Chinese Pop Culture Primer: Andrew Moore Gives Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse of 'The Coming One'
Chinese Pop Culture Primer is a feature on the Beijinger that explains the ongoing trends in popular Chinese culture.
The aftermath of a yet another country-wide flare is as follows: nearly 40 million spectators have tuned in to watch the final episode and the best word on the street I could get was "Oh, I have heard about it!" The Coming One (明日之子, more literally, the nephew of tomorrow) has been one of few song shows being shown live, which kept the stress levels of fans high throughout the show.
The finale of the all-male singing competition show has aired on Sep 23, crowning an unsuspecting nursing student Mao Buyi (毛不易) the winner and bringing him the sudden fame that he often seemed to be too uncomfortable and shy to accept. Mao has won over the hearts of the audience, judges, and competitors alike, with many of the latter two seen brushing away a tear or snotty nose while Mao Buyi was performing.
His song Xiao Chou (消愁), about drowning one's sorrows in wine, has stayed at the top of QQ Music's charts for 11 days and has almost 75,000 comments on the platform alone. Keeping in mind the turnover rate and intensity of the content flow in China's pop culture, that's pretty impressive.
The 23-year-old nursing student from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China, Mao Buyi (also known by pet name Mao Mao) writes the lyrics and music to most of his songs himself. Laced with cute melancholy and Mao's naturally awkward behavior, he is somewhat of a representative for the young underdogs in China and adored by outcasts and insiders alike. Mao said most of his songs were written in times of confusion, sadness or financial troubles, the result being pieces that many young fans can easily relate to.
The Coming One started with three celebrities choosing performers based on their own criteria before leaving their fates up to the voting public. The model, combining the ingredients of celebrity endorsement and the tension of competition, proved effective, as shown by the show's massive following.
For anyone who's seen at least an episode of a few different singing shows, it comes as no surprise that foreigners tend to show up between performers either as dancers or musicians. The Coming One also ventured into the lands of foreign talent for recordings and live shows. We spoke to a guitar player, whose name now pops up when listening to the recordings from the show online: Andrew Moore. He said he never had to wear an entrance pass. "I guess you really couldn't mistake me for anyone else there," he laughed.
How did you end up playing on The Coming One?
Through the music director, TYZ. I began working with him this summer on some shows for a singer and was asked to join his team in creating the music for the singing show.
You have been on stage and recording for quite a while now. Did a Chinese show of this magnitude feel different? What musical or organizational peculiarities have you noticed it having?
Believe it or not, this is first TV show I have played on so yes, it did feel different from my previous experiences. As much live performances and recordings as I have done, this was the first television series I have had the pleasure of being involved in. This did feel different, mainly because of the sheer magnitude of people that watched it. This show had an added flair to it because it was done as a live stream. A lot of TV shows are recorded first and aired later. Since this competition was being streamed onto the internet, there was no room for error. If you made a mistake, that mistake was immediately broadcast to millions of viewers.
Have you had a chance to experience the attention of Chinese fans?
I have had the chance to experience the attention of Chinese fans and it's cute! Almost everyone I've come in contact with is extremely mild-mannered and shy. It's cute because you can tell they are going crazy inside! A lot of them show their support with their t-shirts, armbands, headgear, etc. We always did the show on Saturdays but sometimes as early as Thursday you would find fans gathered outside of the main building, waiting for a glimpse of their favorite competitor.
Who have you been rooting for at the contest?
Honestly, I was rooting for a couple of the guys. For me, the list of who I didn't want to win was shorter. I wasn't on any one competitor's team and was lucky enough to perform onstage (the band is usually in the pit) with a few of them. I just wanted whoever to win to have deserved it. No stupid politics of who has a higher potential for the business side of things. And with that, I can say that I am VERY happy with Mao Buyi's win. The guy wrote a lot of the songs we performed. He's a fantastic singer and a great artist and I hope he does well in his career.
What's the most bizarre or fun thing that happened during the time the show was running?
The most bizarre thing about the show by far was the animated contestant, HeZ. This was a totally new experience for me and one that I had never really thought of. The Japanese team that brought HeZ in did some incredible work making everything happen smoothly on stage and props to all of the contestants and judges that had to interact with the animation on the live stream.
More by the author here.
Images: HXNews, Digitaling, courtesy of Andrew Moore
Sources: PRNewswire
