<NAMANANA> did not dispel his self-doubt, “I don’t know how to connect with the market”. He advanced into the USA last November and “debuted” in the USA as a rookie, on one hand, “I want to break out of my comfort zone,” on another hand, “I feel I’ve gotten some recognition locally but I don’t know how to measure the results of my every work, and how to be considered an outstanding musician, I can only venture out to overseas and accept the entire world’s inspection.” He proposed an M-Pop (Mix Mandarin Pop) concept, “Language is key. If I can merge Chinese lyrics and other different languages to realise global music, it will be an extremely good trend.” He is also planning to hold an M-Pop music festival. In his conversation with economist Xue Zhao Feng last year-end, the other party said M-Pop is unable to please everyone. “You can’t go against the market, you have to find the Balance in the middle.” He found a demo on his phone. “I’ve recently written some huge golden songs (general term for trendy songs that are widely sung), do you want to hear them?” the music is soothing R&B, “I won’t choose to songs that are especially hyped or avant-garde. I feel they must correspond with the mass’ general hearing feel.” Zhang Yixing says he can’t reject the labels ‘traffic star’ (idols with very huge popularity and a lot of fans) or ‘idol singer’. “Those are what people know you as, but it doesn’t mean that just because you’re an idol singer you definitely do not have capabilities.”

In <The Island> last year, the Ma Xiao Xing that Zhang Yixing acted as had many breakthroughs from appearance to acting skills, Gao Xiao Song (current Chairman of Alibaba Entertainment Strategic Committee, co-founder of Alibaba Music Group) said “I couldn’t recognise him (that it was Yixing acting as Xiao Xing), his ‘rice bowl’ (career) is basically stable. Acting as Zhu Qizhen in the new drama <Empress of the Ming>, he requested for a moustache for himself, “I told the director since I’ve already gone to the Mongolia Prairie, I have to have a breakthrough in my image, my look this time is topsy-turvy style, it’s so ugly that I don’t want to see it. Anyway, when I watch the drama clips, I realised I don’t know this person, don’t tell me he is Zhang Yixing, haha.”

The staff thinks this is a “dose of strong medicine”. On <Roast>, his past words and actions, his so-called “public image”, even his hard work, his music all became things to roast him for, he wasn’t bad in responding to them, but his condition off stage was slightly “drifting”. “It’s like that, when that part you don’t want to hear is said to your face, you really can’t keep on smiling throughout. It is indeed awkward, Dan-ge (Li Dan) said, QQ music does not only have nice music but it also has Zhang Yixing’s music, this … (laughs) they said my expression fell or my mood was sour, actually, I was constantly thinking of how to respond. For example, any teacher who roasts me is a fact, or maybe that’s the way he interprets it?” After recording, he gets on the car and comforts the staff, “Don’t worry, I’m not angry, it’s fine.” Upon mentioning the main members of the show, “The area I want to learn from them is how to not really care about what others say. As long as you haven’t done anything wrong.

After celebrating Chinese New Year, Zhang Yixing suddenly had a feeling of his “vessels opening up”, his mentality became much more relaxed. “Some time ago I kept on thinking, what’s up with everyone? But recently I’ve slowly understood it, maybe they’ve found a channel for them to vent and that channel happens to be me.” Did these voices bring about any disturbances? “How is it possible…….” He sits up straight on the sofa, laughs with a slight hint of self-deprecation, “How is it possible that there aren’t any disturbances? I slowly understood that our job is like that, it’s a social currency that everyone talks about.” “Seeing the comments online, I started to find them funny. I feel like, ay, everyone interprets things in different ways. Sometimes I find what they say quite reasonable.” He said he was once “young and frivolous”, but he doesn’t regret what he said before, “those were the emotions I felt then, the thoughts I had then, it’s that kind of emotion that drives me to continue to be in this job. Very sincere.” “The stumbles I’ve had throughout this journey, including the different voices, everything coming together becomes who I am today, I’m unable to judge what is right or wrong in those experiences, but the lack of any element at all won’t do.”

“Working hard means you’ll have a chance, if you’re not even willing to work hard, then you won’t even have a chance in future. You choose whether you want that chance or not. I can go home and retire now, but that’s not my intention, my goal is still far, I aspire to climb to the peak of the mountain and at the same time I’m prepared to drop to rock bottom. But an extremely good thing about life is that it gives you a limitless amount of chances to ‘revive’. After you fall, brush off the dust, adjust your mentality and continue climbing, this is very good.” Outside of making music, Zhang Yixing is subscribed to the column of an economist, he makes use of every bit of time to read and he practises English hard as he hopes to upgrade himself in every aspect. “The important thing is to find life’s high point (positivity), I think I’ve basically found my high point.” He reveals a beautiful smile.

Q: When do you get the most inspiration in a day?

Yixing: It depends on the situation, depends on luck.

Q: Your condition when you’re writing songs?

Yixing: I’ll be hugging my laptop alone…… confused, I don’t know how it’ll turn out.

Q: What preparations did you do for your USA debut?

Yixing: I learned English, memorised words. But there wasn’t an environment (to practise speaking), I still can’t achieve perfect grammar during interviews. I also found out more and understood the local environment, culture, their likes etc. Of course, I didn’t want to follow the trend too much, that way I would lose my own characteristics, so why did I release <NAMANANA>? Because it should be counted as world music, M-Pop, Mix a bit more, it has a lot of special features of different places.

Q: Which style of music do you like better?

Yixing: The emotion that every style of music is able to give is different. NAMANANA is very suitable to listen to in the morning when the sun has just risen, at 9 am on the way to work. It’s a very positive and happy song. (MV is also very cool) Isn’t it? It’s worth every penny of it.

Q: Zhang PD and Little sheep, which is closer to the real you?

Yixing: Everyone seems to have a little misunderstanding about little sheep, sheep are very fierce (laughs). Actually, they’re both not quite like me. I also don’t like to criticise others. But when you sit in that place you have to say something. Participating in <Youth With You>, I hope every participant will know what he wants. It’s like everyone thinks it’s too easy to be an idol singer, maybe it’s because I had a harder time being it, that’s why I’m using my own standards to request from them.

Q: Your stage is pretty stable.

Yixing: Actually it’s not, actually I’m flustered inside (laughs), I feel like I’m not that capable? It’s like when I went on <Rave Now> back then, my thinking was very simple, it’s just making music right? Immediately, 3 sets, laptop, speakers and other equipment. I also wanted to show my producing and arranging abilities, in the end, there were so many masters who were more amazing than I am.

Q: You have so much work and you’re so tired, do you want to give yourself more personal space?

Yixing: Ay, no need, I won’t be able to stop (working) even during my personal time. You see the last time I just packed and went on a whim, I went to the USA and still endeed up making music.

Q: Actually the commonality of creating also needs to draw some nutrients and inspiration from life.

Yixing: Yes yes yes, keeping up with the times. So there may be more of this kind of “going on a whim”, to go and understand what music is like in other places.

Q: Let’s talk about acting, you’ve worked with many great actors, what have you gained?

Yixing: I want to especially thank Hong Lei ge’s and Bo ge’s for training my acting skills. Especially in <The Island>, (my acting skills) were tweaked by Bo ge little by little. This movie also made me really understand what “Creation of a film” is. I hope I can be the male lead in Bo ge’s 2nd self-directed work. We’ve already made an agreement on this.

Q: Did he agree?

Yixing: Hahahaha, he probably won’t decide so rashly.

Q: Did you NG a lot when filming <The Island>?

Yixing: Bao Qiang ge and I crack up easily, then Bo ge will start to be anxious, we have to film during the day. The whole set will be very angry, I will also be very angry, but we just can’t bear down (the laughter) haha. That day. Bao Qiang ge was especially serious when acting, but he suddenly laughed, then Bo ge also laughed, he saw that I laughed and said “you little brat”.

Q: Hard work is a trait that is always apparent on you.

Yixing: It’s what I must do, people live a lifetime, lying down for one day is also living, working hard at work every day is also living. I’ve read in one book that society doesn’t demand everyone to have a persona or label, we do something only because we want to prove our own existence. I’ve also read this sentence: “Every philosopher is a failure, I don’t know if I’m a failure or not but I do yearn a little to be a philosopher.”