Jackson Wang lets go and goes with the flow
The ENFJ in Jackson Wang loves to plan. And nowhere is this more evident than in the studio and in the drawing board, where the seeds of his art and music are sown.
So don’t ask him about his involvement in his creative process. Questions like that, he admits, can be “very tiring” to answer, especially when it comes to something as massive as his ongoing “Magic Man 2” world tour. Fair enough. How can Wang—rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, fashion designer—not “contribute and participate in my own project?”
That might be the case for other artists. But not for him. If anything, he is the show—everyone else is just hopping onboard.
“I created this show. It’s hard. But it’s necessary because it’s my story. There are a lot of people who contributed and participated in this project. But still, they’re not you,” Wang tells Lifestyle Inquirer during his recent visit to Manila.
He’s not going to lie, though. There are times he wishes there were a hundred people behind him doing all the work, and all he has to do is “wake up, show up, and leave.” But he can’t. “I’m trying to tell my story. No one knows what that is until I write, design, and create it,” the Hong Kong artist points out.
But while he has always appreciated structure in his life, Wang has noticed that as he matures—and after overcoming the periods of burnout and disillusionment that inspired his studio albums “Magic Man” and Magic Man 2”—he has learned to allow himself to just go with the flow.
This probably explains why Wang seemed to pop up amusingly—and almost randomly—around the metro in the days leading up to his concert last Nov. 2 at the Araneta Coliseum. The 31-year-old star was spotted jogging around Ortigas, chatting with people at his hotel gym, dropping by local stops, and even hugging Jollibee. He also made a surprise appearance at a Halloween celebration, where he gamely took photos with revelers and mingled with Filipino celebrities.
Now, he finds joy and inspiration from life’s unplanned moments. “I love being free and just being able to walk outside without a destination,” Wang shares. “I just go with the flow and see where I end up.”
What are some non-music things that keep you inspired?
I’m ENFJ, so I’m always strategic about the things I do. But the more I age, the more I enjoy just going out with no plans. It could be a bar, for instance. Who you meet, what you eat, what you drink, how much you drink—sometimes you just let fate do the work.
Is that something you do while on tour?
Yeah, whenever I have the time, I enjoy myself. In Shanghai, I just go out and start riding a bicycle. I go to places I don’t even know. I get a lot of inspiration from those, from just living as a human.
What’s the Magic Man to you now?
It’s my alter ego, my intuition. It’s what my heart is telling me. That’s why the character is so dark. Because for two to three years of my life, that’s how I felt. In every industry, there are things that people aren’t happy about. There are things that people are sad about and stressed about and angry about. So I think I’m just using this character to represent that moment in my life.
Do you find having this alter ego cathartic?
I think that’s the whole point of “Magic Man 2.” It’s showing people the process of how I recovered from my darkest days. Now, I’m good. I’m happy. I’m so free. I think it’s important to show that to people, because they might be facing their own version of the darkest point in their life. Because I care about them, I hope to encourage them in their darkest days as well.
What makes you feel safe?
Feeling safe is just being me. I know where I want to go musically. I know what’s important in my life. As a kid, there were so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to be perfect at everything. But the more I age—or after putting out my recent albums—I learned how to let go of stuff I really didn’t care about. I just focus on one or two things.
So what are those two things on top of your list?
Being able to make music that talks about real stories—not about random candies, rainbows… you get what I mean? You can still do that, but I don’t want to. I want to make sure I can create music that matters to me. Also, being able to share… Knowing my fans and letting them feel what I’m trying to express. I want to make sure they’ve found their center and that they’re in control of their lives as well.
