UNREMARKABLE ZHOU

2022

Album Cover Designed by He Shiyun & Lin Jingkai

Background Story:

'Unremarkable Zhou' started at the beginning of June in 2022. At that time, I had been depressed at home for several months, and I had completely lost my enthusiasm for photography. So I want to do some physical labor, just to be away from my noisy mind. By chance, I was accepted to a vegan restaurant (未来之歌 Future Life, Guangzhou) to be a dishwasher.

There was an auntie who taught me to wash dishes there. Washing dishes was tiring, but it was a practical matter, because washing one bowl was one bowl, which was the result of hard work visible to see. In that process, I didn't need to think about 'who am I' at all. Walking down the hill with a huge sense of satisfaction after my shift and then leaving early to work every morning. My daily life gradually returned to normal.
 
During that time, it was like a kind of mental practice for me. I found healing in washing dishes. Sometimes I took my book to the back kitchen, and when I didn’t have dishes to wash, I sat by the sink and read; or looked through the small window to see the working status of my colleagues in the kitchen. I found that what I had lost was the patience for the things I loved and the determination to stick.
 
I was deeply moved by this experience, and asked myself if I could do one thing well without distraction. At that time, I had a vague idea, but I never acted on it: I wanted to make an album, expressing the mental journey of this year through the medium of music. Naturally, I started thinking about this project bit by bit while doing the dishes. It was not an exaggeration to say that all the ideas about this project were 'washed' out.

'If I could be born again, I want to be a huge automatic dishwasher because everyone needs one and I don't have to think so hard about who I am."
 
So five or six months have passed. On October 30 in 2022, my first solo album 'Unremarkable Zhou' was launched on major music platforms; The music film had its first screening at Republic of Sound, Guangzhou on December 9, 2022.

The word 'unremarkable' first appeared, and it was a joke during a conversation with a friend. He thought my online name was 'Unremarkable Zhou' (my online name is '刘海平平的小周'). Later, I chose the word 'Unremarkable' very naturally, because I think that in the general environment, everyone is a community of destiny, and I am just a very small member of this community.

So, I, who is unremarkable, carrying my unremarkable emotions, around my unremarkable life, and introduce you the 'Unremarkable Zhou'. 

'Unremarkable Zhou' is an annual summary of my life in Guangzhou in 2022. I have selected a few memorable clips to create through music and visual storytelling . This is not only a full-length solo album containing nine songs, but also a music film of  60 mins.

The song list:

Intro - I am performing a joke for you
01 - Game is on
02 - Dear clients
03 - Come out to do a PCR test
04 - I don't have the mood to compete
05 - A song to make up the numbers
06 - Don’t be a dick
07 - Washing dishes
08 - An oversized cabbage

'Unremarkable Zhou' combines colloquial and realistic lyrics, different styles of music and visual expression of black humor. It is a 'well-known' loser’s true confession of the past year's journey; It is the author's identity change from a 'photographer' to a 'musician'; it is an experimental project that has no budget and cannot make money from it; it is a team of friends, spanning three provinces and cities, taking over six months. It is a very specific, joyous and sad, self-healing creative experience.

Credit:

Singer-Songwriter: Zhou Ning
Harmony: Zhou Ning / ZFZZ21
Arranger: ZFZZ21 / Dan Taylor
Producer: ZFZZ21
Recording: ZFZZ21 / Eric Ji
Mixing: ZFZZ21
Master: ZFZZ21

Director: Zhou Ning
Director of Photography: Li Jihan
Photography Assistant: Huang Haimin / Chen Guanjie
Lighting: Huang Haimin / Pan Zhilun 
Editing: Zhou Ning
Cast: Yang Yang / Mian Mian / Coda Wei / Rong Xinyue / Xiao Qiang / Lamp Lee / Yedda Ye
Filming location support: Yue Fang LIVEHOUSE / 28 STUDIO

Album Design: He Shiyun / Lin Jingkai
Physical Album Photography: Zhou Ning / Ying Weitang
Event Release Visual Design: Zui Ma
Screening Tour Designer: Lian Jieshan

Project Coordinator: Zhou Ning
Manager: Xiao Qiang
Professional consultant: Xie Jiangchuan / Kang Wen / La Jiadu / Liao Meixian 
Help me through a difficult Time: Sound Library
True love support: Chen Jiawei
Atmosphere support：Largo
Release Venue Support: Republic of Sound
Special thanks to Future Life (My lovely vegan restaurant)