Ting Ma Ma De Hua 聽媽媽的話

here's a little something that I made recently for mother's day!
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Me and my mom are really close. One of the things we always love doing with each other is watching Chinese tv programs or talking about Chinese pop culture together. Once I went to college, I really missed having someone to rave about those things with. I was also sad that I didn't get to spend my mom's birthday with her anymore. So, to occupy my time, I decided that I would learn to cover a Chinese song, and send her the video as a birthday present.

Freshman year, I chose 今天是你的生日媽媽. I actually thought of covering the song when we first listened to it on the Chinese show 我是歌手. But I got Hoang (who's really good at guitar) to accompany me, and Pri (who offered to film) and somehow we ended up making a whole ass music video in less than two days!! What started out as something simple turned into a full on production. But it was really fun to connect with that side of me again, and exhilarating to be creating something meaningful.

So... it turned into a little project to make one every year!

Sophomore year, I chose 情非得已, an upbeat song by an artist (哈林) that we both really like. It also now doubles as my go-to song at any Chinese function with karaoke (so, all of them)!!
This year, I actually spent my mom's birthday with her, but I was kind of bummed that I wasn't able to cover something. When I got back to school, I was more determined than ever to make one, even if it was late. This time, I wanted to challenge myself to take on something even harder, and stretch my Chinese abilities.
So, I decided, I was going to learn to RAP in Chinese.

And not just any song: 聽媽媽的話("Listen To Your Mom's Words"), by Jay Chou, KNOWN MUMBLE RAPPER. I started learning the song in February (with a very patient Hoang) and immediately, I realized that it was going to be very hard... since no one has ever known what Jay Chou is saying. I spent a big chunk of time on a road trip listening to the song on repeat, and the friends that were stuck in the car with me either went mad or learned a lot more Chinese than they intended to. Eventually, everything came together: we recorded, filmed, and I edited the video just in time for Mother's Day.

Though the song may only be 3 and a half minutes long, this video took 3 and a half months of hard work. So I hope you enjoy this little origin story behind why I'm sharing it! Hopefully, it inspires you to create something fun this quarantine, and listen to what your mom tells you - she's actually saying "我愛你 I love you."

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Freshman Year's video:    • 今天是妳的生日媽媽 | Happy Birthday Mom! 💚  
Sophomore Year's video:    • 情非得已 (Qíng Fēi Dé Yǐ) | Room Temp Tea