Two Magazine (Issue 3 , February 2006)

  

  

 

THE PERFECT VALENTINE - LEE HOM IN A FLASH

TAIPEI. After few days of partying-Dior launch, shows, clubbing, and karaoke until 4am-and greeting from police at a drink don't drive checkpoint, I am getting used to daunting nightlife here. But the real purpose of my trip is happening tonight...an interview with the popular American-Chinese recording artist, Lee Hom Wang.

It's a cool winter night, the damp air is heavy with drizzling rain, I climb up to the 3rd floor studio and hear that my subject is filming a variety show and will be late for our photo shoot. I am not surprised, watching TV until the wee hours and blindly channel surfing, I see Lee Hom popping up on many talk shows, singing his Mandarin rap mixed Peking opera song from his new album, "Heroes of Earth". The audience, mostly girls in their twenties, are awed by his lightening fast lyrics; hundreds of words in under a minute.

It's the nature of the game, when a recording artist launches a new album in Taiwan, they can expect to be on a whirlwind schedule filming MVs, appearances on TV variety shows and being on the cover of magazines. But I am impressed, knowing that American-born Chinese have ignored their roots and can't even speak simple Mandarin; he is an exception. He's used it to his advantage, knowing American culture and fusing that knowledge with his Chinese heritage.

Accepting his roots and returning to Taiwan ten years ago seems to have been the right move for his musical career (he plays classical Chinese instruments, produces most of his songs and lyrics as well as those for other singers). He's ascended to stardom and is one of the most recognized faces in Asia. In Thailand, Lee Hom is paired with Tata Young in ads. He even has a Japanese album and has appeared in films with well-known Chinese and Japanese actors, as well as being a spokesman for mobile phones, watches and tea beverages.

As the clock ticks, we sit lazily on a beaten sofa, some waiting with his albums on hand for autographs. Almost 10 o'clock, the door swings open and Lee Hom hurdles in with an entourage of assistants, a make-up artist, and a stylist rushing into the makeshift dressing room. We sit outside waiting and occasionally we hear Lee Hom utter a phrase from his song, abruptly breaking the silence in the air.

Why is Stevie Wonder your favorite musician?
I think he is the most creative, innovative and original musician. He has a great voice and understands musical harmony. Stevie Wonder does not necessarily do the most commercially popular stuff but he has a lot of sincerity and he is also a humanitarian. He hasn't released an album in ten years. But recently he did a song called "Shelter in the Rain", a charity song for the New Orleans flood and all the proceeds for the single go to relief fund.

Being an ABC (American Born Chinese), how did you learn Chinese? Can you read and write Chinese?
Although I didn't make an effort to learn Chinese, I knew if I wanted to be lyracist or composer I needed to know Chinese well. I can read but my writing doesn't look so good, so I use a computer to type.

How did you decide to become a musician?
What happened was that the first album I did was just for fun. I didn't know I was going make a career out of it, but the response was so good that it gave me confidence.

Which country helped jumpstart your career?
Definitely Taiwan, it is where I started. It is like my home now. I have lived here for 10 years.

Do you write your own lyrics and composer your own songs?
Not all of them, but a good portion.

Do you write for other singers?
Yes, I write and produce for many artists, like Jolin, A-Mei, and Karen Mok. I recently wrote a song to sing with Rain, it was sung in Chinese and Korean.

What are you listening now?
I listen to a lot of Jazz. Right now, I am listening to John Coltrane.

What are you reading now?
I don't do a lot of reading, because I really have bad eyes. I am extremely near-sighted in one eye and far-sighted in the other. But I do appreciate books. It is also why I love Stevie Wonder. He's blind, you know.

What's your favorite food?
Here in Taiwan there's so much good food to eat, but I don't eat spicy food. I love Japanese food and Shabu-Shabu.

What do you do in your free time?
I love playing baseball. As a matter of fact, I just played some today. It was a lot of fun.

What other interests do you have?
I love acting and doing movies. I have completed five movies.

What's your favorite outfit?
Casual. T-shirt and jeans.

How many albums you have?
Eleven, if the Chinese singles are included. I also have a couple of Japanese albums.

What's the name of your latest album?
Heroes of Earth

What is your ideal Valentine?
I like a person who is natural. I don't have the look of the person in mind, but I'll know when it happens.

What is your most memorable romantic moment?
It was in college. I walked into my dorm on Valentine's Day and my girlfriend at the time had decorated the room with different colored heart shapes all over the ceiling and floor.

Lee Hom is friendly and amicable, with a radiant and handsome face. The collection on his latest album, "Heroes of Earth", includes a duet with the current hot Korean pop singer "Rain", another song has back-up from Chinese opera in which Lee Hom creates his own genre of Hip-Hop called "Chinked-out". For the song, "Kiss Goodbye", Lee Hom directed his own MV. Watch out for the heart-throb giving on screen kisses.