Reflections on life set to music
Although Ke Da-wei has written the lyrics for over 400 songs, he still has plenty of things to say
AHis first song called He Was Right was performed by Taiwan singer-actress Rene Liu 1998. Since then, Ke has written the lyrics for about 400 songs, which have been performed by popular singers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland.
He says that communicating with the singers he writes songs for is a vital part of his songwriting process.
“But even though writing lyrics for other singers is more like a service I offer them, I still keep the space to tell my own stories,” he says.
Ke wrote the title song for Taiwan singer Faith Yang’s 2016 album Centrifugal Force, which he recalls as a “private” and “emotional” process.
Centrifugal force was employed as a metaphor by Ke to describe the relationship between lovers, who are on the verge of breaking up but still find it hard to let each other go.
“I like using such metaphors to tell stories that are subtle but which powerfully touch the heart,” he says.
“It’s like acting different roles. Before writing lyrics, I usually picture myself in different roles in my head. I will think of the role for 24 hours to find the most appropriate way to portray it,” Ke adds. released by Hong Kong pop star Eason Chan on Aug 4, Ke compares a man at the age of 35 to a sea urchin, which has sharp edges outside but is soft inside.
“My song lyrics are personal reflections on memorable moments in life,” says Ke, 40. “Eason is of a similar age and we experienced similar struggles in our lives, sometimes we had to pretend to be strong and hide our vulnerability.”
The song, Echinus, was recorded for Chan’s upcoming new album, along with four other new songs penned by Ke.
It’s not their first collaboration and Ke credits Chan with giving him freedom to let the lyrics do the talking.
“His trust in me enabled me to be creative and even though I had been writing lyrics for nearly 20 years, I still have fresh observations on life and can put my ideas into songs,” Ke says.
He was also invited to write four songs for Beijing-based singer Zhou Bichang’s new album, Not Typical, which was released in April.
“Some songs take longer periods of time while others come very quickly. But I love writing. The most important thing is that you keep writing and reacting to the emotions that you’re having as a result of your life experiences.”