You know you’re fucking awesome when you lipsync through a whole show and nobody gives a shit, because it’s still awesome. Though, I would argue that MJ should’ve stopped his performance in Dangerous.
Not since Michael Jackson began dazzling the pop music stage has there been any other pop act that has been able to define dancing the way Michael did. To this day and age, when dance pop music (in America) is stale, and Korea gives me pretty choreographed skill [1] — there’s still no one bringing anything new to the pop table.
On episode 8, it was Harlem Yu’s turn. From his team, I had a few favorites — like Wang Yun Yi (王韵壹) [1], Wei Yu Nuo (魏语诺) [1], Jin Chi (金池) [1], and a very VERY soft spot for the Amisi Girls (阿蜜丝女孩) [1] coz their arrangement of Leehom’s Mei [MV] was so much fun xD. So I was BUMMED that I had to choose between Wei Yu Nuo and Jin Chi on the first round of battles.
At first, I thought that Jin Chi was gonna take it really easy because she has such control of her voice, but I was surprised by Wei Yu Nuo who gave her own UMPH while doing a battle performance of Aaron Kwok’s Give your Neverending Love (对你爱不完) [clip]. They were really great together and after rather two weak duos, they seemed to put themselves forward as the best of the episode with their number, until…
This The Same Moonlight (一样的月光) performance by Wang Yun Yi and Zhao Ke (赵可).
and though… none of them made it after the deadly cut… with a rather weak “battle for my own” performance by Wang, they have a close to perfect performance with this. They maybe should collaborate in another project together.
I really REALLY hope Jin Chi makes it to the Top4, at least.
Next up! Na Ying’s team. It seems to be the strongest, but it also means a lot of good people are going to get cut.
I really want to love you, but I understand our complicated relationship. Every time I pull closer to you, you pull away, retreating to your closed existence where there is only fans of your music in Japan and you forget about me, who just like a person who can’t get enough of this mistreatment keeps coming back to you.
I know I need therapy for this one-sided relationship we got going on.
I am hoping that one day (soon, rather than later) you allow me to love you the way I want to. I don’t want ALL of you, I’d be just happy with short PVs… the one or two-minute clips other companies upload. I can deal with that, but not being able to even BROWSE your content while being able to see it uploaded on my timeline seems like an awfully unfair affair.
First… I can’t believe The Voice of China left me with a cliffhanger.
The selection process for The Voice of China is done, and I had already picked my favorites… so it’s time for Liu Huan to sort out his picks and do a deadly — seriously, DEADLY — cut. From the first round of duo battles, my favorite performance was Quan Zhendong (权振东) Vs. Jianing Combination (佳宁组合) singing Winter is Coming (冬天来了).
The show is seriously riddled with major talent — so much that Liu Huan really feels it when he cuts people — but since everyone is so talented, I feel like everyone deserves to be there. Some VERY hard choices were made. Almost by the end of the show, when you thought you’d seen it all, Liu Yue (刘悦) went out there and gave the OMG moment of the episode (after a rather weak duo battle, if I may say).
Having said that, if the competition doesn’t work for Quan Zhendong, I think he should totally get together with Jianing Combination because they had great chemistry, and I think they were the most difficult to pick from.
— EDIT —
Now that I’m chronicling my journey through The Voice of China with my opinion on Harlem Yu’s team, I guess I have to tell you my thoughts on Liu Huan’s. Surprisingly enough, I only had two favorite FAVORITES~ The first one was Liu Yue [1] and then Summer (who ended up winning this episode) [1]. But overall I thought Liu Huan’s team had a very good vocal quality.
I knew Bibi could do impersonations, but this is too much. Positively good and quite hilarious. I’m not a very huge Bruno Mars fan, I think he’s composition (especially lyrics-wise) and performance in general could improve, but I’m not denying him some merits. His singles are pleasantly catchy.
I’m a huge Bibi fan, but I’ve often talked about what I think her performances are lacking. So as the years have gone by, I think this is the first year that I’ve seen her completely comfortable performing live. Those hints of awkwardness are gone giving way to something in her eyes, something within her that makes her at ease on stage.
Like she’s allowed to be silly on stage without worries.
Dude, she did a little number on Beyonce’s Single Ladies [1], Lady Gaga’s Born this Way [1], and I can’t mention enough how she killed it when she did that Aaron Kwok number [1].
So~~~ Bibi’s got a brand new Chinese epic song that she’s done for some video game, and her voice sounds perfect. xD And since the lyrics of the song are tiny (just a few lines), I decided to give them a go.
Written by: Jam You Music Studio (积木鱼音乐团队) / Ju Weiwei (鞠维维)
Composed by: Jam You Music Studio
Produced by: Ronald Ng (伍樂城)… and Yang Ying (杨颖) [Angelababy???]
So here’s the song: Video is out~
Well, I wasn’t too far off the mark ;P
If you follow Tony Leung’s career… or the Chinese movie scene in general, you’d know there’s a movie coming up called The Silent War (聽風者 or 听风者) — actually, it has just come out — featuring Leung alongside Zhou Xun and Mavis Fan (these two are in everything together??) xD.
Anyway, BiBi was at the movie’s premiere~
And she sang the theme of Infernal Affairs [MV] in Mandarin ‘coz Tony is there. xD
She did good :) She’s been sounding good lately despite audio problems generally found in CCTV broadcasts. Seriously, it’s like… no matter how good a singer you are, all CCTV performances sound like crap. Not even Leehom or Faye Wong can escape.
Also, Mavis is the only one truly enjoying the performance. xD
And Tony Leung’s left side looks super old compared to his right side.
Dudes, so they finally released a finished version of the music video [1] xD which has atrocious rainbow-colored English lyrics xD But you can check some funny remarks and a quickie English translations from Beijing Cream.
You can also check a slightly better quality version of the video on YinYueTai — but still not crisp enough to be able to read the tiny English caption xD
I’m rather surprised I only know a little over +30 names xD and a little more of the faces, including a brief apperance by Ajia [1] and Li Yu Gang (李玉刚) whom… you know, you can’t totally tell from just the audio. I’m also rather SHOCKED that I didn’t get Song Zuying from early on the song but her later bit xD
Judging from the song alone (okay, and a bit of the video), Sa Dingding did great. This was her Beijing Welcomes You [MV] 5-sec Bibi moment for me. xD The song is no Beijing Welcomes You, though. And I love some of Chang Shilei’s stuff. His 2008 Niu China album was my favorite that year, and he does produce some great songs like I Would Say to Them (对他说我愿意) [1] or HIGH歌 — OMG, are you watching The Voice of China [clip] [1]? xD
Also, the video is pretty cheap. Walking down a shelves of book of… what I supposed is the Beijing library or something. xD And also the people that weren’t in Beijing and obviously couldn’t be flown to shoot for the video because of budget. I’m looking at you guys, Eason and Aaron~~~ and Kelly Chen xD
