By: CHRIS KAUFMAN
In today’s music world, diversity and innovation are the keys to an artist’s success. Against this backdrop of challenges and opportunities, the band “Schoolgirl byebye,” co-founded by Yue Yang and Mengsu Xu, demonstrates how to blend personal experiences with a variety of musical styles to create a unique form of art.
Today, We’re super-excited to be speaking today with acclaimed band “Schoolgirl byebye.” Before we dive into the well-known whirlwind of questions, could each of you greet our curious audience and introduce yourselves?
Hello, everyone! The main members of “Schoolgirl byebye” are the lead vocalist/guitarist Yue Yang and drummer Mengsu Xu.
Could you share how your meeting and the founding of “Schoolgirl byebye” have shaped the band’s musical direction and philosophy?
Our music has always been evolving, following a clear trajectory. minimalism,melodiousness, and naturalness,and we have to expand the meaning of creation to the limit, not only playing, records, album covers, music videos, but also everyday life, I want to bring my own experience and other people’s hearts together into a whole world.we’ve continued to explore new sounds, structures, and rhythms within the framework of Indie POP. We like DIY and strive to create music that resonates with ordinary people.
Your music has transitioned from domestic to international stages. What challenges have you encountered in this process, and how have you overcome them?
Moving from the domestic to the international stage was indeed a challenge. Firstly, I don’t adhere to a traditional concept of “home”; I believe music beyond language, race, country .
Like in Boston, someone described our song “Blue Night,” which is entirely in Chinese, with a sense of nostalgia, proving that language doesn’t impede understanding. However, our recent EP “Lunch poem” contains five English songs, because the poem was born during lunch. I believe these songs will provide a familiar yet fresh Vibe, better conveying our openness and potential. Therefore, for us, going international is both a challenge and an opportunity to open ourselves up.
Our collaboration with the American band Inner Wave on the single “Automatic” was a huge success. Is there a story behind this collaboration? How did you decide to work together?
Pablo, a core member of Inner Wave, We met each other in 2023 ,Los Angeles. I remember that winter, My agent told me about them, it’s then I listened to them on Spotify.I love it. So we contacted him on Instagram, and he warmly invited us to his home. Of course we did, we drove to his home which is very close to the airport, I remember I was sitting on his couch, and chatting until his band members came to him. One night after we met, I sent Demo to him and he quickly selected one, which was actually my favorite also, and it became “Automatic ” naturally. Soon they came to China make a tour and we were excited to play with Inner Wave in Shanghai and Guangzhou. When I toured the U.S. at the end of 2023, we met up again. It seems it was fate. All in all,I really appreciate their music and certainly learned a lot.
Schoolgirl byebye has quickly risen to become a significant force in the indie music scene. What do you think contributed to this success?
Every band wants to be lucky, and so do we. You know,I wrote a song called “love lust luck,” and it said, ” I hope I’m the lucky one ” .Truly, it was just a bit of luck let people know about us. But this doesn’t mean we did nothing; you know, we are a couple, and we spent a lot of time together, thinking,maybe doing, or creating somethings. I believe it’s this close relationship that allows us to achieve something. We often joke that no band dies from being unlistenable,but die from bad relationship.Like members leaving, the breakdown of companionship or love, or simply different musical thoughts. If we can be nice to each other, nothing’s gonna stop us, I mean , luck is important, but so are relationships.
In just a few years, you’ve released 16 studio albums and achieved recognition on various music charts. How does the band maintain innovation and quality with such prolific output?
I simply needed sparks, friends and new chances,so I collaborating with different musicians, like songwriting camps organized by Universal Music Publishing Group. They regularly invite musicians from different fields and genres to improvise together. We’ve made friends through these camps, including rappers, models, and other bands. Besides ,We are always paying attention to new bands abroad, and musicians from different regions, even if we haven’t met. I was trying to make something new and of course I wouldn’t stop listening.
Facing the upcoming new round of tours in Asia and Europe, what are your expectations? What bigger dreams and plans does the band have for the future?
We look forward to the European tour, hope to see more local fans, just like in the U.S. You know, diversity. See,we are not just a band from China, but also an Indie POP band worldwide. Music without borders, we can break down racial barriers. And,in my heart I believe the magic of music,I do have a belief in music.
