Taiwanese general stores have become a hit in France after one appeared on the cover of Estelle Perrault’s (張婷雅) new Taiwan-themed jazz album.
“I am not trying to represent the Taiwanese people, but rather trying to relate to them,” she said.
Perrault was raised in Kaohsiung and moved to France when she was six years old. She returned to Taiwan at 18 to study law and play in bands, before returning to France and being scouted by a record company.
Photo: CNA
She recently released her third album in France, with designs, styles and lyrics featuring Taiwanese elements.
The album’s cover photo was taken in a general store that also doubles as a tailor’s store in her hometown.
Perrault said she chose the location as a tribute to her grandmother, who made clothes for a living, adding that her Taiwanese family continues to inspire her songs, even from afar.
She said she is also currently working on a single dedicated to her grandfather.
Speaking about their relationship and his passing, Perrault could not help but choke up and shed tears.
Another source of inspiration is her identity and experience as a French-Taiwanese, exemplified by her single I Know You Wish, in which she sings about struggling to fit in because of her upbringing.
“I hope my listeners can resonate with me, and find their stories within my songs,” Perrault said.
Perrault said that she worries about people seeing her as a French person and criticizing her for not speaking Mandarin fluently.
“I cannot change the fact that I am French-Taiwanese, but that does not affect my love for Taiwan,” she said.
The back of the album features a flag commonly referred to as the “Blue Ground Yellow Tiger Flag,” which was the flag of the Republic of Formosa — a short-lived republic established by Taiwanese gentry in 1895 to resist Japanese rule.
Perrault said she wants French people to ask her about the flag, so that she has the chance to tell them its story.
She also thinks it is a shame how little Taiwanese know about the story of their land.
“We are Taiwanese. We have our roots, yet the books rarely talk about our own history,” she said.
As the French public becomes more aware of the threat Taiwan faces from China, Perrault said she talks about Taiwan’s identity and democracy on shows and in interviews whenever there is a chance.
Perrault said that while her record company fully supports incorporating Taiwanese elements in her album, some Taiwanese worry she might lose the Chinese market or tell her to “stop saying so much.”
Some people also label her as leaning toward certain Taiwanese political parties, to which Perrault says she just wants Taiwan to remain free and democratic under its own governance.
“I follow what my heart says is true, not the market,” she said.
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