Blood Lotus’ “Middle Of The Night” transforms traditional Asian music into an expansive mélange

“The process of listening is really such a profound act, as it requires an attentiveness,” says Blood Lotus (aka Hannah Wu). Analysing, engaging, and listening to music with intent appears to be the backbone of her artistic journey. On “Middle Of The Night”, she puts forth a multi-genre approach to the concept of Asia-futurism: electronic, avant-pop and R&B. The song, and its accompanying video, places itself into a larger picture of exploring the coalescing relationship between traditional music histories with contemporary electronic music.

“Middle Of The Night” is a breakup song at its core, tracking the conflict between letting go or returning to a relationship that’s reached a clear end. The music video, directed by David Tse with inspiration from Asian new wave cinema, reflects the emotional outpour felt in the hotel room Wu wrote the song in. Transposing pentatonic scales from musical histories across Asia into vocal melodies suitable for an electronic palette, and playing the guzheng – a traditional Chinese plucked instrument – turned an emotionally rich breakup story into a love letter to Wu’s relationship with her heritage.

Spending her childhood between New Zealand and China, subsequently living across Australia, Taiwan, and China throughout the album writing process, feels like a physical manifestation of Wu’s interest in translating ideas from culture to culture. Her continuously evolving understanding of how new artistic forms are developed from tradition bleeds directly into the music she produces. “I’ve been fascinated by the possibilities of expanding music genres through this method of composition, and I think it’s offered me new perspectives on how to reinvent tradition,” she explains. “Traditions and cultures are never static; they’re always in a process of collision with others.”

While Wu’s parents were avid listeners of classic Chinese opera and Asian folk, she recalls fond memories of listening to an array of genres; ranging from pop, R&B, hip-hop, ambient and experimental electronic as she grew into young adulthood. Living in Asia later down the line unleashed a whole new perspective on music and its possibilities. “I started listening to a lot of underground Asian Club music, like Tzusing, 33EMYBW, Howie Lee, Sonia Calico, Mueko Mueko, DJ Love,” she lists. “I was so excited and inspired by these artists as they represented a version of alternative Asian culture that felt really innovative. They blended traditional temple instruments, folk song samples, recordings of old farm choirs to heavy EDM beats.”

Wu’s diverse taste opens her world creatively and collaboratively, forming strengthened bonds with Middle Of The Night producers Voidhood and Kuya Neil. In constructing her world that bridges past, present and future with intentional collaboration, she finds the transformative potential of loss to be an overarching message of the album’s title track. “The loss of someone opens up the space in our lives to experience something else entirely new. It’s something I think about a lot; how our capacity for joy is only as much as our capacity for grief.”

Her light-hearted, grounded demeanor comes forward, as she manifests the new experiences, connections, and opportunities Middle Of The Night – the track and album – will reveal to her. “Life is short, precious and fleeting, so you need to live it to the fullest… yolo swag and go do the things that are meaningful to you, because you never know what the future holds.”