Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com THE Ninth Golden Snail Lyrics Contest, an annual national Chinese-language song lyrics contest, concluded in Shenzhen on Dec. 20. Wu Zhijing from Beijing, Sun Yuehang from Changchun, and Cai Yuanning from Shenzhen claimed the champion, runner-up and second runner-up positions respectively. During the ceremony, Song Rui, former vice chairman of the Shenzhen Disabled Persons’ Association, and France-educated mezzo-soprano Li Ying, a Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation artist and a mentor for the contestants, presented awards to the winners. To mark the 25th National Ear Care Day on March 3, 2024, Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation and Hua Chang Original Music Foundation have launched a song creation event in the contest. Lin Daye, music director and principal conductor of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, director of Shenzhen Vitalization Symphony Development Foundation and a mentor for the contestants, proposed the theme “Protecting Hearing, Guarding Health” for the contestants to create lyrics. Entries were evaluated based on their ability to entertain, their aesthetic quality, educational function and promotional potential. The song will be released on National Ear Care Day, also World Hearing Day. This initiative not only promotes the importance of ear care but also adds a heartwarming element to the ear care occasion. “Ear care is receiving increasing attention, and this year, we are using a musical event to observe National Ear Care Day and to appreciate the aural art while raising awareness of environmental protection, which is significant,” said Lin. “Throughout the contest, I have witnessed many young talents’ lyrics, some of which are thought-provoking and expand the imagination,” he added. As a renowned musician, Lin emphasized the significance of lyrics in song creation: “The lyrics are the spirit and the melody is the soul. Many times, the lyrics come first, and then the music is composed based on the imagery of the lyrics.” Mezzo-soprano Li agreed that lyrics provide a channel for artists to express emotions, allowing them to connect with listeners on an emotional level. She further elaborated that lieder and other forms of art songs in Europe are often based on poetry, forming a rich musical tradition that continues to be celebrated to this day. This year’s contest, launched in September, received a total of 13,716 entries from 9,462 contestants globally, spanning ages 7 to 69. Among them, 221 contestants were from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 82 were overseas Chinese residing abroad and expatriates in China. Other mentors for this year’s lyrics contest included veteran Taiwanese lyricist Xu Changde, Chinese mainland lyricist and Shenzhen Writers Association vice chairman Tian Di, and Malaysian lyricist Rui Ye. Last week, the 10 finalists engaged in a creative camp at the culturally rich Nantou Ancient Town, where they discussed career and song creation matters with the mentors. Lyricist Xu advised the contestants to practice writing lyrics daily. He suggested maintaining a relaxed approach, avoiding fixation on outcomes, emphasizing that music creation is often a reflection of one’s life path and should be guided by personal passion. Initiated by Hua Chang Original Music Foundation in 2015, the lyrics contest is organized by Alliance Art Group and Star Master. Thus far, it has attracted 90,000 contestants over the past eight editions, solidifying its position as a significant event in the Chinese pop music scene. Previous mentors and judges included Vincent Fang, Yao Qian, Lau Cheuk-fai, Yen Yun-nong, and Su La. The Golden Snail label has signed contracts with over 300 lyricists, released more than 500 songs, and collaborated with numerous musicians such as Terry Lin, Zhou Shen, Hacken Lee and Zhang Liangying. | 