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Yan Zi (album)

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Yan Zi
Studio album by
Stefanie Sun
Released9 June 2000 (2000-06-09)
Recorded1999–2000
GenreMandopop
Length41:13
LanguageChinese
LabelWarner Music Taiwan
Stefanie Sun chronology
Yan Zi
(2000) 		My Desired Happiness
(2000)

Yan Zi (Chinese: 燕姿) is the debut album by Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun, released on 9 June 2000, by Warner Music Taiwan.[1] Produced by Anthony Bao, Tino Bao, Peter Lee and Paul Lee, it incorporates genres such as pop, chamber pop and rock.[2]

Yan Zi received positive reviews from music critics for its compositions and lyrics.[3] The album swept all major music charts within just ten days of its release and ranked in the top three for eleven consecutive weeks on the charts of Taiwan's two major record stores, Tachung Records and Rose Records. By the end of the year, the cumulative sales in Taiwan for Yan Zi had exceeded 330,000, becoming one of the highest-selling records in Taiwan in 2000.[4][5] As of September 2006, the album's sales across Asia have exceeded 2.7 million.[6] Sun won twelve new artist awards for this album, including the Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist at the 12th Golden Melody Awards.

Background and development

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In 1998, the soon-to-be chairman of Warner Music Taiwan, Chou Chien-hui, visited Singapore to visit Sammi Cheng at the Lee Wei Song Music Academy, and it was at this time that he discovered Stefanie Sun, who had a unique voice and a solid background in music.[7] The Warner producer immediately offered to sign her, however, Sun's father demanded that if she wanted to concentrate on singing, she had to finish college first.[7] For this reason, Warner Music waited for her for two years.[7] It was not until 2000 that Stefanie Sun successfully signed a contract with Warner Music and officially began her music career.[8]

Sun's first album was co-produced by two pairs of twin brothers: Taiwan's Anthony Bao and Tino Bao, and Singapore's Peter Lee and Paul Lee, each of these two sets of producers had their own lyricist and songwriters who worked together to create the album.[9] Sun recorded the album in the studio by the two groups of musicians double grinding, every time in the studio to record to exhaustion.[9]

Writing and recording

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"Turbo" expresses the new human, new power, and new view of love;[10] musically, it is a dynamic and upbeat song she announces with a casual whistle.[11] "Finally" was composed by Peter Lee and written by Kevin Yi; it is an ethereal picturesque love song of the new century.[10] Sun's performance of "Love Certificate" and "Cloudy Day" honestly sings to the depths of simplicity, unlike the kind of gibberish that purposely pretends to be playful, which is a gesture of a singer's maturity.[12] "Love Certificate” is a mellow song, with Paul Lee calmly writing a melodious melody, and Sun stretching out her "lightly made-up" vocals in a calm tone.[13] The song "Cloudy Day" was inspired by Taiwanese folk songs.[11] The undecorated voice whispers in the ear, and the yellowed fragments, the wrinkles of the grandmother, the pain of falling, all flow out with the song and piano accompaniment.[13] "E-Lover" is a guitar-driven pop ballad. "Scultpted Eyebrow" is an upbeat chamber pop song. "Make Peace" is a slow tempo guitar-based song. "Natural" combines power pop and pop-punk elements. "Fine" is a pop ballad that relies heavily on the Spanish guitar. "Leave Me Alone" is a rock song.

Release and promotion

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On 14 July 2000, a gunman set off a fake gun at Sun's signing event at the Pacific Sogo Zhongli Store (pictured)

Warner Music promoted Yan Zi with a variety of advertising campaigns across Asia. In the start, they wanted Sun to be familiar to the public by getting her to shoot the Chunghwa Telecom Pocket Code advertisement, then they asked her to frequently endorse various activities before the release of the album.[14] She then promoted other products such as sanitary pads, sports cars and green tea.[15][16] On 14 July 2000, Sun held a signing event at Pacific Sogo in Zhongli, Taoyuan County, when a man started a disturbance with a gun; fortunately, the man fired a fake gun and no one was injured.[17] In August 2000, Sun went to Hong Kong to help promote her album, where she was interviewed by RTHK.[18] On 2 September 2000, Sun traveled to Beijing to sign albums.[19] By the end of July, sales in Taiwan had exceeded 300,000.[20] In order to celebrate these sales, Warner Music took advantage of the heat and released a revised version of the album with a limited edition in early August.[21] It was limited to 30,000 copies and additionally included Stefanie Sun's E-Lover super secretary software and a mouse pad.[22]

Singles and music videos

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The music video for "Turbo" was directed by Jinhe Lin and revolves around Sun sitting on the roof of a car and driving it on the seaside.[23] The music video for the song "Love Document" was directed by Ma Yizhong and revolves around Sun walking around a loft and outside a window display.[24] The music video for "Cloudy Day," which was also directed by Ma Yizhong, was filmed at a foggy mountain full of reeds.[25] The music videos for "E-Lover" and "Sculpted Eyebrow" were directed by Huang Lijun.[26][27] The songs, "Love Document" and "Cloudy Day", reached number 4 and 33 respectively on the Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart for 2000.[28]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
MTVChinese.com[3]

Mathilda of MTVchinese.com awarded the album four stars out of five and commented: "The first hit is impressive, followed by “Love Certificate” which shows another flavor, and the rock in “Turbo”, which is also well-arranged. It can be crazy, it can be light, it can be cool, it can be gentle. This is what I think of Stefanie Sun after listening to this album. Her voice is very similar to Karen Mok's, but she doesn't sound like she has lost her bite, which makes the album a great effort! Although there are some concerns about her singing: with such a thin body, will she not have enough breath? (you can hear it in the album), this should be something that can be practiced, so I hope to see more improvement! I hope you'll take care of yourself! If you improve your chi, you'll have a bright future, really!"[3]

Dong Wen of Sohu Music commented: "In the summer of 2000, Warner finally released its long-brewing secret newcomer, a 22-year-old girl from Singapore named Sun Yanzi. I was in my sophomore year of high school at the time, and when I grabbed this CD from a girl in my class, I vaguely sensed in my heart the extraordinary nature behind this headstrong voice. The fresh melody, simple lyrics, and the incomparable sincerity of the lyrics captured the innocent me at once. Maybe there is a little bit of virginity in me, I have always insisted that the selection of songs in this album is the best among all of Stefanie Sun's albums, and each song has its own characteristics and pop possibilities."[29]

On 10 June 2020, to celebrate Sun's 20th anniversary in the music industry, Benson Ang of The Straits Times singled out the songs "Cloudy Day," "Love Document," "Turbo" and "Fine" as key songs from Sun's vast discography, commenting that they showcase Sun's sweet, ingenue persona, which over the years has evolved into the confident, charismatic performer she is today.[30]

Accolades

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The album earned Sun a Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist.[31] Sun won the Newcomer of the Year award at the 1st TOP Chinese Music Awards, where the track "Cloudy Day" also made it onto the leaderboard of the Top Ten Golden Songs of the Year in Hong Kong and Taiwan.[32] "Cloudy Day" also made it onto the leaderboard of the Taiwan Chinese Musicians Exchange Association's Top Ten "Excellent Singles."[33]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."超快感" (Turbo)
Tino BaoAnthony Bao3:40
2."愛情證書" (Love Document)Jennifer HsuPeter LeeTerence Teo4:15
3."天黑黑" (Cloudy Day)Kate LiaoPeter LeeGoh Kheng Long3:57
4."E-Lover"Li YaoTino BaoAnthony Bao5:01
5."濃眉毛" (Sculpted Eyebrow)Francis LeeYang JunliangTerence Teo3:48
6."和平" (Make Peace)Kate LiaoPeter LeeTerence Teo4:09
7."自然" (Naturally)Kate LiaoPeter LeeMartin Tang3:25
8."終於" (Finally)Kevin YiPaul LeeGoh Kheng Long4:30
9."很好" (Fine)Jennifer HsuStefanie SunGoh Kheng Long4:28
10."Leave Me Alone"
  • Peter Lee
  • Kate Liao
Paul LeeTerence Teo3:55
Total length:41:13

Sales and certifications

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Sales and certifications for Yan Zi
Region Certification Certified units/sales
China — 200,000[4]
Hong Kong — 12,000[4]
Malaysia — 12,000[4]
Singapore (RIAS)[34] Platinum 17,000[4]
Taiwan — 330,000[4]

References

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  1. ^ (in Chinese) Warner Music Taiwan Album Information Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 9 June 2000. Retrieved 9 May 2011
  2. ^ "孙燕姿 同名专辑". 9 June 2000. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "孫燕姿同名專輯". MTVchinese.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2001. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Suryadinata, Leo (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: Biographical dictionary. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 1019. ISBN 978-981-4345-21-7. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ^ "2000年度台灣唱片銷量排行榜". Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  6. ^ 此銷量由孫燕姿所屬的唱片公司台灣華納音樂官方公佈在孫燕姿2006年9月22日發行的精選集《My Story, Your Song》CD所附贈的幕後寫真本內
  7. ^ a b c "华语乐坛的黄金时代". Sohu Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  8. ^ "从亚洲天后到"冷门歌手" 孙燕姿遇冷背后 戳痛了谁的神经？". Sina News. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "一颗最灿烂的新星--孙燕姿(附图)". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b "孙燕姿 同名专辑". y.qq.com. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b 《同名专辑(Remastered)》- 孙燕姿的专辑 (in Chinese), retrieved 23 July 2024
  12. ^ "音乐评审团卢世伟：孙燕姿长大了". Sohu Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b "萧亚轩、孙燕姿专辑全接触". 14 September 2001. Archived from the original on 8 May 2003. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  14. ^ "华纳强力推出孙燕姿 郑秀文面临师妹挑战(附图)". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  15. ^ "超级新星孙燕姿个人小档案(附图)". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  16. ^ "孙燕姿绿茶广告被传有抄袭菜菜子之嫌". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  17. ^ "歌手孙燕姿签名会被枪手开枪射击". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  18. ^ "新加坡人气歌手孙燕姿近日赴港宣传(附图)". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  19. ^ "华纳新人孙燕姿9月2日来京签售唱片(附图)". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  20. ^ "孫燕姿同名專輯(全能認證版)封底". Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  21. ^ "孫燕姿成為黃子佼進軍網際網路業的超重量級武器？". Warner Music Taiwan. 3 August 2000. Archived from the original on 2 May 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  22. ^ Yan Zi [全能認證版] (in Chinese (China)), retrieved 18 July 2024
  23. ^ 孫燕姿 Sun Yan-Zi - 超快感 Turbo (official 官方完整版MV), 20 July 2017, retrieved 23 July 2024
  24. ^ 孫燕姿 Sun Yan-Zi - 愛情證書 Love Document (official 官方完整版MV), 20 July 2017, retrieved 23 July 2024
  25. ^ 孫燕姿 Sun Yan-Zi - 天黑黑 Cloudy Day (official 官方完整版MV), 20 July 2017, retrieved 23 July 2024
  26. ^ 孫燕姿 Sun Yan-Zi - E-Lover (official 官方完整版MV), 20 July 2017, retrieved 23 July 2024
  27. ^ 孫燕姿 Sun Yan-Zi - 濃眉毛 Sculpted Eyebrow (official 官方完整版MV), 20 July 2017, retrieved 23 July 2024
  28. ^ (in Chinese) HITO Radio Hit Fm Annual Top 100 Singles Chart – 2000 (#1 to 50) Retrieved 29 June 2011
  29. ^ 七年之痒转签百代 回顾孙燕姿的华纳时代(附图) (in Chinese (China)), retrieved 24 August 2024
  30. ^ The Life List: Four key tracks from Stefanie Sun's 2000 debut album, The Straits Times, retrieved 18 July 2024
  31. ^ (in Chinese) GIO, Taiwan 12th Golden Melody Awards winners list Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 28 April 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2011
  32. ^ "歌坛盛事《音乐风云榜》揭晓 那英孙楠又获大奖". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  33. ^ "台音乐人交流协会评出年度十大单曲和专辑". China News Service. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  34. ^ Zeng, Zoe (31 December 2019). "Why Stefanie Sun is one of Singapore's biggest icons". Her World Singapore. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
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