A platform for musical learning
The following year, Your Woman Sleep with Others were invited by the GMA organizers to compose the theme song for 2017, which turned out to be “Teens Edge,” a number that plaintively describes the struggles of youth. Through promotion of the event, the band’s music became more widely known. In 2018, several band members had to do their compulsory military service, so they had to stop doing live performances for a while. However, during this hiatus their fame only grew. “When we came out of the military, the world seemed quite different,” they recall.
When the subject of the GMAs comes up it sparks intense discussion among the band members. Bassist Liao Jamine, who competed each year from his first year in university to his fifth, says: “When I was in university I would go watch the competition every year. Especially when I felt useless, I really wanted to know how good other people could be. My favorite part was the preliminary round for solo vocalists, because the rules require them to sing a capella, so you can hear which of the contestants really has talent.”
Lead singer Joshua Chang replies: “Also, even though some people don’t make it to the next round, the music is very interesting.” Speaking with his characteristic calm, drummer Jonathan Feng, who has served on GMA juries, sums up in one sentence what has always been the driving motivation behind the GMAs: “Our mission is to give students who normally don’t have the chance to appear on stage a high-quality stage to perform on.”
The members of Your Woman Sleep with Others feel that the main point of campus musical competitions is not whether you win or lose, but that you can meet like-minded people who also love music. “I often see people who place first or second in the competition go on to form new bands, or enter the next year’s competition in new bands formed by others,” says Liao, describing the competitive yet friendly relationships between participants.
The song “Stable Life, Suffer Exams” by the band Your Woman Sleep with Others really resonated at NCCU, where many people take the civil service examinations. (courtesy of the NCCU GMAs)