Karen Mok talks to Zhong Qiu of China Beat on her latest album ‘Live’ on radio program.

Zhong Qiu
Hello and welcome to another edition of China Beat. This is Zhong Qiu. The stylish Asian diva Karen Mok wears multiple hats for her brand new Mandarin album LIVE IS… Karen Mok. This time Karen not only composed all ten songs in the album, she also took on producer duties for the first time. In addition, she took a hands-on role throughout the album’s production, from image design to music video planning. The result is the most “Karen Mok” album to date. The album’s ten tracks and cover design are all strongly reflective of the talented singer’s unique style, showcasing her distinctive vocals, sexy charisma, and alternative pop sounds. So with today’s China Beat, we will take a listen of Karen’s latest album which may be her most representative musical effort yet.

Dubbed as the chic diva known for her long legs, Karen Mok keeps pushing the envelope and making the unconventional beautiful. While as a pop singer, she is credited as a bold one who constantly challenges the mainstream. With this latest album, LIVE IS… Karen Mok, she reveals a live show of her stylish life.

Karen Mok
“Live show on the stage is my favorite way to perform and express. Plus, I believe life is also a live show. Coz you are actually playing different roles everyday in front of people. It is always the present tense.”

Zhong Qiu
The song you are listening to is the opening track of this album, Matinees, Evening Shows. The jazzy saxophone and synth licks drive cool with the finger-popping dance beat. Powered with Karen’s sexy voice, the whole piece will definitely sweep you off your feet.

The drum loop continues into the second track. Personally I especially like the whole piece of rap, fusing the automatic answers of cell phone in Mandarin, Cantonese and English; and another chunk featuring literary verses.

Karen Mok
“To me, things that don’t match may go in harmony. What’s more, I will try to create a special feeling with this strange fusion. I’m a person who refuses to follow others’ steps. Like in the song of The Number One Fan, I intertwined opera with poppy melody. It proves to be a good song.”

Zhong Qiu on ‘No. one fan’
As acoustic guitar jumps with the tempo of electric bass, the light-hearted melody brings the listeners to a world of beauty and purity. The melodious opera of Madame Butterfly, sweet music, and Karen’s take on a little-bit-husky and sexy voice, the song of No. One Fan indeed has a special flavor.

Karen Mok
“I used to perform opera in one of my concerts. Actually, I learned to sing musicals when I started. I took training programs in classical vocal music when I was young. You know, there are a lot of classic opera works so beautiful to sing. That is why I had the idea to incorporate opera with pop music.”

Zhong Qiu on ‘Stage’
It’s not the only song in which Karen tries to blend the classic with the novelty. The song you are listening to is called Stage, in which Shakespeare’ famous lines from his pastoral comedy, As You Like It, is interpreted in the form of rapping.

Karen Mok
“The music of Stage is kind of heavy, and rocky, plus licks of hip-hop. So we thought we could spicy it up with some rap. The lyrics are powerful, and I needed some lines really strong to make a match. So Shakespeare’s classic, As you Like It, came across my mind. It goes; life is like a stage, which echoes the song’s title perfectly.”

Zhong Qiu
The album of LIVE showcases Karen’s versatility well. She composed all the ten songs and wrote some lyrics. She tried to incorporate her changeable music style with her perception of both Chinese and western cultures. In the song of “Lingering”, Karen found it interesting to dress hip-hop with the famous traditional Cantonese music for wedding ceremony.

Karen Mok
“It is played by Suona on wedding ceremonies. In Hong Kong, you can hear the music very often as people celebrate at weddings. I like the music very much, you know, it makes you high.”

Zhong Qiu on ‘Diva’
While in the song Diva that you are listening to, Karen borrows lines from one of the most famous Chinese dramatic works, Romance of the West Chamber, to mumble against the programmed beats. You could only marvel at Karen’s wide range of knowledge and her bold imagination.

Karen brings up her unique musical style coz she knows what every great artist knows: simple is more. With the LIVE show from one of the sexiest women in the world, you may have a better understanding of Karen Mok and her music. To complete today’s show, here we play the title song off this album, Live. And we hope that this talented artist will keep up her dreams to make music and life forever LIVE. This is Zhong Qiu from Beijing, bye for now.

Source : www.asianfanatics.net