Fans of Cheer Chen (陳綺貞) in southern Taiwan are in for a big treat tomorrow night, when the indie songstress-turned star performs at Kaohsiung Arena for the second leg of a promotional tour for her new album Immortal (太陽).
One of the most popular and respected singer-songwriters in Taiwan, Chen is known for folk ballads with catchy melodies and poetic lyrics delivered in her trademark honey-sweet voice. Her signature songs include Meanings of the Journey (旅行的意義), Lonely Still (還是會寂寞) and Tell Me (告訴我).
Tickets for Chen’s 2007 A Piece of Summer concert were snatched up in a frenzy by fans within four hours, setting a record for the fastest ticket sales for a major concert in Taiwan’s history. Footage from her highly acclaimed 2005 concert Attitudes of Flower (花的姿態) was released as a live album.
Chen started her career by selling demo tapes in Kenting and has released five studio albums, two greatest hits albums, five singles and three limited-edition demo albums over the past decade. She tends to avoid media attention in favor of connecting directly with her audiences through live performances on school campuses, in pubs and at music festivals.
Several of her songs have been featured in Taiwanese movies such as Blue Gate Crossing (藍色大門) and Miao Miao (渺渺).
In 2003, she played the pivotal role of the blind girl in the musical Subway (地下鐵), adapted from the work of Taiwan comic book master Jimmy (幾米).
College-pop favorite Crowd Lu (盧廣仲) appears with Chen tomorrow as a special guest.
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