Old, new, versatile and crazy. This time I'd like to present a few performances from Hua Chenyu, nicknamed Huahua. We can expect great things from him as his career develops. 22 SBI contest at the end.
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"Nunchucks" (双截棍) shows Chen's genre-bending abilities, but not necessarily his vocal range. Nunchucks is a cover of an old rap/rock Jay Chou (周杰伦) song which is itself worth checking out for seeing how music has changed since the '90s. Jay Chou's version has more Red Hot Chilli Peppers funk, but Chen's has a grittier edge, more tempo variation and a pleasing touch of Chinese Opera. Truly a masterful arrangement and performance. Often fusion music can feel a bit naive, but Chen's Nunchucks can in no way be said to suffer from this because the individual pieces come together well.
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"Fake Monk" (假行僧) is a wonderfully emotive piece. Previously, I featured Tan Weiwei singing the same song, but the styles could not be more different. Huahua says this song represents his journey from loneliness back to society. But for me, Chen's Fake Monk reads like a person who's having a hangover post unsuccessfully trying to drink away their regrets. It starts pained and quiet until some impish laughing foreshadows the full deconstruction that follows. It's a raw emotional piece that captures some indescribable yet relatable emotional pain.
Chen's technique is fantastic, and the arrangement is incredible. Huahua masterfully negotiates a license from the audience to emotionally break-down during the crescendo. That negotiation starts with showing the pain, the angelic highs, him pulling in and out while sustaining a long note, a growling end to a heavenly note and some venomous diction. When he piano bashes near the end, we know it's part of the journey, and we totally buy it. Amazing! This performance, like great performances, should, slips in between what words can express and hits something more primal. My favourite line translates to "I want everybody to see me, but not know who I am".
“Equal to Heaven” (齐天), is the theme song for the movie "Wukong". Wukong is the name of the Monkey King is from the legends in the "Journey to the West". Journey is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Wukong is a complex Trickster character who, along with other sinners, joins a monk on a pilgrimage to collect sacred Buddhist texts. Chen's vocals move between rap and pop and have a very movie-like quality to them.
Chen Huayu is above all a performer. His rap flow might be a bit flat and his rock voice a bit weedy but none of this matters - he brings discipline to his performances that place them in a class of their own. He confidently serves a menu from a broad palette, and you can see the audience responds by willing him to take them to strangely familiar places.
Contest: 22 SBI units
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