Upclose with Dear Jane
Lead singer of the local band Dear Jane, Tim Wong, talks to Paul Chan about how messy breakups with record labels and girlfriends lead to the creation of a beautiful new album, tentatively titled “XOXO."
HK Magazine: Why use hugs and kisses for the title of your new album?
Tim Wong: In 2007, just before we signed with Music Nation, the band was going through a lot of strain and unrest due to contract problems. Before we even started writing the songs, we decided to call the album “XOXO” to influence the direction they would go in. And it did. They’re more personal and introspective.
HK: “Don’t Say Anything,” an emotional ballad, was a number one hit on local radio. How did it come about?
TW: At the time, Howie broke up with his girlfriend. He had written some lyrics but didn’t do anything with them. One day we were jamming, and Jackal started playing a beat that Howie connected with. They then wrote the song in 30 minutes. It’s strange because they did the lyrics first then the music, and that’s hard with Cantonese. Somehow the tone of the Cantonese brought out the melody, which made the rest easy.
HK: Did this inspire the bittersweet tone of the music video?
TW: Howie’s breakup experience was extremely profound. The lyrics and tone of the song were inspired by his desire to not have a messy breakup. What if people just didn’t say anything and walked away keeping the beautiful memories? The music video reflects that. It is beautifully done. It suits the mood of the song and they compliment each other.
HK: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done, or that’s happened to you onstage?
TW: We did a promotional gig for “XOXO” in a shopping mall in Guangzhou. There were about 300 to 400 people watching. As soon as we hit the chorus of “Don’t Say Anything,” the entire crowd started singing with us. It gave me goose bumps. It’s such an amazing feeling to have all those people know our lyrics. It was a humbling experience.
HK: What is the most important thing your parents taught you that still applies?
TW: Do what you love 100 percent. That way the best of you will come out. When I was younger and doing my studies, they’d say to me, “if you do your best, you will already have learned and achieved what you were meant to.”