ZY

As devoted addicts of the Internet, ZY and I got to know each other through social media. This spring, I went to Shanghai and met her in person, and had a fun photo shoot with her and her friends while they showed me around Shanghai.

Can you please introduce yourself?

ZY: Hello, I am ZY. The reason why I called myself ZY is because in my opinion, there is no English name that can be as dope as my Chinese initials.

Hahaha, that is dope! Where do you live now? And what industry are you in?

ZY: I currently live in the magical city Shanghai. I’m working in the music industry, taking a peep at the secret behind spectacular underground live performances.

Why did you choose the music industry in the first place?

ZY: My major in college would definitely not get me any job in the real world. But I did not really choose the industry, to be honest; it’s more like fate brought us together – thanks to the internet.

Indeed. We met on the internet as well. Anyway, besides the being able to get in touch with many domestic and foreign artists, what are some other interesting aspects of your job/workplace? 

ZY: I can’t really point out anything specifically, but it is full of surprises. For example, Adidas just gifted us some shoes not long ago!

Haha, nice! By the way, did you attend the YO’HOOD event last year in Shanghai?

ZY: That was held while I was doing my internship, so I didn’t go, haha. But to be frank, the preparation stage that takes place one or two months prior to the performance day is always dull. Every weekend, I just wish I could just chill and have some wine instead.

Is there any discomfort in living in Shanghai? Any differences between Shanghai and the city you had lived in before moving to Shanghai?

ZY: Everywhere is the same as long as there is music with me. I used to go to school in Nanchang (a city in southeast China), and many trends and cultures were way too outdated there. My time there was extremely boring. Zhuhai (a city in Guangdong Province) is my home, but there are only two words that can describe this city – elderly care. Nevertheless, I still love Zhuhai very much. But right here in Shanghai, the degree of acceptance is much higher. You can really be yourself however you want, and gurls can smoke on the street without getting stared at, unlike in Nanchang and Zhuhai.

The people in Shanghai are accepting of new thing at an extraordinary rate, so new things go viral in a short period of time. As a result of that, the speed and risk of being eliminated by people in Shanghai is also very fast and high. The door of Arkham (a nightclub that often holds live performances in Shanghai) is always flooded with people in different fashion styles every time before the show starts; it is almost like having Halloween monthly! Hahaha.

Was there any live performance or artist that you enjoyed recently?

ZY: No. I like myself.
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Photos and interview by Pu. ZY’s instagram: @iamzzzyyy. For more Gurl Gaze Shanghai, click here. For all Gurl Gaze articles, click here.