Kris Wu x SE Weekly Interview (May 2017)

Singer, actor, and “little sun” of variety programs... Kris Wu “I have always been myself”

"I would not stop myself from doing something just because my fans do not like it"

In real life, are you someone with a hip hop style? Yes, I have always liked hip hop. However when it comes to wearing outfits, it depends. When I was young, I would wear extremely oversized pants and tops, because at that time that was the fashion style of rappers, but right now [their style has evolved to] something which incorporates many elements. For example, in the past, you may think that wearing a leather jacket would be of a rock n roll style, and wearing tees would be of a hip hop style. But right now, there isn't that much of a clear distinction.

You have mentioned before that you have an R&B soul, could you explain this statement? Hahaha, actually I was half-joking. What I meant was that I really loved this genre of music, really liked the culture, and perhaps I felt that it really suits me, suits my taste. While making this genre of music I feel like a fish in water, because in a very short period of time, I am able to produce many works which I feel are OK.

Many people feel that hip hop culture has a sense of rebelliousness and anger towards it. Do you have a rebellious heart right now? Do you also require such an outlet of expression? I feel that being rebellious is alright, in a sense that one will express themself in a more direct manner. However there is one point that I would like to reiterate, [which is that] many people have a misconception towards hip hop, they feel that hip hop is very aggressive and also a little noisy, and that it has a slightly negative feel to it, but in fact this is not the case. This is just merely one type of style, which has actually never really became mainstream. Many times, singing rap songs has the feel of reading a poem, it's all about having a rhythm, and expressing the many beautiful phrases and meaningful stories which are in it. The general audience has to give hip hop music another chance, and this would require the combined efforts of many people.

Will you write a song for one person or a group of people? Currently not yet, but because I am participating in this show (<Rap of China>), I would definitely personally write a song for the contestants, my team whom I have selected.

This year you have participated in many variety TV programs, do you think that your variety TV skills have increased? No, I have always been myself.

Earlier on you mentioned that hip hop has a smaller audience. Would you be worried that your fans would not like it? Absolutely not, because I really love this culture, not only just the music. The reason it is not mainstream is because many people have misconceptions about hip hop culture. If they are fans who like me, I too hope that they will be able to like this culture and genre of music. Conversely, I would not stop myself from doing something just because my fans do not like it. This is something which will not make me happy.

Favourite lyrics of your own songs? Can't think of any at the moment, there are too many, perhaps one or two lines from every song

Favourite singer? I guess it's still Drake

Favourite actor? Leonardo DiCaprio

What do you think is your best feature? My whole being is good looking

Even if you are dieting, what is one food item you have to consume? Rice!

Where is place that one most likely to bump into you? Basketball court

What is your usual method of de-stressing? Listen to music, play video games at home

If you were to have a superpower, what ability would you most wish to acquire? Flight

Why? I feel that there would be a lot of freedom, I can fly anywhere

Most cute/winsome words you wish to tell fans? None~

translation: @wu_yi_fan

Kris Wu: More young people wanting to get into the hip-hop scene is a good thing

On 2 May, the opening press conference of Chinese Hip-Hop talent show <The Rap of China> was held in Beijing. Three groups of celebrity producers, Kris Wu, Chang Chen-yue & MC HotDog, and Wilber Pan were in attendance.After the press conference, producer Kris Wu accepted the interview by iFeng's reporter. 

During the interview, Kris Wu expressed his unique views and understanding towards hip-hop music. Kris Wu expressed that although he is the most junior amongst the three groups of producers, his good understanding of trap music is his outstanding point.

How would you define hip-hop? Firstly, this spectrum is a little broad, kinda huge, because hip-hop isn't just music, it's a culture, like sports. It consists of many different forms, I guess it depends on each individual's understanding. I feel that one major point that hip-hop wants to express is a certain attitude. Next is the method of expression, many people express themselves through rapping, but there are actually many other methods, like example other musical sub-genres, which are also included in hip hop. For example right now, what is currently in trend is EDM-based hip-hop, and right now there are more people who like trap hip-hop. These are all very different genres of music, so it's a little hard to define hip-hop.

As you've just mentioned, these days more and more people are listening to trap music, and there are much fewer people who listen to 90s and old school music. What do you think of this? I feel that this is inevitable, but what I'd like to say is, the [trend of] trap will pass too. This is something that I would really like to tell the contestants, because I believe that based on my personal experience, and including the current hip-hop scene in China, there are actually many contestants, perhaps 70%, 80% who have a better understanding of trap music, and who prefer trap music as well, which of course is inevitable because this is the current hottest trend. However there is a problem too, it's that when you do something that is currently in trend, when this trend dies down, the same would happen to you too. So you would still have to know where your roots are. I'm not saying that you have to like old school music, but you have to have a listen. Like I've just mentioned, in the 1990s boombap music was extremely popular, so you have to understand the musical style of the golden era of hip-hop as well. And then not only that but also many different types of genres, like understanding jazz hip-hop too. It would be very beneficial to your development. So these are some of my views.

Right now there is an emergence of many Asian rappers like [Rich] Chigga on an international scale. Do you have any expectations towards the development of Asian hip-hop? I feel that this is a good thing, for everyone to start liking hip-hop and think that it's cool. There are many young people who want to enter this industry, although it has a small audience, because at times there would not be many opportunities available, for example these kind of programs did not exist in China before. It's the first time that there's such a program, and this is why I feel that this program is meaningful. I hoped that I would be able to participate because I feel that it is a very good platform to reach even more people who love music. However, this culture has a small audience, and in China there are definitely much, much more people who listen to ballads than hip-hop music, so in order to make hip-hop music more mainstream, we would need even more people.

So what are the kind of contestants that you wish to see the most on <The Rap of China>? I hope to see contestants that are more all-rounded, because like I've just mentioned, there are many people who feel that hip-hop is just merely rapping, but this is actually not the case, as there are many forms of expression. Even now there are many more melody-based tunes, melodic rap, songs which sound like singing but are actually a sub-genre of hip-hop. More and more [of such songs are produced], for example a key representation of the genre is Drake, many would wonder if he is a singer or a rapper. So when I select contestants, I hope to see that they have the basic foundation of right pitch and other elements, and are able to carry a tune, sing the chorus and rap as well. These are the type of contestants which I hope to see, who have more varied abilities.

Right now Kendrick Lamer is very popular, and the MV for his new song <Be Humble> isn't something that other musicians have tried before. What do you think of this? I feel that he is incredibly talented. His ways have always been at the top of trends. I feel that those who like hip-hop can listen to his music more, because it would be really helpful.

Generally, rappers who like hip-hop music will freestyle or battle, so do you usually freestyle with friends in your personal time? At times I would, it depends, if I have an opponent we would have a go.

We can see from Weibo that you really love playing basketball. What position do you usually play? In the past I played the position of point guard, right now I play the position of center forward more often.

At the NBA Celebrity Game you mentioned that you love Kobe Bryant, right now it's the first anniversary of his retirement, so how do you feel about it? After his retirement, I kept up with NBA news less often.

Are you a loyal fan of his? Yes, I feel that I'm missing something worth watching, so right now I don't really watch finals, and I'm still a little sad.

translation: @wu_yi_fan

Conversing face to face with Kris Wu, I wanted to faint...

Fashion blogger SHENYEFACHI Interview with Kris Wu at L'Oréal Men Expert event in Shanghai on 10 April 2017.

Kris Wu really loves to talk! Be it skincare or long johns, he is always able to converse on any topic easily. He can clearly recognise the word 「媸」 (chi), yet asked me whether the last word of 「深夜发媸」(shen ye fa chi) was read as 「娃」(wa), it was his first time hearing of such a new and strange moniker. Later on, he even asked why 「发媸」(fa chi) was not 「发吃」(fa chi), with blog content of gourmet food?

1. Only two pieces in the whole world

Firstly, let's take a look at Kris Wu's attire that day. Kris Wu wore Gucci shoes paired with GEO MERCH denim jacket designed by London-based designer GEO, who previously designed for Yeezy, WTT and Givenchy.

Only after asking Kris Wu, did we find out that there were only two of these jackets in the whole world, one belonging to the designer and the other to Kris, which was specially made for him by the designer himself.

Their relationship is really good. Both of them are mutually following each other on Instagram, and off-schedule Kris Wu has also worn GEO clothes many times. He was extremely happy about his exclusive custom made piece, but also joked that perhaps there would soon be knockoffs of it appearing on Taobao soon...

On the topic of clothes, Kris said that he rarely shops online. At times, certain pieces which are required in his outfits are a result of his own personal findings. Furthermore, because he knows many fashion designers, he would communicate with them and tell them, "I like such and such...", and the items would be gifted to him by the designers.

What surprised me the most was that he would wear long johns, especially when the weather during filming was very cold. In the past he would frequently wear ripped pants, but prolonged wear would not be good for the knees. As expected, he is a guy who remains fashionable while staying warm.

2. Favourite physical feature Before asking this question I had pondered for a very long time, if I were him, how would I reply? I had thought that he would choose eyes, nose or mouth, but who knew, his answer was "Legs".

Upon noticing my surprised reaction, he laughed and said, "It's not that surprising, I'm usually like that..." What do you mean, do you usually startle those who ask you questions?

However, honestly speaking, he looks tremendously better in real life than in pictures, and his legs are shockingly long. Who wouldn't love to have such a long pair of legs like his? Even others who are over 1.8m tall, upon seeing Kris Wu, would think: We're both guys, why does he look so much taller?

3. Skincare Tips

Although he had just returned from overseas and experienced jet-lag, his skin condition still looked fabulous, but Kris Wu modestly said that it was thanks to the work of his make up artist. He even added that he depended on his stylist for the maintenance of his eyebrows.

On the topic of skincare, Kris Wu said that his skincare regime could be completed in 5 minutes or so, after washing his face and applying moisturiser, it would be settled. His skincare routine is simple, without much concern about sunblock. So what does he focus on when it comes to skincare? Cleansing! He has emphasised that skin cleansing for men is the most important, especially for a celebrity like him who regularly wears makeup. When it comes to removing makeup it has to be done thoroughly, therefore the line of L'Oréal Men Expert cleansing products are very suitable for him, which can also be used on days where he is not working and usually exercising or playing basketball and sweats a lot.

translation: @wu_yi_fan

Kris Wu & Vin Diesel 'Pull Up and Flex' in 'Juice' for 'xXx: Return of Xander Cage': Exclusive Video Premiere

via Billboard.com