"Being an artist nowadays is very stressful, and being a human is the same. There are many things that are very frightening, such as saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing."
“There’s nothing you can control.”
"Then you have to accept reality, Eason Chan."
——Trailer for Eason Chan's tour documentary "FEAR and DREAMS: NOW is the only reality"
On August 17th, Bilibili (hereinafter referred to as "B Station") held an offline sharing session in Shanghai for Eason Chan's first domestic documentary, "FEAR and DREAMS: NOW is the only reality." At the event, Eason Chan spoke with the audience about the documentary and the behind-the-scenes stories of this tour.
This documentary is set against the backdrop of Eason Chan's "FEAR and DREAMS" world tour and took seven years to shoot. From behind-the-scenes preparations, team collaboration to stage presentation, it comprehensively records Eason Chan's 180-show global tour and truly shows his mental changes in recent years.
In the Chinese music industry, there aren't many documentaries that cover such a long timeframe, meticulously capturing the many changes and details surrounding a performance and a singer's life experiences. At the sharing session, Eason Chan mentioned that the original intention behind planning this documentary was to tell a story not just about Eason Chan, but about the performances and everything that happens around him.
Eason Chan also made his own choices regarding the film's length. "Actually, when I first saw the first cut, it was an hour and a half long, 20 minutes longer than what you've seen. A lot was cut." Regarding the content, the core message was retained and continued. "No matter what you've been through, in the end, you just keep moving forward."
When asked whether the negative online reviews he saw in the documentary would affect his mood and creativity, Eason Chan admitted, "Generally speaking, I don't feel much when I read comments. My agent was talking about what happened in 2021. At that time, I wasn't on tour and didn't have much work, so you have to have a job so you can have something to rely on. If you have a job or exercise regularly, you won't have any random thoughts. Back then, when I wasn't busy, I would overthink things and put a lot of pressure on myself."
Eason Chan said, "I looked at it again later and found it quite funny. I think that online, you can't control what people write, and it's a very free platform, but you can control how you read the comments. Actually, I don't really know those people; they are strangers. Even if they are acquaintances, they wouldn't use their real names."
Eason Chan's concert in 2024
When asked by fans about the most touching moment during the tour, Eason Chan directly recalled the moment when he was unable to perform due to a loss of voice during the 101st show in Hangzhou last May. He apologized on stage but was met with encouragement from fans. "The most profound moment was the 101st concert in Hangzhou, even though it's a scar. It was a truly apologetic moment. Everyone was there, and I know I've tried not to think about it, but when you feel sorry, you start to think about what some people did, especially getting to Hangzhou and the expenses involved. I'm someone who doesn't like to bother others. Plus, it was brighter that day than it is now, and I wasn't wearing my costume. It was a very profound experience," Eason Chan said. Talking about last year's experience, he said, "I'm still very sorry. I made up for it with six more shows. Hangzhou is still quite popular, so it was great."
Bilibili recently reached an exclusive partnership with Eason Chan, announcing the exclusive release of his tour documentary, "FEAR and DREAMS: NOW is the only reality," on August 23rd. Chan will also be live-streaming the documentary on Bilibili, offering commentary and live commentary. As of press time, Bilibili's live-stream has surpassed 80,000 viewers. A full recap of Eason Chan's "FEAR and DREAMS" concert will also be available on Bilibili on August 25th.
Eason Chan's tour documentary will be released on Bilibili on August 23.
In addition to Shanghai, Bilibili will also host offline film viewing sessions featuring Eason Chan in Beijing, Chengdu, and Shenzhen. Both parties will also launch a series of exclusive music events around this collaboration.
Eason Chan reportedly joined Bilibili in July of this year, actively interacting with fans and celebrity influencers from various circles. His first video, featuring a cover of a popular song by a popular influencer and his own classic emojis, attracted numerous fans to post congratulations in the comment section, and has since amassed over 5.4 million views.
Eason Chan's B station page
In addition, Eason Chan also collaborated with host Lu Yu to release a video podcast on Bilibili, sharing his experiences and insights as a singer over the years. To date, Eason Chan has updated 20 videos on Bilibili, bringing the total number of related secondary creation videos on the site to over 20,000.