Cheer by name, cheery by nature

With her new album Songs of Transience released in December, singer-songwriter Cheer Chen kicks off her tour around the country. Provided to China Daily

Music comes first in banker's world

Rock 'n' roll diplomacy for Beijing's Carsick Cars

Here's a singer-songwriter who enjoys great popularity without overexposure. Chen Nan reports.

While some stars enjoy keeping themselves busy and getting as much media exposure as possible, Cheer Chen is one of the few singer-songwriters who manages to be both popular and maintain a low profile.

With her refreshing sound, and an intimacy she is able to foster with the crowd in her live shows, she is popular among wenyi qingnian, referring to young Chinese people who love literature and art.

She has more than enough charisma to ensure that she sells out quickly every time she plays, whatever the scale of the show and the promotional campaign. Her latest shows are no exception.

With her new album, Songs of Transience, released in December 2013, the 38-year-old Chen kicked off her tour in Taiwan, Hong Kong and will come to Beijing on March 15, which will be followed by concerts around the mainland.

Along with her previous two albums, Peripeteia and Immortal, Songs of Transience marks the ending of Chen's music trilogy, Cheer Chen's Flowers, which symbolizes a process - that of decay, rebirth and blossoming.

"The trilogy witnesses my change during the past 10 years and kind of gives it a conclusion," Chen says.

When she came up with the idea of making the trilogy, Chen says that she planned to give it 10 years since she knew that she writes songs slowly.

"Time is crucial for my music. It brings vitality," she says.