Discovering Asian Music
I've always been pop at heart. And because of this, I've been listening to Malaysian Nicholas Teo for three days now--even if I don't understand what he's singing. I really like the tone of his voice, especially the low registers. So now I'm trying to find more of his songs.
I probably never would have discovered him if I didn't stumble upon this Taiwanese drama called Smiling Pasta, where Teo plays a pop prince who fakes an engagement with a girl that he accidentally kissed in public (plot is kinda similar to the Korean drama Full House). Nothing spectacular, but I had some good laughs and feel-good moments watching it.
Nicholas Teo starred in the drama with Cyndi Wang, a Taiwanese pop star. I didn't know at first that they were both singers and it was a pleasant surprise when I heard Nic Teo sing Little Turtle (Xaio Wu Gwei)--not only did I love the song, but I also suddenly became a fan (truth be told, before I heard the song I thought the guy was kinda forgettable). Since I loved the song so much, I downlaoded it and had my officemate translate it for me. What do you know, I even had a crash course in traditional Chinese! ;) Thanks, officemate! More songs to come. Hehe.
I never thought that I'd learn to appreciate Asian music. I mean, my formative years in music was spent listening to the Beatles, glam rock, punk, and grunge bands. So it was kinda surprising that I would develop a liking for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese pop songs. Well, the Japanese songs that I like are not really far from glam and punk so I guess that doesn't stray much from my regular fare. But Korean and Chinese...again, it's a pleasant surprise. :) It doesn't matter if I don't understand the lyrics because I feel the song. It's true that music goes past the language barrier.
I think the time I started to appreciate Asian tunes was when I was watching Full House. There's this song by Lee Bo Ram called Chuh Eum Geu Ja Ri Eh and it's such a beautiful, moving ballad. I wish I could upload it somewhere for you to sample but I don't know how to do that yet. :P Then I watched Naruto; and because I so fancied the opening and closing themes, I went and bought the soundtrack (gripe: Japanese CDs are soooo expensive)! There's only one English song in the album but I didn't mind one bit. It was worth every centavo. Oh, and let us not forget: before Full House and Naruto, there was the Meteor Garden theme! ;) It's just too bad they had to make a Tagalog version. :p
Now this is what I call sound tripping across Asia. ;)
I probably never would have discovered him if I didn't stumble upon this Taiwanese drama called Smiling Pasta, where Teo plays a pop prince who fakes an engagement with a girl that he accidentally kissed in public (plot is kinda similar to the Korean drama Full House). Nothing spectacular, but I had some good laughs and feel-good moments watching it.
Nicholas Teo starred in the drama with Cyndi Wang, a Taiwanese pop star. I didn't know at first that they were both singers and it was a pleasant surprise when I heard Nic Teo sing Little Turtle (Xaio Wu Gwei)--not only did I love the song, but I also suddenly became a fan (truth be told, before I heard the song I thought the guy was kinda forgettable). Since I loved the song so much, I downlaoded it and had my officemate translate it for me. What do you know, I even had a crash course in traditional Chinese! ;) Thanks, officemate! More songs to come. Hehe.
I never thought that I'd learn to appreciate Asian music. I mean, my formative years in music was spent listening to the Beatles, glam rock, punk, and grunge bands. So it was kinda surprising that I would develop a liking for Korean, Japanese, and Chinese pop songs. Well, the Japanese songs that I like are not really far from glam and punk so I guess that doesn't stray much from my regular fare. But Korean and Chinese...again, it's a pleasant surprise. :) It doesn't matter if I don't understand the lyrics because I feel the song. It's true that music goes past the language barrier.
I think the time I started to appreciate Asian tunes was when I was watching Full House. There's this song by Lee Bo Ram called Chuh Eum Geu Ja Ri Eh and it's such a beautiful, moving ballad. I wish I could upload it somewhere for you to sample but I don't know how to do that yet. :P Then I watched Naruto; and because I so fancied the opening and closing themes, I went and bought the soundtrack (gripe: Japanese CDs are soooo expensive)! There's only one English song in the album but I didn't mind one bit. It was worth every centavo. Oh, and let us not forget: before Full House and Naruto, there was the Meteor Garden theme! ;) It's just too bad they had to make a Tagalog version. :p
Now this is what I call sound tripping across Asia. ;)