reading about them(scandals) and playing to the press. Whenever there’s a rumour, I just don’t take part in it. I’m willing to share a lot of my emotions in my songs. On all my albums, there are at least a couple of songs that are very autobiographical.
You’ve always been asked about what it is like to be a Chinese in a foreign land. But how American are you?
It’s my identity to be half American and half Chinese. I like to break tradition through my music and remind peopleyou don’t have to wear a qi bao(cheongsam) or be in Beijing to be a Chinese. With an attitude like this, it’s easier to accept who you are.
What’s your greatest fear?
That I won’t live up to my expectations as a musician.
What do you love most about yourself?
That I’m never afraid to love other people.
What do you always say when you meet your family?
“Hey, we should go on a vacation!” Then they would go and I would not be able to join them.
Complete this sentence: If there’s no music in this world…
Then there must have been a nuclear holocaust.
There is just not separating Lee Hom and music. He breathes it, lives it, hawks it, makes money out of itl it is an endless cycle that doesn’t daunt him the slightest bit.
But underneath it all, he’s just like every other youngster, whether in Boston, Taipei or Kuala Lumpur:”What’s your favourite boyband?” I asked as he was being hurriedly ushered away for another interview.
“*N Sync!”
Taken from the Star Paper
September 19th, 2000
Click HERE to read the article in Star featuring Leehom!!
Leehom's BiographyLeehom's Photo Gallery
Leehom's MusicLeehom's LinksArticles about LeehomUpdates
About MeSpecialsReviews: Movies and Music
My linksMain
