Toward the beginning of the month we noted a post on popular Chinese culture blog Cfensi that featured Hanggai’s (杭盖) surprise performance on Sing My Song (中国好歌曲), another one of those hype-inducing TV talent shows. We shared it about for commentary on Facebook and it seems the views of those of us involved in music here contrast somewhat with the optimistic tone taken on Cfensi.
The Cfensi article made an interesting argument:
“I think this is a show that’s even more important than it realizes, for the platform it provides for underground musicians and even more so, the culture of appreciation for diversity, creativity and individuality that opens up the indie music scene to viewers.”
It certainly seems that the mainstream is looking to the indie underground for opportunities to diversify, but those of us familiar with Hanggai will be saddened to see that they’ve been framed as a bit of a novelty act. They actually performed twice:
(2nd January, 2015)
In this instance most of us would agree that although only 3 members of the band appeared, the music and performance was left pretty much to speak for itself.
(13th February, 2015)
In this case it becomes clear that the spectacle of the show has been extended into the very performance itself. As commented on Facebook, who is that guy with the red hair? A prop.
What do you think about this? Is it a good opportunity? You may recall that Yunggiema (央吉玛) (a folk singer from the Menba minority) got a break appearing on Chinese Idol. In the end her appearance didn’t cripple her credibility, and this turned out for the most part to be a success story.
The question is, should we protect independent talent and encourage artists to keep away from the limelight? Or could participation on the big screen – when done tastefully – truly help to further our mission of getting great indie sounds to a wider audience?