Cheer Chen Chi-chen ( zh, t=陳綺貞; born 6 June 1975) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. Her most recent album, ''Sofa Sea'', was released in 2018.
Early life
Chen was born on 6 June 1975 in
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
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. Her mother supported her interest in music from an early age. Chen is an alumna of Taipei Municipal Jingmei Girls' Senior High School (臺北市立景美女子高級中學) and
National Chengchi University
National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subsequently reestablished in 1954 in Taiwan as the first reestablished "National University".
The u ...
(國立政治大學). Her song "Little School Song" (Chinese: 小小校歌) is generally regarded as the unofficial theme song of Jingmei Girls' Senior High School.
Career
Chen was the singer and guitarist in an underground band called Sunscreen (防曬油) in the 1990s. She produced her first solo demo recordings in 1997. At an early pub show, Chen was noticed and praised by notable Taiwanese rock musician
Wu Bai
Wu Chun-lin (; born 14 January 1968), better known by his stage name Wu Bai (), is a Taiwanese rock singer, songwriter and actor. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean Zavolta (drums), Yu Ta-hao (keyboards), and Chu Chien-hui (bass g ...
. In 1997 she signed with
Rock Records
The Rock Records Co., Ltd. () commonly known as Rock Records (), is a record label based in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in the 1980s as the Rock Music Publishing (滾石有聲出版社; ) by Tuan Chung-tan and Tuan Chung-i, It is the largest record ...
and her debut album ''Think Twice'' was released in July 1998, while she was still an undergraduate student at
National Chengchi University
National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subsequently reestablished in 1954 in Taiwan as the first reestablished "National University".
The u ...
. She graduated from that university with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree.
Chen is frequently involved in community volunteer activities. She was the first female singer-composer to perform on the stage of
Taipei Arena
The Taipei Arena () is a multi-purpose stadium in the capital Taipei, Taiwan, and it is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC). Built in 2005, the large multi-purpose stadium can accommodate major international sport event ...
. Chen has also appeared on stage several times with the Taiwanese band
Mayday
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...
. Singer Ashin (陳信宏) of Mayday said of Chen, "I think that Cheer is a fantastic lyricist, her lyrics appear to be a soft knife that looks harmless but is actually sharp''.''" Most of Chen's songs are in
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
Chinese, and occasionally in English. She writes most of her own music and lyrics. She plays acoustic guitar on most of her songs, and occasionally electric guitar and piano.
Chen's 2002 album '' Groupies'' was named one of the 200 best albums of all time by the Taiwanese Musician Institute. Chen left Rock Records in 2003 and has since released her records independently. In 2004-2005 she appeared in advertisements for
Lee Jeans
Lee is an American brand of denim jeans, first produced in 1889 in Salina, Kansas. The company is owned by Kontoor Brands, a spin-off of VF Corporation's Jeanswear Division. Since 2019 its headquarters has been in Greensboro, North Carolina, r ...
with Stanley Huang. A song she wrote for the commercials appeared on her fourth album ''Peripeteia'' in 2006. That album won the Best Music Album Producer Award and Best Music Video Award at the 17th
Golden Melody Awards
The Golden Melody Awards (), commonly abbreviated as GMA, is an honor awarded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Formosan-languages popular and traditional music ...
. Chen was also nominated for Best Female Singer and Best Album of the Year. In 2010 she was nominated for another Golden Melody Award for Best Songwriter.
In 2009, Chen became a spokesperson for
Nikon
(, ; ) is a Japanese optics and photographic equipment manufacturer. Nikon's products include cameras, camera lenses, binoculars, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses, measurement instruments, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and equipment related to S ...
cameras. In 2010 she was featured in an
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
commercial alongside worldwide celebrities like Hyori Lee,
David Beckham
Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...
, and
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentSokenbicha herbal drink for the Taiwanese market.
In 2009, Chen released her fifth album ''Immortal'', which was recorded in her bedroom. The album was mastered by
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
winner
Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
and was named one of the Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year at the 2009
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
Hong Kong Album Sales Awards. The album was supported by an Asian and Australian tour that lasted until 2011.
In 2012, Chen formed an electronic/experimental music project with producer Tiger Chung called The Verse (originally The Voice). She has incorporated some songs from this project into her solo concerts. Chen released the album ''Songs of Transience'' in 2013. After taking a hiatus from music for several years, she released her seventh album ''Sofa Sea'' in December 2018.
Personal life
Chen had been in a relationship with music producer Tiger Chung (鐘成虎) for more than a decade until 2019.陈绮贞和男友钟成虎穿情侣装 同台飙吉他琴声传情 Retrieved 2016-08-30
# Track 1 - "Sentimental Kills" (15 November 2003)
# Track 2 - "Travel with Sound" ("旅行的意義") (24 March 2004)
# Track 3 - "After 17" (31 December 2004), also included a track composed for Jing-mei Girls' Senior High School - 小小校歌
# Track 4 - "Pussy" (8 February 2007)
# Track 5 - "Fly for You" ("失敗者的飛翔") (13 July 2008)
# Track 6 - "Ephemera" ("蜉蝣") (5 October 2011)
# Track 7 - "The Long Goodbye" ("偶然與巧合") (1 December 2014)
Compilation albums
# ''Cheer Chen - Princess From East '01'' (21 June 2001)
# ''Rock Records HK Golden Decade Classics - The Best of Cheer Chen'' (October 2002)
# ''Cheer 1998-2005'' (March 2005)
hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
after the last song(#10) in the first official album ''Think Twice'' Taiwan version
# A Practice (每天都是一種練習) Partially included as a short track(#7) in the third official album ''Groupies''
# Monsoon (季風) Lyrics by Tiger Chung
Published works
# 《不厭其煩》(Bú Yàn Qí Fán) - collection of lomography with short notes (5 November 2001)
# ''LIVE.LIFE'' 《現場·生活》 2006 Calendar (December 2005)
# ''Placeless Place'' 《不在他方》(Bú Zài Tā Fāng) - a collection of essays written by Cheer published together with a newly released single "Chance or Coincidence / 偶然與巧合" (1 December 2014)