到底要具備什麼樣的條件，才能成為登上 The First Take 的臺灣第一人？金曲才子韋禮安只是謙虛地將一切歸功於團隊，「我真的很幸運，剛好有〈如果可以〉這首歌，日方看到成績還不錯。」截至2025年9月，這首歌在 Spotify 的播放次數與 YouTube MV 觀看次數皆已破億，亦推出日語和韓語版。
累積了如此的迴響後，韋禮安並沒有選擇安於現狀，反而持續挑戰自我。近期，他初嘗 Newtro（新復古）風格，推出新 EP《LOVE WEI BACK Vol.1》，並延伸打造更龐大的「韋宇宙」。而要如何讓自己的宇宙與其他世界接軌呢？他向我們透露自己跨國合作的心法：「以『成』為最高宗旨。」
2025年初，韋禮安與 SUPER JUNIOR 成員東海合作推出中文歌曲〈最好的朋友〉。兩人外貌的高度相似早已是粉絲間流傳許久的話題，如今真的合體，瞬間掀起熱烈討論。而要促成這場夢幻合作並不容易，除了平時不斷儲備的努力，「天時地利人和」也是不可或缺的因素。
其實雙方團隊的人員原本就認識，但大概過了一年，正好遇上東海推出中文歌曲的計畫，才終於促成〈最好的朋友〉的誕生。「合作方式有很多種：要不要兩人一起和寫呢？還是由我寫，邀他來唱？更不用說版權、發行的細節。」韋禮安說，跨國合作最大的挑戰就是「溝通」，傳話過程誤會、翻譯詞不達意都是可能發生的狀況，因此中間也來回溝通許久。韋禮安慶幸自己有個出色的團隊推進一切，「因為我覺得這是一個很難得的機會，所以一定要往『能成功』的方向前進。我必須說我的團隊非常給力，很謝謝他們。」
除了詞曲，韋禮安也包辦〈最好的朋友〉的製作與配唱，與東海的初次見面，就是飛到韓國幫東海配唱之時，「我前一天晚上還睡不著，非常非常緊張。面對這種國際合作，我心裡會告訴自己：『絕對不能漏氣啊！』所以就是要把自己準備好，並把拿出最好的樣貌。」
登上 The First Take 的經歷，縱然令人稱羨，但也讓韋禮安更深刻體會到國際合作的重量，「日本人做事一向嚴謹、講究，加上我又是代表臺灣，所以更要盯緊自己，讓對方也感受到我很 respect、認真看待這件事。」
也因為對自我的高度要求，他在錄影前絲毫不敢鬆懈。即使人已到日本、身在攝影棚內，韋禮安仍把握空檔與歌唱老師線上連線，反覆進行開嗓練習。
即使已和這麼多海外藝人合作，談到跨國合作的建議時，韋禮安依舊謙遜，「我覺得這題真的很難，說老實話，我也還在摸索，因為這沒有一套固定公式。」他始終相信「用作品說話」是不變的真理，「和不同藝人合作會產生很多變數，唯一可以控制的，就是自己的能力。只能告訴自己要不斷精進、不斷打磨作品。即使名氣不夠響亮，優秀的作品還是會打動國際音樂人。」
韋禮安形容，跨國合作就像打「大聯盟」——「大聯盟不會在意你從哪裡來，只看你的能力夠不夠強。」他以落日飛車與 HYUKOH 的合作為例，「落日飛車他們的技巧一定沒話講，你一定至少要有那樣的 skill。」如果能力不夠，那就在「牛棚」繼續磨練，直到能真正站上大聯盟。「demo、詞曲等都要準備好，我現在也在想辦法繼續加強。這幾次的合作，其實也讓我看到自己還有很多不足與需要提升的地方。」
他也強調，如果真的想和國際音樂人交流，就得不斷嘗試、不要放棄。「像最笨的方法就是直接在 IG 私訊：『我真的很喜歡你的音樂，有沒有機會和你合作呢？』也許寄一百封沒人回，但寄一千封呢？或許就有機會。」韋禮安緩緩地說：「最終，一切都還是回到自我的不斷修煉。」
將作品打磨到最精緻、隨時保持在最佳狀態，是韋禮安對自己的基本要求。他也提醒，跨國合作並非每一次都能成真，「要做好可能不會成的心理準備，但還是要不斷許願。因為你不許願，就沒有人會和你一起完成願望。」
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What does it take to become the first Taiwanese artist to appear on the famous Japanese YouTube channel The First Take?
Golden Melody Award-winning singer-songwriter Weibird (韋禮安) humbly gave all the credits to his team: “I was fortunate. It just so happened that I had the song ‘Red Scarf (如果可以)’, and the Japanese side recognized its success.” As of September 2025, the song has surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and 100 million views on YouTube. Additionally, he has released Japanese and Korean versions of it.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Weibird has continued to challenge himself. Recently, he explored the Newtro style in his latest EP “LOVE WEI BACK Vol. 1”, expanding what he calls his growing “Wei-verse.” When asked how he hopes to connect his universe with others, he revealed his guiding principle for international collaborations: “The ultimate goal is always to make it happen.”
In early 2025, Weibird released “Best Friend (最好的朋友),” a Mandarin-language single featuring DONGHAE of the famous K-pop group SUPER JUNIOR. Fans had long remarked on their strikingly similar looks, and when the two finally came together, the collaboration generated massive buzz instantly. But making it happen wasn’t easy. Beyond years of preparation and hard work, Weibird says it required the right “time, place, and people.”
The two teams had known each other for some time, but it took nearly a year for everything to align with DONGHAE’s plan to release a Mandarin song, which ultimately led to the creation of “Best Friend.”
“There were so many ways we could have done it: should we co-write together? Should I write and invite him to sing? Not to mention all the copyright and release details,” Weibird explained. “The biggest challenge in international collaborations is communication. Misunderstandings can easily occur in translation, so it requires extensive back-and-forth communication. I’m grateful to have had such a strong team pushing things forward. Because this was such a rare opportunity, we had to seize it. I couldn’t thank my team enough.”
Beyond writing the lyrics and composing, Weibird also produced and vocal-directed “Best Friend”. Their first meeting was actually in Korea at the recording session. “I couldn’t sleep the night before. I was so nervous. With these kinds of international collaborations, I always remind myself: ‘You can’t mess this up.’ So I need to be fully prepared and present my best self.”
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Appearing on The First Take is a career milestone many artists dream of, but for Weibird, it was also a lesson in the weight of international collaborations. “The Japanese are very precise and detail-oriented. And since I was the first Taiwanese to be on it, I had to hold myself to the highest standards and show them my respect and seriousness.”
Determined to meet his own high standards, Weibird didn’t allow himself a moment of slack. Even in Japan, right inside the studio, he used every spare moment to connect online with his vocal coach for warm-ups.
Despite this experience, Weibird remains humble when offering advice on international collaboration: “Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. There’s no fixed formula.” But he does believe in one thing: “Let your work speak. With different artists, there will always be variables. The only thing you can control is your own ability. Therefore, you must continually improve and refine your work. Even if you’re not a big name yet, a great song can still move international musicians.”
He compares international collaboration to playing in the Major Leagues: “They don’t care where you come from, what matters is whether you have the ability.” Citing Sunset Rollercoaster’s (落日飛車) collaboration with Korean band HYUKOH as an example, he added: “Sunset Rollercoaster’s skills are undeniable. You have to be at that level at least. If you’re not there yet, continue training in the bullpen until you’re ready. Your demos, your songs, everything has to be prepared. I’m still working on improving myself, and every collaboration shows me where I still fall short.”
He also stresses persistence: “If you really want to work with international artists, you just have to keep trying and never give up. The simplest way is to DM them on Instagram: ‘I really love your music. Would you like to collaborate?’ Maybe you’ll get ignored a hundred times. But if you send a thousand, maybe you’ll get THAT ONE CHANCE.” Weibird concluded, “At the end of the day, it’s about always going back to yourself and keeping up the practice.“
Polishing his work to perfection and staying ready at all times—that’s Weibird’s baseline for himself. He also reminds us that not every collaboration will come true: “You have to be prepared that some might not happen. But you should still keep making wishes. If you don’t, no one will help you make them come true.”
