Colorful Black
Last year, on the Chinese version of The Voice, there was a girl named Jike Juanyi (English stage name Summer) who was from the Yi ethnic group and sang a lot of rocking English songs like "I Feel Good" and "Rolling in the Deep". She had a really strong voice and was an absolutely lovely person. In December, Summer released her first single "Colorful Black", which was a song/MV package that had a surprisingly American/Euro feel, rather than the usual Kpop/Jpop influences. It was strong and atypical and full of individuality and self.
I get the sense that she pretty much had the pick of the bunch in terms of label companies after The Voice (she was third). I also feel like a lot of companies probably would want to mold her into a typical pop princess--make her pretty and cutesy and try to draw attention away from her dark skin, and try to tone down how open and mature her style is. The thing is--in Asia, the typical female star is a delicate pretty princess, pale skin, talks in a sweet little high-pitched voice, and plays at 撒娇 (sa jiao). There's not a great translation for 撒娇 (sa jiao) but the basic concept is a person behaving in a spoiled sort of way toward someone they know likes them.
But Summer isn't at all a typical Asian celebrity. She's dark-skinned and proud of who she is and unwilling to compromise her sense of self to be a star. She doesn't have the personality to go in circles and whine and 撒娇 (sa jiao). So I'm really happy that she signed with TH Music, who let her have the sort of song that "Colorful Black" is--not shy and sweet as typical Asian pop music, but a style all her own. It's a song about rejecting other people trying to change her, about being proud of not being what people think she should be, and about the idea that anyone who thinks she should change who she is is simply looking at her the wrong way.
False desires are spreading; watch, upload, download
The gorgeous bubble is vanishing, popping
One click per second, browse a piece of nonsense
Like skimming over water, it’s the fingertip’s fault
In this era of fast consumerism of each other’s feelings
If you want to be seen, various colors (are painted with a hue)
Good thing my skin is so dark (my soul is too instinctive)
Even my breathing is based on feeling (Sincere lies, I don’t know how)
I’d rather be a little stupid, but I want music
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
The broadcast of a whisper is once again spreading, infecting, duplicating, instigating
The affected posture is revealed, seen through
A touch, one search, see a mass of assumptions
Baseless rumours are all a meaningless dream
Painted with a hue
Good thing my skin is so dark (my soul is too instinctive)
Even my breathing is based on feeling (Sincere lies, I don’t know how)
I’d rather be a little stupid, but I want music
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
You will ultimately find that I am actually quieter, wilder
You will also find this world has already changed
So careful, next time we meet again, meet again
You will soon see my colorful sort of black
False desires are spreading; watch, upload, download
The gorgeous bubble is vanishing, popping
One click per second, browse a piece of nonsense
Like skimming over water, the fingertip at fault
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I get the sense that she pretty much had the pick of the bunch in terms of label companies after The Voice (she was third). I also feel like a lot of companies probably would want to mold her into a typical pop princess--make her pretty and cutesy and try to draw attention away from her dark skin, and try to tone down how open and mature her style is. The thing is--in Asia, the typical female star is a delicate pretty princess, pale skin, talks in a sweet little high-pitched voice, and plays at 撒娇 (sa jiao). There's not a great translation for 撒娇 (sa jiao) but the basic concept is a person behaving in a spoiled sort of way toward someone they know likes them.
But Summer isn't at all a typical Asian celebrity. She's dark-skinned and proud of who she is and unwilling to compromise her sense of self to be a star. She doesn't have the personality to go in circles and whine and 撒娇 (sa jiao). So I'm really happy that she signed with TH Music, who let her have the sort of song that "Colorful Black" is--not shy and sweet as typical Asian pop music, but a style all her own. It's a song about rejecting other people trying to change her, about being proud of not being what people think she should be, and about the idea that anyone who thinks she should change who she is is simply looking at her the wrong way.
False desires are spreading; watch, upload, download
The gorgeous bubble is vanishing, popping
One click per second, browse a piece of nonsense
Like skimming over water, it’s the fingertip’s fault
In this era of fast consumerism of each other’s feelings
If you want to be seen, various colors (are painted with a hue)
Good thing my skin is so dark (my soul is too instinctive)
Even my breathing is based on feeling (Sincere lies, I don’t know how)
I’d rather be a little stupid, but I want music
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
The broadcast of a whisper is once again spreading, infecting, duplicating, instigating
The affected posture is revealed, seen through
A touch, one search, see a mass of assumptions
Baseless rumours are all a meaningless dream
Painted with a hue
Good thing my skin is so dark (my soul is too instinctive)
Even my breathing is based on feeling (Sincere lies, I don’t know how)
I’d rather be a little stupid, but I want music
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
You will ultimately find that I am actually quieter, wilder
You will also find this world has already changed
So careful, next time we meet again, meet again
You will soon see my colorful sort of black
False desires are spreading; watch, upload, download
The gorgeous bubble is vanishing, popping
One click per second, browse a piece of nonsense
Like skimming over water, the fingertip at fault
I’m very sorry I can’t attain the ostentatious butterfly
in your imagination, flying around you
baffling you, color color color
is an illusion, it doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way
I am very proud I can’t pretend to be like the flowery world
in your plans, pretending to be perfect
persisting in my color color color
Who defines it? It doesn’t matter
It’s you who is looking at me the wrong way