Chinked-out | the New Face of Chinese Music | Wang Lee Hom at Schema : more than ethnic

Chinked-out | the New Face of Chinese Music | Wang Lee Hom

American-born talent making it big in Asia isn't anything new. Coco Lee, of course comes to mind. But pop-superstar Wang Lee Hom continues to impress Asian Canadians as the "new face" of Chinese music -- especially for pioneering an innovative sound and political voice that Wang calls Chinked-out. "Having established as one of the most important, influential and prolific artist in Chinese music, never repeating himself, Wang continues to invent and experiment with new sound and new voice." (from Wikipedia).

In 2003, Wang began to use chinked-out to describe his new sound: "Derived from the historically derogatory racial slur chink, used to out-down Chinese people, chinked-out repossesses the word, turns its negative connotations upside-down, and uses them as material to fuel the new sound of this music. The term describes an effort to create a sound that is international, and at the same time, Chinese." (Lee-Hom Wang, Shangri-La, translated by Claudia on wangleehom.com)

The latest chapter of Chinked-out Heroes of Earth (蓋世英雄) features innovative fusions with Peking Opera and Kunqu. "Beside the Plum Blossoms" (在梅邊) dealt with fast kunqu melodies - where in the last 50 seconds Wang raps 250 words. "Heroes of Earth " is a fusion of R&B, Hip Hop, Pop and Chinese Peking
Opera elements. See music videos after the jump.

Heros of Earth

Beside the Plum Blossoms

Funny Fact: His "real" name is actually Alexander. Leehom is his Chinese
middle name, but he's never used Alexander. It's always been Leehom. I think
this is sort of interesting, since most ABC/CBC kids try to avoid using
their Chinese middle-name whenever possible.
(Thanks to Amy Cheng for making sure we dug a little deeper)

More:
Schema first heard about Wang Lee Hom from Tami-O in her post here
See Wikipedia for everything.

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Comments

Wang Lee Hom has a new album coming out on July 13. The album is called "Change My Ways" and the first single is called Luo Ye Gui Gen. The song has a 1930's feel to it. Watch the MV on You Tube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaB-___sgrw

dam love his chinked-out style, can't get enough but wow, i got his new album change my way and its awesome. as expected from leehom another outstanding, dare to be different, and amazing album. i have so many favors of him. OMG, you just have to check them out. go leehom, you have many fans in the US, don't let us down, we support you 100 percent. thank you for sharing you wonderful voice with the world. love peace music ^^

man that term "chinked out" is racist.

this is not a personal attack, but 'chink' is just not acceptable. and i take plenty issue with people "reclaiming" a word that still hurts people and warps the perceptions of impressionable non-Asians into thinking it's an acceptable term.

and this part of my criticism might get a little personal... but of course it's some formerly-middle-class/national merit scholar/Asian American (like myself, so i'm not critisizin him just for being one) who cant break into US markets to pull a stunt like this. I like his songs because he borrows so much from American R&B music styles and Chinese styles that I like. But I wont pretend to support a self-promotional campaign by a guy who learned mandarin at age 18, and then tried to use his "Americanness" to break into the only global media region where he would have a chance. Only to bring a racial slur into the popular vocabulary halfway around the world and try to use the racial slur self-righteously.

it hurts more than it helps. i promise.

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