July 15, 2025 • 21 mins
Good friend of The Cruz Show Jackson Wang stopped by to talk about his new album. We talked about how he's changed as a person & how that's changed his music. He also talked about wanting to learn from Pharrell & Tyler, how he's a free agent with record labels, movign back in with his parents and so much more. It's a GREAT interview. Tap in you're gonna love it.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Jackson Wang and you're checking out the Crucial podcast.
Make sure to subscribe, like and share. Oh my god,
is that Nico Bliss. I made a past again.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I got the rosy.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You cut the juice, playing time, never caring. I didn't
even know what that means. I don't knife is great
(00:51):
just sometimes you extra days trauma try got Okay, okay,
that's fris Shore you roll dress now.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Dress real Day two three, Jackson Wang back on the croch.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Thank you so much?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
What what?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
How long has it been? It's like five years?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Five years? Thanks for having me back, crazy man. Thank you.
We're intro by Nico Blitz there what yees intro? Really
together for you man.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Crazy intro, the remix and the shirt. Thank you man,
thank you you know what?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
That's right?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thank you so much, so much. Thanks for having me back.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Love No, thanks for being here. We appreciate it always man.
You know, our doors, our studio, the show is always
open to you.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Man.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
And do you have like an Asian show here?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
No?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
No, right now. So if this ship doesn't work out,
let's go like, please hire me. I think I'm good
at it to replace us, No, no, like an Asian
an Asian show. Yeah, probably.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I think I'm the only Asian on the station in Filipino.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
We can do something together.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, right the East the East show? Yeah, come on now,
what they're.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Saying, how high far east coast? Right? That'd be crazy? Man?
Are your songs played on the radio back home?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What songs?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Your songs like the recent album? Yeah? Is it out?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Is it recorded? Is this live?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It's out by now right out Friday in Storts Friday? Okay,
But it's your music played on the radio out there.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
And Asia sometimes sometimes not not that often.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
When it does or when it happens, is it like
one of those moments, right, because when artists get their
music played out here, it's a it's a movie. You
got to put it on TikTok, you got to celebrate it.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, man. Sometimes my a lot of times my music
play in shopping malls, like in pet stores. Yeah, which
is great. Hey, why are you laughing at? Why are
you laughing? Guys?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
What you said? Come on now, it's why you said it.
But hey, yode therapeutic you know for yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And cats?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Yeah, cats, it helps you know, I think The biggest
flex is having your music played at like pet stores, malls, forever,
twenty one.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Universal, it's universe than blessed and blessed.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
No, yes you are man, magic Man too, magic Man to.
The first one was in twenty twenty two, right, yes,
so it's it's been some time, but there's been a
lot of growth. You can tell in the music. The sound.
It sounds really sound.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
You listen to the entire thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
We listen to a lot of it. Yeah, sank, thank you,
thank you, appreciate it, thank you. Nico has the entire album.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Only Nico Asians Asians.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Man, it might be on a CD somewhere, but you
know what I mean, Oh man, damn. But the evolution
is there, right, there's growth there obviously, right, And it's
very personal.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How so one hundred percent because I took a year
off last year because I just needed to stop, you know,
after like just ten years, more than ten years, you know,
I felt like I didn't even have time to think.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It came down to a question where am I the
Jackson Wang that people know of? Or am I who
I think I am? You know, And I could even
I couldn't even answer that, so I just needed to
stop and start to give myself room, you know, give
myself time to think, like what do I want to
say as a person? And I realized a lot of
the songs in the past that I released, what does
that even mean to me as a person. For example,
(04:52):
there's a song called one Hundred Ways. The first line
is like you turn over the hour glass. When I
was recording that, I didn't even know what's an hour glass,
you know, so I don't even know. Like so I'm like, hey,
I need to stop this. Maybe it's time for me
as an artist, you know, as a person to put
out something that, you know, writing songs for myself, creating
for myself, what do I want to say as a
(05:13):
as a human.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
As a creative. Was it tough to take a year off,
did you? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
A lot of people around it. Yeah, a lot of
people around me told me, especially my team, they're trying
to convince me not to do it. In industry people,
business people, they're like, you can't, you know, you're just
going You're just going to disappear. And you know, with
so many information every day, with social media's and stuff,
you just gonna be forgotten. Right, But wow, Yeah, but
I just felt like I needed that break. I needed
(05:39):
that break to realize what my visions are and who
am I.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
You order to yourself, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Good that you stood on business with that. I was like, no,
I need this time, yeah, to rediscover myself.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
It was hard. It was a hard conversation, and you know,
a lot of partners kind of like, uh left, you
know a lot of partners left because Yeah, but I
think I had to go through this. That's why I
took a year off, you know, started started writing journals,
started writing things that, you know, just getting closer to myself,
giving more time and effort to to my internal self,
(06:11):
you know. So, and I think and this album is
all about how I feel about humanity and reality. And
this is one of those albums that I feel like
as an as a as an artist, I just needed
it out there. And and after that, I can make
like ear candy stuff. I can talk about lollipops, I
can talk about whatever you know about. I can talk
about your shirt is corruption, right, I can talk about Yeah,
(06:35):
I can talk about anything. So I just needed this
album out there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah. I think you needed it out of your heart,
and you needed it out of your you know.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
With taking like a year off and everything, is there
something new that you discovered about yourself within the past year.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, a lot, Like for example, my family. There's one
song about my parents. How I feel like, you know,
as as as a kid, we never think about like
we always think like our parents will figure everything out,
you know, They're always there. That's that's why a lot
of my friends just visit their parents only on Christmas
or in like New Year Chinese New Year, and and
(07:11):
we tend to always think that they're always going to
be there until it's too late. And also another thing
where I feel like our parents and us, it feels
like we're on the same street. They're just further up,
you know. And you think when we were born, we
always think like you think our parents they were ready
to be mom and dad. They weren't ready. You know,
they had dreams, they were no idea what they were
(07:32):
doing exactly, and they probably was was like having parties,
you know. They they they they played around, they flirted around,
you know, but when when they had us, everything changed
for them, you know. So we we tend to not
think about that a lot of times. And even in
that year, I spent a lot of decent moments. It's
quality time with my parents. That's why I chose to
(07:55):
also live with them in China. Now, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. Good.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, that's connection right there.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Man, it's important.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I don't know if I could, I don't know if
I could live with my parents, But.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Your parents, I mean, it's it's good, uh honest, honestly,
it's good. And and sometimes it's it's those moments that
really triggers me when they slowly they start to behave
like kids.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
When they when they parent, right yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Was just telling Crews that the other day, like we're
raising our parents too now.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, And it feels it's super I feels super emotional.
Like it's just the way that when they especially when
my moms starts to be more and more like a princess,
like you know, girly where because I always think of
my mom like as a as a female warrior, you know.
But then the more they age, you know, the way
that they walk up the stairs, the way that they
(08:53):
you know, like and I feel like, oh this is
I gotta you know, protect and and and it's it's
it's my turn to give back.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, yeah, I see my parents now and they're very
playful with my kids. Never playful with us really, but
that's because there was no time to be they were
raising us. Now they have time to be playful, so
they're making up for lost time or just yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, that that's on the family side. And also, like
the song Gbad, it Got to be a Dick is
also like you know, obviously throughout the ten years and
eleven years in this career, there's very good moments also
the bad moments. I wasn't ready. It felt like I
was introduced to this jungle at an age of nineteen
with I wasn't ready for it, you know, and after
(09:36):
going through a lot of stuff, betrayal and this, and
I just realized, you know, every single song has a
message on hey, life is so great, so beautiful, but
sometimes you really have to be a bad person, you know,
to protect your.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Own bright you have to be song with that.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So every single song is straight from
my journal.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
That's crazy made me a man? Can you break that
down for.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, that's the last song of the album where it's
whatever that ha happened. It's the conclusion of the album
whatever that Happened to good and the bad. What's good
without the bad. You know, sometimes good doesn't mean good,
bad doesn't mean bad. But whatever it was, it's meant
to happen. And at the end we just accept it
and move on and and and it made me who
I am today. And that's the story of that the
(10:17):
last song.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah, as man, I think there's several moments in life
that make us men. Right. Of course, there's like the
sexual component of it, but there's also definitely definitely right,
but certainly certain levels.
Speaker 6 (10:32):
No, no, no, I'm sorry, stop it. You could have
told me that, you asshole. I mean.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, no, no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Delete that delete that delete. We good, it's fair, man,
my album is ruined.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
He looks at Nico like you and me later on,
we're gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
No, you're totally sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
We have a lot of fun on this show. It's uh.
They fight all day on the air, they're on the
same show, and they're they're engaged. They live together. You know,
it's thank you an open book here.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
It's a different thing when you can work with your partner.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Amazing, man, I'm fucking amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, so the album, man, it was all so magic
Man to man to the artwork. Yeah, but the artwork, No,
the artwork. Honestly, you were saying this off the air
and hope you don't mind, But no, I.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Don't mind because a lot of people don't even understand.
Your fans are not understanding a part of my UH
supporters community, My fans do not understand this, Like why
do you all always have to put like, since magic
Man one, what what is the black makeup? With the
dark makeup, the devil makeup? You know? And and this
means magic Man means my internal self. The internal It's
(12:10):
just a name for that. And it's like today I
meet you, I'm I'm engaging with you, but I don't
know who that person is in your heart, you know.
So that represents magic Man, represents my internal emotions. And
it's a it's it's it's a thing that I kept
avoiding for you know, a long time, because I'm I
(12:31):
just didn't have time to think.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
It's packed schedules, schedule after schedules. I didn't even have
time for myself. That's why I always say I missed
out a lot in my youth, you know. So, so
I just had to you know, deal with it. And
that's that's why I took a year off and and
spend time and give love and and try to understand
who who this person is?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So does that reflect a breakthrough?
Speaker 1 (12:50):
It represents how I felt. I was all like, it's
all wound, it's all like, yeah, I mean it's it's
it's it's fucked up, you know. So that's who I
felt inside, but I just didn't want to admit it.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Since you've come to that realization of like, Okay, I've
been avoiding you know who I truly am, And like
because you've had this life of just schedule after schedule,
what do you do now that is for you that just.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Makes you happy? Now it's more like I think back
then it was just like rapid fire and like it
felt like machine gun, you know, But now it's more
like simplicity. But like this direction that I'm going at,
I go all the way I can focus and go
all the.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Way I have.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
It's about decisions, right It's it's I have choice choices
right now. And I think the next route that I'm
going I'm focusing on is just being a creative. You know,
even a lot of partners and brands that I'm working with.
It's not just as an ambassador where hey, this is
the product, look at this product, look at this guess
eight Like it's not It's not just that, it's like
(13:58):
we have like deep relationship where I create the creatives
and I help them to shoot videos. I direct videos
for brands, and also recently I just joined Nike Inc.
Becoming one of their creatives for Nike and Jordan. So
I'm also like getting ready prepping for the nixt ip
that I'm going to do for them. It's immersive experience
(14:21):
because I think like just globally, yeah, and I think
I think it's to me, you know, this generation. I
think people consume and buy stuff not because it's like
you buy this shirt or buy this product, not because
of the fabric. It's you're buying a feeling, you know.
And I think, yeah, yeah, it's like for example, the
(14:45):
shirt or a Supreme shirt or a off white shirt.
It's the feeling that you're buying, you know. And I
think that comes with experience, the immersive experience, and that's
what I'm focusing on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. L V.
(15:05):
Cardier Hennessy that we all have deep relationship, right, now
where whereas I at least, you know, the headquarters feels like, oh,
we can maximize Jackson not just for photo shoots, but
also be a part of the creative on some other projects.
And that's what I'm working on, and I feel like
that's my next next chapter for for me to really
(15:27):
dig deep in and and focus on.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah. No, it's great that they see not just as
a face and a body, they see the creator.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's nice too, But like what's next, what's more? Yeah,
one hundred percent the genius for real? Big fan. Yeah,
so this is brain works differently. There's a difference between
(15:54):
an artist and a superstar and like a super brain.
I feel like he's a super brain.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah, it's like for real, you know, like everything that
you touch, whether it's fashion, whether it's music, whether it's
just you know, any product or even human race. You know,
like everything that they touch, it's just there's something, there's
a there's there's stepth in it.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah. Crazy is that like when people question those kind
of brains, right, and it's like we don't understand. We
we have to trust their process and allow them to
take us wherever they want to go.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, a big fan.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
We shouldn't question it.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Next time if they visit, please tell them there's an
Asian kid named Jackson wayang right there, Like, please teach
me and let me be inspired, let me absorb.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Yeah, man, I want to talk about I didn't get
the chance to hear not for me, but I do
did get the chance to read the lyrics. How what's
that sound like? What is the story behind that one?
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, I think like I was saying, you know, I was,
I was avoiding whoever that was inside me for a
long time. And you know, during the process of that,
I was just like I try to avoid with alcohol,
you know, I try to avoid with just like putting
more people around me, just living that lifestyle of like
very corrupted, you know. And and and during that one
(17:24):
year off, I realized, you know, I don't think this
this this is for me. I don't feel like this
life lifestyle is for me anymore.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
That's definitely growth, though, because I feel like everybody goes
through that at some point. Whether it's just like realizing
that if you surround yourself with the right people, nothing
else matters. If you sound surround yourself with the wrong people,
nothing else matters.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah, it's just super crazy during that experience where you know, verbally,
you know, it wasn't even I felt like I wasn't
even me and I was saying things. I was hurting
people too verbally and I didn't even I forgot. I
forgot what I said, you know was just uh bro
Yeah yeah and uh a time that I don't want
(18:06):
to revisit.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
There is your buck is a vibe?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Man, Thanks man, nobody noticed. Nobody noticed, Like nobody noticed
because like, yeah, it's just it, that's what it didn't hit. Yeah,
but I loved it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, No, that's a dope song, man.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Thank you for when you like have you know, your
team obviously having their input into the songs that you're.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Thank you so much. That's my new song, right, that's
my new song featuring featuring Nico.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
In the interview.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
When you have like your team also putting their input
on like such an emotional album like this too, how
hard are you finding to make sure that songs that
you want.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Are on there?
Speaker 1 (18:57):
I mean I'm the a n R. Like my team,
I don't even have a manager. Yeah, it's only me
and Troy.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
This is team Wang.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, this is team Wang.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
This is it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Yeah, I feel like that's why. You know, when you
work with a lot of artists, right, it's always like
there's like millions of filters in the middle, like the
management and who else, random people just coming in and
like you can never reach the artist. But for my deals,
like any collaborations, partnerships, you talk to me. Yeah, and
I feel like, yeah, I feel like that's more. It's
(19:25):
super tiring, but it is what it is because that's
how much I care.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah, control, But at the same time, like it's just
more work I'm doing. I'm my own manager, you know,
Like it feels like us too, we're just like taking
on like what a company needs to do.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
But also one other thing is we don't know who
to hire, so yeah, like we don't know, like and
the thing is, it's been like five six years already,
and I feel like I maybe I need a label now,
I need a label. I'm i'm I'm, I'm open for
the market. I'm on sale, free agent, I'm on sale.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Guys, so bidding more starts now?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yes, please please please? I need help now.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
So you would you would like to sign to a major?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yeah, well I am with eighty Rising, but eightie rising.
It's more like it's more deep now because like I'm
also one of the creators, you know, like and and
we're doing other projects. Definitely not that shirt anymore, but yeah,
I mean, like just a lot of stuff that we're doing,
and it's it's also tied in with the Nike and
Jordan stuff.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Is there a la that you have in mind?
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I don't know, like whoever that's willing to accept me.
It's just a it's just a deal, right, It's just
a give and take and this is what I want.
I just need to I just need arms and lakes
and that's it, you know. The I feel like I'm
confident in being a brain.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Let's get it, yo. Introverts get on your nerves.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Oh I love your research, bro. Thanks. They don't get
on my nerves. But it's just I can't crazy.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I'm an extrovert. Obviously, if I talked to an an introvert,
the entire conversation feels like I'm trying to like, yeah,
come on, come on, come on. At the end of
the day, I I'm just like, yeah, I don't enjoy
as much, but I'm okay with it. I'm neutral. I'm neutral.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Yeah, I'm an introvert.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
No, I don't think so. Yeah really yeah, deally what
I said, just take it all. Fu man. Now I
had this moment and I have fucked. My album is fucked.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
No, no, it's not Magic Man too our Friday Jackson Wang.
Appreciate you, dog all the time. Man, thank you for
the time. We appreciate it. Let's get it. The Cruise Show,
Real ninety two three.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
The Cruise Show on Real ninety two three,
This is Jackson Wang and you're checking out the Crucial podcast.
Make sure to subscribe, like and share. Oh my god,
is that Nico Bliss. I made a past again.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I got the rosy.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You cut the juice, playing time, never caring. I didn't
even know what that means. I don't knife is great
(00:51):
just sometimes you extra days trauma try got Okay, okay,
that's fris Shore you roll dress now.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Dress real Day two three, Jackson Wang back on the croch.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Thank you so much?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
What what?
Speaker 1 (01:34):
How long has it been? It's like five years?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Five years? Thanks for having me back, crazy man. Thank you.
We're intro by Nico Blitz there what yees intro? Really
together for you man.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Crazy intro, the remix and the shirt. Thank you man,
thank you you know what?
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
That's right?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thank you so much, so much. Thanks for having me back.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Love No, thanks for being here. We appreciate it always man.
You know, our doors, our studio, the show is always
open to you.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Man.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
And do you have like an Asian show here?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
No?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
No, right now. So if this ship doesn't work out,
let's go like, please hire me. I think I'm good
at it to replace us, No, no, like an Asian
an Asian show. Yeah, probably.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I think I'm the only Asian on the station in Filipino.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
We can do something together.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, right the East the East show? Yeah, come on now,
what they're.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Saying, how high far east coast? Right? That'd be crazy? Man?
Are your songs played on the radio back home?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What songs?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Your songs like the recent album? Yeah? Is it out?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Is it recorded? Is this live?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It's out by now right out Friday in Storts Friday? Okay,
But it's your music played on the radio out there.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
And Asia sometimes sometimes not not that often.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
When it does or when it happens, is it like
one of those moments, right, because when artists get their
music played out here, it's a it's a movie. You
got to put it on TikTok, you got to celebrate it.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, man. Sometimes my a lot of times my music
play in shopping malls, like in pet stores. Yeah, which
is great. Hey, why are you laughing at? Why are
you laughing? Guys?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
What you said? Come on now, it's why you said it.
But hey, yode therapeutic you know for yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And cats?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
Yeah, cats, it helps you know, I think The biggest
flex is having your music played at like pet stores, malls, forever,
twenty one.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Universal, it's universe than blessed and blessed.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
No, yes you are man, magic Man too, magic Man to.
The first one was in twenty twenty two, right, yes,
so it's it's been some time, but there's been a
lot of growth. You can tell in the music. The sound.
It sounds really sound.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
You listen to the entire thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
We listen to a lot of it. Yeah, sank, thank you,
thank you, appreciate it, thank you. Nico has the entire album.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Only Nico Asians Asians.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Man, it might be on a CD somewhere, but you
know what I mean, Oh man, damn. But the evolution
is there, right, there's growth there obviously, right, And it's
very personal.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
How so one hundred percent because I took a year
off last year because I just needed to stop, you know,
after like just ten years, more than ten years, you know,
I felt like I didn't even have time to think.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It came down to a question where am I the
Jackson Wang that people know of? Or am I who
I think I am? You know, And I could even
I couldn't even answer that, so I just needed to
stop and start to give myself room, you know, give
myself time to think, like what do I want to
say as a person? And I realized a lot of
the songs in the past that I released, what does
that even mean to me as a person. For example,
(04:52):
there's a song called one Hundred Ways. The first line
is like you turn over the hour glass. When I
was recording that, I didn't even know what's an hour glass,
you know, so I don't even know. Like so I'm like, hey,
I need to stop this. Maybe it's time for me
as an artist, you know, as a person to put
out something that, you know, writing songs for myself, creating
for myself, what do I want to say as a
(05:13):
as a human.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
As a creative. Was it tough to take a year off,
did you? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
A lot of people around it. Yeah, a lot of
people around me told me, especially my team, they're trying
to convince me not to do it. In industry people,
business people, they're like, you can't, you know, you're just
going You're just going to disappear. And you know, with
so many information every day, with social media's and stuff,
you just gonna be forgotten. Right, But wow, Yeah, but
I just felt like I needed that break. I needed
(05:39):
that break to realize what my visions are and who
am I.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
You order to yourself, it's.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Good that you stood on business with that. I was like, no,
I need this time, yeah, to rediscover myself.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
It was hard. It was a hard conversation, and you know,
a lot of partners kind of like, uh left, you
know a lot of partners left because Yeah, but I
think I had to go through this. That's why I
took a year off, you know, started started writing journals,
started writing things that, you know, just getting closer to myself,
giving more time and effort to to my internal self,
(06:11):
you know. So, and I think and this album is
all about how I feel about humanity and reality. And
this is one of those albums that I feel like
as an as a as an artist, I just needed
it out there. And and after that, I can make
like ear candy stuff. I can talk about lollipops, I
can talk about whatever you know about. I can talk
about your shirt is corruption, right, I can talk about Yeah,
(06:35):
I can talk about anything. So I just needed this
album out there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah. I think you needed it out of your heart,
and you needed it out of your you know.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
With taking like a year off and everything, is there
something new that you discovered about yourself within the past year.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, a lot, Like for example, my family. There's one
song about my parents. How I feel like, you know,
as as as a kid, we never think about like
we always think like our parents will figure everything out,
you know, They're always there. That's that's why a lot
of my friends just visit their parents only on Christmas
or in like New Year Chinese New Year, and and
(07:11):
we tend to always think that they're always going to
be there until it's too late. And also another thing
where I feel like our parents and us, it feels
like we're on the same street. They're just further up,
you know. And you think when we were born, we
always think like you think our parents they were ready
to be mom and dad. They weren't ready. You know,
they had dreams, they were no idea what they were
(07:32):
doing exactly, and they probably was was like having parties,
you know. They they they they played around, they flirted around,
you know, but when when they had us, everything changed
for them, you know. So we we tend to not
think about that a lot of times. And even in
that year, I spent a lot of decent moments. It's
quality time with my parents. That's why I chose to
(07:55):
also live with them in China. Now, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa. Good.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, that's connection right there.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Man, it's important.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I don't know if I could, I don't know if
I could live with my parents, But.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Your parents, I mean, it's it's good, uh honest, honestly,
it's good. And and sometimes it's it's those moments that
really triggers me when they slowly they start to behave
like kids.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
When they when they parent, right yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Was just telling Crews that the other day, like we're
raising our parents too now.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, And it feels it's super I feels super emotional.
Like it's just the way that when they especially when
my moms starts to be more and more like a princess,
like you know, girly where because I always think of
my mom like as a as a female warrior, you know.
But then the more they age, you know, the way
that they walk up the stairs, the way that they
(08:53):
you know, like and I feel like, oh this is
I gotta you know, protect and and and it's it's
it's my turn to give back.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, yeah, I see my parents now and they're very
playful with my kids. Never playful with us really, but
that's because there was no time to be they were
raising us. Now they have time to be playful, so
they're making up for lost time or just yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Yeah, that that's on the family side. And also, like
the song Gbad, it Got to be a Dick is
also like you know, obviously throughout the ten years and
eleven years in this career, there's very good moments also
the bad moments. I wasn't ready. It felt like I
was introduced to this jungle at an age of nineteen
with I wasn't ready for it, you know, and after
(09:36):
going through a lot of stuff, betrayal and this, and
I just realized, you know, every single song has a
message on hey, life is so great, so beautiful, but
sometimes you really have to be a bad person, you know,
to protect your.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Own bright you have to be song with that.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So every single song is straight from
my journal.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
That's crazy made me a man? Can you break that
down for.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Yeah, that's the last song of the album where it's
whatever that ha happened. It's the conclusion of the album
whatever that Happened to good and the bad. What's good
without the bad. You know, sometimes good doesn't mean good,
bad doesn't mean bad. But whatever it was, it's meant
to happen. And at the end we just accept it
and move on and and and it made me who
I am today. And that's the story of that the
(10:17):
last song.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah, as man, I think there's several moments in life
that make us men. Right. Of course, there's like the
sexual component of it, but there's also definitely definitely right,
but certainly certain levels.
Speaker 6 (10:32):
No, no, no, I'm sorry, stop it. You could have
told me that, you asshole. I mean.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, no, no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Delete that delete that delete. We good, it's fair, man,
my album is ruined.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
He looks at Nico like you and me later on,
we're gonna do it.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
No, you're totally sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
We have a lot of fun on this show. It's uh.
They fight all day on the air, they're on the
same show, and they're they're engaged. They live together. You know,
it's thank you an open book here.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
It's a different thing when you can work with your partner.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Amazing, man, I'm fucking amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I love it. I love it.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, so the album, man, it was all so magic
Man to man to the artwork. Yeah, but the artwork, No,
the artwork. Honestly, you were saying this off the air
and hope you don't mind, But no, I.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Don't mind because a lot of people don't even understand.
Your fans are not understanding a part of my UH
supporters community, My fans do not understand this, Like why
do you all always have to put like, since magic
Man one, what what is the black makeup? With the
dark makeup, the devil makeup? You know? And and this
means magic Man means my internal self. The internal It's
(12:10):
just a name for that. And it's like today I
meet you, I'm I'm engaging with you, but I don't
know who that person is in your heart, you know.
So that represents magic Man, represents my internal emotions. And
it's a it's it's it's a thing that I kept
avoiding for you know, a long time, because I'm I
(12:31):
just didn't have time to think.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
It's packed schedules, schedule after schedules. I didn't even have
time for myself. That's why I always say I missed
out a lot in my youth, you know. So, so
I just had to you know, deal with it. And
that's that's why I took a year off and and
spend time and give love and and try to understand
who who this person is?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
So does that reflect a breakthrough?
Speaker 1 (12:50):
It represents how I felt. I was all like, it's
all wound, it's all like, yeah, I mean it's it's
it's it's fucked up, you know. So that's who I
felt inside, but I just didn't want to admit it.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Since you've come to that realization of like, Okay, I've
been avoiding you know who I truly am, And like
because you've had this life of just schedule after schedule,
what do you do now that is for you that just.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Makes you happy? Now it's more like I think back
then it was just like rapid fire and like it
felt like machine gun, you know, But now it's more
like simplicity. But like this direction that I'm going at,
I go all the way I can focus and go
all the.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Way I have.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
It's about decisions, right It's it's I have choice choices
right now. And I think the next route that I'm
going I'm focusing on is just being a creative. You know,
even a lot of partners and brands that I'm working with.
It's not just as an ambassador where hey, this is
the product, look at this product, look at this guess
eight Like it's not It's not just that, it's like
(13:58):
we have like deep relationship where I create the creatives
and I help them to shoot videos. I direct videos
for brands, and also recently I just joined Nike Inc.
Becoming one of their creatives for Nike and Jordan. So
I'm also like getting ready prepping for the nixt ip
that I'm going to do for them. It's immersive experience
(14:21):
because I think like just globally, yeah, and I think
I think it's to me, you know, this generation. I
think people consume and buy stuff not because it's like
you buy this shirt or buy this product, not because
of the fabric. It's you're buying a feeling, you know.
And I think, yeah, yeah, it's like for example, the
(14:45):
shirt or a Supreme shirt or a off white shirt.
It's the feeling that you're buying, you know. And I
think that comes with experience, the immersive experience, and that's
what I'm focusing on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. L V.
(15:05):
Cardier Hennessy that we all have deep relationship, right, now
where whereas I at least, you know, the headquarters feels like, oh,
we can maximize Jackson not just for photo shoots, but
also be a part of the creative on some other projects.
And that's what I'm working on, and I feel like
that's my next next chapter for for me to really
(15:27):
dig deep in and and focus on.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah. No, it's great that they see not just as
a face and a body, they see the creator.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
That's nice too, But like what's next, what's more? Yeah,
one hundred percent the genius for real? Big fan. Yeah,
so this is brain works differently. There's a difference between
(15:54):
an artist and a superstar and like a super brain.
I feel like he's a super brain.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Yeah, it's like for real, you know, like everything that
you touch, whether it's fashion, whether it's music, whether it's
just you know, any product or even human race. You know,
like everything that they touch, it's just there's something, there's
a there's there's stepth in it.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Yeah. Crazy is that like when people question those kind
of brains, right, and it's like we don't understand. We
we have to trust their process and allow them to
take us wherever they want to go.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Yeah, a big fan.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
We shouldn't question it.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Next time if they visit, please tell them there's an
Asian kid named Jackson wayang right there, Like, please teach
me and let me be inspired, let me absorb.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Yeah, man, I want to talk about I didn't get
the chance to hear not for me, but I do
did get the chance to read the lyrics. How what's
that sound like? What is the story behind that one?
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, I think like I was saying, you know, I was,
I was avoiding whoever that was inside me for a
long time. And you know, during the process of that,
I was just like I try to avoid with alcohol,
you know, I try to avoid with just like putting
more people around me, just living that lifestyle of like
very corrupted, you know. And and and during that one
(17:24):
year off, I realized, you know, I don't think this
this this is for me. I don't feel like this
life lifestyle is for me anymore.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
That's definitely growth, though, because I feel like everybody goes
through that at some point. Whether it's just like realizing
that if you surround yourself with the right people, nothing
else matters. If you sound surround yourself with the wrong people,
nothing else matters.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yeah, it's just super crazy during that experience where you know, verbally,
you know, it wasn't even I felt like I wasn't
even me and I was saying things. I was hurting
people too verbally and I didn't even I forgot. I
forgot what I said, you know was just uh bro
Yeah yeah and uh a time that I don't want
(18:06):
to revisit.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
There is your buck is a vibe?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Man, Thanks man, nobody noticed. Nobody noticed, Like nobody noticed
because like, yeah, it's just it, that's what it didn't hit. Yeah,
but I loved it. I love it.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Yeah, No, that's a dope song, man.
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Thank you for when you like have you know, your
team obviously having their input into the songs that you're.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Thank you so much. That's my new song, right, that's
my new song featuring featuring Nico.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
In the interview.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
When you have like your team also putting their input
on like such an emotional album like this too, how
hard are you finding to make sure that songs that
you want.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Are on there?
Speaker 1 (18:57):
I mean I'm the a n R. Like my team,
I don't even have a manager. Yeah, it's only me
and Troy.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
This is team Wang.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, this is team Wang.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
This is it.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
Yeah, I feel like that's why. You know, when you
work with a lot of artists, right, it's always like
there's like millions of filters in the middle, like the
management and who else, random people just coming in and
like you can never reach the artist. But for my deals,
like any collaborations, partnerships, you talk to me. Yeah, and
I feel like, yeah, I feel like that's more. It's
(19:25):
super tiring, but it is what it is because that's
how much I care.
Speaker 5 (19:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah, control, But at the same time, like it's just
more work I'm doing. I'm my own manager, you know,
Like it feels like us too, we're just like taking
on like what a company needs to do.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
But also one other thing is we don't know who
to hire, so yeah, like we don't know, like and
the thing is, it's been like five six years already,
and I feel like I maybe I need a label now,
I need a label. I'm i'm I'm, I'm open for
the market. I'm on sale, free agent, I'm on sale.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Guys, so bidding more starts now?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yes, please please please? I need help now.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
So you would you would like to sign to a major?
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yeah, well I am with eighty Rising, but eightie rising.
It's more like it's more deep now because like I'm
also one of the creators, you know, like and and
we're doing other projects. Definitely not that shirt anymore, but yeah,
I mean, like just a lot of stuff that we're doing,
and it's it's also tied in with the Nike and
Jordan stuff.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Is there a la that you have in mind?
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I don't know, like whoever that's willing to accept me.
It's just a it's just a deal, right, It's just
a give and take and this is what I want.
I just need to I just need arms and lakes
and that's it, you know. The I feel like I'm
confident in being a brain.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Let's get it, yo. Introverts get on your nerves.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Oh I love your research, bro. Thanks. They don't get
on my nerves. But it's just I can't crazy.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
You know.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I'm an extrovert. Obviously, if I talked to an an introvert,
the entire conversation feels like I'm trying to like, yeah,
come on, come on, come on. At the end of
the day, I I'm just like, yeah, I don't enjoy
as much, but I'm okay with it. I'm neutral. I'm neutral.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Yeah, I'm an introvert.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
No, I don't think so. Yeah really yeah, deally what
I said, just take it all. Fu man. Now I
had this moment and I have fucked. My album is fucked.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
No, no, it's not Magic Man too our Friday Jackson Wang.
Appreciate you, dog all the time. Man, thank you for
the time. We appreciate it. Let's get it. The Cruise Show,
Real ninety two three.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
The Cruise Show on Real ninety two three,
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