Mellow tunes

Singer He Jie emerges from a self-imposed hibernation after a roller-coaster ride post Super Girl 2005 with a new resolve to stay true to herself. Chen Nan reports

When singer He Jie talks about goals, she barely mentions chart toppers and best-selling CDs. Instead, she talks about more personal benchmarks, like learning to be more understanding, staying true to herself and living her life with a purpose. "I don't want to live my life in vain," says He, 24, who released her third album in three years, Return to He Jie, in October. "That's the most important thing."

Her new focus reflects lessons learned from a tumultuous time, including her roller-coaster ride to success, her involvement in a photo scandal and a lawsuit that had her paying 250,000 yuan ($37,500) to her record company for breaking her contract.

"I have learned a lot these past few years," she says quietly as she sits in a cozy coffee shop near her agent's office in eastern Beijing.

"Like the title of the new album makes clear, my biggest wish now is to return to myself," she says.

The album came out after a one-year break in 2009, at the end of a period of questioning and reflection.

"Suddenly I felt that I had lost myself. So I didn't do anything in 2009, no singing, no acting and no public appearances, to find myself," she says.

Unlike the previous two albums, which mainly feature electronic music and sweet love songs, the new album tells the story of her growth. Her fans will notice that the singer is eager to express herself through her music. Songs like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and He are personal favorites, although not very popular in the market.

"I miss the days in the campus when my friends and I sang together freely. I was happy," she says. "So I have kept this album simple and sing what I like. If the listeners don't like it, it's fine. I believe there will always be some people who will connect with my songs."

Born into a family of the Yi ethnic group in Guizhou, He took to singing when she was just 3. Having participated in various singing contests since childhood, He says that she didn't expect the Super Girl competition to change her life so dramatically.

"Wherever I performed, I was introduced as 'Super Girl He Jie'. I enjoyed the adulation. Even middle-aged mothers knew my name. It felt really good," says He, who was still a student of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music when she joined the competition.

However, her overwhelming success was not easy to handle. Her first album, The Jie, was released right after the competition, and was not as well received as the record company expected. Critics raised doubts about He's talent pointing out that the album's sales did not match that of first albums of other Super Girl winners, such as Li Yuchun and Zhang Liangying. Tabloids had a field day with news of her battle with her weight and rumors of plastic surgery.

Even though He kept up with her singing, dancing and acting schedules, she gradually withdrew from the spotlight.

She left her longtime label, EE-Media, which built up the Super Girl brand, after the disappointing sales of 2007's Not An Angel.

"I didn't really know what to do. But those days without music was very lonely," she recalls.

She reunited with longtime friends at her hometown and began writing songs. Despite the release of her new album in October, her comeback has been rather low profile.

"I may not have as many fans as before but I am fine with that. At least, my name stands alone without the 'Super Girl' appellation and I feel like my life hasn't been in vain," she says. "I am not sure whether I will remain a singer to the end. I may even quit by the time I'm 30. If my new album contributes to uplifting people, it will be great. I don't think I've ever felt this way before."