In the spiritual and material world, Luo Da You is a plain and simple person. What makes him such a genius? What makes his talent shine? What keeps him going at 65? Luo Dao You says that from the day he picked up his pen to write songs at the age of 20, he entered the arena with curiosity and passion. What keeps him creative and productive at in his 50s, 60s and possibly even into his 70s? It’s his curiosity and and passion again. Do you have the curiosity and passion to persevere in your field? Unfortunately, most people are only concerned about earning a living.
Artists like Luo Da You are fortunate. He is fortunate in the sense that his passion brings home the bacon. He is also unfortunate. He is unfortunate in the sense that he is emotionally attached to his work. He can’t put everything down at the studio and go home. The tunes, the melodies, the lyrics continue to haunt him on his way home, at his dinner table, in bed.
I can agree wholeheartedly with Luo Da You that an artist must go through the whole spectrum of emotions, all the ups and downs in life to be able to express feelings that the public can identify with. Whether it’s a song or a piece of writing, Luo is so successful because he puts his soul into his compositions. His lyrics are at once familiar yet unique.
Will Luo Da You become irrelevant one day? At the speed things are moving, his deeply cynical style and social themes aren’t the sort of things that will have today’s youngsters screaming in delight. So what? He is already a legend in the hearts of those in my generation and that before me. When we peter out, his classics may ring hollow in the minds of today’s digital addicts. Will his music ever see a revival? Perhaps not. So what?
That is why he is my greatest influencer.