Behind the scenes of Xiao Zhan's new album "We"

In the midst of the traffic and controversy in the entertainment industry, Xiao Zhan has opened up a new path with a sober attitude. 2024's solo album “We” is not only a breakthrough in music exploration, but also a game between artistic autonomy and business rules. The behind-the-scenes story of the album shows his independent views as an actor and a musician: refusing to be held hostage by capital, and redefining artistic value with sincerity and talent.

In terms of creation, Xiao Zhan can be called “paranoid”. The scenes of the album are all set up in real locations, and the MV is shot in full cinematic reality, pursuing a sense of realism and immersing the audience in it. He personally participated in the cover design and MV sub-scoring, integrating his design skills into the visual expression of the music, and the cover's “lifting hands” and “red ribbon” symbolize the bond with fans and the philosophical idea of life tension, reflecting the creative ambition of transcending the flow of labels.

In terms of business strategy, Xiao Zhan caused a shock in the industry. He insisted on free online distribution and selling physical albums at affordable prices, which made his agency lose nearly 100 million yuan, but brought music back to the public and broke the logic of “cash flow”. The studio released the album independently, and 80% of the proceeds went to the creative team, challenging the interest chain of the traditional record industry. In the face of his manager's complaints about “company interests being jeopardized”, he did not compromise, but strengthened his autonomy through the layout of the contract.

In his relationship with his fans, he has repeatedly called for rational consumption and closed shopping links for business activities. The free album strategy is regarded as a “two-way gift”. Even if the QQ music player skin controversy led to public opinion, he negotiated through the studio to optimize the user experience, showing the attitude of “not catering to the flow, only responding to the true heart”, breaking the idol industry “leek-cutting” impression.