Text ✎ Liuye
Editor ✎ Seventh Street Wine House
More than ten years ago, " Avenue of Stars " once made two pairs of four-character male and female groups popular. One group was the overall runner-up of in 2005 - Phoenix Legend , the other group is 008 annual champion- Jiuyue Miracle .
However, after more than ten years of development and operation, these two combinations have taken different paths.
Phoenix Legend's Zeng Yi and Linghua became popular again through variety shows such as "Tucao Conference". Not only did they wash away the " earthy " atmosphere on their bodies, they also broke out of the middle-aged and elderly music libraries and became It has become a popular group sought after by those born in the 1995s and 2000s. Even Zeng Yi, who was once responsible for only two lyrics of "Oye Song", is privately known as the godfather of China's AKA underground rap.
On the other hand, Jiuyue Miracle, which combines folk songs with popular singing styles, plus double-row keys performance blessings, has stagnated in development in recent years, especially in 2020 when Wang Xiaohai and Wang Xiaowei officially announced their divorce. After that, the two original members completely parted ways and never shared the stage again.
So, how did the Phoenix Legend, which was once "local" , still unwilling to be mentioned by young people, stand out from the mainland groups and become the enduring ceiling of national groups?
What is the reason that makes Jiuyue Miracle, which once competed with them and was on par with them, decline and never be able to regain its former glory?
1
In the mid-1990s, Yang Wei Linghua, who studied dance at Inner Mongolia Art Institute, returned to her hometown of Ordos after graduation and found a job as an electrical appliance salesman.
The dull and boring life is far from the ideal she had when she was in school. This makes Linghua, who loves acting, extremely disappointed. Therefore, after barely working for two years, she decided to move south while she was still young.
With the deepening of reform and opening up, Shenzhen, as China's window city at that time, had already been on the fast lane of rapid development. The rapid economic growth, coupled with its proximity to Hong Kong, also made the entertainment industry there extremely prosperous.
Therefore, Linghua set her first stop in Shenzhen.
In 1998, Zeng Yi, who graduated from Hunan Yiyang Vocational and Technical School, was repairing a TV set in his hometown, just because a friend said: you dance so well, don’t fix the TV set. Hunan is so close to Shenzhen, go to Shenzhen to make a living. Go ahead.
Zeng Yi quit his stable job and came to Shenzhen alone. Using his dancing talent, he soon became a music director in the Golden Age Dance Hall.
He thinks every day about how to bring better performances to the guests and how to increase profits for the dance hall. Although the work is much busier than doing home appliance repairs, Zeng Yi feels extremely fulfilled.
Linghua, who came to Shenzhen alone, was not as lucky as Zeng Yi. From Window of the World to Folk Village, she took the exams of almost all major art groups, but none of them succeeded in the interview.
Linghua, who had nowhere to go, happened to see that the Golden Age Dance Hall was recruiting a resident singer, and the person who interviewed her was Zeng Yi.
Linghua's voice shocked Zeng Yi. After a simple interview, the two became superior and subordinate colleagues.
At this time, they didn't know that they would support each other on the road to their dreams and work hard together for decades.
Everything in the world depends on fate, and the same goes for combinations.
In 1999, Zeng Yi roped in Linghua and Wang Jie, both resident singers, to form the "Nerve Group" . Zeng Yi was the lead vocalist, and Linghua and Wang Jie were responsible for the harmonies and backup dancers.
Not long after, Wang Jie withdrew, and the two remaining people changed their names to Cool Dragon because they both liked the Korean group Cool Dragon , and began to imitate Cool Dragon singing.
Kulong's popularity made their imitator Kuhuo gradually become a pillar of the golden era. Their performances were well received by the audience. During the period, they also participated in the music festival held in Guangzhou and won the Best Newcomer Award. During the six or seven years that
worked in the Golden Age, in addition to singing and dancing, Linghua and Zeng Yi would also perform stage plays and sketches from time to time. Although they were busy every day, the days of fighting for their dreams made them extremely happy.
In 2003, musician He Muyang accidentally heard Linghua's singing. The majestic and loud voice was exactly what he was looking for, so he asked Linghua for help and recorded a song to fight against SARS.
He Muyang
After that, He Muyang, who was overwhelmed with inspiration, wrote another lyrical song "The One Who Misses You" , hoping that Linghua would sing it, but Linghua felt that her personality could not sing such a gentle and lyrical song.
In order to fit the style of Linghua, He Muyang adjusted this song and added a rap part according to the characteristics of the group. This song is " Above the Moon " that brought them to the peak of their career.
Soon, Chen Rentai, the sharp-sighted chairman of Guangdong Peacock Gallery Entertainment Record Company, found Linghua through "Above the Moon" and expressed his hope to sign a contract with Linghua, and packaged it at 's annual fee of 3 to 5 million Build her and make her a well-known "female version of Daolang " .
At that time, Linghua went by herself, and Zeng Yi was not present. When she heard that Chen Rentai was only willing to sign her alone, without Zeng Yi, she refused on the spot:
"We are a combination, and we can only sign together." "
Linghua's attitude was firm, and Chen Rentai finally had no choice but to compromise, signed with Cool Fire Group, and changed the group's name to the more catchy "Phoenix Legend" . Because
focuses on cultivating Linghua, after signing the contract, Linghua changed from a harmony vocalist to a lead singer, and Zeng Yi also changed from a lead singer to a rapper.
After signing the company, the two of them were bound by the contract and could not take commercial roles casually, which meant that their income was much less than in the golden age. In order to survive, Zeng Yi would go out to borrow money when he was short of money. Then split the borrowed money in half with Linghua.
The two of them lived like this for two years, until 2005, when things finally turned around. The company
signed them up for CCTV's first "Avenue of Stars" program, and they lived up to expectations and won the annual runner-up in "Avenue of Stars" with their song "Above the Moon". With this runner-up as a springboard, they can successfully reach the pinnacle of their acting careers.
company pursued the victory and launched their first album "Above the Moon" . Once it was released, it immediately became a must-have track in every hair salon, two-yuan shop, and snack bar on the streets.
In those years, mobile phone ring tones were rampant. According to special data, the ring tones of "Above the Moon" were downloaded more than 9 million times. The single " Moonlight over the Lotus Pond " released in 2010 earned a total revenue of over 100 million yuan. .
With such strong traffic support, Phoenix Legend successively released two albums: " Auspicious Ruyi " and " The Most Dazzling National Style " . With those popular songs, they instantly swept across the country and became a household name. group singer.
During the Phoenix Legend at that time, she was always very bold and sexy in her outfits. Zeng Yi always wore a three-piece suit every time he appeared, including bald sunglasses and leather gloves, while Linghua wore various feather headdresses. Plus nose pin.
This outdated non-mainstream look was once the unique symbol of this male and female duo.
's unique singing style and more distinctive dressing styles have made Phoenix Legend not only a well-known name in the streets, but also a favorite of square dancing aunts all over the country.
In that era when square dancing took over the country, the accompanying song must be Phoenix Legend.
It can be said that maybe you have not taken the initiative to listen to Phoenix Legend's songs, but you can sing every one of their songs.
For example, no Chinese can pronounce the following sentence normally:
"The vast horizon is my love, and the flowers are blooming at the foot of the rolling green mountains."
Or this sentence:
"In your heart, freedom The earth is flying, the brilliant stars are wandering forever.”
As I kept reciting it, I couldn’t help but sing along, as if the Phoenix Legend had taken control of my throat.
Of course, this is not your fault. I can only blame Phoenix Legend for being too popular and addictive.
2
In the third year after Phoenix Legend left the stage of "Avenue of Stars", a male and female team with distinctive personalities once again welcomed there.
they integrated traditional folk singing methods with modern pop music, and also added the harpsichord of , which is known as "one person can beat a band" . The highlight of the group was that they directly won the 2008 championship. This is Wang Xiaowei and Wang Xiaohai The miracle of Jiuyue.
In 1997, Wang Xiaowei, a 14-year-old girl born in Dalian, Liaoning Province, was unable to become a pianist due to congenital family constraints, so she switched to the keyboard instrument , which is extremely rare in China - double-row electronic organ .
The double row of keys not only has two keyboards on top, but also an additional keyboard, which places great demands on the player's flexibility. However, this is not difficult for Wang Xiaowei, who is very artistically talented. Instead, because of many years of The timbre and powerful electronic music functions make her a "one-man band" in .
It was also this year that she won the double piano championship in Hong Kong's First International Piano Competition of Chinese Works , which easily opened up a career path for herself and received offers from many literary and artistic groups such as the Liaoning Song and Dance Troupe and the Chinese Orchestra. .
In 2004, Wang Xiaowei, who had just turned 21, passed the special approval of the Liaoning Song and Dance Troupe and became a national second-level actor. He completed a master's degree at Shenyang Conservatory of Music and became the first person in China to obtain a master's degree in double-key performance. virtuoso.
It can be said that Wang Xiaowei has a solid academic background in terms of career. Her partner Wang Xiaohai is not that impressive in terms of resume. He is at best a music lover.
Wang Xiaohai is also from Shenyang. He has been fond of singing since he was a child because he was influenced by the art of his mother, a music teacher.
But even though he spent most of his youth with music, he also participated in competitions and formed a band, but in the end he applied for the Shenyang University major in finance.
This puzzled people around him. Wang Xiaohai explained: Finance major is very practical, more practical than singing, and the future is limitless.
It can also be seen from this that music is not particularly important in Wang Xiaohai's heart. For him, it is more of a hobby, which also paved the way for the two to part ways later.
After graduation, Wang Xiaohai became an accountant as he wished, and lived a life that was stable enough to be able to see everything at a glance.
Once, at the invitation of a friend, he went to KTV to sing. There he met Wang Xiaowei, who was still in graduate school. The two were both Mai Baji players, just like Boya met Ziqi, and they left a mark in each other's heart with their singing. A strong first impression.
They left each other's contact information when they parted, but no one took the initiative to call the other.
Until September 2004, when the freshmen of Shenyang Conservatory of Music started school, the school held a solo concert for Wang Xiaowei.
It was also at this concert that Wang Xiaohai saw Wang Xiaowei shining brightly on the stage. She was wearing gorgeous costumes, with a high ponytail, and she was playing double row keys with her hands and feet. All of this was deeply moved by her. attracted Wang Xiaohai. After the
concert, through the introduction of a friend, the two met for the second time and finally got to know each other.
The appearance of Wang Xiaowei once again inspired Wang Xiaohai's enthusiasm for music. They often discussed music together. While they had a deep relationship, Wang Xiaohai also understood what his dream was.
Watching the two of them having sex all day long, people around them thought that they were in love, but the views of these young men and women who had just left school were surprisingly similar: they had not yet succeeded in their career. How can I have time to fall in love?
Just like that, the window paper of "love" was covered up by the two people with "brother and sister love", blinding everyone, including themselves.
Wang Xiaohai always said that there is only one word difference between their names, they are like a family, there is no love, only brother and sister love.
Just like this, two people who have the same pursuit of music go on stage together, run competitions, and put all their passion into music day after day, just hoping that the dreams in their hearts can blossom and bear fruit.
The enterprising spirit of young people was clearly reflected at this time. The two people, who were not satisfied with a stable life, finally chose to drift to Beijing to make a last ditch effort for their music dream. When
first arrived in Beijing, he was like most Beipiao people, living frugally and living in a basement. Because his talent was not recognized immediately, he could only survive with the help of his family.
They sent the performance video CDs to major record companies with great expectations again and again, but there were so many people sending them to the record companies every day. They were still ordinary people and they were destined to get no attention. The CDs they sent out were like nothing.
But repeated disappointments did not extinguish the fire in their hearts. With unremitting persistence, things took a turn for the better.
In 2008, Wang Xiaowei’s outstanding double-key performance video attracted the attention of “Avenue of Stars”, who sent her an invitation letter.
However, although this method of playing is novel, it is inevitably monotonous for her to sing and dance alone on stage, so the program team suggested that she find a partner.
Without thinking, Wang Xiaowei invited Wang Xiaohai to form a partner with him and go to the stage of "Avenue of Stars" together.
Because two people met in September, they hoped to create a miracle together. In this way, "Jiuyue Miracle" was born. We all know what happened after
. On the stage of the Avenue of Stars, the two of them went all the way and attracted countless audiences with their unique singing methods, which also made the group famous.
In the end, they won the 2008 championship trophy, became an instant success, and truly became a miracle.
The relationship between them also heats up and deteriorates day and night. The seeds of love quietly break through the ground, but they are not aware of it yet.
Until an unexpected car accident occurred, the vehicle was severely deformed under the violent impact, and the glass on the window shattered instantly. The splash almost caused Wang Xiaohai to lose his sight. However, at this critical moment, Wang Xiaohai ignored his injuries and immediately Protected Wang Xiaowei.
At this moment, the two people finally saw each other's feelings clearly, and changed from friends to lovers.
At that time, the Miracle of Nine Moons could be said to be a double harvest in love and career. In 2011, the two appeared on the Spring Festival Gala stage and became popular all over the country with their "Youth Dance" , which had a perfect tacit understanding, making all audiences remember this unique combination.
After that, the two appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala and the Lantern Festival Gala five times, becoming a popular combination that major TV stations are eager to invite.
In September 2014, the tenth anniversary of the two's acquaintance was the pinnacle moment of the Nine Moon Miracle. They held the "Jiu Yue Blooms Witness the Miracle" solo concert at the Beijing Olympic Sports Center, and it was a packed house.
Many people even believed that the Nine Moon Miracle at that time was more famous than the Phoenix Legend. Many people compared these two male and female groups who also came out of the Avenue of Stars.
believes that although Phoenix Legend's songs are highly popular, both the appearance and the song style have a feeling of " agricultural heavy metal " , which is not as elegant as Jiuyue Miracle's double-row electronic keyboard .
Later, Song Zuying also invited them to participate in her "Beijing New Year's Eve Concert" ; on the eve of the London Olympics, the two were also invited to participate in the opening performance of the "China Beijing Culture Week" ; in the 21st World At the " China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival" , the two were guests at the opening ceremony of the film festival, and even appeared on the "United Nations Headquarters" stage.
As their careers continue to rise, their love finally blossoms.
On December 16, 2016, Wang Xiaowei and Wang Xiaohai, who had known each other for 12 years, officially announced their marriage and became an enviable couple in the industry.
After getting married, they continued to create the glory of Jiuyue Miracle. While they continued to release new songs, their cooperation on the stage became more and more tacit, which also made them a divine couple and a model of love in the eyes of fans.
But two years after their marriage, the two of them completely disappeared from the public eye after participating in "Sail 2019 - Chinese Music Festival" .
In the two years since then, the two have never been seen singing together on the same stage, and there is no news about the two on the Internet. This makes fans very puzzled. Where did Jiuyue Miracle go?
It was not until October 2020, when Wang Xiaohai posted a news, that everyone knew that the once loving couple had broken up as early as 2018.
As their marriage came to an end, Jiuyue Miracle naturally also disbanded, and the two people seemed to be in danger of never seeing each other again.
This also makes many people wonder. Two people who obviously have such a tacit understanding and make a lot of money, why can't they live together?
Some netizens broke the news that the reason why the marriage between the two could not continue was because Wang Xiaohai wanted to slow down his career and return to his family. This can also be seen from his choice of accounting major back then. He has no particular nostalgia for music. .
But Wang Xiaowei is different. She has been on the road to music since she was a child. She yearns for a bigger stage and has a heartfelt love and sense of responsibility for music. Especially when she recalls her parents living frugally to support her learning piano, this Her sense of responsibility will make her unable to live up to her parents' expectations, and she will be even more unwilling to give up this stage that can change the destiny of herself and her family.
Only this point cannot be adjusted. The discord of ideas makes the musical path of the two people more and more bumpy, and it is only a matter of time before they part ways.
Of course, this is just everyone's guess. The parties did not give a reason for the divorce, they just wished each other well and then went their separate ways.
Now, the two have been divorced for more than 4 years, and they have taken different paths according to their respective pursuits.
Wang Xiaowei, who focuses on career, soon found a new partner to continue to lead Jiuyue Miracle. The new partner Xu Ziwei is also quite talented. He once sang Jiuyue Miracle’s classic songs "Chinese Fan" , "Chinese Love" It was created by him.
Xu Ziwei
In 2021, Wang Xiaowei took Xu Ziwei to the stage of the Spring Festival Gala. Although Xu Ziwei’s singing voice is no less than that of Wang Xiaohai, and he and Wang Xiaowei also have a tacit understanding, but this feeling of new wine in old bottles still makes many Jiuyue miracles Some fans expressed discomfort and felt a little missing.
In addition to Xu Ziwei, Wang Xiaowei also sang with a male singer named Liao Kai in a video released in February 2021. The singing voice is still very beautiful, but netizens still don't buy it. It seems that Wang Xiaohai and Wang Xiaowei are no longer fans. Neither satisfied.
Gradually, Wang Xiaowei also discovered this situation, reduced the combination mode, and began to perform solo.
In December last year, Wang Xiaowei released a performance video. In the video, she was in Vienna , preparing to participate in " Vienna New Year's Concert " . She was wearing an elegant long skirt and performing in front of the harpsichord. , using both hands and feet, played a song for everyone.
After leaving Wang Xiaohai, her career is still flourishing. At the same time, she also opened a charity music class to teach everyone music theory knowledge. During the epidemic, she also participated in many charity evenings and sent a lot of supplies to frontline workers, which was praised by netizens.
After the divorce, Wang Xiaohai's development did not seem to be so smooth. Since the divorce, he has rarely appeared in public, and even Weibo has been stuck on the day when the divorce was announced.
When everyone thought he would quit the entertainment industry and become an ordinary person, Wang Xiaohai formed a new group with a singer named Lu Haitao and returned to the public eye again.
Although Lu Haitao, who also debuted on the Avenue of Stars, has good singing skills and his partnership with Wang Xiaohai is also unique, the response has always been mediocre and failed to stir up any waves. After the popularity passed, there was no news about the two of them.
The Nine Moon Miracle, which is no longer the combination of Wang Xiaowei and Wang Xiaohai, has become just in name only. Now, we don’t know whether the new combination of Wang Xiaowei and Xu Ziwei can create the next "Nine Moon Miracle", nor do we know whether the new combination of Wang Xiaohai and Lu Haitao can Whether to build a reputation.
But what we can be sure of is that the Miracle of Nine Moons has really become a thing of the past, and the relationship between Wang Xiaohai and Wang Xiaowei has also become a thing of the past.
While Wang Xiaowei's career was booming, Wang Xiaohai gradually became unpopular. This makes people lament that the once famous group was so different after they separated.
This once again proves the old saying, marriage is not a child's play, and the combination does not have to be a couple.
is like the legendary Phoenix group. They have been working together for more than 20 years, but there are not so many situations.
3
In fact, when Phoenix Legend first debuted, many people took it for granted that this was a husband and wife team.
First of all, the two people's clothes and temperaments match very well. Secondly, the woman sings the whole song hard every time, while the man is wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses. From the visual inspection, he is a bald man with not good looks, and next to him "OOyeou Yeah” sang twice.
is not a couple, who is willing to take him on stage?
It seems reasonable to think so, which is why, even if the two people continue to explain that they are just a cooperative relationship, everyone still feels that they are hiding their relationship.
Of course, what happened later proved to us that Linghua and Zeng Yi were just partners. The two of them did not call each other, and there was no scandal.
Zeng Yi is not like everyone thinks, he only knows "yeah", "yoyo" and "stay". Not only is he extremely talented, he is also the guide on Linghua's career path.
As for their account sharing model, they have been splitting their accounts 50/50 for many years. This was decided during the difficult period when they were not popular. Zeng Yi borrowed money and Linghua split it 50/50, so when they made money, they also had to split it 50/50. .
This commitment has been fulfilled until now.
Along the way, they have supported, helped and understood each other. They are not better than family members. They have gone down-to-earth all the way. They did not speculate on CP or pursue solo careers. Even their early hard-working experiences were not willing to talk about "selling." awful".
If they separate work and family, they can nip many problems in the cradle. If they become a couple and have different opinions when discussing a certain song, is it a business matter or a private matter? After a big fight in the studio, will the cold war continue after you get home? Will such feelings affect work?
This is probably the fundamental reason for the long-term prosperity of the group. Only by treating each other as colleagues, treating each other with courtesy, and keeping public and private affairs separate can we continue to work for a long time.
Conclusion
Have you noticed that today's Phoenix Legend no longer has the "earthy" flavor of and . They have quietly broken out of the circle and entered the ranks of young people, and they are also highly sought after.
Especially in a program at the end of April this year, their cover of "Under the Sea" once again attracted the attention of the entire network.
Their performance was as passionate as ever, exciting the audience. They also received "crude" comments from so-called "experts", who also said that their arrangement had lost the original meaning of the song.
The irony is that "Under the Sea", which received the lowest score in the program, became popular on all major platforms and received over 100 million views , becoming the most popular scene of the program.
Many netizens have commented that the original "Under the Sea" is a sad and depressing song, but the version of Phoenix Legend is full of the power of life. Each of their lyrics is about the redemption of the original girl, and they strive to go to the bottom of the sea. The girl pulled back.
Just as they said in the early years, "hopes to bring happiness to everyone."
Today, Linghua is 42 years old and Zeng Yi is 49 years old. From the establishment of the group to now, the two have been working together for 23 years. They are partners, confidants, and family members. What awaits them is still endless possibilities.
