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When Jackson Wang emerged from aself-describedmental breakdown he had last year, he craved a fresh artistic start.
Im not saying that I wasnt being me [before], he tells Vulture on a recent afternoon.
Like, hey, I didnt know I could do that.
But this era hasnt been without its challenges.
The 28-year-old Chinese artist says hes been continually pressed to release catchy, commercial music.
That makes him especially proud ofMAGIC MAN, which he considers a step in the right direction.
Essentially, its the album he always wanted to record even though he predicts it wont top the charts.
You just cant be too greedy in wanting to have everything in life, he says.
For this specific album, I just chose to be me.
Ahead, Wang outlines a palette of six influences from Prince toInception that shaped his creative approach toMAGIC MAN.
Prince
Ive listened to Prince since I was a kid.
[My favorite songs are] Little Red Corvette, Dirty Mind, and 1999, of course.
Theres two more, I Wanna Be Your Lover and If I Was Your Girlfriend.
Just that rawness; he doesnt give a damn.
I am a big fan of that.
Its that presence of being an artist [that influences me].
Like you wont say, oh, hes a singer, a dancer its an artist, you know.
Its the impact of his performance.
When hes there, he gives you 100 percent.
You feel like he throws jabs at you in every way.
Its just perfect, his charisma as a performer.
Training with JYP Entertainment
Back in the days as atrainee, I tried so hard.
It became so tense.
But now its just like,Yo, if it doesnt hit me today, maybe tomorrow it will.
ForMAGIC MAN, its been more than a year [since we started prepping].
Normally its always within a month and a half or two months, always a rush.
Sometimes its because the producers, you know, the Asia and L.A. time difference.
Sometimes its the location, we cant get the permit.
Sometimes the dance is not ready.
But this time, we werent trying to force everything.
I just really wanted to take my time.
Like if Im not ready, Im not ready; Im going to release this album when Im ready.
So thats why it took too long.
I follow [some favorites] on Instagram.
Definitely Madison [Olandt], and Andrea Costanzo Martini.
What I like about them is its not just movements anymore.
Im not saying that ordinary dance moves dont mean anything.
But to me personally, I feel like it means more than that.
And for me, thats exactly art.
I just want to think outside the box for a minute.
I never had that.
I just happened to meet the producers.
The sound, everything just happened because it happened.
They play some stuff, I dont like it.
They play some stuff, oh, I like it.
I write some stuff, they dont like it.
We just went with our gut feeling, we werent too careful about every single step.
We were just like, lets just go with the vibe.
I take a stab at be so precise, but then I would be super stressed out.
Even from the music side, Jay Chou.
And K-pop, definitely.
When I say that I want to be a bridge, that doesnt mean I wouldbecomethe bridge.
But Im still going to share more stuff about the East to the West.
Its the other side of the world.
Whats the point of saying, Oh, this is your territory, this is my territory?
At the end of the day, were humans.
Inception
You know, ten people watchInception, theyre gonna have their own interpretation.
I watchedInceptiontwice, and I also watched reviews on it.
I didnt really get it.
Is it because that means this in this universe?
But thats …The deeper I got, I just got fed up.
And then I started to realize, like, theres no solid answers for it.
Its just how you view it and how every individual feels towards this art piece.
This is what were trying to do [withMAGIC MAN].
Also, I love shooting stuff thats cinematic, and action-related visuals.
Its something that Ive been into for a couple years already.
The more you think about it, the deeper you get.
But at the end of the day, it could be something very simple.
Its how you would interpret it.
Art is very personal.
Theres no specific equations; you cant calculate that.
What does this mean?
Everybody should take it the way that they want to take it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
