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\n \t\t\t\t\tTia Ray Drops New English Single \u2018PRESSURE\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n
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\n\tThe sound of \u201cQuagmire\u201d now lingers as the defining memory of this past September. We look forward to seeing the boy who once rose from the mud continue to dig, through his music, toward a vaster world.<\/p>\n
\n\tBelow, Li Shi Jue, the songwriter of \u201cQuagmire,\u201d speaks with Billboard China <\/em>to decode the creative force behind the very first \u201cStar Power Monthly Selection\u201d champion song.<\/p>\n\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tZi Yu<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBillboard China<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tThe song Quagmire<\/em> has resonated widely with listeners. Were you surprised? What do you think made it so moving?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tLi Shi Jue:<\/strong> I was a bit surprised, yet not entirely, because our team actually wrote this song a few years ago. Its theme and melodic line have a retro, catchy quality, the kind that naturally evokes emotional resonance. Songs from that same creative period included Dislocated Space-Time<\/em>, which later became a big hit. I think what really touches people is the combination of a simple, memorable melody and straightforward, relatable lyrics, brought to life by Zi Yu\u2019s heartfelt performance. The overall listening experience just flows smoothly. When we wrote it, we only wanted to capture honestly the feeling of being stuck in a certain emotion or situation. We never imagined it would be embraced by so many people. Looking back now, perhaps what moved listeners was its authenticity \u2014 that tangled obsession of \u201cwanting to break free yet sinking deeper,\u201d a struggle everyone encounters at some point in life. The song doesn\u2019t preach any grand truths; it simply passes on the feeling of \u201cbreathing inside the Quagmire,\u201d and somehow, someone out there heard their own echo in it.<\/p>\n\n\tWhen writing \u201cQuagmire,\u201d what core emotion or idea did you most want to express? Where did the original inspiration come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhat I wanted most to convey was a state of emotion\u2014it could be my own feelings, or projections of many different kinds of emotions. It\u2019s about recalling past experiences, being overwhelmed by sadness, crying awake in the middle of the night, falling asleep only to wake up crying again. That cycle of repeating pain mirrors the song\u2019s looping melody. The inspiration naturally came from life: once you\u2019ve lived through something like that, you can\u2019t help but write it down. I believe everyone has their own \u201cQuagmire moment\u201d\u2014a low point in life. It\u2019s not about the inspiration of \u201cgetting out of the Quagmire,\u201d but about the courage to \u201cstand firm within it\u201d. The earliest ideas came in fragments: seeing friends torment themselves over a goal that fell through; watching someone repeatedly edit and delete late-night social media moments out of confusion; or even my own frustration when I get stuck\u2014when the harder I try to write, the less I can. These scattered moments came together like scenes of many people circling in their own \u201cQuagmires,\u201d and suddenly I wanted to write a song to tell listeners: It\u2019s okay to be stuck. You don\u2019t have to force yourself to climb out right away. Take a look at the soil beneath your feet\u2014maybe something can grow from it.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen creating music, what do you value most? Does \u201cQuagmire\u201d <\/em>reflect this philosophy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhen I write songs, I care most about the completeness and directness of the story, and about how catchy the melody is. I used to pursue more avant-garde arrangements or melodies to create relatively niche works, but as I\u2019ve grown older, I\u2019ve realized that what sounds truly good is often simple. \u201cQuagmire\u201d embodies exactly that belief. What I value most is accuracy\u2014not technical precision, but emotional accuracy, staying true to the feeling. For example, the line \u201ctears reach my lips, a little salty\u201d wasn\u2019t written just to rhyme; it\u2019s meant to capture that physical detail of \u201ctrying to hold back your tears halfway through crying\u201d. That kind of specific pain carries more weight than simply shouting \u201cI\u2019m so sad\u201d. Quagmire<\/em> achieves that\u2014it doesn\u2019t rely on ornate language. It sings of tangible emotions: \u201cthe darkness when you turn away,\u201d and \u201cthe sweetness in dreams and the tears upon waking\u201d. It\u2019s like laying bare the creases of your heart for others to see, without hiding, without pretense.<\/p>\n\n\tWhat special charm do you think Zi Yu\u2019s performance brings to this song?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tZi Yu truly infused this song with a special kind of magic. He\u2019s a young, energetic singer of the new generation, while I wrote the song with a deliberately retro sensibility in mind. That collision between the \u201cnew\u201d and the \u201cold\u201d gave \u201cQuagmire\u201d a fresh soul. There\u2019s a kind of restrained resilience in Zi Yu\u2019s voice that fits the song\u2019s temperament perfectly. He doesn\u2019t use explosive power to express the pain of being trapped in the Quagmire; instead, he shapes the details with soft, airy tones. In the line \u201crepeating the sorrow again and again,\u201d you can catch a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. That choice to hold back instead of crying out actually makes the struggle within the \u201cQuagmire\u201d feel more real. It\u2019s like how, in real life, people in distress don\u2019t always scream; more often, they wrestle silently with themselves. And Zi Yu managed to sing out the weight of that silence.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor listeners who found resonance in \u201cQuagmire\u201d and those who might be going through their own \u201cQuagmire moment,\u201d what would you most like to say to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIf you happen to be living through your own \u201cQuagmire\u201d right now, tell yourself: let the storm rage on. Only time can heal, and there\u2019s no other cure. If you\u2019ve parted ways with someone, don\u2019t disturb their life again. This experience might one day become one of the most beautiful memories on your journey. And when you emerge from the storm, safe and whole, you\u2019ll no longer be the same person you once were. Stay strong!<\/p>\n
\n\tAt the same time, I want everyone to know: you\u2019re not the only one sinking. Every life has stretches of road where people just can\u2019t seem to move forward. Don\u2019t rush to deny yourself, wondering \u201cwhy haven\u2019t I climbed out yet,\u201d and don\u2019t envy others who seem to have it easier. First, acknowledge \u201cI\u2019m here, right now,\u201d and then take a look beneath your feet\u2014those things that hurt you or twist and hold you down may quietly be helping you put down roots. And perhaps one day, when courage returns, you\u2019ll be ready to step out of the mire\u2014slowly, but surely.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn your songwriting process, are there any particular habits or principles you always stick to, and how do you deal with doubts or criticism?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIn my songwriting process, I don\u2019t worry about whether the lyrics or the melody come first. Sometimes I start with the words, sometimes with the tune, but most of the time they emerge together. What I care most about is the first feeling. When a melody suddenly comes to mind, I usually decide on it right away, because the more you revise, the further you drift from your original intention. That\u2019s why I tend to write songs quickly.<\/p>\n
\n\tWith \u201cQuagmire,\u201d for example, the image of the Quagmire came first, and from there the melody and lyrics gradually grew. For me, letting emotions flow naturally is far more important than following a rigid process.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn fact, every song carries its own unique expression and emotion\u2014each differs in theme, harmony design, and arrangement style. There are plenty of works out there that sound similar in mood or atmosphere, but art ultimately comes from life\u2014and respecting originality matters most.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tZi Yu<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBillboard China<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the single \u201cQuagmire,\u201d Mandarin singer Zi Yu claimed the top spot in the Vol.01 September Selection of \u201cStar Power Monthly Selection\u201d (held by Billboard China, Tencent Music\u2019s QQ Music and JOOX platforms). From constant experimentation to commanding the stage, from wearing the \u201cnewcomer\u201d label to earning \u201cchampion\u201d recognition, Zi Yu has achieved a striking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204648\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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