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

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Songs of Transience, which was released four years after her last album, is, as Chen describes, like "an arrogant rose in my garden", which takes listeners time to smell its fragrance.

In her usual style, the new album sums up her experiences and meditations during the past few years. Chen also included many sounds of Taiwan in the album in each song, such as car horns, rainfall and footsteps.

At 3 am, Chen went to the seashore with a microphone to record the sound of the ocean waves. It was dark and she was scared.

"But somehow I was tempted by the fear," she says.

"It's the same emotion as when I am about to step onstage. I am frightened by the crowds, the lights, but I enjoy singing on a chair among them."

She also recorded the sound of the airport, which recalls lots of memories for her. During childhood, her father took her and her younger brother there to watch airplanes take off and land.

"The most beautiful scene of Taiwan is its people, who are warm, nice and positive. Despite natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, they keep their strength and vitality," she says. "I really appreciate that I was born and am living here."

During the concert, the singer, who first made a name for herself among Taiwan's university student fans with her folk music, poetic lyrics and soft vocals, will perform songs from the six albums she released since signing to Taiwan label Magic Stone Music in 1996, including her debut album, 1998's Let Me Think, and soft-rock album Groupies in 2002.