Y2J (神木與瞳)
DO I KNOW YOU FROM SOMEWHERE?
One Million Stars alumni Yuming Lai and Jane Huang join forces to bring us Y2J
One Million Stars alumni Yuming Lai and Jane Huang join forces to bring us Y2J
At a time when rock duos are completely unheard of in Taiwan, Y2J has decided to break new ground. YUMING LAI and JANE HUANG, both from Taiwan, first met on the singing reality show One Million Stars . While Yuming, 24, went on to win the competition and Jane, 25, didn’t, both emerged winners when their label decided to pair them up. Thus, Y2J – the name being a combination of Yuming and Jane’s initials and the number of members in their group, two – was born.
Sources taken from: http://entertainment.my.msn.com/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2557311
Tell us about your band.
Yuming: We’re originally from the second season of the singing reality show One Million Stars . I think our rock music is what makes us different from other bands. Most Chinese music fans prefer pop songs and ballads because they’re easier to listen to, but we prefer something a little heavier, music-wise. For us to be able to launch a rock album shows how much confidence our label has in us. When we were competing on the show, we sang a lot of rock songs and that became the foundation of our style as a music duo. When people hear our songs, we want to them to be able to say, ‘Hey, that’s Y2J.’
We’re very grateful for the opportunity to perform rock music. A lot of popular songs out there are about happy themes but we want to give people something a little more serious. A lot of our songs are about consolation. Things don’t always go well and through our music, we want to encourage people to be strong during difficult times.
Were you worried that listeners would not like your music?
Jane: When we first decided to become a rock duo, I was a little worried because the Taiwanese music market consists mainly of pop songs and we were trying to break into the industry with rock songs. But during the process of making the album, I became more confident. I remember asking our boss, ‘Do you have confidence in us?’ And he said… [turns to Yuming], ‘What did he say again?’
Y: [Laughs] He said, ‘How can you still be asking that at this stage?’
J: And so I told myself that we should be confident. After we finished recording, we listened to our songs and I was moved by them. A friend was there at the time and she began crying which made me a little more confident. That my friend, who doesn’t listen to rock music, can listen to our songs and be moved to tears gave me hope that listeners would also like our music. That was when I realised we could do this.
Y: Rock music often puts a certain distance between the singers and the audience. But there are lots of different types of rock music. A lot of people don’t understand that and we want to show them that it can be very simple thing. Our melodies are simple and our lyrics are direct and easily understood. That’s what we hope listeners will realise. At the same time, we also want people to know that even though we’re rockers, we’re very approachable to our listeners. We haven’t really changed in terms of our performing styles.
Your album was released in August last year. How has the response been so far?
J: I think most people have accepted us. I feel as if we’re pioneers in a way because till today, there still isn’t a rock duo in Taiwan besides us. We’re unique because we sing together but we also have solo parts and we want people to know we’re still two different people, two different singers.
Y: I think in the beginning, some people may have thought, ‘How come these songs are so unhappy?’ But because the melody is so easy to pick up, they start to sing along. If a nice song is very complicated, like R&B songs which are very difficult to sing along to, it creates a sort of distance between the singer and the listener.
How did you guys decide to become a duo?
J: Actually, our music label had been planning to put us together while we were still competing. After I finished, they told me about it but at the time Yuming was still competing so they didn’t tell me who my partner was going to be and they didn’t tell him because they didn’t want to distract him. I sort of guessed but even then, I was still a bit surprised when they finally told me. I wondered what kind of group we would be because we hadn’t talked about it yet and I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know how it was going to work out.
Y: I only found out after I won the competition and was looking at signing a recording contract. Initially I was a bit worried because I didn’t know how we would be presented as. Would we be one of those groups that sing and dance? Both of us don’t dance very well. Would we be one of those musical duos where one person sings and the other plays an instrument? It was all very uncertain to me. But they later told me their plans for us and it turned out to be something no one else had ever done before.
J: Because we were the first, there was no one else for us to model after. We had to find our own way and learn everything ourselves.
What do you admire most about each other?
J: His talent. He can play the piano and the drums and he’s got a very wide range. He’s like the whole package.
Y: What I admire most about Jane is, even though she’s a bit shy and some people think she’s not very approachable at first, she’s very easy to get along with once you know her. We got to know each other while we were on the show and we began to gain each other’s trust. And unlike some girls who might be wary about discussing certain things with guys, Jane is not like that. She doesn’t care that I’m a guy, she speaks her mind. If she’s not feeling well because she has her period for example, she’ll tell me. Some girls might not do that but she thinks there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s healthy and normal for women to have their period. She’ll also discuss work stuff or things that she’s going through with me.
How has your experience in One Million Stars helped you?
Y: For me, I had to sing without an instrument, which was very difficult for me initially because I used to always sing and play an instrument at the same time. But that was the way the competition went and I got used to it after a while and began to learn more about using the stage and the space around me.
J: My biggest breakthrough was getting over the fact that there was someone filming my performance. I’m not afraid to sing in front of lots of people, but I get nervous when there’s a camera on me. During the competition I got used to that and now I’m more relaxed about it.
You guys sang a Chinese version of the song ‘We Rock’. Tell us about that.
Y: That was a great opportunity for us, to be able to sing that song. They needed a Taiwanese group to sing the song and we fit. We thought it would be a good way of cementing our image in people’s minds. I think we were very lucky to get it.
What are your expectations for Y2J?
J: I hope our music will become more versatile over time while still maintaining our rock elements. I also hope we’ll be able to hold a massive concert one day.
Y: I think our aims are very similar. We hope our music will help people understand what rock is all about, and we hope people will be able to identify us just by listening to our songs. There was this German guy who found our music and posted some thoughts about it on his blog. He liked our music and for me, that was a wonderful thing – that someone from a different culture and background can listen to our music and like it.
Did you try to contact this guy?
Y: No. I can’t speak German [laughs].
What do you like to do in your free time?
J: Rest. I like staying home, going out shopping or meeting up with friends for coffee or a movie.
Do you get recognised?
J: I always disguise myself.
Y: I like staying at home because I don’t often get to. I like listening to music, playing the guitar or watching DVDs. I also hang out with friends and catch up on what’s going on. I think that really enriches my life.
Y2J’s debut album Live For You is in stores now
