homandjulia的部落格

2006/6/13: 得獎感言 Acceptance Speech


Thank you all for your congratulations! It is a great honor for me to win
this award again, after 7 years!

I wanted to take the opportunity in my acceptance speech to talk a bit about
the importance of practicing, and to encourage the audience to work hard.
Unfortunately, the speech time was limited and I was only able to say some of
what I wanted to say. Here's what I REALLY wanted to say:

I never thought that I had a good voice. In 1999, when I won this award for
the first time, I knew there were serious problems and limitations in my
voice that were caused by bad habits and poor technique. I was struggling
with my voice and sometimes it even hurt when I sang. Honestly, when I
received that award, it scared me. I thought, "My voice doesn't do what I
want it to...how can someone with all these vocal problems be the best male
vocalist of the year?!"

From that point on, I worked on my voice harder than ever despite many people
saying, "Singing can't be learned. You've either got it, or you don't." Never
believe someone who tries to tell you you can't do something. If you really
want it bad enough, you'll find a way. But most people HATE practicing
because it forces them to face their weaknesses and magnify what they aren't
good at. Practicing makes us feel uncomfortable and can sometimes shake our
confidence. But you don't improve by staying in the comfort zone. You won't
improve without venturing beyond what you already know.

Seven years later, I still don't think I have a great voice, but I know I am
a better singer than before. These improvements have come SLOWLY as the
result of commitment and faithful adherence to a vocalizing regiment. I
practice almost every day, and always warm up before every performance (even
if it's just an autographing session). I focus on the difficult passages of
each song (instead of just enjoying the easy parts) and work on them until
they become easier. This often sounds awful and can be embarrassing when
people happen to listen to me practice. But it works. And if practicing can
work for me, it can for you too.

Whether you are a singer, an actor, professional athlete, or WHATEVER,
practice is key to getting better results. "Gong yu shan qi shi bi xian li qi
qi. 工欲善其事 必先利其器" For a school student, practice might mean
preparing for a test and working on your weaknesses (unfamiliar material).
Hate practicing? Well I've grown to love it.

I sincerely hope the new Chinese artists can realize the importance of
practicing. Our competitors should not be each other, but rather, the
international artists who have historically set the standard in popular
music. I know if we put in the hard work to improve our skills, we will be
one step closer to making Chinese pop music a worldwide phenomenon.

Good luck to all, and happy practicing!

Well, there you have my full speech. That's what I would have said if I had
had 5 minutes!

Thanks for reading, and thanks again for your support. Now that I've won
again, I'll continue to work harder. I hope someday I'll have the voice that
I think is actually worthy of such an honor!

Love, peace, music
Leehom