2014.03.24 矛盾 Contradicting Official MV (& DVD Release)
Posted On March 28, 2014
HIM has finally released the fifth music video! This time, it’s 矛盾 Contradicting.
DVD Release
HIM will also be releasing a DVD for her album MVs along with some snippets from the exhibition held at the start of her album promos. Total MVs are 8. Pre-orders in Taiwan started on 26th March and the actual release date is unknown was 18th April 2014.
It is kind of surprising that they have yet to include shots/clips from her mini concert tours in Taiwan. Perhaps to be used in future as there was obviously, professional videography present at the last stop in Taipei early this year.
7 Comments
Hello! No worries (:
I have been a much more recent fan. I don’t listen to Mandopop much, if at all. It was Hebe’s third album that really caught my attention and truly converted me. I was especially drawn to Hebe because of the restraint she has. You see thoughts flirting through her mind, her sifting through them before replying and the heart-wrenching sadness when her eyes get a bit dewy while singing. I do get a hint of forlorn pensiveness from her but I think it feeds her artistry.
I think Hebe’s voice has evolved quite dramatically over the years, the most stark in her third solo album. I think it’s good that she leans towards her Tien Fuzhen style even with the group now, but precisely because it deviates from the direct pop singing style, I yearn for more from the other two members to keep up (not that they are bad, from my observation of the recent concert clips). I do hope that Hebe gets a little better with finding a fuller, more voluminous sound when hitting the high notes. It get a bit shaky and I’m not sure if it’s her style of doing it or that she cannot drag the note. (evident from her live renditions of 你就不要想起我). We could blame it on the sound system and everything but I do believe an experienced singer can overcome these issues. She might be holding the mike too close because she sings much louder to get the high notes out. But who am I to judge on such things? Haha. All in all, she’s a great singer, love the genre that she is exploring, brings a different style to the industry and I am looking forward to more from her. There’s definitely room for improvement and I am sure she wouldn’t disappoint us.
Heard Selina is in preparations for a solo album. I do hope that it is good and she finds a niche area with her style. I get a bit uncomfortable when people start comparing the three of them and their solo endeavours.
More on your thoughts? 😀
I so agree with your point on her restraint and being able to see thoughts that race through her mind, so carefully selecting her answers and the cautious choice of words. She is one who tends to distance herself, or at least, attempt to hide her own sorrows and loneliness. Both Ella and Selina had mentioned her tendency to keep things within herself, more so the case now since both of her best confidants are now married. But that’s probably her best appeal, everyone in this society has that little part of them that hides itself. That feeling, somehow translates into her voice and songs, perhaps resulting in a resonance among her listeners, be it knowingly or unknowingly. The great thing now, is how she exudes confidence in expressing that cocoon side of her through singing and that’s what I personally like best and am glad of.
She has issues with holding her high notes, that’s why I’ve always been more fond of her mid and (especially) mid-lows. It has improved slightly, but it seems the standard has dropped again in this album. Not sure if she has strained her voice a tad too much, but we’ll see in due course, especially with all the preparation going for the upcoming encore tours. Perhaps training her stamina might do the trick?
I don’t mind at all when she uses Tien Fu-Chen style in S.H.E songs, but she struggles and it’s clear. I hope she rids that mindset and understand it is OK to be singing S.H.E songs in a different manner. Music is fluid and never fixed, isn’t that the beauty of music (imo)?
Ella’s range is limited but has her unique side, I always hoped she can develop and evolve into something more. As for Selina, she has been the most stable in terms of performance (live or recorded), but her voice restricts her style. Unless she changes or adopts a different resonance or vocalizing point for her vocals, it may prove tough. Her solo album I may not be looking forth that much, unless she surprises me, which I will, very much welcome it.
To me they are 3 very different people who have come together and bonded so tightly. I don’t enjoy comparing them to each other, they have varying niches and interests. So as long as the three of them are happy, solo endeavours? Why not?
I must praise Hebe for her clear and crisp voice though. I like that her enunciation and music intonation. She has very sharp ears and can pick up pitch well. Do you think her singing standard is best during her first album? I do think her voice is getting a bit raspier with age. But it’s an unavoidable aspect of a singer’s voice. I do hope she will continue to find songs that would fit her voice in future albums.With 寂寞寂寞就好, she sings it slightly differently now I realised. She likes to round off big notes as if the sound is being sucked back into a vacuum. I’m not sure if you get what I’m trying to describe. Haha. Genre-wise, I was pleasantly surprised with her rendition of 开门见山. I’m in love with it and her she’ll experiment in that direction. With SHE songs, I think she’s trying to strike a balance with the harmony she has with the other two. She would sound pretty obscure, almost jutting out prominently amongst the three now if she sings the way she does alone. I hope for the three of them to perhaps be more adventurous in working with their current voices to bring about a different harmony to their old songs.
Selina is greatly disadvantaged now if you ask me. She has a decent voice but not big or as flexible. Also, her range greatly restricts her. In my opinion, if a singer isn’t a powerhouse, to maintain interest, they need to attract viewers in a different way. I hope Selina gets out of the ‘i-am-someone’s-wife, thus-i-am-less-attractive’ mindset. It would bog her solo career down in my humble opinion.
I do also hope whatever they choose to pursue in future, they will be happy.
I agree that she has very sharp ears, sensitive even. I actually felt her singing standard was best post 1st album, prior to second album in terms of her stability and consistency. Her ability to fuse her emotions comfortably into her songs was, imho, best after Selina’s accident.
I get what you mean by her rounding off big notes as if the sound was sucked back into a vacuum,I noticed that as well. In fact, her rendition of 1st album titles have changed quite a bit. 開門見山 was great, I heard it live and it seems other recordings (even the official versions) fail to reproduce her vocals then. Of course, recording equipment and audio post does some stuffs, but her voice is always best experienced live.
She does attempt to strike a balance, but it seems she feels it is by reverting back to Hebe’s singing style , instead of finding a mid-point between her current singing style and Hebe’s. That is quite a waste, up until the most recent concert. They sang 愛我的資格, where Hebe did not used to have any major parts. But having rearranged and re-disseminated the parts, she now sings a fair bit and the way she handled the song, was a closer bet to what I was looking forth to. A mid-point balance between her two styles. Not sure if it was also in part due to music rearrangements, but Selina and Ella did sing that song in a slightly different way at certain points/words as well, which was refreshing for me.
I don’t exactly think Selina has the ‘thus i am less attractive’ part’, though she definitely is more at ease and laid-back now that she’s married. So she gives me a more ‘take-it-easy’ feel, In the aspect of ‘less driven and motivated to explore so much’, rather than ‘not driven to give my best’. In fact, I personally feel she puts in a lot of effort, especially after having gone through so much. I just hope the songs selection and music producer can mix up some great magic and chemistry for her if her solo album is released.
Hello it’s me again! Random questions! As a long time fan, how do you think Hebe has evolved over the years? Also, when was the last S.H.E or Hebe’s solo concert that you went to?
Thank you for your posts! Cheers 😀
Looking forward to the release of her live mini concerts’ DVD (if it will ever be released that is!)
Wow, that’s a question that will really take me quite a while to answer
Let me try and organise my thoughts and reply to you in these 2 days!
I believe some snippets of her mini concerts will be included somewhere, just not sure when, haas.
So sorry for the super late response. Totally slipped my mind to get back to this!
The last S.H.E concert I went to was Taipei 2gether 4ever 2013. I sat really far away! So kind of enjoyed them singing since their long awaited return!
As for Hebe’s solo concert, it was Singapore’s To My Love concert in 2012.
Now, to the long question.
From the start, I find her to be quirky, funny, straightforward and kind of impulsive. She became more reserved during a certain period (after Together, transiting to SS), seemed awkward and uncomfortable around media/fans then slowly began to open up again and got a little bit smarter in dealing with media. Selina’s injury and her solo career really pushed her, way beyond her limits. For now, I really like where she is and how she presents herself, be it in front of media or fans or even to the general public. It’s a great state, she is comfortable and it’s obvious/telling.
In regards to her singing, I’m no singing expert. But to my ears, she has learnt to sing with much more emotions, adopted a different singing technique and not be so direct/straight in expressing. There is so much more thought to her voice and the way she handles each song. Though it gets a bit tough to hear her try switching between Hebe and Tien Fu-Chen. I’m sure she is aware too, there are issues going back to Hebe’s singing style, especially apparent in a S.H.E concert.
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but her recent performances seems troubling to me, her voice is a bit hoarse and relatively unstable. It may just be me though.
The only thing that doesn’t change though, is her need to constantly look at lyrics! oh my. haha! sorry, but this is my personal thing, I really cannot tolerate this aspect.
How about you? How do you see her change?