Christian singer Leehom Wang once shared his testimony that the Christian faith helped him realize his music dream.
In the video organized by Homeboy Music, Leehom Wang recalled the pressure of studying when he was a child, and for a time he did not even dare to think he could engage in the music work he loved.
"I’ve always needed to prove myself since I was a child, not only at school when I was with foreign students but also at home. My parents were very strict with me", said the American Asian singer-songwriter.
"I was the child being treated most strictly because my studies were not as good as my brothers'. My family is a scholarly family. My brothers studied at Tsing Hua University, National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, etc. My older brother was admitted to Harvard University, but he didn't want to go. Finally, he went to Yale University. I was relatively inferior. My brothers were all so good. They are the kind of students with full scores on the SAT and college entrance exams. Anyway, they are the kind who make you jealous. President Bush of the United States wrote to our home to congratulate my brother for his good grades, and the letter was hung on the wall. Every day, when I see the file, I feel so pressured. Then my parents would say 'Your brothers are so awesome, while you…are practicing drums?'"
The singer continued, "During that time, I got lost in life. I knew that no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible for me to defeat my brothers. Meanwhile, I deeply loved music deep. But how was it possible? It seemed unlikely. There was unlikely to be a chance. That dream was so far away. So I hid it in my heart, and only thought about it when praying."
He also shared his prayer: "Dear Heavenly Father, music is so sacred. Please show me a way out. Please help me, please show me a direction, give me a chance and guidance."
He not only prayed for the direction of his life but also prayed for his every performance. He shared, "Today is Christmas Eve, today's performance is dedicated to my dear heavenly Father"; "Please bless our performances, our bodies, and our musical instruments, keep us safe and let us perform smoothly"; "This is the purpose of our life. We will show all the things we can do to everyone, share with everyone the enthusiasm in our hearts, the love in our hearts, and show every audience a wonderful performance."
Although the star was making the music he loves, he also faced difficulties in life. Wang shared that he used to be depressed at home, even lying on the ground for several days.
"I later found out the reason. Because the higher your emotions fly, the heavier you will fall. You are brilliant and have so much fun on stage, but there are also negative aspects of you that someone can't see. The moment you get off the stage is the beginning of withdrawal symptoms, which is a physiological reaction of being alone after leaving ten thousand people. The silence at that time is the most deafening. The emotional roller coaster runs between two ends, and there are fewer and fewer people I can talk with, only faith can help me. So, I keep praying.
"Every night when I go back to the hotel room, I often imagine how good it would be if I have a companion. One day I will have my own life, my own family, my wife, and kids. Do I have to quit my job, let music-man die, and become an ordinary person again? Should I finally let go of the burden of 20 years?"
The year 2013 was an unforgettable year for Leehom Wang that he had his own family and found that there can be a win-win solution in life.
His wife Lee Jinglei supported his work very much, believing that God would use Leehom through his music. She once said: "I believe Leehom has a great mission to accomplish, and God will deliver a lot of love and move many people through Leehom's music. I think this is a very important thing. There are a lot of disapproving voices. Maybe there will be a lot of sacrifices or other things. They are all worth it. Because I want to complete the dream of changing the world with him together."
Since then, Leehom Wang has become more convinced of his mission to spread Chinese music.
"Life can have the best of both worlds. The music-man can continue to live, and I can have a happy family. But what about the mission of music-man? Remember our common goal? Bring Chinese music to all parts of the world. It may not be achievable overnight, but may already be happening, one voice after another; maybe the stars in the sky are not as far as I thought."
- Translated by Yuehan Jiang
