People’s Daily China
The following article was published on August 17, 2015, in the People’s Daily newspaper in China, circulation over 3,000,000. It was written from an in-depth interview the reporter did with Jackson after the last show in Beijing. Thank you for the great article! Congratulations, Jackson!
Chinese-Speaking American Singer
August 9th, 10:00 p.m., Tennessee singer Jackson Wells had a perfect ending to his three-week China tour at Beijing Yugongyishan Live house.
Wearing a white shirt and carrying a guitar, this blonde, handsome, American big boy uses his passion and sincerity to light up the live performances. Not only did the lively atmosphere and powerful music impress the audience, but after Jackson finished each song, he would say, “Thank you! Thank you!!” in Chinese.
Speaking of Chinese, Jackson’s eyes showed his excitement and passion as he continually expressed his love of learning the Chinese language. When he was 14 years old, he heard Chinese for the first time. He was attracted by its beautiful tones and rhythm. He believed the Chinese language was the one he had been searching for and that Chinese was the best language to express his music in. For the first time, Jackson tried to add Chinese lyrics to his song “Get Closer." Even though he only added four sentences, it took him two weeks -- one week to write the sentences and one week to practice the pronunciation. He wanted to make sure his pronunciation was accurate, so the Chinese fans could understand him.
It’s not easy for a foreigner to learn Chinese, especially for a singer who needs to emphasize the sound and the tones. For this reason, Jackson worked really hard to practice his pronunciation. After he learned how to say, “Zaogao" (which means "oops"), he was excited for a long time because he could make jokes using this word. Although he likes to joke with “Zaogao," he has a very positive attitude; he smiles a lot. Some people asked, “What is your favorite Chinese character?” He said: “Zhen" (which means, "sincere"). He explained that this character represents truth, honesty, and seriousness. “I need to face my true self, treat other people honestly, and work on my beloved music career seriously.”
At age 5, Jackson's mom encouraged him to sing, and he started to perform on stage. He participated in singing competitions at age 12 and started to write songs when he was 15 years old. Jackson Wells started his music career step by step. Furthermore, learning Chinese opened a bigger world to him. He fell in love with China and considers China his second home. Since 2008, Jackson Wells has traveled to China six times. Chinese fans, Chinese culture, and Chinese customs attract him deeply. He proudly said, “Now I have more Chinese fans than American fans. They are excellent, and they give me so much encouragement and love." Jackson Wells also fell in love with Chinese food, especially Mapo tofu, and he is used to using chopsticks. At restaurants, if the server gives him forks and knives, he says, “I don’t need these. Please give me chopsticks.”
Next year Jackson Wells will come back to Beijing to learn Chinese. Even though there will be a lot of studying to do, he doesn’t feel stressed. Actually, he is very excited and looking forward to it. He said: “I love Chinese. I enjoy this learning process.”
We truly want to bless this music-loving, Chinese-loving, American boy, and we hope he has a bright future!
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2015-08/17/content_1599822.htm