Stefanie Sun
Stefanie Sun | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 2000 - Present |
Stefanie Sun (simplified Chinese: 孙燕姿; traditional Chinese: 孫燕姿; pinyin: Sūn Yànzī; born July 23, 1978) and also known in Teochew as Sng Yì-che or Sng Ee Tze (her official name), is a Singaporean singer-songwriter.
Biography
Stefanie Sun has an elder sister by three years called Sng Yì-kiah (孙燕佳) and a younger sister by six years named Sng Yì-bī (孙燕美).
Sun was educated at St Margaret's Secondary School, Raffles Girls' School and went on to attend Saint Andrew's Junior College. She later attended Nanyang Technological University, where she obtained a degree in Marketing. Her abilities were discovered by her music teacher, Lee Weisong, at his music school.
In the Mandarin-speaking world, Sun is more popularly known by her Mandarin name, Sun Yanzi.
Language
Most of her songs are sung in Mandarin, with several in English. Sun's ability to speak various dialects is reflected in the songs she sings.
In the song Dark Skies (天黑黑), she sings in both Mandarin and her native Teochew. It is an adaptation of a traditional Taiwanese folksong which included the first six words in the original Hokkien/Taiwanese - Thi-o·-o·, beh lo̍h-hō· - in the chorus. [citation needed]
The album Start contains 6 songs in English: covers of "Venus", "That I Will Be Good", "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough", "Silent All These Years", and "Hey Jude"; and the original song "Someone".
Recording Career
Sun does most of her recording, and conducts most of her publicity events, in Taiwan, which comprises her largest audience. She also visits China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore frequently for promotional rounds where she is warmly received.
Her first album was released in June 2000, the self-titled Yan Zi (孙燕姿), published by Warner Music. This was followed in December of the same year by My Desired Happiness (我要的幸福). Both albums achieved commercial success.
January 2002 saw the release of Start (自選集), a collection of songs, many of which are cover versions.
In 2002 and 2003 Sun sang the official theme songs for Singapore's National Day Parade: We Will Get There (一起走到) and One United People (全心全意). The former was included on the album Leave.
In late 2003, she decided to take a one year hiatus from making music, returning in late 2004 with a new album titled Stefanie, intended to be a mirror of her debut album (self-titled as well, but in Chinese). This was to symbolise her return with a fresh attitude. She also started her own company, Make Music, during this sabbatical[citation needed].
A Perfect Day was released on 2005, almost one year later. Reviews of this new album have been mixed, but Yan Zi had mentioned before that her priority is to make quality music, instead of over-commercialized products that sell well but have a lower level of artistic quality.[citation needed]
As of 2006, Sun is in the midst of a regional concert tour. She has staged four full-house concerts at the renowned Hong Kong Colosseum. The performances have received positive reviews from the media as well as overwhelming support from fans. Sun also returned to Singapore in a much anticipated homecoming concert.
Collaborations
Sun collaborated with Japanese singer Mai Kuraki on the last track of Sun's album To Be Continued.... They collaborated yet again on Mai Kuraki's If I Believe, released in July of 2003.
In the song "First Day", from the album A Perfect Day, she sings with the popular Taiwanese musicians MayDay (五月天) and F.I.R.
Albums
| Date of release | Title (Chinese) | Title (English) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 June 8 | 孫燕姿 | Yan Zi (self-titled) |
| 2000 December 9 | 我要的幸福 | My Desired Happiness |
| 2001 July 12 | 風筝 | Kite |
| 2002 January 5 | 自選集 | Start |
| 2002 May 21 | Leave | Leave |
| 2002 July 16 | 半成年主張 | ? (Track 6, 王子面 Kid and Dream) |
| 2003 January 10 | 未完成 | To Be Continued... |
| 2003 August 22 | 這一刻 | The Moment |
| 2003 September 16 | 七年級生 | Born in 80s (Track 3, 第六感 Sixth Sense) |
| 2004 October 28 | ? | Stefanie |
| 2005 January 07 | 雙棲動物 | Amphibians (Track 11, 原點 Starting Point) |
| 2005 October 7 | 完美的一天 | A Perfect Day |
Awards and accolades
Sun is regarded as one of the most accomplished local artists in her native homeland, Singapore, partly linked with her central role in two National Day theme song. To date, she has won many awards, most notably at the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards, beating established singers, Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. She is said to have inspired other Singaporean artists (such as JJ Lin and Huang Yi Da) to expand overseas.[citation needed]
She has won over 33 awards and other accolades for her music in the course of her career in Singapore, Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong (as well as at the pan-Asian MTV Asia Awards).
| Year | Awards |
|---|---|
| 2000 |
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| 2001 |
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| 2002 |
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| 2003 |
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| 2004 |
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| 2005 |
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External links
