Ai Weiwei, The Divine Comedy (2013)

“BEIJING, June 22, 2013 – The Ai Weiwei Studio released Ai Weiwei’s first music album, The Divine Comedy, today to commemorate the second anniversary of his release from an 81-day secret detention.

“The single ‘Dumbass,’ premiered last month along with its music video, is included in the album. The Divine Comedy features six tracks with vocals and lyrics by Ai Weiwei, and music by Zuoxiao Zuzhou. Each song is a different take of Ai’s newfound channel for expression through music. The album includes commentaries on current events (‘Just Climb the Wall,’ ‘Hotel USA’), documentations of real dialogues (‘Chaoyang Park,’ ‘Laoma Tihua‘), and personal reflections (‘Give Tomorrow Back to Me,’ ‘Dumbass’). The full album crosses musical genres with influences from pop, rock, punk and heavy metal, and takes us on a journey through Ai’s experience with the conditions of China.” — Ai Weiwei’s website (last accessed April 18, 2015)

“The Divine Comedy is a Chinese rock album released in June 2013. The album is a collaboration between the artist Ai Weiwei and rock musician Zuoxiao Zuzhou. The album contains protest songs against Chinese government’s censorship and the treatment Ai Weiwei received under custody.”    —Wikipedia

Listen to the album on Spotify.