How does a singer reset amid a packed and exhausting schedule? A remark by Jordan Chan once gave Zhang Yuan a wake-up call.
The 41-year-old Zhang was recently in Singapore for promotional activities. In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, he said he has barely taken a break in recent years. This year, he spent more than two months on the competitive variety show Singer, completing seven live-broadcast competitions while also juggling seven or eight concerts and music festivals. After the programme ended, he had intended to rest, but had to continue working, including preparing for his solo concert in October and a group concert by the six members of the “Re-employment Boys”. His schedule remains packed.
Returning to Singer after two years to “experiment”
How does Zhang rest and adjust amid such a busy schedule? He admitted that he had sought advice from veteran performer Jordan Chan, whose words left a deep impression on him: “If you don’t take the job, someone else will.” It was a significant reminder for him.
Zhang said: “Our idols in the past, including many artistes from Hong Kong and Taiwan, were extremely dedicated. It may be difficult for people of our generation to truly understand that level of dedication. The competition and pressures of life they faced in those days meant there was no such thing as ‘rest’. As long as there was an opportunity, they would take it without thinking too much about anything else.”
Zhang returned to the Singer stage after two years and believes his mindset has changed markedly. “Two years ago, I was there to fulfil a dream. I had this fixation that only singers who had appeared on Singer could be considered real singers. It is also a place that particularly tests one’s vocal ability, consistency and mindset, because it is live and you cannot afford any flaws.”
This year, he joined the programme to “experiment and gain experience”. Speaking about tackling the viral song “A View from the Wall” in his first performance, he said: “Many people said I started out by singing a ‘Douyin hit’, but to me, A View from the Wall has never just been a so-called viral song. It became popular and reached more listeners because the atmosphere it evokes gives people a strong sense of immersion.”
He believes people can sometimes mistakenly assume that any song heard widely and circulated extensively is a viral song. “Everyone may have their own notions of what constitutes high- and low-brow music, but music itself is very pure. Once you set aside prejudice and preconceived ideas, the most immediate feeling is what matters most.”
Showing his lively side on variety shows
Besides music competition programmes, Zhang has shown a more lively side in variety shows such as Happy Friends. He said with a laugh: “I think I am quite a strange person. Maybe because I am a Gemini, I can turn into different versions of myself at any time. For instance, when I was on Singer, I sometimes really wanted to switch into variety-show mode, because everyone on set was very nervous and did not dare say much. As it was live, everyone was afraid of saying the wrong thing. If it had been a recorded variety show, I would probably have been fired up long ago.”
Was he naturally an outgoing person? Zhang said with a laugh that this was not the case: “I used to be too restrained and obedient. It was only after growing up that I gradually began to let out my more reserved yet flamboyant side. Being with my brothers every day has also rubbed off on me, and I have gradually unleashed some of my natural instincts. But if I am suddenly with friends I do not know very well, I would not be like this.”
On his third visit to Singapore, he hopes to return not for work but to explore the country properly. He described it as “a relative you often mention but do not see very often”. His songs topped the U1000 music chart for two consecutive years, where he felt Singapore listeners’ affection for his music.
Asked whether there were any local singers he admired or wished to work with, he immediately named his idol Stefanie Sun: “I started buying her albums from her very first release, and went on to buy all her later physical albums. We lived through the cassette and CD era. A genuine cassette cost nine yuan (about S$2), and I would save my breakfast money to buy Stefanie Sun’s albums.”
In 2025, he saw Sun perform in concert in Nanjing, China. “I happened to have an event on the day of her tour concert. When it ended, I rushed over to watch it. I caught more than half of the songs, and many of the songs made me cry. They are memories of my youth.”
