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The Flowers (Chinese band)

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The Flowers
花儿乐队
From left to right: Yang, Xingyu, Zhang Wei, and Wenbo
From left to right: Yang, Xingyu, Zhang Wei, and Wenbo
Background information
OriginBeijing, China
Genres
Years active1998–2009
Labels
Past members

The Flowers (simplified Chinese: 花儿乐队; traditional Chinese: 花兒樂隊; pinyin: Huār Yuèduì) was a Chinese rock band formed in Beijing in 1998. The line-up originally consisted of Da Zhang Wei (Chinese: 张伟; pinyin: Zhāng Wěi) who was the lead vocalist and guitarist, Guo Yang (Chinese: 郭阳; pinyin: Guō Yáng) who was the bass guitarist, and Wang Wenbo (Chinese: 王文博; pinyin: Wáng Wénbó) who was the drummer and percussionist. In 2001, the Flowers brought in Shi Xingyu (Chinese: 石醒宇; pinyin: Shí Xǐngyǔ) who was also a guitarist. The Flowers recorded and released six studio albums.

After a personal dispute with Zhang Wei, Shi Xingyu left in the summer of 2008. The group held a talent contest looking for a new member before disbanding in June 2009.

History

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Three of the band's members, Zhang Wei, Guo Yang, and Wang Wenbo, met while attending high school. They first performed in local bars and clubs around Beijing, playing music in the style of pop punk reminiscent of Green Day and Blink-182.[1] In 1998, the trio signed to a small Beijing-based Chinese independent label, New Bees Music.[2] A year later, the band released their debut studio album, On the Other Side of Happiness. The album has three songs, "Stillness", "Disillusion", and "School's Out."[3]

The Flowers became involved in a two-year-long lawsuit with their first company, New Bees Music. The dispute was eventually settled out of court. They were signed to EMI in 2001, and the fourth member was added, guitarist Shi Xingyu.

Strawberry Statement, the Flowers' second album, was released in December 2001. The Flowers recorded and released their third studio album, I Am Your Romeo, in July 2004. The album has a hip hop- and techno-experimentation music style.

In 2005, the band released the single "Xi Shua Shua". The song was included on the band's fourth studio album, Hua Ji Wang Chao, or Blooming Dynasty, released in July 2005. The album sold 200,000 copies within forty days of its release. Later that same year, The Flowers made an appearance at China Central Television's Lantern Festival gala show. The group was nominated by organizers of the Pepsi Music Chart Awards in China for Best Arrangement, Best Lyrics, Best Composer, and Best Rock 'n' Roll Band.[3] The nominations were later revoked due to accusations of plagiarism.

Hua Tian Xi Shi, the Flowers' fifth album, was released in October 2006. In 2007, the Flowers began work on their sixth studio album. Hua Ling Sheng Hui, or Flower Age Pageant, was released on October 15, 2007, with "Qiong Kaixin" (or "Shiny Happiness") as its lead single. In an interview, Zhang Wei states that his motive was to incorporate traditional Chinese performances and cultures. The same year, the Flowers received the award for Best Mainland Band at the China Music Awards.[3] The Flowers were asked to write and perform a Mandarin version of the theme song of the hit Disney film High School Musical 2, which the group agreed to.[4]

Breakup

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In July 2008, it was announced by the Flowers' record label that the band's guitarist, Shi Xingyu, had quit the band after seven years with the group.[5] Following Xingyu's departure, the band held a talent competition in Beijing, with fifty contestants competing to be the new members of the Flowers. The winner would have been able to participate in its upcoming tenth anniversary concert tour.[6] However, on June 21, 2009, the Flowers decided to disband.[7] After the band's breakup, Zhang Wei embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut solo album in August 2009.[citation needed]

Controversy

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Plagiarism accusations and scandal

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The group was accused of plagiarism when it was discovered that they had copied at least twelve of their songs from various foreign artists, including the song "Xi Shua Shua", with its similarities to the Japanese pop duo Puffy AmiYumi's song "K2G"; "Emperor's Favorite", which resembles "Fuori dal Tunnel" by Caparezza;[8] as well as "Hua Die Fei", which purportedly sampled O-Zone's "Dragostea din tei".[9] Zhang Wei and representatives of EMI admitted in an official statement that while the songs were not plagiarized, there were some flaws in the songs. None of the artists have responded to the issue. The Flowers chose to drop out of all music award competitions for the rest of 2006. Zhang Wei claimed that he and his bandmates, 'having listened to up to 100 songs per day', have so many tunes stored in their heads that they "have no time to identify, revise and remove" ones that are not theirs.[10] In 2015, Belgian and Dutch media again reported a case of plagiarism regarding the song "Tong Hua Sheng Si Lian", which closely resembles the song "Heyah Mama" by Belgian girl band K3.[11][12]

Fighting incident

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In 2007, the band was observed dining at a restaurant in Beijing near Chaoyang Park. The group was seen conversing, but the situation escalated into an argument. According to reports, the incident intensified when Zhang Wei struck another band member, later identified as Xingyu, and pushed a man who attempted to intervene. A nearby restaurant patron captured the entire scene on his cell phone. The band's label acknowledged the dispute, explaining that it stemmed from differing opinions among the band members about their upcoming album. Zhang Yi, a senior official from the record company, clarified that the argument began when Zhang Wei and another band member disagreed on the album's sound. Zhang further explained that the band felt under significant pressure during the recording, especially after being involved in a plagiarism controversy. While some speculated that the altercation might have been a publicity stunt to boost album sales, Zhang Yi stated that the band was too busy to engage in such tactics.[13]

Band members

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Da Zhang Wei

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Main article: Wowkie Zhang

Da Zhang Wei was born as Zhang Wei on 31 August 1983, in Beijing. His inspirations were Green Day, Ramones, and Nirvana.

Shi Xingyu

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Shi Xingyu, nicknamed Xiao Yu (Chinese: 小宇; pinyin: Xiǎo Yǔ), was born on 11 January 1983. Xingyu was the last member to join the band in 2001. His favorite bands include Blink-182 and Smash Mouth.

Guo Yang

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Guo Yang was born on 29 May 1978, in Beijing. Yang's inspirations were Green Day and Nirvana.

Wang Wenbo

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Wang Wenbo was born on 22 October 1982, in Beijing. His inspirations were the aforementioned Green Day, The Cure, and Nirvana.

Discography

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  • Next to Happiness (1999) (幸福的旁边, Xìngfú de pángbiān)
  • Strawberry Statement (2001) (草莓声明, Cǎo méi shēng míng)
  • I Am Your Romeo (2004) (我是你的罗密欧, Wǒ shì nǐ de luōmì'ōu)
  • Blooming Dynasty (2005) (花季王朝, Huājì wáng cháo)
  • Hua Tian Xi Shi (2006) (花天囍世, Huā tiān xǐ shì)
  • Flower Age Pageant (2007) (花龄盛会, Huā líng shènghuì)

References

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  1. ^ "Flowers – In Bloom?". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  2. ^ "Chinese aim to build a great wall of sound". The Guardian. 2003-05-24. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  3. ^ a b c Petra, Niemi (7 March 2008). "The Flowers - From punk pop to hip hop". gbtimes.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  4. ^ Yuan Yuan. "Blooming Pop". Beijing Review. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  5. ^ "Huaer holds competition for new band member_English_Xinhua". News.xinhuanet.com. 2009-03-02. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
  6. ^ "The Flowers holds competition for new band member -- china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  7. ^ "Huaer band splits for solo careers -- china.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  8. ^ "Una band cinese ha plagiato Fuori dal Tunnel di Caparezza". 28 September 2021.
  9. ^ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/79547/The-Flowers-Hua-Die-Fei-O-Zone-Dragostea-Din-Tei [dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Bloom off the Flower over Plagiarism". China.org.cn. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  11. ^ http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/33182/K3-stopt-ermee/article/detail/2416884/2015/08/09/Heyah-Mama-van-K3-als-dit-geen-plagiaat-is.dhtml [dead link‍]
  12. ^ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/80534/The-Flowers-Tong-Hua-Sheng-Si-Lian-K3-Heyah-Mama [dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Video Shows 'The Flowers' Fighting -- china.org.cn". China.org.cn. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
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