Often compared to Lady Gaga because of her visual style, the singer says music, not fashion, comes first. Chen Nan reports.
Some call her avant-garde and innovative, while others say she is simply trying too hard to imitate Lady Gaga. But whatever diehard fans and critics throw at her, Shang Wenjie is unperturbed.
On the cover of her latest album, Ode to the Doom, her visually stunning style gets another upgrade.
The 30-year-old singer dresses in a white gown manufactured by the independent Chinese designer Masha Ma. Her lips are deep red and a white hat almost covers her eyes.
"It's so pathetic. People just look at what I wear and don't listen to the music," she says in the lobby of a Beijing five-star hotel recently.
After hours of shooting for a fashion magazine from 11 am to 6 pm, she looks exhausted. With short hair, smoky eyes, and a black-and-white dress, Shang insists she is not a Chinese Lady Gaga.
"After you listen to my songs, you will understand why I dress like that. It's not an imitation of anyone, rather it's catching up with my music."
She says she often sits in front of the mirror for hours to do her makeup. Her high heels torture her and the flash from cameras hurts her eyes. But she understands image is part of music.
"I understand (singers) have to do this to appeal to a wider audience. It's just part of the media business," she adds. "But for me, it's all about the music. I have songs first, and then the record company comes up with a theme and finally, we get the clothes."
No comments:
Post a Comment