BEIJING, May 13, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Songs are just songs, but only French songs can be
called chansons. With her interpretation of the song "Les
Champs-Élysées" in both French and Chinese when participating in
the show Ride the Wind 2024, French chanteuse Joyce Jonathan helps the audiences from her
second home - China to learn about
the poetic and romantic genre from France.
"I love the concept of the show Ride the Wind, and feel good to
be back to China, my second home
as 2024 means a lot for both of us since it was the 60th
anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China," she told the Global Times on Friday in
Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, explaining why she accepted
the invitation to become the first French singer-songwriter to take
part in the hit Chinese music competition formerly known as
"Sisters Who Make Waves."
Love for China
For her, the year also marked the 24th anniversary of her
arrival to China for the first
time at the age of 10, and she hoped to challenge herself just as
the show's concept reveals.
The show, produced by Mango TV, challenges female celebrities,
mostly above the age of 30, by stage performances that defy their
age stereotypes.
"It is really nice to see women fighting and challenging. As we
are all at 30 years old or more, with different lives and different
experiences, we can show the audiences and ourselves that we can
learn more things, like dancing and singing and be together like a
team," said Jonathan, who shared the stage with other sisters from
countries such as the US, Thailand, and Russia, for various performances.
Jonathan's parents both cherish love for the Chinese
culture, and her mother runs a travel agency that began promoting
tours to China back in the
1990s.
"I first came to China at the
age of 10. I always have the feeling that this is my second home,"
as she can listen to Chinese language and get along well with
Chinese people.
"Maybe when being pregnant with me, my mum was in China. So, I have a special feeling toward
Chinese and Chinese music," she said.
Jonathan has formed a lasting bond with the country since then.
As a child, she received her first scooter and guitar in
Beijing. And as she grew up, she
gravitated toward Chinese philosophies like Taoism and
Confucianism.
Because of her interest in China, the singer began to learn Chinese. In
2011, she translated four of her songs into Chinese for the first
time, the same year as she received the NRJ Music Award for the
Francophone Breakthrough of the Year, marking an important
milestone in her musical career.
After that, she worked with Chinese rock star Cui Jian and adapted his song Girl in the Flower
Room into the French version, Tes Deserts, which means "Your
Deserts" in English.
"The Chinese language is very beautiful with dynamic rhythms,
but Chinese is not easy to learn," said Jonathan, who also
considered participating in the show as a chance to learn more
Chinese songs and experience more Chinese cultural elements like
Yueju opera originated from East China's Zhejiang Province, a local Chinese opera style
that features male roles played by women.
She felt lucky and interesting at her age to learn and
experience new things, which brings her the feeling of "being very
young." In the show, she had close relationships with other girls
as they shared the stage and had other programs including cooking
and rehearsing.
She worked with her Chinese teammate Han
Xue for the song "Behind Me" on the stage of Ride the Wind
2024 and off the stage, she learned and experienced more about
Chinese culture in the show. She tried the Baduanjin exercise,
referring to how the eight individual movements characterize and
impart a silken quality to the movement of the body and its energy,
a soothing foot bath and had some snacks.
"In fact, my hand and my nose are always cold," practicing the
Baduanjin helps improve it as it is "close to yoga and nice to
stretch the body, and also the mind." Besides, she tried
acupuncture and Chinese massage every time in China.
Claiming herself a big fan of tofu, she had tofu in any style.
She doesn't have the Western food when in China, saying that "I only have the Chinese
food because it is really tasty and I really love them."
'A lot in common'
Due to her work and tight schedule in China, she couldn't bring her three-year-old
daughter with her to China. Two
days ago, her daughter called and told her that when she turns
four, "I am gonna grow up. Can you bring me to China with you?"
Hearing that, Joyce felt so happy as "she has such a good
impression of China, a faraway
country."
That reminded her that she made a similar call to her mother as
a young girl when she worked in China back then.
"I gave her my love from China
that my mother gave me, like passing down from generation to
generation. I'm sure she will come here soon."
In her mind, her love for China
and wish to be a bridge between the French and Chinese cultures
inspire her to continue to contribute to the friendship between
China and France.
"France and China have a lot in common," she said,
remarking on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between China
and France. "Both of us love
beautiful things like music, and both are really sincere and
honest. We share the same glorious history and love for our
country."
"The 60-year friendship between China and France is just the beginning for a new wave of
mutual learning."
She is proud to be part of the exchange and glad to see that her
music can help people from China
to learn about France and
translate Chinese songs into French, as she believes that "French
people could love Chinese songs because the melodies are so
touching and emotional."
She also told the Global Times that she will start her Chinese
tour in November this year.
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-french-chanson-diva-returns-to-china-for-cultural-exchange-show-302143178.html
SOURCE Global Times