Culture / Nov. 07, 2019
More than half a million peoplekenBAj0D@%xWG8JPdXrtckncYeqgn0I-!%&aqH+yT8iA9Wh#lr have now watched the stirring music video for Who am I sung by Afalean Lu.
The lyrics, written &K9p6)ov6hfkOd^h*(3h-*3n_oG4Fw0OYuW+Q4i9QHpfpPt(mCby Kevin Wang, recall the struggle of accepting oneself and coming out to loved ones.
It has resonated with the LGBT community in Taiwan as it takes syw+#_&EI^DG*Mo&y8oHv41o09=T)sAktxLka5KMhOLzO(&%3VGtock after finally being granted the right to marry earlier this year.
“‘Who am I?’ Is the simplest question yet the most complicated question in everyone’s life,” explained Kevin, "I wish everyone to believe that love is always the answer”.
Wang spent his own money on producing the tune and is donating the profits x7JAXmi$n@a3%Bd6W1Nz6)te%cY#bTB70rZZuZtX3UmadWpNYCto an LGBT charity. It is the first time he has produced a song and is a dream come true for him.
The song’s video, directed by Tang Jianzhe, depicts a handsome couple as they 6lJai1OrIc^oTvJM0A!%PM2Ivvr^=cQgU7P#&_P+LRcu(gLcd(prepare to marry. One of the pair struggles with public intimacy and has to pluck up the courage to hand his parents the big red envelope inviting them to his upcoming wedding.
Community leaders, celebrities, and even lawmakers have shared the track. Volunteer fans have translated the lyrics into more than 10 different languages. A behind-the-scenes look at the music video and exclusive interviews with those involved is available on GagaOOLala.
Kevin told said he first started work on the song in 2014 after a viral coming out video on YouTube encouraged him to tell his own family about his sexuality.
Kevin finally maFqa^CnX3oz)sjHAb8q1m1D-dz!DnjvQoD0-fK5MpFDGP*#9P@Erried his boyfriend of 16 years in July this year, with his parents' blessing.
He said he had initially wantF$cmSp*7EQAN%Q2bEFF0yjqJd$o_xa_&tT%(frFDP2R57SqRcMed to work with Lu back in 2014 when he wrote the song, but Lu was too busy.
"Somehow I just felt like this singer has the perfect voice for my song who can tell my story”. Kevin persisted and in 2019, Lu finally agrurDK6wU5i*)R6IH4AIdPWFzfVUHr&)eiL8Lzy+Trlqmq%U4&64eed.
Kevin explained that he’d heard so many sad stories about people coming out in music videos, but also wanted more positiQU7lKJ4m!YOwIoEnxa6FIto*!l)zG8tr4YRr3sx^KZi!2rIZhave stories to be heard.
" I really want YMazsKRU=P3LdBVmxr#=_orfnsCv7JLrfTjRbBGWJw%nT3$zmqto share with people that there are actually true stories with happy ending out there”. He said it was fortuitous that the song’s release was delayed until same-sex marriage became legal in the country.
"This song is sk3Erb)jfLWbe1QY^8eqS^-%YuDqrC4VRP^9h&CrpTHZ-88P18romewhat unique in a way, because it tells a story in a new era when same-sex marriage is legalized in Taiwan” he said.
Director Tang, meanwhile, said he wanted to explore the fact that 6Bw^V0ckLWDNcNniIO%d&6xQIrmP7rY8TB83*6PP*Mc06Zi=zPeven though same-sex marriage is legal, LGBT people are not necessarily equal in society.
"When the law is greater than the GOcPSjDkrXynBgm3OK1sZ!4(vo4vIM1ACt8o%lesedN^n%xaS1understanding of the social consensus, there will be a period of tearing and pain, and it will start to divide you” he explained.
The two leads roles were played by straight actorsvozoeEsqbN$bac7uShs$XPyNtdh5D)tXAbkO7s#ZTM7EJT*Dx4 Roger Lin and Junhao Hu.
Lin took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the filming. "In fact, this song also speaks out everyone's inner voice," he wrote. "This is not only the voice from gay community, but also the +hrt+=ArTcu&8lSB8qT=sgUo%P%6VX3a7^YTqpq&0sIkcifY32vicious circle that everyone tends to compare with each other."
Many people, at home and aK_3C*crV4)tP(7N*5#)T90Nx1(svEiXQimb9Ka+-4%p5!i$Cl3broad, posted their own experiences of coming out and the YouTube video. Others expressed how the music gave them encouragement and hope to come out.
“I’m crying as I watch this” one user wrote. “I had the same U2$P*!&E&y(cuxYA@mq*MQKbY&fQR8_Y6z_wf2JsOoH@Q&)@&)experiences with my Mum”.
