Laure Shang – La Muse de la Nuit

Laure Shang (Shang Wenjie, for the purists) wants to take the world by storm, and with the release of her upcoming album Hello World, we might just have to, at least, wave back at her. She knows I’ve been waving for a while now.

However, there are a few things we must make clear first. If singles like Nightmare [MV] and Asura [MV] are any indication, Shang might be heading towards a whole different direction than mere commercial pop — think more Bjork than Britney Spears. Whereas Shang’s music contemporaries are focusing on sweet pop ballads or seemingly sexy Kpop-esque dance pop (which I usually love, by the way), Shang is looking more towards new age music, with chants and tribal sounds, sometimes mixing it with a little homegrown traditional music.

In the music video for La Muse de la Nuit, directed by Edwards Zhou, she is visually eclectic, combining dots in a pool full of glowing jellyfish, and usually high fashion in an open field of greens. She could very much follow a similar path to Sarah Brightman, who walks that fine line of popular new age with an emphasis on visual concepts. But Shang’s bright green leotard gives me pause.

If you watch the video on YinYueTai, it should look crisper.

If you YinYueTai doesn’t load for you, there’s already of lower quality version of it on YouTube… which reminds me, she should really look for a way to have a channel on YouTube for practicality. YouTube does load faster than China-based websites, and we need HD versions of her videos if she keeps working with inland talent.

What do you think of the music video?

How about Shang’s musical concept?

Are there any other musicians that are doing similar combinations in music?

amy

YAM Magazine editor, photographer, blogger, translator and part-time web designer. Film junkie, music junkie… and lately series (a.k.a. TV) junkie.

10 Responses

  1. Daqing says:

    Laure’s new album song list was leaked by her agent. There are five songs in English that was written and composed by Laure herself. There is even one song last more than 6 minutes. I can not wait to hear this new album. Her agent also mentioned that there will be a song being broadcasting in North America radios. Just wait and hear.

  2. Donovon says:

    I’ve been a big fan of Laure Shang ever since I heard her “Nightmare” album. This music video is truly, truly stunning. I definitely agree about her having a YouTube channel. Why don’t Chinese artists share high quality videos with the rest of the world sometimes?

    My only dissatisfaction with her (and most Chinese artists) is that it’s so hard to find information about upcoming releases from her sometimes, and luckily I found this website. Good job!

    • yam magazine says:

      @Donovon, Chinese artists (specifically from Mainland) have the tough task of not having access to YouTube, so it makes it difficult to upload music if they don’t have a distributor outside Mainland (like Taiwan or Hong Kong).

      In the case of Laure’s label, Huayi Brothers, I don’t think they have offices outside Mainland so it makes it impossible to get YouTube uploads. The same with eeMedia. They should work around that, though – at least with English descriptions on their Sohu or Youku uploads. Would make our work easier…

  3. idarklight says:

    Just wanted to share this with you, Amy. XD You’re on China Daily!
    http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqyl/2011-06/14/content_12693057.htm

    • amy says:

      @idarklight, O_O

      that is pretty cool! I think people are totally overestimating our attention, but hey! If our English pseudo-info helps spreading the word, the better!

      Thanks for the link and the surprise!

    • Julili says:

      @idarklight, oh! what does it say about us?

  4. Julili says:

    Finally, Chinese music that I understand! xD

    Guuh Laure… why so good?

    Hey Amy, where can I hear Laure’s kpop-esque music? I am intrigued!

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