JACKSON WANG IS DIRECTING HIS OWN STORY— QUITE LITERALLY

THE ARTIST, DIRECTOR, AND INDEPENDENT FORCE GETS CANDID ABOUT FINDING MEANING IN MOVEMENT, COLLABORATING WITH DILJIT DOSANJH, AND WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO LOVE AND PROTECT YOURSELF

- By PEONY HIRWANI

It's early evening in Mumbai, and Jackson Wang has spent the day fielding questions from pretty much every news organization in the country when we meet. Yet, his energy is infectious. “I want to just meet people, be in the community, be in the market, just smell, feel, look,” he says, grinning. “I want to do that. So that's why... also, what is the nightlife here?”

This isn't the Jackson Wang fans may be used to seeing on stage or in tightly choreographed music videos. Over the course of our conversation, the multi-hyphenate artist peels back the many layers of his life: the creative control he craves, the burden of being an independent artist, the emotional weight behind his new music, and the moments of humanity he clings to amid global fame.

Wang has long been known for his visuals and polished production style, but it turns out most of those have come straight from his own brain. “I shoot everything myself. All the videos that I have in my solo career—the majority of them—I direct myself. I write the treatment, I write the script, the entire thing,” he explains.

It's a deliberate process. Wang doesn't simply direct because he wants control—he does it because he feels there are few people who truly understand his vision. “Especially when you're doing something unique, it's never really been done. So to me, it's not about the best director or the most famous director. I think it's more about the right one.”