Leehom’s Roots Music

     The article Leehom’s Roots Music is written by Brian Wu, who wanted to know what “home” is pop star Leehom Wang thinking about when he wrote the song “Falling Leaf Returns to Roots” in the album “Change Me”, although Wang states that “home is where the heart is”. Wu goes on to exploring his ideas about Leehom’s idea of home and identities, by acknowledging Wang’s lyrics and the relationship of his usage of words and Chinese art in his songs, discussing the possibilities of what is “home” in multiple layers.
     The home that Wang knows is both America and Taiwan, for he grew up in America, returning to Taiwan in 1995, where he became famous. “‘I'm born in the USA, but Made In Taiwan,’ Wang raps……[Wang] then claims, ‘Falling leaves return to roots in the East where I discover my home’” Wu quotes, illustrating the complexity of Wang’s multicultural background, which Wang takes advantage of, using the experiences of life and putting them into his songs’ lyrics. In Cockney Girl, Wang expresses his feelings about accents and linguistic identities, which he believes all to be beautiful.

     “Wang Leehom is far from a great rapper or lyricist. What's always been more important than his actual rapping is the fact that he is rapping.” Wu puts in, “what makes Wang's pop rise about the rest is that his rhymes depict a texture of transnational Chinese-ness that is grooved rather than smoothed, and which is home among the strays, the displaced, and the forgotten” (Wu).

     In addition to singing about home in the practical sense, Wang also manages to squeeze in some ecology and environmental view on the home we live on as well. “[Printing] his album on recycled paper, [containing] a minimal amount of plastics, and [including] a page in the liner notes listing ten things ordinary listeners can do to save the environment” (Wu), the album package also contains a recycle tote bag and chopsticks. Leehom Wang not only sings about changing the world as an individual but suggests steps to helping the bigger “home”, though Wu later depicts it as a “promotional gimmick”.

     Turning back to Wang’s music for the final answer, Wu finds that the true answer to the question of where does Wang’s home lay: in his very own music. Wu gives credit to the various genres of music that Wang remixes into his album, of which there’s hip-hop and classical kunqu opera traditions. “The songs literally convey through the lyrics Wang Leehom's vision of music as the only thing in life he truly considers home: When the world is in danger, only music can protect me, transporting me into a dream world, where lyrics become reality “(Wu).

Works Cited

Wu, Brian. "Leehom's Roots Music." Asia Pacific Arts (2007): n. pag. Web. 24 Apr 2010.

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