“What makes listening to music fun is its mystery. You get a loose grasp on what story the music is conveying at a young age, only to fully understand the full intended message behind a few years later.”

For many of us who have grown up listening to the music of Asia’s hit band Mayday, their music holds a special place in our hearts as they carry countless precious memories. Masa, the bassist player of the group, recently launched his new autobiography written in the form of an anthology. In the book, Masa transforms himself into a storyteller of music, unreservedly guiding readers through his most profound memories to explore how music has impacted his life and how he learnt life lessons through music.

A Bassist’s Epiphany

In the book, Masa recounts how most of his classmates chose to play the electric guitar back in the school days, whereas he picked the bass – a decision which is now, in retrospect, life-changing. At no point back then did Masa imagine a career in music. He acknowledges the fact that bassists may not be the most eye-catching player within bands. Yet, they play a crucial role in supporting the melodic rhythm. Masa now realises that the bassists' understated quality coincidently suits his personality and mentality.

Masa’s Ethos on Composition

Masa writes that he is relatively slow in music composition and produces fewer completed scores than other band members. He elaborates on how he is more critical when it comes to "what constitutes as a pleasing melody". Starting to sharpen his way of thinking as a bassist, Masa explains that apart from honing the basic skills, a bassist should take into consideration what every member of the band is musically doing that contributes to their performance in its entirety. Only then can he gain a comprehensive vision of the score and make precise decisions that result in a harmonious melody.

Growth and Enlightenment

Masa and a few band members were originally classmates who joined the school society to become musicians, before forming Mayday with Masa specialising in the bass. As a producer, composer, lyricist, musician, and audience member, Masa explains the person he is today and his internal thinking processes are all shaped by his favourite musical works. As a small boy, Masa was naturally unable to fully grasp the whole message behind some songs. Yet, it is the desire to fully decrypt these hidden meanings that drove him to develop a photographic memory of the lyrics, artistic conceptions, and the behind-the-scenes productions of all his favourite works. As time progressed, these lyrics, books, movies, and music have unknowingly set him on a path of unimaginable growth, enlightening and shaping his worldview on things ranging from romance to the state of the world.

Musical creation has no rules, and what matters are the creator's personal preferences and life experiences. In the book, Masa describes everything from his youth enlightenment by rock music to the explosive growth of Chinese bands and developmental changes in pop music. Following the rhythm within words, readers explore different facets of his musical memory and discover the moments when music shaped Masa's life.

To all Mayday fans and avid readers, Masa’s new book is now available at the eslite bookstore at Hysan Place and on the hy! Online platform. Dive deep into the words and experience for yourself how Masa's belief and passion for music!