Life Is A Concept, Invent Yours Your Way - On 10 Years of Voice in Panda (熊猫出没乐团)

Rock band Voice in Panda (熊猫出没乐团) is unique in many ways. They have been active for years, but few know who they are, even though some of their songs have been performed hundreds of times. As their new single One Life (命) drops, let’s celebrate their 10th anniversary and uncover the stories behind their journey.

Formed in 2011, members of Voice in Panda were Chinese expats based in Australia, either studying in uni or had just graduated. Living overseas alone could be challenging, but the passion for music, particularly rock ’n’ roll, brought them together. The strong sense of belonging was an unstoppable force that sparked their creativity, contributing to the writing of some of their most popular numbers such as Snow in Sydney.

A few years later, as members had entered new phases in life, their paths started to divert. While career development became priority for some, others made decision to relocate in another city. Artistic differences also led to members leaving the group to form bands of their own. Fortunately, their performances in the past had won them many fans and some even applied to join the band. As time go by, although there were old members leaving the band every couple of years, Voice in Panda never stopped getting booked for gigs as new blood were able to fill in.

Over the years, dozens of musicians have joined and left Voice in panda, only one today is the original member of the band.

These musicians all have different backgrounds, and the composition of the band is even more diversified than ever: they are wedding MCs, IT professionals, academics and college students; they age between early 20s and mid 40s; they also speak different languages. Nevertheless, what they all have in common is that they’ve always stayed true to themselves, making life the one journey they will not regret.

Looking at Voice in Panda, it almost doesn’t make sense as a band. The members are always changing, the band is not professionally represented, and even though they have performed dozens of their original songs on stage, you rarely see them get formally produced and released. As mystic as their name sounds, the band appears to be more like a concept.

Many songs from Voice in Panda reflect on the meaning of life, what it means to be alive and why we live the way we do. In those songs there is a combination of questioning, sadness and anger, but what comes after is hope. The presence of positivity is hidden in the emotions and lyrics, you will just need to look on the bright side and find it.

For centuries, scientists and philosophers have failed to give a clear definition of life, even Gerald Joyce - the researcher who helped NASA come up with the working definition of life - agrees that it’s perfect to argue that life is a concept we invented. If the smartest people on the planet cannot draw a clear line that separate the living from the inanimate, does it matter how anything should be defined? If our understanding of the world and the universe is just one of many possibilities, why should anyone let others to decide what their life could look like? Isn’t reality just what we perceive it to be?

With all these questions in mind, seeking answers to anything seems unnecessary. Perhaps when we talk about the meaning of life, it’s never about finding it, but inventing it.

Every now and then, we fall into a non-existing spiral for a moment hoping to figure out the ultimate answer. While the conclusion is blurry, every step forward is one step closer. One day, if someone ever manages to reach it, who knows if it’s just a mirror reflecting all the way back to the beginning.

Ten years of Voice in Panda have seen many lives come across each other. Every rehearsal, every song, every live show, connecting all the paths in time and space, it’s a concept that explores and inspires. When it’s no longer making noises, what do you hear, what do you see?

Over the last decade, while Voice in Panda have performed at hundreds of shows, they have only released a few demos of their original songs. One Life (命) - Single is their first professionally-produced release.