Terence Yin Videos
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Boom Magazine: Interview with Terence Yin
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 3:22PM
http://www.boom-asia.com/2014/05/07/interview-with-terence-yin/
Actor terence yin speaks to boom about his creative process and what led him to embark on his latest music project, the upcoming album T.
Philosophy is not generally the subject of too many pop albums. But Terence Yin is not your usual pop singer. The multi-talented actor, who got his first big break in Yonfan’s Bishonen playing Daniel Wu’s lover, studied rhetoric at UC Berkeley and philosophical musings are never far from his mind. “One of the songs on the album [T] is about that state of mind where you understand that there’s such a thing as fate, but you haven’t got onto that path yet. You’re still wavering in this nebulous space before you meet your fate.”
In fact, it’s very much the lyrics and the story that drive him to create music. “I’m not a musician by training. I tend to approach music more visually,” he explains, “there’s a story I want to tell, and somehow the music will be created from that feeling.” The motivation behind this new album, his first in three years since 2011’s Transparent, came a few years ago when he was on stage. “I played a character whose relationship to the lead in the play was very close in sentiment to a song that I’d already written with Jun [Kung]. We never finished the track and I was thinking to myself that it would be a crime never to finish it. So I approached him again and we started talking and doing more writing.”
His collaboration with Kung has brought back his love of music. “When I released my first album [in 1999] in Taiwan, I didn’t have the greatest experience promoting it and so I really focused on acting after that. But it was Daniel [Wu] who decided to give me an opportunity to do another album. Working on that with Jun restarted my fire for music and that’s pretty much where I am now.”
The music on T has definite echoes of classic Cantopop from the 80s and 90s, an influence Yin feels strongly. “I came of age in that era and in fact I prefer Cantopop from the 70s, 80s and 90s to what I hear around me today. I’m one of those who believe that karaoke culture has really narrowed the scope of what’s possible in pop.”
Yin is vocal about the issues affecting the Hong Kong music industry and his film The Heavenly Kings was a thought-provoking satire about it. “I just think [the Hong Kong music industry] is just sticking with a formula that they believe is right. You can’t fault them for that; they’re business owners. But to me it just seems like if the business is gearing towards a different direction, if no-one is selling records, it’s an opportunity to reinvent. It’s an opportunity to not abide by the previous rules and mindset. You know, it’s important not just for me as an individual artist but for the scene as a whole.”
When The Heavenly Kings was released, there was some vocal outrage, especially from the media, at having been ‘duped’ to cover the fake band Alive formed by friends Daniel Wu, Terence Tin, Conroy Chan and Andrew Lin. Of course, their outrage was precisely the effect the stars wanted, to provoke some conversation at the lack of media responsibility and their trumpeting of singers who can’t even sing (of the four, only Terence Yin was actually able to sing). The website “alivenotdead.com” was born out of that idealism and desire to change the way the music industry in Hong Kong worked.
Even though the website still has a strong following, Yin is no longer as hands-on as he used to be with alivenotdead. “It was an extension of the themes we discussed in the film. You know I think we had the potential to do so much more good. But it was a very idealistic project and in many ways it didn’t turn out exactly as we’d planned. But in regards to the music scene, I still believe 100% in everything we talked about in alivenotdead days. Having a healthy indie scene will definitely help the commercial scene.”
Despite his earlier doubts, Yin is excited to be back in music. “I relish the opportunity to create original stuff and to use those works to reflect on myself. I enjoy music as a creative medium and I hope that I can continue to create and that the works I create find an audience.” If there’s one thing though that really excites Yin about this new project is the potential opportunity to play concerts again. “I love doing gigs. If there’s going to be any payoff for me with this album it’s that I get opportunities to sing live in front of an audience. It’s my favourite thing to do. I want to play with a full band because that’s really the best way to hear this album.”
Actor, singer, entrepreneur and sometime philosopher Terence Yin is a man juggling many hats, but for a glimpse of the real Terence Yin beyond all the roles he plays on stage and screen, you should have a listen to the very personal reflections on the soon-to-be released T.
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"Transparent" 《透明》 CD Launch Party - Nov 25th
( 繁 | 简 | 日 )Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 12:00PM
Terence will be holding a launch party for his new 7-song EP "Transparent" 《透明》 on Nov 25th at 8pm at Bisous in Lan Kwai Fong, HK.
It's a great opportunity for his fans and friends to celebrate this important milestone and hear Terence and guests performing his new songs off his new CD live. The show admission is HK$200 with 1 free drink and the CD price is HK$70.
As a special promotion alivenotdead.com is offering an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Terence's CD bundled with an admission ticket for only HK$240.
You can buy both in advance online right now using your credit card via Paypal here:ONLINE TICKET BUYING IS NOW CLOSED.
PLEASE PURCHASE AT THE DOOR.Bundle buyers can pick up their autographed CDs at the event. Your name and CD will be at the guestlist waiting for you on event night.
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Nu You Article
( 繁 | 简 | 日 )Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 5:29PM
While I was in Singapore in September our friends at Sinema Old School helped arrange an interview with Chinese language magazine "Nu You" ("Girlfriend"):
Here is the text, English translation is below:
English Translation by Machiato:Do you know who he is? He is one of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings”, and at one stage caused a bit of an uproar with the locals. If you don’t know who he is, then you must be living a life in vain……
Acting the Villain Because He’s Lazy
Fortunately, when I learned that I was going to interview Terence Yin, a rough image of his handsome face instantly appeared in my mind; I knew who he was and I could remember his films.
You might not be able to remember the name of a guy like this and you might not be able to clearly remember the characters he’s played in films, but his charming looks with a slight hint of evil expressed on his face tends to direct him in playing the villain of a film. I think the image of him playing the bad guy has left a lasting impression on the minds of a lot of people. This was our first meeting so I just cut straight to the point and asked him this question.
What do you think your popularity status is like here?
Hah, I actually don’t know and I don’t really care. I’ve been here a few times before to do promotional work for movies. I’ve also been here a few times for personal reasons. I don’t feel that my popularity status is great but people recognize me at the airport. Does that count? Hah.
You’ve tried doing a lot of different things – music, theatre, film, even being an MC, and it looks like that there hasn’t been an outstanding film or a piece of work representative of you because you’re always playing the villain. Do you think there is any more room for you to develop further in the film industry?
I think that with whatever work you do, it’s all about luck. You have to see if the film you come across and the character you play, gives you the opportunity for you to develop further. Ever since I entered the industry, I’ve been very lucky and have been able to act many different roles.
A lot of people have asked me before, why do I always play the villain. And I would always answer, because I’m lazy – so acting to be myself is the best! As an actor, I have no control over this decision (of playing the villain). Initially I wanted to start off by playing a villain, and this is the impression I have left on the viewers. Maybe the directors have the same impression as well. They are the first to have a say on who plays what for a film so naturally, when they decide on who plays the villain, they tend to think of me. As an actor, my responsibility is not to be picky with what role to play. My responsibility is to act and try to capture the essence of the character. It’s like the very first film that I made, “Mei Shiao Nan Zhi Lian”, the character I had to play was a gay guy. I’ve never had anything against it. Of course, I like girls, but I’ve never been afraid or embarrassed about this particular topic because I feel that there is no difference between a homosexual relationship or a heterosexual relationship when it comes to love between two people.
The New Heavenly King Terence Yin
He is Alive Not Dead
Although this guy who usually plays the villain in Hong Kong films isn’t super popular, but his persistence and self-confidence his led him to walk his own road. Because of a documentary style film, The Heavenly Kings, Terence has even more tasks that he needs to complete and Xiao He has allowed him to nakedly express himself.
Is there a particular character that you’d really like to try to act?
Maybe because I’ve already got quite a bit of experience under my belt at the moment so what I’d like to try is to play a complex character, one that has layers of different depth. The one I’d like to try the most is the character in “Living Las Vagas” played by Nicholas Cage. He loves to drink, just like me, hah hah……I really like this film, even though it’s a tragic story, it’s still very romantic. Performances by both the male and female leads were just wonderful.
Being Blacklisted by Reporters
What is “The Heavenly Kings”? It’s a film directed by Daniel Wu, starring Daniel Wu, Terence Yin, Andre Lin and Conroy Chan. Four well known and establish Hong Kong actors teamed up to form a boy-band called ALIVE, creating a statement in Hong Kong.
In the film “The Heavenly Kings”, the four actors express their viewpoints and interview many artists in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, openly revealing all the secrets behind the workings of a Hong Kong movie star. This film was made using a zero-distance technique and to a certain extent, it captured all the ups and downs of the ALIVE band. Everything recorded during the process of making this film is shown. Even some of the “made-up stories” that were created during the film which resulted in offending some local media is also revealed in the movie.
Throughout the process of making of “The Heavenly Kings”, from pre-production to filming to releasing, there has been a lot of controversy and was even boycotted by the media, which ultimately led to ALIVE disbanding. At one stage, director Daniel Wu changed his statement and said that this (film) is not a documentary; it is a movie.
Is “The Heavenly Kings” a movie or a documentary?
It’s a movie. We’ve just used the technique similar to filming a documentary, included some truth and actual events to present the plot of the film. For example, there are parts in the movie where we interview artists from Hong Kong’s entertainment industry; that’s all real. Forming ALIVE was just like a backbone for the whole film. There was a lot of room within the film that allowed us to be very creative. The main reason for this was to allow us to express our views towards the current unhealthy situation that we can see happening with Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.
Does “The Heavenly Kings” have any special meaning to you?
It has a lot of different meanings. Through the process of making this movie, the four of us consolidated our friendship. We’ve been working in Hong Kong for so many years so naturally we care about the Hong Kong entertainment industry and our working environment. Andrew noticed how there are some places in Hong Kong where the working environment was not very healthy. Because of this, we wanted to let viewers see the reality of our workplace and how unfair it can be. We hope to allow everyone gain a better understanding of the rules in this industry, make it open for discussion.
This is very important for us. We should cherish and value the things around us and do something to reflect it.
When you decided to make this film, revealing the dark secrets of the entertainment industry, being brave enough to express yourself and presenting the raw truth to everyone, did you have any hesitations at the time?
Hah. Well, we actually expected this film would cause a heated response. We wanted people to be aware and discuss these issues about media. It’s just that when we released this film in cinemas, the media became very sensitive about it and because we revealed the rules of how to play the game with the media, a lot of journalists and reporters in Hong Kong blacklisted us. On a personal level, we thought it was quite funny because we initially didn’t have that intention. They just did what they were supposed to do and then they felt as though their rights were violated. The reality is, we didn’t lead the audience to think about these issues. We just threw some open ideas in the air and created a space for thought, and then the audience could come up with their own conclusions.
What are your thoughts towards our local cinema, Sinema, showing this controversial piece of work which was boycotted by the media?
Very lucky, I never thought that after such a long period of time, this film is still attracting cinemas to show it. I think that where ever you go, independent films still needs a lot of support. This kind of film festival type events is very important for the film industry. Especially since Sinema is quite similar to us – apart from wanting to promote some non-mainstream feature films, they also care about the society of this industry and they also hope that the media will be responsible for the things they report our society.
The Masculine Organ is the Man
This year you’ve performed in a stage play “Pussycat Theatre” where your character is a particular male organ. Why did you agree to play this part? Did you ever think about why they asked you to do it?
A friend of mine came looking for me and said that they needed a male actor. I was interested and then asked what role I was playing. She said penis. I asked, what? And then I said okay, it sounded quite fun! I believe that I would have been their number one choice. I guess they would have said, hey, we need a real dick, that’s got to be Terence! Hah hah......
Do you think that this well known scriptwriter Crystal Kwok “voiced” this masculine organ fairly?
Oh, I actually wrote my own lines for this play, which was to illustrate the uses of this “masculine organ”. It’s taken from a male point of view and used to counteract with a female point of view so that it allows women to understand where they misunderstand men with certain things. When I wrote the script, there are times where it’s very superficial, sometimes deep and complex, and sometimes very thoughtful. I hope to try and bring out an emotional side of men and fully express it.
The viewpoints of men and women are honestly very different. This play talks about women and the problems they face with old age, and my part is just adding my own ideas to the play. Basically, a lot of the time when women divorce or are dumped by their partner, they think that all men are criminals. Generally a lot of people think that men tend to like younger women and are very superficial when it comes to communicating with them; men don’t have that in depth feeling. But in fact, this kind of generalization is wrong. It’s just an issue about making the right choice. At the moment, in this kind of sophisticated society, men would place elements of their livelihoods in first place, and then seek a partner based around this viewpoint. That is why women always think that they’re never in first place in a man’s heart.
What do you think a man’s masculine organ represents to you?
Wah, that’s a difficult question. What else is a man’s masculine organ used for?
Since you’re familiar with philosophy, why not answer it in a philosophical way?
Hm......although you can’t make a direct comparison of a man and his masculine organ, however, the masculine organ is the man.
ALIVE NOT DEAD
These four guys also established a website called Alive Not Dead. Over the past few years, it has been well received by various industries. You’ll also find trails of quite a few international stars such as Jet Li on the site.
What kind of website is Alive Not Dead?
Basically, it’s an online community created by artists for artists. Our main purpose is very simple – we hope that through this online community for artists, we can help as many artists as possible through the internet, first starting in Hong Kong and then expanding into different countries around the world, helping the local creative community.
Actually, when we were filming “The Heavenly Kings”, we came in contact with many independent artists. They’re actually going through some really times. Traditional media don’t take much notice of them and they don’t assist them in any way. Everywhere around us, there are a lot of very good artists and workers out there. Our website is like providing a support system for them, allowing them to help each other out and support each other.
The internet is going to be a very important type of media in the future. We’re just using this point to connect Hong Kong artists with other international artists, creating a community so that no matter if they’re online or offline, they’ll be able to assist each other in some way. It’s also a place where you’ll find casting opportunities and even sponsors.
Why is it called Alive Not Dead?
There is a reason behind the name Alive Not Dead. It reflects the current environment in Hong Kong and we all have the same feeling towards it. That is, the Hong Kong film industry has been dying down for many years but what we want to say to everyone is that we’re still alive.
Thanks to Sharon from Sinema for sending it over!
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Halleluya, From The Jazz Gig w/ Marsha, Jun, Eugene
( 繁 | 简 | 日 )Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 5:04PM
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A View Of A Little Girl
( 繁 | 简 | 日 )Tuesday, Jun 9, 2009 1:44AM
Stats
- TERENCE YIN has starred over 30 films since moving to Asia after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997...
- Occupation: Actor
- Age: 51
- Gender: Male
- Total visits: 638,350
- Translators: applenic, mio
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December 11, 2007 -
December 11, 2008