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Unremarkable Zhou
'Unremarkable Zhou' is an annual summary of my life in Guangzhou in 2022. I have selected a few memorable clips to create through music and visual storytelling . This is not only a full-length solo album containing nine songs, but also a music film of 53-min.
The song list:
00 I am Showing You a Joke
01 Game is On
02 Dear Clients
03 Come out to Do a PCR Test
04 Unjuanable
05 A Song to Make up the Numbers
06 I Want to Be a Person
07 Washing Dishes
08 An Oversized Cabbage
'Unremarkable Zhou' combines colloquial and realistic lyrics, different styles of music and visual expression of black humor. It is a 'well-known' loser’s true confession of the past year's journey; It is the author's identity change from a 'photographer' to a 'musician'; it is an experimental project that has no budget and cannot make money from it; it is a team of friends, spanning three provinces and cities, taking over six months. It is a very specific, joyous and sad, self-healing creative experience.
Background Story:
The origin of the creation of 'Unremarkable Zhou' was at the beginning of June in 2022. At that time, I had been depressed at home for several months, and I had completely lost my enthusiasm for photography. So I want to do some physical labor, away from my noisy heart. By chance, I went to a vegan restaurant to be a dishwasher.
There was an auntie who taught me to wash dishes there. Washing dishes was tiring, but it was a practical matter, because washing one bowl was one bowl, which was the result of hard work visible to see. In that process, I didn't need to think about 'who am I' at all. Walking down the hill with a huge sense of satisfaction after washing the dishes and leaving get off work every day. My daily life gradually returned to normal.
During that time, it was like a kind of practice for me. I found healing in washing dishes. Sometimes I took my book to the back kitchen, and when I didn’t have dishes to wash, I sat by the sink and read; or looked through the small window to see the working status of my colleague in the kitchen. I found that what I had lost was the patience for the things I loved and the determination to stick.
I was deeply moved by this experience, and asked myself if I could do one thing well without distraction. At that time, I had a vague idea, but I never acted on it: I wanted to make an album, expressing the mental journey of this year through the medium of music. Naturally, I started thinking about this project bit by bit while doing the dishes. It was not an exaggeration to say that all the ideas about this project were 'washed' out.
'If I could be born again, I want to be a huge automatic dishwasher because everyone needs one and I don't have to think so hard about who I am."
So five or six months have passed. On October 30 in 2022, my first solo album 'Unremarkable Zhou' was launched on major music platforms; The music film had its first screening at Republic of Sound, Guangzhou.
The word 'unremarkable' first appeared, and it was a joke during a conversation with a friend. He thought my online name was 'Unremarkable Zhou' (my online name is '刘海平平的小周'). Later, I chose the word 'Unremarkable' very naturally, because I think that in the general environment, everyone is a community of destiny, and I am just a very small member of this community.
So, I, who is unremarkable, carrying my unremarkable emotions, and around my unremarkable life, and introduce you the 'Unremarkable Zhou'.
Credit:
Singer-Songwriter: Zhou Ning
Harmony: Zhou Ning / ZFZZ21
Arranger: ZFZZ21 / Dan Taylor
Producer: ZFZZ21
Recording: ZFZZ21 / Eric Ji
Mixing: ZFZZ21
Master: ZFZZ21
Director: Zhou Ning
Director of Photography: Li Jihan
Photography Assistant: Huang Haimin / Chen Guanjie
Lighting: Huang Haimin / Pan Zhilun
Editing: Zhou Ning
Cast: Yang Yang / Mian Mian / Coda Wei / Rong Xinyue / Xiao Qiang / Lamp Lee / Yedda Ye
Filming location support: Yue Fang LIVEHOUSE / 28 STUDIO
Album Design: He Shiyun / Lin Jingkai
Physical Album Photography: Zhou Ning / Ying Weitang
Event Release Visual Design: Zui Ma
Project Coordinator: Zhou Ning
Manager: Xiao Qiang
Professional consultant: Xie Jiangchuan / Kang Wen / La Jiadu / Liao Meixian
Help me through a difficult Time: Sound Library
True love support: Chen Jiawei
Atmosphere support:Largo
Release Venue Support: Republic of Sound
Special thanks to Future Life (My lovely vegan restaurant)
‘Unremarkable Zhou' physical album is a dishwasher.
Unremarkable merchandising: poster, sticker, tissue paper.
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