Hello everyone, I am Black201.
Today, I want to talk about the topic of Pepoyo.
This issue has been a hot topic in the entire doujin music community for over a month now, and I have been thinking about it for quite a long time. Coincidentally, two years ago, I wrote an article titled "Thoughts Inspired by the Abstract Music Awards," and I have started to have some different views on the points I made in that article.
I originally wanted to directly confront this, but I found that I don't seem to have a tripod on hand and couldn't find an angle to shoot, so I bought a stand to use next time. Therefore, this time you can only read my article.
Many of the points I want to discuss today may differ from what many people expect.
But to preemptively address those who might criticize my article without reading it, let me state my conclusion first.
I think everyone is foolish.
Alright, let's talk about the most controversial point regarding Pepoyo.
Poor Music Quality#
I think the main point that people criticized Pepoyo the most at the beginning is that his musical skills are not good enough.
So, is Pepoyo's music really that bad?
Regarding why his music production level is poor, I think the Yuanxiao video has already discussed it very clearly, so I won't elaborate further.
Most of his songs are indeed quite bad.
However, I don't think this is a reason for him to be disqualified as a creator, nor does it mean that his creations lack value.
How should I put it? I personally don't like many of his songs.
But to say something good about him, his creations are still quite complete, and he is also responsible for the drawing of the PV for his songs. Although some of them are indeed quite rudimentary, it is still impressive for someone who is still learning these two skills.
Moreover, I also think some of his songs, like "Euthanasia," are quite catchy. If you search for it, you'll find that I made a post about "Euthanasia" two years ago.
Even if you say you can't agree with any of this,
Let's imagine this scenario: suppose there is a person who has just started learning music production, and he releases his first song on his video account.
Unexpectedly, after he releases it, the song goes viral.
However, he didn't intend to refine his music works, so when he releases other works, people start saying his songs are trash and his production level is poor.
Is this the creator's fault?
Of course, some might say that a good creator should take others' opinions into account, but you will find that many great creators also don't like others giving them feedback; I won't provide specific examples.
Of course, you can also oppose the viewpoint I mentioned above, but at least we can reach a consensus that there is nothing wrong with sharing one's imperfect work on video platforms and streaming platforms.
Whether a person's work is trash or not is a separate issue from whether they should create or gain popularity.
I have noticed that many of those who raise this point are domestic music creators who feel that since this person writes such bad songs, why does he have so many fans? They think he is undeserving of his position.
If we were to expand on this topic, it would take about half an hour, so I'll briefly share my views.
I have always believed that a creator's success is due to multiple factors.
And Pepoyo's works have indeed touched the hearts of many people. I have seen many comments saying that Pepoyo has brought them comfort and resonated with them.
Although I can't understand his music, there are indeed people who understand it, and in that sense, he is quite successful, isn't he?
But I still want to emphasize that a person's skill level and the number of fans they have as a music creator are not necessarily related.
If a person's fan count represents their music creation ability, then the best songwriter on Bilibili should be Luo Xiang.
Stop, stop, stop. If you're a friend who thinks I'm trying to speak up for Pepoyo, I have said that I believe many people's viewpoints are wrong in this article, so you can continue reading.
Moreover, if you ask me whether Pepoyo's works are good, I actually think they are quite trashy.
OD, Self-Harm, and Sexual Implications#
The second point of controversy is that he has many lyrics in his music related to OD, self-harm, and some sexual implications.
But this isn't really a big deal; dark themes have been around since the emergence of Shuli Kou, and sexual implications go without saying.
I think if someone wants to express these things in their music, it is a form of creative freedom. Moreover, if this aligns with the laws of the country where the music is produced, it is not something particularly worth criticizing.
However, when this point is combined with the next one, things become very different.
Underage Fans#
The whole incident started when a mother discovered that her 11-year-old daughter was listening to Pepoyo's music, and she posted a video asking the relevant platform to ban Pepoyo's music.
I see that many people on Bilibili think this mother can't manage her child and that others are just giant babies.
Although this parent is somewhat extreme, if we really think about this issue,
Would you really want an 11-year-old girl to be exposed to music about suicide and drug abuse?
Is this really a good thing?
I think no matter how precocious children are, at 11 years old, they are probably in the third or fourth grade of elementary school, and these kids may not even have hit puberty yet.
If you don't agree that these things can influence their subconscious or their way of thinking, I think you should read more books, right?
What can a mother do? The only thing she can do is to ask the platform to ban this music, and that is all she can do.
Pepoyo's music and his works have attracted many minors, and I think this is an undeniable fact.
Even Pepoyo himself has mentioned on his Twitter that he knows he has gained many underage fans in the past two years.
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I previously opened restricted access on YouTube.
Then I searched for some of his songs, like "Euthanasia," and those with relatively negative or violent lyrics.
I found that those songs indeed have a label indicating they are not suitable for children, and Spotify also has a label indicating they are not suitable for minors.
However, Pepoyo's Twitter also has many topics related to OD, death, and sexuality.
He has also clearly stated that he knows he has gained many underage fans in the past two years.
So, this still means that he is exposing these minors to inappropriate information.
Moreover, platforms like Bilibili and NetEase Cloud basically have no restrictions related to minors.
You are still uploading this music knowing that you have many underage fans.
I can't help but wonder what you are doing. When these things can be searched by minors, how can you expect parents to manage their children? Isn't that a bit too much to ask?
(Of course, Bilibili has a youth mode that can limit some searches, but platforms like NetEase Cloud have no way to restrict playback content and should have some limitations.)
Moreover, Bilibili is a profit-making platform, so he is profiting from his underage fans.
If you upload content unsuitable for minors on a platform without strict age restrictions and then get criticized, I can only say you somewhat deserve it.
Some people say Pepoyo has depression and use mental instability as an excuse.
However, as a public figure, these things are your responsibility. Unless you are currently incapacitated, then it is the responsibility of your guardian or management company.
Clearly, this is not the latter situation, so I believe you should take on the responsibilities of a public figure.
So overall, my suggestion is that Pepoyo can temporarily withdraw from these domestic platforms and set an age restriction for access on Twitter. He should post an announcement stating that he has noticed many underage fans following him and that he hopes these fans will come back to appreciate his music when they grow up.
I don't think anyone would criticize you; in fact, everyone would say you are responsible and accountable.
Of course, I see that Pepoyo seems to be considering whether to continue being active on these domestic platforms, and I think that is quite good.
So this is my view on the entire incident. If you have different opinions,
I believe many people might have them.
I hope you won't argue but rather discuss it nicely in the comments.
See you next time.
Bye-bye.
Also, I think the drawings he made are quite cute.