The interview
The gifted musician Wang Lee-hom not only sings and composes. He also plays the guitar, piano and violin. This American-born-Chinese started his music career in Taiwan in 1995. With his gift of music, there is no doubt he is on the road to success.
Following the success of the previous two albums "Revolution" and "Impossible to Miss You", undoubtedly, Wang's latest album, "Forever's First Day" has put plenty of pressure on him. He not only has written and composed most of the songs, but also the 24-year-old heart-throb has single-handedly produced, arranged and co-ordinated all of the songs on the album.
What are your plans?
I am still currently promoting my latest album "Forever's First Day". I tried to experiment with different genres, like rap, hip-hop, jazz, R&B and even classical music throughout some Cantonese/Mandarin songs, such as Descendant of Dragon, Forever's First Day, Don't Fear and The Songs That Love Me.
The song familiar with Chinese Descendant of Dragon is a new remix, infusing my own experiences of living in Western society. I am very happy, because I know it is becoming very popular in karaoke lounges.
I have just finished two joint-concerts. One with Jeffrey Chang in late September and the other with Leon Lai, Cass Phang and Candy Lo (my other favorite artist!) in early October. I am satisfied with my performances, and I am very excited to know that there are many fans here to support me.
Producing and composing Cantonese compositions is really a great challenge for me. I enjoy it so much.
Why and how did you get into music?
I grew up with a musical background. My parents are musicians and they influenced me a lot from my childhood.
When I was three, I started to take an interest in music. At the age of six, I started learning the violin. When I was eight, I began to learn the piano, and when I was 15, I started to compose and write lyrics.
I graduated from Williams College in the United States, majoring in music in 1998, and now I am studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston where I am majoring in professional music to widen my musical scope. I dare not claim that I am a music talent, I learn and grow every day.
How and when did you start your showbiz career?
When I still was a student at Williams College, I often joined the school band to jam. I also sang, acted and even wrote scripts for my school musicals.
When I was on summer vacation in 1995, I went to Taiwan and took part in a singing contest. The songs I sang were Eric Moo's Too Silly and Andy Lau's Mong Ching Shui. I made it to the finals, but I didn't win.
Fortunately, my performance won praise and afterwards I was given the chance to sign with Rio Music Production House in Taiwan. That was when I really started concentrating on my showbiz career. I stayed with the company until 1997 and released four Mandarin albums. Afterwards, I was free and signed a contract with Hong Kong's Sony Music.
What is your dream?
My dream is to make my music, especially my Chinese music, as a contribution to society regardless of fame and money.
I really hope I can produce unique Chinese music in my own way. It is very challenging and important for me, as a composer and singer. Doing it in Chinese is much more rewarding than recording in English. I hope people from overseas will think Chinese music is wonderful. Its culture is full of emotion, soul and passion.
I do hope I can hold my debut concerts in Hong Kong, but I don't know when or what format they will be. Anyway, I would like to give something refreshing to excite my Hong Kong fans.
Do you like acting?
Yes, I like acting very much. I often acted in plays and musicals during my school days. My life experience and practice helps my acting which in turn may benefit my music career. Sometimes, I not only acted, but also composed and produced. For me, "acting" is really an exceptional opportunity to learn and express my thoughts and inner feelings.
I am very lucky, because I was given a chance to act in a short-film, entitled "From Ashes to Ashes", directed by veteran singer Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing in co-operation with Radio Television Hong Kong and Hong Kong Council of Smoking and Health. It features Leslie himself, Anita Mui Yim-fong, Karen Mok Man-wai, Gigi Leung Wing-kei, Joey Yung Cho-yee, Sammul Chan Kin-fung and Rain Li Choi-wah.
The 40-minute short-film aims to arouse the public awareness of the serious consequences of smoking. The anti-smoking short film will be produced in VCDs, and will be distributed to local primary and secondary schools as a teaching kit.
What do you usually do for leisure
I am not lying, I really don't have much leisure time. But when I am free, I like running, playing baseball and doing my college work, as well as practicing piano and violin.
Of course, practicing singing is a must. I take music lessons twice a week in New York. My music tutor is William Riley, who is really excellent. Besides myself, he also teaches Michael Bolton, Bryan Adams and Stevie Wonder. I am very fortunate to be studying with him.
What is your definition of a musician?
I think a musician does not care what music degree he or she has. "Music" is not like other academic subjects.
A real musician must completely honour and respect music, disregarding the commercial side. There are so many world-renowned musicians who do not have a doctorate, but they are excellent musicians.
What is your daily routine?
I often stay in my studio to compose and do some music arrangements for almost the whole day. I try to get in the habit of writing music and I listen to a variety of music every day to get inspiration for my songwriting.
During my school days, I was often asked to write pieces in different styles in composition class.Nowadays, I could easily create a song and give it to others, but I don't want to give people something of low quality.
What type of girls do you like?
I like a girl with a strong character, emotionally stable, unique and intelligent. She would speak up and sometimes challenge me to show me her independence of mind and motivation to live for herself.
What is the most unforgettable event in your life?
You might think the unforgettable event for most singers must be the first time he/she was awarded some prizes in recognition of their singing achievement in different sorts of awards presentation ceremonies. However, that is absolutely not for me. I don't care whether I win awards or not, but it is important for my own music to be recognized as a contribution to society regardless of fame and money.
For me, the most unforgettable event in my life was the time I composed and wrote the script for my school's musical, "The Bite That Burns", which I directed at the age of 21. With tears and sweat, I devoted myself to work on it. It was great. I am proud of it.
If there was a next life, what would you want to be?
I absolutely don't want to be a singer/songwriter again. I think the world is becoming more hi-tech, thus I would love to be an astronaut to explore outer space. It would be cool.
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