(Provided by interviewee/picture) When I met Shang Wenjie, she had just finished the rehearsal of a variety show and was talking to a Yorkie. An acquaintance of the music director brought his puppy, and she liked it very much. That Yorkie was called OK, its head was no bigger tha

(provided by the interviewee/picture)

When I met Shang Wenjie, she had just finished the rehearsal of a variety show and was talking to a Yorkie. An acquaintance of the music director brought his puppy, and she liked it very much.

The Yorkie called OK, its head was not as big as Shang Wenjie’s hand, its chin rested on her arm, and its body was crawling in her arms. She lowered her head and said softly, "Little OK, look at me." Her shoulder-length hair hung down, and the ends of her hair brushed OK's head.

She picked up OK, "Little OK! Look at me." It rolled its dark eyes, and the crescent-shaped whites of its eyes appeared and disappeared. The moment they looked at each other, Shang Wenjie smiled, her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth raised.

Such a lively expression rarely appears on Shang Wenjie's face. When she appears in public, she is known for being cold and calm, with few mood swings, speaking in a steady tone, and answering questions with complete logic and clear thinking, sometimes even like an AI.

This is regarded by her as a true display of her own personality. In both creation and life, logical thinking occupies a dominant position.

She graduated from the French Department of Fudan University. One of the reasons why she likes French is that "the expressions are accurate and there is no ambiguity."

She loves mathematics, is especially good at geometry, and is almost gifted. This talent was transferred to her songwriting. The creation of melody became modular splicing, and the notes and intervals of the staff became a certain regular arrangement and combination.

Some time ago, a producer took the songs she had written and curiously asked her: "Why do these songs all have the same set of chords?" She took a closer look and discovered that this was indeed the case. If she had enough time, she would like to learn piano, because it is a concrete manifestation of mathematical laws on black and white keys.

"Problem solving" has always been the main focus of Shang Wenjie's life. Her biggest problem was not that she couldn't continue studying, but that she was being interfered with while solving problems. Solving problems during her school years was simple, joyful, and always smooth. She was smart enough to cope with it. Participating in "Happy Girls" was also about solving problems. I traveled through three competition areas, went to the PK stage several times, and finally won the championship. Learn to write songs, stay at home for a month, use mathematical thinking, and the distribution of notes becomes a permutation and combination. She serves as a judge on "Sound into the Heart", observes professional contestants singing, and improves her singing skills after returning home to ponder...

Emotions are the biggest problem she encounters. After entered the entertainment industry, he realized that his brain was not enough: being a singer is not just about singing. Even if you win the championship, your popularity will disappear one day. Good works are hard to come by, and even more difficult to find... She suffers from severe depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, and is still taking medication.

For a long time, Shang Wenjie has given people a dull and indifferent impression. She said this is the "undertone of her character". Several variety shows changed her, and she discovered that she could take the initiative to make friends. Singing is also easier than before. She will be extremely busy in 2024, and her biggest thought now is "I hope I can do it with ease, so that I can take a break from work, and not make myself so embarrassed." The owner of

ok pushed the door in. It struggled hard and finally jumped to the ground and ran towards the owner. Shang Wenjie watched them go out. Turning around, she looked at herself in the makeup mirror and returned to her original appearance, with drooped mouth corners, serious eyebrows, dark pupils, and a straight waist.

"Let's get started," she said.

Shang Wenjie sang in the "Time Concert" program (provided by the interviewee/picture)

is no longer young and energetic

Southern People Weekly: This year you participated in the recording of many programs such as " Chengfeng 2024", " Singer 2024", "Our Song", etc. In the latest " Time Concert ", you and the 2006 "Super Girl" Players reunited. How do you feel about this reunion?

Shang Wenjie: I first knew that this year's "Time Concert" was the Supergirl season, so I thought it would be everyone singing together under the same IP. The final recording effect was much better than I imagined, especially the first episode, where contestants from different seasons gathered together Together, although we are not all in the same class, there will be a lot of resonance when everyone talks about what happened on the same stage in the same IP atmosphere.Some of the things and details that everyone recalls are very similar. For example, when "pk" is mentioned again, many people will have turbulence in their hearts.

We are a group of people who have similar experiences and worked hard for their dreams in their twenties. What we recall is no longer a certain detail, but a time when we were young and fought hard for our dreams and lived desperately, the young and energetic ourselves at that time. And that kind of courage and state are impossible to have again at this age.

Southern People Weekly: When did your youthful vigor and desperateness begin to fade away?

Shang Wenjie: After the 35th Sixteenth, my temper and personality changed obviously. As I get older, many things don’t matter anymore, and I don’t particularly push myself.

Of course, age represents experience. If you see more, you will experience more. Your physical strength will not be as good as before, and your mental energy will not be as strong as when you were young.

I used to think of something that made me passionate and I would have infinite power. But now when I think of something that I am passionate about and interested in, my first reaction is, can I handle it? I have a lumbar disc herniation. Is it okay to record my physical strength for a long time? That doesn't count. I won’t rush forward as recklessly as before.

Southern People Weekly: What about the changes in creation?

Shang Wenjie: ’s songwriting in the past two years is slightly more popular and commercial than before, and he can write some electronic dance music. I always write the same song, but I just want to break through by writing something I haven’t done before. In the past, it was a niche, so why did it come to be?

I like electronic dance music with a bit of retro. In fact, I have already written some love songs, which I don’t think are very good, but they ( points to the team ) think they are okay. This is not my strong suit. I'm definitely the best at writing niche electronic music, and I can also write some electronic dance music.

I write songs based on what I have been listening to since I was a child. I started listening to Massive Attack and Gorillaz in junior high school, which no one else listens to.

Southern People Weekly: Is it difficult for you to go from listening to writing these songs?

Shang Wenjie: I am not from a major. From his debut in 2006 until 2009, he really figured out how to write songs. I don’t know how to play musical instruments. I first recorded a section on my mobile phone and then thought about it. I wrote a lot of words to fill in and used arrangement software to edit it. You can buy software teaching materials for 5 yuan each on a certain website and read them yourself. There are some teaching materials on YouTube that you can learn by yourself. Using software and equipment, I slowly developed an amateur way of writing songs.

will now be more proficient than before. By the time the album "Land of Grace" was released in 2013, I no longer felt that songwriting was technically a problem, and I began to write a variety of songs more boldly.

If you had learned piano or other musical instruments when you were a child, it would be more helpful now. There is really no time now. Musical instruments require time to calm down and learn. If I retire one day, I will learn piano to prevent Alzheimer's disease. ( laughs at ) Piano itself is a kind of arithmetic, and its music theory foundation is actually mathematics. I like mathematics very much.

I am not good at writing lyrics. What I am good at is melody. Melody is related to a sense of logic. In principle, it is also related to my love of mathematics. I am naturally sensitive to the relationship between musical intervals. Although I cannot express it in words, I can feel it. A producer once found all the songs I wrote during that period and said that the songs during this period were all one chord progression. I didn't even realize it.

Writing good songs will give you a sense of accomplishment. I wrote "Imagination," which was my favorite song at the time. I came up with the first melody while taking a shower and wrote the rest after I took a shower. It was natural and not forced.

Southern People Weekly: What are your musical ambitions?

Shang Wenjie: can be written for a longer time. After writing for many years, I worry that I won’t be able to write in the future.

Southern People Weekly: Will you work extra hard to prevent this day from coming?

Shang Wenjie: It seems that efforts are in vain. It’s better to learn more and absorb more things.

Shang Wenjie sang in the "Chengfeng 2024" program (provided by the interviewee/picture)

There are not so many things worth crying and laughing

Southern People Weekly: You have been paying attention to the progress of AI creation in this field in the past few years. What attracts you?

Shang Wenjie: ai is developing very fast, and I am also playing with some foreign AI creation software. There's no substitute for creative music making right now.

Music production is a complex process. The first is the generation of lyrics and music, including the generation of text and melody. Melody generation is more difficult. After the lyrics and music are created, they also need to arrange, record, edit, edit, and post-process. It is a complete project. Each link requires an algorithm model, and then they are all connected in series. What

has done so far are overseas models, but they are only fragmented and there are no particularly complete works.

I continue to pay attention, maybe one day it will become a part of music creation. Because AI is good at doing some formatting things, it may become a beneficial tool. For people like me who are not from a major, I can ask AI to play chords for me. This is a fixed program. AI has a strong functionality in arranging music, but what it cannot replace is the creative part.

Southern People Weekly: Where does your creativity come from?

Shang Wenjie: The most fundamental origin of music is emotion. Therefore, the younger a person is and the more twists and turns he experiences, the more likely he is to produce unexpected works. Young and vigorous, prone to extreme emotions, it is the source of creation.

Southern People Weekly: Then your mood gradually eases in your mid-thirties, will it affect your creation?

Shang Wenjie: will. I no longer create with such extreme emotions, so you can see that my music has gradually become calmer. But because my creative skills have become stronger, I can now write things that I couldn't write before. There are pros and cons. .

When I am at my worst, I write a song a day. Pain must be the source of creation. But now I have to choose whether I should take medicine or not. Living is more important.

Now, on the one hand, I have been under medication for more than ten years, and on the other hand, as I am getting older, many things are not as difficult and entangled as when I was young. When I was in my twenties, I could forget a line while singing on stage and I could stay at home depressed for three days. Now that I have forgotten the lyrics, looking back, it’s not that big of a deal. Of course you can't be perfunctory, but anything can happen on stage, and there's no need to let yourself get in trouble over it. Maybe the audience will find it quite interesting.

Now I can write songs without so much emotion. I am more technically proficient than before, and I can write songs by relying on code blocks.

I find that songs written without passion are actually considered quite good by others. For example, "Final Faith" was written relatively without passion at the time, but now it is the best song. The more I care about it, the more niche it becomes. The harder I try, the more diverse it may be, and the less likely people will understand it.

Southern People Weekly: You now show more contrasting sides in reality shows, such as your crying and "two". Do these also come from your loosening of yourself?

Shang Wenjie: I am like this in private, but there have been no reality shows looking for me before, so people don’t know much about me. In the past, people would not think that I am suitable for reality shows. I have always been a mentor (in some programs), which would create the impression that I am a very upright person and cannot be a casual teacher. People felt that I was not suitable for reality shows. .

I sing more relaxedly now than before.

Southern People Weekly: Many times when you appear in public, people feel that you are insensitive and your emotions are not that obvious. Is it because of the drugs or because of your personality?

Shang Wenjie: is my original background color. It's true that I don't have that many extreme emotions. It disappeared after taking the medicine. I have a high point of laughing and a high point of crying. For me, there are not that many things worth crying and laughing about.

August 8, 2023, Beijing, Shang Wenjie sang at the "Water Cube Cup" Chinese Song Competition Gala (Visual China/Picture)

If someone doesn't let me study hard, I will be very irritable

Southern People Weekly: Your University Your major is French, which is a precise language. What impact does learning French have on your thinking?

Shang Wenjie: At that time I wanted to choose Spanish, but there was no Spanish in our school. There is German, but it enrolls students every other year, and I happened to not have it that year. The closest one is French.

Language is a kind of culture and another entrance to logical thinking. The complexity, vocabulary, and order of expressions of French grammar all serve the logic of language. French expressions are very precise and without ambiguity, and you will feel the rigorous logic in the process of learning the language.

French said that the year 1998 was 1000+900+20×4+18. Because there is no 90 in French, and there is no 70 in French. 70 in French is 60+10, and 80 in French is 20×4, so ninety in French is 20×4 plus a dozen.

This kind of training all year round is helpful for thinking and logic, so when you talk to me, I feel that my logic is pretty good.

Southern People Weekly: Do you feel pain when you study?

Shang Wenjie: I will never suffer from studying. I am a person who enjoys studying. If someone wants to disturb my study, I will be very painful. If someone does not let me study hard, I will be very irritable.

Learning a language is not particularly difficult for me. I signed up for the Language Department because my high school teacher told me that the college entrance examination is quite tiring and I would like to go to college for something easier. Why don’t you learn a language? That's OK.

I probably have a little difficulty learning philosophy. One sentence is so long, it’s a bit of a headache. I read some philosophy books in French, and they only came to a full stop after several pages, so I gave up immediately.

Southern People Weekly: After learning French and understanding French culture, how do you understand romance? In our minds, French culture and romance are closely linked.

Shang Wenjie: Chinese people have misunderstandings about French romance. In fact, it is American romance or Chinese romance, such as a candlelight dinner with a rose and the man paying for the girl. French romance has a strong tinge of pessimism. If you look at some early French romantic films, such as those by Alain Delon, many of them end up dying. Another example is "Childhood", in the end the two people died happily together in the cement. The ultimate French romance is to throw away life, which is a pessimistic romance.

I can understand it, because it is something in their culture, but it may not be recognized. I observe from a third party perspective.

Southern People Weekly: Is there anything you are willing to give up your life for?

Shang Wenjie: No, I think life is good and life is more important.

Without pain, how do you know what happiness is?

Southern People Weekly: You have published a book to record your first experience in France. Does that story still affect you now?

Shang Wenjie: has a great impact. It was my first time abroad and it really opened my eyes. I was a freshman that year, so I went there during the summer vacation. I have basically never left Shanghai before, except for fishing with my dad in Jiangsu when I was a child and living on a boat for a few months. That year I participated in the French singing competition and went to Wuhan for the first time to participate in the finals. Two months later, I went to France alone. When I went there, I joined a large group of more than 60 people from 22 countries.

We stayed in a youth hostel, sleeping in a Datongbu room with 12 people in one room, and were exposed to a lot of culture. I was a little scared on the first day when I went out. I saw so many young people from different countries with different skin colors. I didn’t understand the language. The cultural differences and dietary differences were all very impactful. We set off from Paris to La Rochelle in western France to go to the music festival. After that, I stayed in Paris for a while and walked around Paris every day. I didn't go out much by myself when I was a kid, and suddenly I felt like I was a frog in a well.

After returning to China, I felt that my French was very poor, so I spent some time improving my French quickly.

Southern People Weekly: In 2009, you translated the French novel "Mr. Lin's Little Granddaughter". Why did you translate this book at that time?

Shang Wenjie: The publisher found me and recommended this book. When I read it, the book was not thick and the language was relatively plain, so it was not difficult to read it. It took me three days to read it. I really liked it. The writing was very plain and the emotions were sincere. I had nothing to do at that time, it was quite confusing, and I wanted to learn French again, so it took me more than two months to finish it.

Southern People Weekly: That book tells the story of an elderly Mr. Lin and a newborn girl struggling to survive during the war years. It has a certain tragic color. Will such a trait touch you more?

Shang Wenjie: Yes, I prefer tragedy. It doesn't have to be great sadness, there is some simple sadness that is common in everyone's life. For example, in the face of birth, old age, illness and death, aren't each of us studying and practicing? Isn't this life just to learn how to face birth, old age, illness and death? Yes, I am still continuing to practice.

Southern People Weekly: How have these touched your thoughts?

Shang Wenjie: has inspired me to think about myself, and I can look at the things I encounter in my life more correctly. Everyone has a lot of confusion when growing up. For example, I was born in a family where my parents divorced. It took me many years to reconcile with this family and myself with such a growth experience. Everyone will give themselves many problems through continuous practice. answer.

Southern People Weekly: What made you find the answer to reconciliation with your family?

Shang Wenjie: I haven’t thought about it that way. Maybe one day I see my dad's hair suddenly turning gray, and I will reconcile with him in that moment. Maybe it was a moment, but maybe it was also related to the books I read and the world I experienced. It was a comprehensive result. It cannot be said that it is because a certain thing answers a certain question, it is not that simple. But it’s not like reading a book or anything to answer this question, it just comes naturally and the moment is right.

Southern People Weekly: How do you understand pain now?

Shang Wenjie: Pain is the normal state of life. Pain is the meaning of living every day.

Southern People Weekly: What about happiness?

Shang Wenjie: Without pain, how do you know what happiness is? Happiness is something reflected by pain.

Southern People Weekly: This statement is also true conversely.

Shang Wenjie: is not. The undertone of life is pain.

Southern People Weekly: When did you feel like this?

Shang Wenjie: I have felt this way since I was a child. I am a pessimistic person. This is my deeply ingrained understanding of life.

I don’t know why, it’s my life experience that tells me.

Southern People Weekly: When was the last time you felt happy?

Shang Wenjie: The night before yesterday, I ate a piece of crispy pig. It was delicious.

Southern People Weekly reporter Zhang Mingmeng

Editor-in-charge Zhou Jianping