June 10, 2009

Wilber Pan: Shaking & Stirring Up The Asian Hip-Hop Scene

By Madeleine Chong

Wilber Pan is a man on a mission: to conquer the airwaves in style. To promote his latest album, the aptly titled 007, the American-born Taiwanese hip-hop singer channeled the iconic secret agent James Bond at a recent press conference in Hong Kong.

Looking every inch the dapper gentleman, Pan Shuai (Handsome Pan), as his fans affectionately call him, seems to have settled on a more refined persona in line with 007, touted as being a more mature offering than previous efforts. But the baby-faced star is quick to reassure us that he hasn't completely shed his boyish, laid-back appeal, which gained him popularity during his beginnings as a VJ and actor.

MTV Asia catches up with Will to find out more about the Akon collaboration, why he likens himself to Peter Pan and just how much he digs older women.

You have a new album titled 007 out now, which also happens to be your 7th album. Tell us more about your musical direction on it.

When I was growing up, I was pretty fascinated with the movies and I wanted to give the album a creative title, so I called it 007. I guess it's trendier, more fashionable. And I believe that this album is more mature. I feel that I've matured as a songwriter, as a singer, as an entertainer. I'm not saying this because I'm cocky, but rather I've become more experienced with who I wanna be and what I wanna do, so the songs are more mature in some ways, I guess.

So, you've been meaning to move away from your cute, boyish image to a more sophisticated one?

I think I'm still the same dude, just with more personal experience. I've definitely grown up over the years, but there's always a part of me that's kinda like Peter Pan. I kinda want to enjoy my life, have fun with my friends and just be a little simple, be a little childlike because I think that is what's fun about life. I work hard, but at the same time I play hard as well. I'm more matured as an individual but at the same time, I want to keep my freshness and a certain sense of simplicity because I think that is what drives me to become better.

You've become a secret agent (Agent W) in your new album with the whole 007 theme. Bond has all these iconic catchphrases like "Shaken, not stirred" and "My name is Bond, James Bond", so what would Agent W's signature catchphrase be?

Man, that's a tough one! [laughs]

Take a shot.

[Puts on a Bond-like deadpan, serious tone] My name is Pan, Will Pan.

Nicely done! Since we're on the topic of Bond, who do you think is the best Bond so far?

The newest dude is Daniel Craig, right? I think he's more in touch with us. I mean the other Bonds, they're definitely characters, they're definitely attractive, but I think they're pretty far from us - Daniel Craig is more relatable because he makes mistakes, he loses control, he loses his temper, and he falls in love with the wrong girl. He's more human, yeah, so I like him the most.

Back to the album, do you have any particular favourite tracks or ones that hold a special meaning for you?

Well, there are a couple of songs that stand out category-wise… for a dance song, I would say I like 雙人舞 (Dance for Two) because it has those sexy lyrics. It's kind of like a guy and girl being unpredictable and adding some flavor to their love life to make it exciting, so there's a lot of sexiness going on.

Other than that, I like 怎麼著 (How) because it's like a storyline of my whole life, from the time I was born to who I am now. And my parents feature on the track as well, they lend their voices to the song like a sort of tribute. They came into the studio and recorded it with me together so people can understand what I've achieved, and what kind of person I've become.

And then there's 無重力 (Weightless), it's a sad song and it really describes how people are when they are lost in love, or when they get their heart broken.

What was the collaboration like between you and Akon for "Be With You?"

It was great, working with him was a total blast! I heard his tracks from before and I really like his music. For me to actually work with him was a great opportunity I think, to bring East and West closer together. I sang my part in Mandarin on the same track as his so I think it brings a different flavor to the hip-hop music world in Asia. So I'm really glad to do that.

In your earlier days, you were more well known for being a VJ and an actor and it wasn't easy for you to break through and gain credibility as a singer - how has that changed over the years?

If I look back now at the very beginning when my first album came out, I'm really glad it was a seller. But then doubts surfaced, like how much longer can I be a singer, because people probably think that the reason why my first album did so well was because of my shows or my TV series.

But over the years I think I quietened critics because I spent a lot of time on my album, not just choreography but also composing my own songs and producing my own tracks, and I think that's how I quietened them, that I'm doing the album and the same career for real, not just because I'm a VJ or an actor who just happened to come up with an album. So I think I'm really happy with where I am now.

Has it always been your childhood dream to sing?

Yeah, well my childhood dream varied year to year [laughs] - in the beginning I wanted to be a basketball player, but after performing in state shows in school or town shows, I kinda fell in love with performing on the stage. After high school, I decided I wanted to pursue the path of becoming a singer.

There's this piece of trivia circulating around on the Internet that you never, ever wear shorts, is that true?

I don't dislike wearing shorts… I like to wear shorts during my ordinary days, my casual days, but when I'm on stage or when it's work related, I'd rather wear pants or jeans because it makes me look more professional.

What's the one item of clothing you wouldn't be caught dead in?

Me? I don't wanna wear tights! [exclaims in horror] No tights for me! Or too girly stuff. Not for me.

You've said before in past interviews that you wouldn't mind dating older women, so what are the qualities you look for in that special someone?

Well, the reason why I would probably date older girls is because they're more matured and maturity is important to me. Sometimes people think that I'm like 22 by the way that I look but I'm not, I'm 28. And even then, the way I think, or the way I plan things and the direction I'm going with the way I work, it definitely exceeds my age of 28. I've always been the oldest kid in the family so I plan more. In some ways I feel I'm more mature than my own peers or people around my age.