Highlights from Zhangjing’s 988FM interview
Listen here! English subs coming soon!
he hasn’t been home in one and a half years
saw his mum and younger sister when they went to the finale but hasn’t seen his dad
mc mentions food and laughs because zhangjing’s eyes suddenly lit up (“are you salivating??”)
studied bookkeeping accounting but in the end he still really wanted to do music so he left for china
before participating in idol producer he was signed with banana
was recommended to audition for banana by his university professor
banana was intending to debut trainee18 but iqiyi opened up auditions for idol producer so they all ended up auditioning
he wanted the centre position in <what i miss> because he was the most confident in vocals
cantonese segment!!
q: what was it like having cameras around you 24/7 during idol producer?
zj: after a while you get used to it
interviewer: don’t you guys hide in the toilet to talk about stuff sometimes?
zj: ????
interviewer: bufan said that he goes to the toilet to discuss things when he doesn’t want anyone to listen
zj: omg i never knew
q: if you could change something in the four months of idol producer, what would you change?
zj: even though the road was not smooth, the process resulted in where i am now so i have no regrets, there isn’t anything i would change
zj: but also i miss them a lot
started sighing the week before the first eliminations and got emotional beforehand so that when it came down to jingzuo, maotong, ruotian and zhixie getting eliminated he was calmer
q: why did you change your fandom name?
zj: i originally wanted ‘fried dough sticks’ (youtiao) or ‘life buoys’ (you yong quan) but i preferred to ‘freestyle’ it and call them whatever came to my mind at the moment (more sincere)
but the company didn’t like that so they fixed ‘grapefruit’ for him
calling them 尤宝妹 was a slip of tongue but it stuck
interviewer: but what about your male fans?
zj: (laughing) 宝弟
prefers this because it seems more personal than grapefruits
q: who lives with who now? what’s the dorming situation like?
zj: we decided backstage after the finale with scissors paper stone but in the end we went with this:
1k in one room, yuehua in one room, banana in one room and nongnong & xiao gui in one room
interviewer: is it really random or is it fate?
q: what do you save their numbers as on wechat?
zj: i save them by “idol producer” and then their name
interviewer: like the full name “chen linong”?
zj: no, like “nongnong”
q: are you used to the idol life now?
zj: no, i’m not used to being recognised everywhere and on the road - i still get shocked sometimes that i can be recognised
q: is it more tiring?
zj: yeah i used to be an insomniac but after being in idol producer i can now sleep everywhere
zj: we’re so busy with photoshoots now that when it comes around to rehearsals and actual stages i enjoy it more because that’s when i can sing
[t/n: iqiyi,,,, :~)]
q: back to <what i miss>, why did you pick it?
zj: i liked the song since i was in sophomore year - when i sang it in class, my teacher cried and i got a shock
q: do you cry easily?
zj: i do get emotional easily
q: in your group (*did not specify if it was trainee18 or nine percent)
zj: everyone cries together and laughs together but lin chaoze cries the easiest
zj: you couldn’t see it on camera but when jolin tsai appeared, chaoze started crying
[t/n: he took ‘group’ to mean trainee18,,,, my banana heart!!!!]
q: speaking of jolin tsai, your favourite singers tend to be female? do you prefer beyonce or jj lin?
zj: jj lin, because he writes romantic songs and ballads
q: your variety sense seems to be quite strong, are you planning to go into variety?
zj: no i’m not so good alone, i’m better with other people
interviewer: better than bufan?
zj: sorry bufan! (laughs)
q: do you see what fans send you on weibo or instagram and reply to fans?
zj: i’ll look but i can’t reply
zj: even if i don’t see it the staff will see it and tell me some highlights
zj: my stans photoshop me into a lot of weird things and memes??
q: what is the most cheesy thing you’ve said so far?
zj: “i love you” (laughs) when i say it i still get embarrassed even though i mean it
q: do your family members get scared because of your fame?
zj: idk, i’ve never asked before
his mum is in the station with him!!! she nodded yes
q: is your sister a lot like you? someone mentioned before that you talking with your younger sister is like two you zhangjings talking
zj: my sister is a lot like me but happier and more open
q: for those with exams now, can you say something to them?
zj: of course i have to say good luck but also please focus on your studies, don’t look too much at other things
[t/n: wow i’m ?? called out asjdfhak]
q: is there any chance of nine percent coming to malaysia?
zj: at the moment no, we’re still in the planning stages and the staff haven’t mentioned anything about it
zj: but i do want to come back and host a solo fan meeting! hopefully that’s after I come out with a few of my solo works
q: what would you do if a tone-deaf person came up to you and asked you to help them to sing?
zj: i’d sit down at a piano with them and ask them to hum the notes with me
zj: once you spend enough time with them they’ll end up knowing how to sing
q: what do you feel when the fans say you’re getting cuter and cuter?
zj: i prefer to be called handsome but i also like being called cute (laughs)
q: what do you like to eat when you’re hungry in between meals? snacks?
zj: instant noodles (laughs)
interviewer: isn’t that the worst of all?
zj: right? but nongnong is really good at making instant noodles, he calls himself the master of instant noodles! and he makes them in front of me too.
zj: in nine percent, nongnong is the one in charge of my diet… yanjun is too, to some extent.
interviewer: a lot of fans want to tell you to diet healthily, to stay healthy is the most important thing
q: so is there anything you want to say to malaysian fans?
zj: thank you for receiving me so passionately, i’ve really felt the love
zj: to all my fans, you’ve suffered more than i have - to all my activities you always reach there before i do and you always give your all
zj: but sometimes due to the schedule being too busy, i can’t express my thanks properly - i’m still learning how to be an idol and how to treat my fans
zj: even at this stage i’m still really indebted to my fans because they let me debut
q: what would you tell yourself from five years ago?
zj: you made the right decision!
q: yourself five years in the future?
zj: i’ll do my best to do what i can do
zj: but also hi, are you thinner now?
