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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Chang Tieh-chih, music critic and writer from Taiwan, once said: "Undoubtedly, Chen represents Taiwan's indie music scene, even Taiwan's indie culture, during the past 10 years.

"Her third album, Groupies, brought her career to a peak, which matches well with the rise of Taiwan's indie music scene, with young people becoming more and more enthusiastic about real and individual sound.

"It was also that period of time which had singer-songwriters such as Deserts Chang and indie band Sodagreen become the idols of young people."

Due to her record company shutting down, Chen went quiet for a couple of years before returning with her first English single, Sentimental Kills, in limited copies through her own record label in 2003.

Chen's album Peripeteia won two Golden Melody awards for Best Music Album Producer and Best Music Video.

"I used to write songs that were light and easy to understand but later I tried to focus on some emotions that are hard to understand, a little bit dark and evil," says Chen. "You may not figure out what I'm trying to express straightaway, but if you've had similar experiences, you'll have a closer connection to this music."

According to Timothy Xu, CEO of Sony Music's entertainment branch in China, unlike any other singer-songwriter, Chen enjoys a simple life with no weibo (China's micro blog) and rarely goes online. Her biggest entertainment besides music is reading books.

"She once told me that one of her favorite books is Robinson Crusoe. She read the book when she was young and she likes the feeling of wandering on the ocean, turning tragic stories into romance," says Xu. "That's why her music is so comforting to listeners and withstands the test of time."