The Logic of Melody: COX SOUNDTRACK Founder Guo Shiyi on Music, Philosophy, and the AI Revolution

與「郭時伊」暢談音樂哲學：COX SOUNDTRACK 创始人，《剥茧 The Truth Within》原聲帶背後的創意靈魂

在北京繁華市中心一間格調現代的寧靜咖啡館裡，喧囂的都市節奏在窗外奔流不息。郭時伊（Guo Shiyi）——業界人稱「Monkey」——輕輕隨著耳機中流淌的旋律敲擊手指。她的手中捧著一本筆記本，裡面密密麻麻地記滿了結構清晰的構思、哲學思辨，以及剛剛凝結而成的歌詞。

這位氣質酷颯的女子，早已身兼多職：歌手、詞曲作者、編劇，以及提供影視音樂全方位製作服務的 COX SOUNDTRACK 创始人。

她並非音樂科班出身，也從未聘請專人指導，而是憑藉敏銳的觀察、反覆的練習與自學之路，逐步創立自己的公司，成為中國影視音樂產業的重要力量，創作出令人驚豔的多元作品。

還記得《乘風破浪的姐姐》第一季嗎？她正是為藍盈莹量身打造並編排了舞台表演《皮囊》《别找我麻烦》的幕後舞台及音乐设计。这两場表演點燃全場，征服了全國觀眾。

此外，她還負責監製多部知名影視劇、廣告與系列作品的原聲帶，包括懸疑劇《剥茧 The Truth Within》、犯罪劇《有罪之身 The Guilty》，以及（COX 参与部分配乐创作的）最新爆款黑色幽默犯罪喜劇《低智商犯罪 Born with Luck》，目前正於多國人氣榜上穩步攀升。音樂之外，她也跨界嘗試電影創，创建了 AIGC 厂牌 XIST，運用 AI 技術打造短片《钳秦攻勢》，不僅入圍大型創意平台評選，更榮獲「最佳 AI 創意短片」銅獎。這些耀眼成就，不僅為 Monkey 與她的團隊開拓了更廣闊的道路，也為全球音樂與電影產業注入了新的標準與可能。

為慶祝懸疑劇《The Truth Within》（中文名：《剥茧》）即將回歸，由 True Asian More (True Visions 239 頻道）於 6 月 21 日晚 19:00 播出，我們特別邀請這位傑出藝術家，與大家深入分享她的成長故事、創作理念，和敏銳洞見。

Q：能否分享一下您的童年經歷？您大學主修音樂嗎？是什麼讓您對作曲產生興趣？

M： 我非常高興能再次接受採訪。毫不誇張，當我在咖啡館看到這些問題時，我真的感動到眼眶泛淚（笑）。大概是因為我感受到了提問背後那份真摯與純粹吧。

我大學主修的是舞蹈編導，但音樂、電影與文學一直是我最重要的靈感源泉。即使在學生時代，我已對影視配樂與敘事結構有相當的理解。那時我就開始自己剪輯音樂，而創作主題也多圍繞內心反思與對世界的觀察。後來因健康原因無法繼續舞蹈，我便轉向自學音樂。我的音樂之路正是從剪輯音樂開始的。或許因為我是 INTP，我非常擅長透過邏輯分析進行獨立學習。我偏好「从上至下」的學習方式，這與傳統教育理念完全相反（笑）。

Q：對大多數人來說，自學非常困難。您使用了什麼方法才能成功？

M： 我首先研究音樂的歷史演進，接著深入了解那些偉大先驅的思維方式，然後建立屬於自己的藝術品味，最後才進入技術層面的實踐。當你理解了事物背後的第一性原理，就會發現技術其實是最容易跨越的障礙。於是，我自然而然地學會了作曲與填詞。

Q：從一位熱愛獨立學習、習慣以系統化思維看待事物的人，是什麼促使您決定創立 COX MUSIC（後更名為 COX SOUNDTRACK），走上管理者的角色？

M： 早在 2015 年，我就希望建立一支團隊，因為我清楚單打獨鬥難以應對影視配樂龐大的工作需求。當 GPT 等 AI 技術開始崛起时，整个時代正在轉變。當 AI 讓技術門檻大幅降低時，人與人之間的真誠合作，以及創造「AI 資料庫中不存在的事物」的能力，就顯得前所未有的重要。我认为，正是組建團隊的完美時機。

Q：貴公司廣納來自不同國家的音樂人。作為管理者，您如何挑選人才，並融合多元文化，打造出 COX SOUNDTRACK 獨特的聲音風格？

M： 我們主要透過線上盲聽（Blind-listening）的方式尋找合作夥伴。團隊強調平等且富有彈性的合作關係。我們更看重對方當下的狀態與未來的潛力，而非過往履歷與名氣。我們重視開放的心態，我們也偏向与选择了解整個製作流程的音樂人。我經常鼓勵團隊成員學習剪輯、聲音設計與劇本創作，因為相互理解能大幅減少摩擦，並催生出更優秀的作品。

Q：您已為多部知名影視作品創作原聲帶，如今更進一步，建了 AIGC 厂牌 XIST 嘗試 AI 電影創作。這一切是如何開始的？工作量如此繁重，您是否曾感到疲憊或精力被燃烧殆尽？

M： 當 AI 打破技術藩籬時，它也迫使人類回歸最本質的提問：「你是誰？你真正熱愛的是什麼？」純粹的熱爱是我工作的原動力。我相信理性存在的意義是保護感性，因此我讓自己在生活中保持高度理性，以便將所有情感盡情傾注於音樂之中。當負面情緒出現時，我會透過冥想靜觀其變。理解根源後，那些情緒便會自然消散，讓我得以將挑戰轉化為自己的優勢。

Q：AI 如今在產業中扮演極其重要的角色，尤其中國正引領全球 AIGC 潮流。您如何規劃 COX SOUNDTRACK 未來的發展方向？

M： 我們正處於一個轉型時期，AI 讓許多音樂人感到不安。但目前 AI 所生成的音樂，本質上仍屬於 stock music（庫存音樂）。AI 只是一種高效的工具，它推動我們不再模仿他人，而是努力創造真正具有原創性的作品。我一直鼓勵團隊將 AI 視為工具與夥伴，如此一來，我們便能產出更具品質的頂級內容。

Q：去年您與 Xue Wei 合作推出單曲《笨鳥飛》（The Early Bird Catches the Worm），這是一首獻給堅持不懈者的勵志歌曲。這首歌的創作契機是什麼？未來是否有計劃以個人名義發行完整專輯？

M： 很驚訝您能找到這首歌！它的誕生源自一個深刻的體悟：持久的成功，往往屬於那些擁有堅韌毅力的人，而非只拥有「聰明」的人。聰明人常有太多選擇，而「笨拙」的人則會死守一個目標勇往直前。我自己就屬於後者（笑）。

通常若找不到完全合適的演唱者，我就會親自演唱。如果未來時間允許，我希望能將過往作品整理，正式發行一張個人專輯。

Q：回顧您這段輝煌的成功之路，對於渴望進入影視配樂領域的新世代音樂人與詞曲作者，您有什麼建議？

M： 不要過度在意外界對「成功」的定義，因為那些標準隨時都在改變。請牢牢記住當初你愛上音樂的那一刻初心，並緊緊守住它——那才是你前進最強大的動力。

Q：最後，《剥茧 The Truth Within》即將在 True Asian More（True Visions 239 頻道）重播，再一次帶給泰國觀眾脊背发凉的全新的驚悚體驗。您有什麼話想對一直支持您的泰國粉絲說嗎？

M： 我非常激動地得知《剥茧 The Truth Within》即將在泰國重播！能讓我們的作品與更廣大的觀眾見面，是極大的榮幸。我由衷感謝這個機會，能透過音樂與觀眾在心靈層面產生連結。我也非常期待聽到每一位觀眾的真實感想與回饋！

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

The Logic of Melody: COX SOUNDTRACK Founder Guo Shiyi on Music, Philosophy, and the AI Revolution

In a quiet corner of a sleek Beijing café, tucked away from the relentless churn of the city, Guo Shiyi is tapping her fingers to a beat only she can hear. Her notebook—fat with half-formed ideas, philosophical fragments, and freshly crystallized lyrics—sits open on the table like a window into another world. She goes by Monkey, and once you hear what she’s made, you’ll understand why the name sticks.

Singer. Songwriter. Screenwriter. Founder of COX SOUNDTRACK—a full-service music production company for film and series—Monkey wears more hats than most people have coat hooks. And she came by none of it the conventional way.

Her academic background is in dance choreography. No conservatory. No theory professors. Just an insatiable curiosity, a methodical mind, and a discipline that would make most formally trained composers quietly nervous. The health crisis that ended her dance career didn’t break her—it redirected her, straight toward music.

If you watched the scorching debut season of the survival show Sisters Who Make Waves and found yourself completely undone by Lan Yingying’s stage-igniting performances of “Skin” and “Don’t Mess With Me”—Monkey was the architect of both the show design and the music. If you’ve been binge-watching Luo Yunxi's the psychological thriller The Truth Within and can’t shake the score that seems to live under your skin, that’s her too. Same goes for the crime drama The Guilty and the darkly comic Born with Luck (COX did part of scoring), currently climbing charts across multiple countries.

And just when you thought she might slow down, she launched XIST—an AIGC studio that merges artificial intelligence with cinematic storytelling. Her AI short film The Qian-Qin Offensive won a Bronze Medal for Best AI Creative Short Film. She’s not just keeping up with the future—she’s scoring it.

With The Truth Within set to re-air in Thailand on True Asian More (True Visions, Channel 239) starting June 21 at 7:00 PM, we sat down with the woman herself to talk craft, consciousness, and what it really means to make music in the age of machines.

Q: Could you share a bit about your childhood? Did you study music as your major before entering the industry, and what sparked your interest in songwriting?

M: I’m absolutely thrilled to be interviewed again. No exaggeration, I literally teared up at the café when I read these questions, haha! It was probably because I could feel the genuine sincerity and purity behind them.

My university major was actually dance choreography, but music, film, and literature have always been profoundly important sources of inspiration for me. Even back then, I had a solid conceptual understanding of scoring and storytelling. I used to edit music myself, and my creations largely revolved around introspection or my observations of the world. Later, due to health reasons, I couldn't continue dancing, so I pivoted and began teaching myself music.
 
My self-taught journey started with music editing. Perhaps because my MBTI is INTP, I’m quite adept at learning independently through logical analysis. The reason self-teaching worked so well for me is that I prefer a top-down approach, which goes entirely against traditional learning philosophies (laughs).

Q: For most people, self-learning is very difficult. What techniques did you use to succeed?

M: I needed to first understand the historical evolution of music, then grasp how the greatest pioneers thought, build my own aesthetic, and finally get down to the technical execution. When you understand the first principles behind how things work, you realize that technique is the easiest hurdle to overcome—and naturally, I learned how to compose and write lyrics.

Q: From someone who loves independent learning and views everything as a system, what led to your decision to step into an executive role by founding COX MUSIC, which later became COX SOUNDTRACK?
 

M: I wanted to build a team back in 2015, knowing that individual capacity is limited when facing the massive demands of film scoring. The emergence of AI, like GPT, signaled that the era was shifting. With AI democratizing technical skills across industries, human collaboration and true innovation—creating what isn't in an AI database—have become more crucial than ever. It was the perfect time to build the team.

Q: Your company opens its doors to musicians from various nationalities. As an executive, how do you select talent and blend different cultures to create a distinctive signature sound?
 

M: We find our collaborators through blind-listening online, and we maintain an equal, flexible partnership. We care more about who you are now and your future potential than your past resume & prestige. We value an open mindset over ego, and we prefer musicians who understand the entire production pipeline. I encourage our team to learn editing, sound design, and screenwriting, because mutual understanding reduces friction and leads to vastly superior work.

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Q: You have composed soundtracks for many famous series and films. Now it seems you’re taking another step forward by experimenting with AI filmmaking in collaboration with XIST AIGC Studio. How did this begin, and with such a demanding workload, have you ever felt exhausted or burned out?

M: As AI removes technical barriers, it forces humanity to ask the simplest questions: Who are you, and what do you love? Pure passion drives my work. I believe rationality exists to protect emotionality—so I remain highly rational in life in order to pour all my emotions into my music. When negative emotions arise, I observe them through meditation. Understanding the root cause makes them dissipate, allowing me to turn challenges to my advantage.

Q: AI is now playing a massive role in the industry, especially in China, which leads the global AIGC trend. How do you envision the future direction of COX Music and COX SOUNDTRACK?

M: We are in a transitional phase where AI seems intimidating to many musicians. However, AI music is essentially just stock music. AI is merely a historical accelerator, pushing us to create something truly new instead of mimicking others. I push my team to embrace AI as a tool and an ally; doing so allows us to produce even more premium content.

Q: Last year you released the single The Early Bird Catch the Worm (笨鸟飞) with Xue Wei – an encouraging song for those who persevere through hardship. What inspired this track, and do you have plans to release a full solo album in the future?
 

M: I’m surprised you found that track! It was born from a realization: enduring success often comes to the persistent rather than the "smart." Smart people often have too many choices, while "clumsy" people anchor to a single goal and forge ahead. I definitely consider myself the latter! I usually sing my own tracks when I can't find the perfect vocalist. If I ever have more free time, I might officially compile and release an album of my past works.

Q: Looking back on your remarkable journey to success, what advice would you give to emerging artists or songwriters who dream of entering the world of film and series soundtrack composition?
 

M: Don't worry about external definitions of success, because those standards will always change. Instead, remember the exact reason you first fell in love with music. Hold onto that—it is your ultimate driving force.

Q: Finally, the series The Truth Within is returning to thrill Thai audiences once again on True Visions. Is there anything you would like to say to the fans who are eagerly awaiting your work?

M: I am absolutely thrilled that The Truth Within is returning to Thailand! It’s a tremendous honor to share our work with a wider audience. I am incredibly grateful for the chance to connect with viewers in the spiritual realm through our music, and I eagerly look forward to everyone's feedback!

Follow her on social media platforms:

Instagram: Cox_Soundtrack, XIST AIGC Studio

Youtube: @COX SOUNDTRACK, @XIST AIGC Studio