Cover Story: Moments of Magic with Jackson Wang
Even while on a world tour with rigorous demands, Jackson Wang is always ready with more than a few tricks up his sleeve. The artist speaks to L’OFFICIEL SINGAPORE about his recent Coachella stages, his upcoming F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023 appearance, and what he’s going to completely captivate us with next
It’s all or nothing for Jackson Wang. Case in point: This year, it’s truly been full steam ahead for the artist. Earlier in January, the multi-hyphenate was declared a house ambassador for Louis Vuitton. The singer’s “MAGIC MAN” World Tour brought Wang to London and Paris, and he has since held audiences in North America spellbound. Never content with just acing one thing at a time, Wang has delivered other-worldly moments even while on tour — the entertainer returned to Coachella last month with solo stages, and released Slow, a scorching single with R&B icon Ciara.
This year, you returned to Coachella with solo stages. Congratulations! How did you enjoy the stages and what was different this time around?
I’m very honoured to have been invited by Coachella to do a full set on my own and it’s a full show of 50 to 55 minutes. Compared to last year, where we had a 10-minute set, we had a complete set this year. There was pressure but I wasn’t really nervous. I was more excited about my show rather than thinking “it’s Coachella”. And of course, it’s big but for me, whether there are 20 people, 200 people, or 2,000 people, I’m always excited to perform. And I’m always excited to entertain and put on a show the best I can for all of the audience.
It’s also hard because I’m on my world tour now — I’m in the middle of it. It started last year and it ends next February. I have my set list and it’s constantly changing according to the songs that I release. I have to completely flip that and make a new show for Coachella. That was the hardest part — different interludes, and a different story. During the tour, the shows are in arenas and in indoor venues. The way I would see it is that for the tour, it’s almost as if the audience is watching a movie. For a festival: To me, it feels like you’re sprinting a full marathon. You just need to drop bombs after bombs to keep up the hype.
For the next two months, you’re taking the “MAGIC MAN” experience to North and South America. What are you looking forward to most?
Everywhere I go on the tour, I want to entertain and make sure that the crowd is having a good time for two and a half or three hours. And also for them to take away some thoughts — not just pure entertainment. That’s all I want for them. They all have their own lives — some are students; they work in different industries. I just want to share my thoughts with them, and to remind them about the vision for “MAGIC MAN”, which is always about finding your magic. To find your standard of happiness and satisfaction. [The tour] is an opportunity to entertain and spread the message.
It’s only May, and it’s been an incredibly busy year for you. In January, Louis Vuitton announced that you’re a house ambassador. You’ve since played Coachella and are about to about to embark on your tour of North and South America. How do you like to relax while you’re on the road, and is there anything you’re doing differently this year?
For me and my team, we never really have time to relax. We’ve been on the road since February last year. Most of the time, we’re staying in hotels and that’s our life. What’s funny is that recently, I’ve been having conversations with my team, and thinking: “Hey, we need some time to recharge and get inspired”. To just take a break for a week. And a week isn’t going to change much. But back in the day, we were super workaholic and we were not even taking one day of rest. We just keep going and going to a point that we feel a little burnt out recently. I would want to recharge a little bit, learn and elevate, and to see different things.
What are your plans after the world tour?
[The tour] is on until February next year. We have my album, MAGIC MAN 2 coming out and that has 10 to 15 songs. I’m preparing for that and taking the time to get into music only. I feel like it’s been a challenge against time when we deal with our projects. To really spend time on one project — I’m hoping to do that.
Speaking of Louis Vuitton, could you share a memory involving the brand?
I think the first time that I officially met the whole family of the house of Louis Vuitton was at Paris Fashion Week. First of all, it was an honour and a very good experience. The thing I’m looking for when I work with a brand — at the end of the day, it might seem like a commercial thing, but we get to have a relationship and a bond as humans. That’s what we’re looking for and we were able to experience that in Paris.
The last time you were in Singapore was just before 2023 started. Formula 1 has officially announced that you are a performance guest for the competition...
I can’t wait to go to Singapore again. I love Singapore.
Editor-in-Chief IAN LEE
Photography JEREMY CHOH / SEE MANAGEMENT
Fashion Editor FELIX WOEI
Styling BENJAMIN HOLTROP / THE WALL GROUP
Hair WANYEONG PARK
Grooming ANAIS JUNGHA KIM
Digital Tech DORIAN QI
Photography assistants CHIR YAN LIM & BRENDA PALENCIA
Videography BRANNON GEE / CM AGENCY + PRODUCTIONS
On-setproduction KENNY WANG
Location HUBBLE STUDIOS LA
