Deserts Chang

Deserts Chang
張懸
Chinese name 張懸 (traditional)
Chinese name 张悬 (simplified)
Pinyin Zhāng Xuán (Mandarin)
Birth name Chiao An-p'u (Chinese: 焦安溥; pinyin: Jiāo Ānpǔ)
Origin Taiwan
Born (1981-05-30) May 30, 1981
Other name(s) Chang Xuan
Occupation Singer-songwriter
Genre(s) Indie pop, alternative
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) Sony BMG (2006–present)
Years active 1997–present
Associated acts Algae (2007–present)
Mango Runs
Official website www.deserts.com.tw

Deserts Chang (Chinese: 張懸; pinyin: Zhāng Xuán; zhuyin= ㄓㄤ ㄒㄩㄢˊ; born May 30, 1981), also known in mainland China as Zhang Xuan,[1] Chang Xuan or Deserts Xuan,[2] is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter.

Early life

Deserts Chang was born as Chiao An-p'u (Chinese: 焦安溥; pinyin: Jiāo Ānpǔ) on May 30, 1981 to a high socio-economic status family. Her father, Chiao Jen-ho (Chinese: 焦仁和; pinyin: Jiāo Rénhé), is a former secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation. However, Chang has been quoted by the media as saying that she does not want to ride on the success of her father. Her stage name Deserts represents something "mysterious and suggests something hanging in limbo," a representation of her personality.[3]

Chang started composing when she was 13 and begun to perform on stage at 16. By the age of 19, Chang had written over 100 songs and got the first contract with Sony BMG., However, after recording, photo shooting and several campus performances, nothing happened. The young singer had waited for 5 years for the releasing of her debut album ” My Life Will...

Though she released her first album in 2006, Chang was well known among live houses, pubs and the Internet before that. Her light and clear voice is heart-touching and inspiring, which attracts many college students and independent music lovers. Chang is also a guitar player, and writes most of her songs with acoustic guitar.

Career

Chang dropped out of high school because she "couldn't stand the conservative restrictions."[3] She previously performed at pubs before entering the music recording industry.

She was a member of the rock band Mango Runs, named most popular act and winner of the Indie Music Award at the 2003 Hohaiyan Rock Festival in Taipei County.[4] Mango Runs was featured in the 2004 documentary Ocean Fever (海洋熱), which followed the stories of several acts at the Hohaiyan Rock Festival.[5]

Chang's debut album My Life Will... was released on June 9, 2006 under the record label Sony BMG. Although many of her fans objected to the recording deal, Chang promised that her style of music will not change.[3] The album contains her music written between the ages of 13 and 19.

Her presence in the alternative music scene was demonstrated in the 18th Golden Melody Awards, where she received four award nominations. Her debut album was nominated for Best Mandarin Album along with mainstream musicians such as Jolin Tsai.[6] It was previously considered unthinkable for a high-profile Chinese language music awards show to nominate independent artists in its major categories.[7]

The singer has been enjoying growing popularity in Taiwan and Mainland China. At the 7th Chinese Music Media Awards in Hong Kong, Chang received the award for Best New Mandarin Artist.[8]

She released her second album Oh, dear. dear. I haven't. (親愛的…我還不知道) on July 20, 2007. For the song 畢竟, she was nominated for Best Lyricist at the 19th Golden Melody Awards.

Since then, she has been joined by three other musicians (Cent, Goodtone, and Sunho) to create a band called Algae. On May 22, 2009, her third album City (城市) was released.

Chang released her fourth album in August 2012. The album named 神的遊戲 (Games We Play) was released under Sony music. The new album provides insights into Chang's life experiences over the past three years, in songs such as 如何.[9]

Musical style

Using a guitar as her primary instrument. She is generally considered an indie artist despite having signed with recording giant Sony BMG.[10]

Chang's most downloaded song Baby (寶貝) was written after she turned 13 following a fight with her mother. However, the full song was not realized until later when she had learned how to play a musical instrument.[3]

Discography

Awards and Nominations

Awards

Year Awards
2007 HITO Radio Music Awards Best New Female Artist Deserts Chang [12]
DJ's Best Loved Album My Life Will...
2003 The 15th CASH Song Writers Quest
  • Winner:《At That Moment》
2007 The 5th Annual HITO Pop Music Award
  • DJ's Most Popular Album:《My Life Will...》
  • HITO Best New Artist
The Second Annual KKBOX Music Award
  • New Singer of the Year
The Second Annual Stars Award
  • Best Female Singer
2008 The 6th Annual HITO Pop Music Award
  • HITO Pop Music Lyricist:〈Like〉
2009 Beijing Pop Festival
  • Best Singer-Songwriter in Hong Kong and Taiwan
2013 The 13th AnnualTop Chinese Music Awards
  • Best Singer-Songwriter Award
  • Best Lyricist Award
  • Best Song Producer Award

Nominations

Years Nominations
2012 The 23rd AnnualGolden Melody Awards
  • Best Song Writer Nomination: Please Give Me A Better Rival In Love
2010 The 21st AnnualGolden Melody Awards
  • Best Chinese Female Singer:The City
2008 The 19th AnnualGolden Melody Award
  • Best Lyricist Nomination:After All
The 8th AnnualTop Chinese Music Award
  • Best Lyricist in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:〈The Annoying Word〉
  • Best Music Arranger in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:〈Like〉
  • Best Female Singer in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:《Dear...I don't know yet》
  • Best Album in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:《Dear...I don't know yet》
  • Best Singer-Song writer in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:《Dear...I don't know yet》
  • Best Producer in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:《Dear...I don't know yet》
  • Best Song in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination:〈Appearance〉、〈The Annoying Word〉、〈Like〉
2007 The 18th Annual Golden Melody Award
  • Song of the Year Nomination:〈Baby(in the night)〉
  • Best Chinese Album Nomination:《My Life Will...》
  • Best Lyricist Nomination:〈Baby(in the night)〉
  • Best Composer Nomination:〈Baby(in the night)〉

Performances

Music Works

Album

Year Album
2005 Maybe I Don't Care
  • March 31 Indie Release
  • Live House Limited Edition
2006 My Life Will...
2007 Dear... I don't know yet
  • July 20 Released by Sony BMG
2009 The City
  • May 22 Released by Sony BMG(in Taiwan)
  • May 22 Released by Sony BMG(in China)
  • Released under band name:"Algae"
2012 Games We Play
  • August 11 Released by Sony BMG

EP

Year Name
2007 《Baby in life》:June 8 Released by SonyBMG
2008 《Love, New Year》:December 19 Released by SonyBMG as a form of Greeting Card, Limited 5000 Cards were released

Sound Track

Time Movie/Song
September, 2005 《The Passage》MovieSoundtrackTheme Song:〈Glimmer〉(Producer)
August, 2008 Candy RainMovieSoundtrack:〈Triste〉(Singer/ Producer)
February, 2010 《Monga》MovieSoundtrack:〈I think you're leaving〉(Singer/ Producer)

References

  1. China Daily It's a packed hall for Zhang Xuan - once again 2010-10-08
  2. Time Out Deserts Xuan 2013 Taiwanese indie folk singer-songwriter Deserts Xuan (Zhang Xuan) takes her heartfelt and earnest sounds to local audiences.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Yang, Ginger (12 June 2006). "Finding refuge in music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  4. Woodworth, Max (14 July 2003). "Monkey Insane tops the charts at Ho-Hai-Yan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
  5. Hu, Brian (12 May 2005). "Musical Verite". UCLA Asia Institute. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
  6. Yi, Ho (8 June 2007). "Return to the music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  7. Hu, Brian (8 June 2007). "Alternate melodies in Taiwan". UCLA Asia Institute. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  8. "7th Chinese Music Media Awards Go Non-Mainstream". CRI English. 1 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  9. "Desert Chang, Releases New Album After Three Years". CRI English. 2012-. Retrieved 2012-08-23. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. "Deserts Chang". Seven Castles. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  11. Maybe I Don't Care was a self-released album. It contains the same songs as in Chang's official debut album My Life Will..., but they are arranged in a different order.
  12. (Chinese) HITO Radio 2007 HITO Radio Music Awards winners list 4 February 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-20

External links

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