近期发布个人首张 EP《Holding Water》的新人 ASH紫煊，在音乐中呈现了关于情感的脆弱与韧性的两面，以情绪化而具有感受力的表达映射出自己的经历并与听众尝试连接。UPEE 有幸与 ASH紫煊 进行一期专访，分享关于《Holding Water》的创作。
UPEE：新 EP《Holding Water》以充满当代感的 Alternative R&B 带来了柔滑流畅，如水体一般在“柔”中具有力量的形态和触感。是如何想到做这样的音乐，又为什么决定以“Holding Water”为题呢？
ASH紫煊：我很喜欢那些突破流派界限的另类音乐，所以在创作音乐时，我主要的追求并不是局限于某个特定的流派，而是更多地去探索风格和发现声音。R&B对我来说有一种情感上的原始力量和强烈的节奏感，能够真正与我想要表达自己的方式产生共鸣，所以R&B的本质就贯穿了我的音乐。EP的标题“Holding Water”暗含了情感的短暂和不断流动的特性。每一首歌都旨在捕捉某种特定情感瞬间的本质，那种我们能在其中看到自己倒影的情感，尽管它最终会不可避免地消逝。I’m honestly just super drawn to genre-defying and alternative music so the main thing I try to strive for when creating music is more about exploring styles and discovering sounds, not really to be in a specific genre. I think R&B for me carries such an emotional rawness and driving heartbeat that really resonates with the way I want to express myself so then there is that R&B essence underscoring everything. The title of the EP “Holding Water” alludes to the fleeting and ever flowing nature of emotion. Each song in the EP aims to capture the essence of a specific moment of emotion when we can see our reflection in it before it inevitably falls away.UPEE：似乎在《Holding Water》你呈现了一种在纠缠或纠结中的情感状态，又具有向自由、随性生长的状态。你期待听众在《Holding Water》中感受到什么样的内容？ASH紫煊：我觉得你所说的，《Holding Water》既反映内心的纠结，又展现清晰时刻的观点，确实是我希望听众能够领悟的一个关键点：两者是相互依存的，缺一不可。我希望通过带领听众走进我自己在接受每种情绪状态中的过程，让他们感受到一种平静——让他们明白，我们必须经历内心的每一次冲突，才能真正体会到新生成长带来的解脱。这一切都是关于学会如何让一切情感顺畅地流过我们，而不是每次都让它们把我们冲走。I think what you said about the project reflecting both inner frustrations as well as moments of clarity is really one of the key takeaways I hope listeners will have: that one cannot exist without the other. I hope through taking listeners on a journey of my own process in grappling with accepting myself in every emotional state, it gives them peace in knowing we must experience every part of our inner conflicts in order to appreciate the relief of newfound growth. It’s all about learning how to let everything flow through us rather than letting it sweep us away each time.UPEE：可以分享在《Holding Water》中你最喜欢的曲目吗，它对你而言有什么特别之处？ASH紫煊：我很难选出最喜欢的曲目，因为我真的非常珍视每一首歌，它们都是这个作品里起伏变化中的关键时刻。我觉得每首歌就都像我的孩子，因为我花了很多时间和精力去孕育它们的诞生，触动特定的情感或经历，并将之发展成一个独立的世界。抱歉我的回答可能有些无聊哈哈，但它们每一首都在我心中占据着特别的位置，因为它们都在某种程度上帮助我治愈了自己的一部分。
It’s too hard for me to pick a favorite track because I really appreciate every single track as crucial moments of the ebb and flow of the project. I honestly feel like each song is my baby because I spent so much time and energy nurturing each one into its existence, tapping into a specific emotion or experience and building it out into a world of its own. Sorry for the boring answer, but they really each hold a special place in my heart because they each helped me heal part of it.
UPEE：这是你以 ASH紫煊 之名发表的第一张EP，在制作《Holding Water》中有没有发生什么有趣的事情？ASH紫煊：因为这是我的第一个项目，整个过程对我来说都非常有趣，因为我在以许多全新的方式了解自己。首先，我第一次发现了自己作为艺术家的身份，了解了专辑的创作过程，什么对我有效，什么不行，同时每次创作时我都在收集新的工具和技能。其次，我也在学习作为一个个体的自己，第一次能够全身心投入到自己的热情和目标中，这对我来说是一次非常有价值的经历，因为我看到自己以前从未有过的方式去投入其中，单纯是因为我真的非常热爱它。这些发现自我的方面，成为了我创第一个作品中既合适又有回报的部分，使整个过程变得非常有趣。
Because this is my very first project, the whole experience has been interesting because I’m learning about myself in so many new ways. First, I’m discovering my identity as an artist for the first time, learning my creative process and what works for me and what doesn’t, while also collecting new tools and skills with each time I create. Secondly, I’m also learning about myself as an individual who is able to dive into my passion and purpose for the first time, which has been a really validating experience because I see myself applying myself in ways I never have before simply because I care so much about it. These aspects of self-discovery have been a really fitting and rewarding part of creating this first project that has made it all very interesting.
UPEE：可以分享你喜欢的或者对《Holding Water》带来启迪的音乐人或作品吗？如果有机会，有没有哪些独立音乐人你期待可以合作？ASH紫煊：在我的创作中，谈到艺术性和精细程度，我非常受一些另类/实验性R&B流派的先驱者的启发，比如FKA twigs和Frank Ocean。而在词曲创作方面，我受到了像Sade、Jhene Aiko和Norah Jones这样的艺术家的启发。我希望能与一些非常有趣、富有创意的独立新兴艺术家合作，包括一个叫Chanpan的另类流行乐队和一位流行说唱歌手Mijita，他们都来自纽约，且都有非常跨越流派的、独特的声音。你可以明显感受到他们在创作音乐时的乐趣，那种能量真的是具有感染力的。
I think in terms of being artistic and intricate in my music-making, I really look to some of the pioneers of the alternative/experimental R&B genre like FKA twigs and Frank Ocean. For songwriting, I’m really inspired by artists like Sade, Jhene Aiko, and Norah Jones. Some really interesting and creative rising independent artists I’d love to work with are an alt-pop band called Chanpan and a pop-rap artist Mijita. They’re both based in New York and they both have really genre-bending, authentic sounds. You can really tell how much fun they have in creating music and that energy is infectious.
UPEE：在《Holding Water》之后，还有哪些、哪样的音乐或元素你期待在未来的创作里尝试着手的吗？ASH紫煊：我非常期待能够更加自信地、更无所畏惧地自由探索自己的音乐风格。我认为作为第一个项目，《Holding Water》是一个非常合适的自我介绍，但在某些方面，我确实觉得自己有些收敛，因为我也会思考我给大家的第一印象是什么样的。如今，这个基础已经有了，我想在制作和声音表现上玩得更大胆一些。我希望你能感受到我在即将发布的作品中正在尝试更多艺术上的突破，也希望这始终是我创作过程的一部分。I’m really excited to just be more confident in exploring my sound more fearlessly and freely. I think as a first project, “Holding Water” is a very fitting introduction, but I do feel I was a bit more reserved in some ways because I was thinking about how I’m laying the groundwork of what to be expected from me. Now that that foundation has been solidified, I want to play around more, particularly in production and in my vocal performance. I think you’ll feel that I’m taking more artistic risks in my upcoming work and I hope that will always be an ongoing part of my creative process.
