November 07, 2005

Stefanie Sun Has Her Eyes Set On China

By Tan Wee Liang

Singapore's home-grown singer Stefanie Sun was in town (she's based in Taiwan) on Saturday to promote her newly-released album, A Perfect Day. In Singapore only for two days, MTVAsia.com caught up with her amidst her tight schedule for a short interview.

The petite singer breezed into the room with a radiant smile that matched her bright red hair perfectly. A Perfect Day is her ninth studio album in her five years in the music industry. Her first single off the album, "A Perfect Day," is a light-hearted song that has her daydreaming about life in a dream house.

Moving away from her usual melancholic ballads, the upbeat song sings of optimism and hope. "(The song is) my experience," the 27-year-old singer expressed.

"I'm very happy that somebody managed to write about the kind of feeling you get when you just want to daydream."

And that's not the only thing that she is excited about. Sun has always expressed interest in all things Chinese, from its culture to the poetic lyrics in Mandarin songs.

Having the song written by a Chinese musician was an exciting experience. "I like the initial rush I got from that song. They (the Chinese) are full of passion and very different," she said.

Apart from "A Perfect Day," she also collaborated with established Chinese composers like Lin Xi and Lin Yi Feng for her new album. "I really like songs with beautiful and poetic lyrics. Not the usual way of expressing things."

She also hinted at future collaborations with Chinese musicians and composers. When asked to reveal a particular composer she would most like to work with, she named the Chinese mainland pop singer, Pu Shu.

"He lives in his own world. I'd like to find out what he's thinking about."

It's nice to know that success hasn't gotten to the singer's head. When asked about her idea of a perfect day, she chuckled and said simply: "Good food, and good company."

With the establishment of her own production company Make Music, this is the second time that Sun is helping to produce her own album. Having had more say in production, Sun feels that she now has more control over the things she want to do as opposed to what the market wants from her.

Despite mixed reviews about her new album, she maintains her stand and aspires to be recognized as a singer that is constantly changing and upgrading herself, attempting new challenges with each new album.

A Perfect Day is in stores now.