Soul music with a Chinese flavor

Lee Hom Wang believes pop songs can deliver more than just pure entertainment, and his forthcoming album explores the impact that artificial intelligence will have on our lives

Clad in a black outfit that makes him look like a warrior from the future, Chinese-American singer-songwriter Lee Hom Wang unveiled two new tracks from his forthcoming album A.I. Love at a recent news conference in Beijing.

"It's been two and a half years since I released my last album, and this new one is my most important in 10 years," Wang says.

"I'd been looking for a right theme for it, and artificial intelligence has become a hot topic, thanks to the achievements of the big computing giants over the past few years," he says.

For the past four years, Wang has been invited to attend the top business leaders' meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, in the United States, which enabled him to meet leading tech figures such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and acquire the latest information about artificial intelligence.

"Artificial intelligence is going to dramatically change the way everybody works, in both positive and negative ways. Will artificial intelligence lead to job losses? Will artificial intelligence take the place of human beings? These are the kinds of questions I have been thinking about," Wang says, adding that one of his friends, Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, co-founded a nonprofit artificial intelligence research company with the aim of developing safe artificial intelligence and ensuring that its benefits are as widely and evenly distributed as possible.

"I believe pop music can deliver more than just pure entertainment. So I wanted to pose those questions in my songs," says Wang.

"My songwriting comes from my life, everything that is happening in my life. I always want to make a difference with my music," he says.

In 2007, the singer-songwriter released his album Change Me, on which the title song was aimed at raising environmental awareness among young people.

"When he told us about his ideas for this new album, we were surprised and pleased because he was bringing something unusual and creative," says Andy Ng, vice-president of Tencent Music Entertainment Group, which is releasing the album via its seven online music platforms, including QQ Music. "He is a musician who likes experimenting and new ideas. We believe his fans will be pleasantly surprised, like us, by his new material."

Ng says his company will also be promoting Wang's concerts to support the new album.

Wang, born in New York in 1976 to doctor parents from Taiwan, grew up in the United States. He studied violin from a young age and performed in musicals at high school. He later pursued a degree in music at Williams College, followed by a master's degree at the prestigious Berkley School of Music.

While at university, Wang gained a recording contract in Taiwan, thanks to his songwriting talent. His debut album, Love Rival, Beethoven, which was released in December 1995, made him a rising star in Asia.

At that time, Wang, along with other US-born Chinese who returned to Taiwan and became singers - such as the Santa Monica-born singer-actor Vanness Wu - became popular in Asia with their mix of Western and traditional Chinese music elements.

So far, Wang has released 22 studio albums and shared stages with artists such as Kenny G, Justin Timberlake and Usher.

Wang's embrace of his Chinese roots is so strong that he has written Chinese-style R&B songs and rap in Chinese, and has used elements from traditional Chinese operas, such as Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera, in his compositions.

Wang has incorporated one of his favorite instruments, the traditional two-string bowed erhu, into his new songs to give his music an Eastern flavor.

"I've been inspired by my parents' own immigrant experience, and I feel deeply connected to my Chinese background," Wang says.

He was a torchbearer for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and performed at the closing ceremony.

Besides writing and producing his own music, Wang has also dabbled in movies. One of his most successful roles was as a patriotic student in Ang Lee's 2007 movie Lust, Caution.

In 2010, he released his directorial debut film, Love in Disguise, in which he also played the leading role.

In 2013, he married his girlfriend Lee Jinglei, and they have two daughters, born in 2014 and 2016. Following their births, he slowed down his pace of work so he could spend more time with his family.

"Family is important to me. When I was making this new album, my wife produced my videos and I edited the film with my elder daughter sitting on my lap," says Wang, adding that he also wrote songs for his daughters, which are included on the album.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

( China Daily Africa Weekly 10/06/2017 page20)