[新聞] Cheer up with Chen
Taipei Times的報導
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/08/17/2003374687
By Ho Yi
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Aug 17, 2007, Page 14
Cheer Chen, left, and Jasmine Leong are the darlings of Taiwan's
indie scene.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Cheer Chen's (陳綺貞) nine-year music career was officially
launched in 1998 with the now defunct record label Magic Stone (魔
岩). Although she only has four albums to her name, she is now
rated by many as Taiwan's foremost indie songstress and her
lyrical folk rock has spread far beyond Taiwan, her popularity
built up through touring gigs at small venues and on campuses in
Hong Kong and China, as well as at home.
Like other emerging local singer-songwriters Deserts Chang (張懸)
and Summer Lei (雷光夏), Chen avoids the media limelight. This has
not stopped her winning better record sales than many big-name
pop singers and her previous three large concerts in Taipei saw
the songstress playing before a full house.
Not surprisingly, tickets for Chen's long overdue first islandwide
concert tour, which kicks off tonight at Taipei International
Convention Center, are already nearly sold out, and all without
the benefit of big media hype. The event was promoted solely
through Chen's official Web site www.cheerego.com.
Cheer Chen
PHOTOS: TAIPEI TIMES
Chen's voyage into the music business began with her winning at
the Wooden Ark Folk Song Competition (木船民歌比賽) in 1996. Two
years later, the then philosophy major at National Chengchi
University (國立政治大學) became the first female artist to join
Magic Stone, which was most notable for signing Chinese rockers
Dou Wei (竇唯) and Tang Dynasty (唐朝樂隊).
A slump in the music industry forced the label to close-down in
2002, and in response Chen set up the one-woman operation Cheergo
Studio (好小氣工作室) a year later. Three singles were produced in
a family-factory sort of way. The music was recorded sitting on a
bed at home and Chen would later trek back and forth across the
city to find the best price for packaging and then deliver packs
of CDs to record stores herself.
For your information
What: A Piece of Summer - 2007 Cheer Chen Taiwan Concert Tour (A
Piece of Summer - 陳綺貞2007台灣巡迴演唱會)
Where and When: Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會
議中心) from tonight to Sunday; National Cheng Kung University
Stadium, Tainan (台南市成功大學體育館) on Aug. 25; Huisun Hall,
National Chung Hsing University, Taichung (台中中興大學惠蓀堂) on
Sept. 22. All shows begin at 7:30pm
Ticket: Sold out in Taipei and Taichung. Remaining tickets for the
Tainan performance cost between NT$1,200 to NT$2,000, available
through ERA ticketing outlets or at www.ticket.com.tw
To Chen, making singles in between larger projects is a natural
way to express her creativity, to experiment with forms and new
concepts. Her single, Pussy, released last year, was recorded live
at Taipei Main Station to recapture an impressionistic moment
riding the Paris subway.
In 2006, a bank loan helped the 32-year-old musician put together
her forth album Fabulous Adventure (華麗的冒險), which sold
300,000 copies in two months and was the center of considerable
attention at the Golden Melody Awards (金曲獎) the same year. Up
till now, Chen remains a hotly pursued yet elusive star in the
eyes of local press, who have described her music as being "like a
delicate blade that rips open both the cruelty and tenderness of
the world."
At a press conference held in between intensive rehearsals at a
music studio on Tuesday, the folk songstress was reticent,
accompanied by her close friend and fellow songstress Jasmine
Leong (梁靜茹). "For the concerts, we will try to present a placid
atmosphere for the audience to communicate with the music
undisturbed," Chen said.
Leong will appear at tonight's concert as a special guest.
Another fan, rapper MC Hotdog, will join Chen on stage for the
Tainan show. To the songstress, the choice of special guest was a
matter of instinct. "When I thought of going to Tainan, the name
MC Hotdog immediately popped into my head. It's a physiological
reaction," Chen joked.
For those who won't have the chance to catch Chen's concerts, keep
yourselves posted at the musician's Web site for her equally
powerful performances at smaller venues across the island.
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