Yan Zi Its Time
Yan Zi Its Time
- Details
- Hits: 9904
It’s Time ........ YanZi
是时候
After listening to the 11 tracks on the CD, I can’t help but feel that Yan Zi’s sound is still quite typical of her. While the album is her own production, the musical style doesn’t deviate much from her usual style. There are fewer fast songs on this release, which gives the CD a more melancholic mood. It’s not a drastic change, but it does add a touch of depth.
2000 Album: This album was a big hit in Taiwan, and I bought it because I had heard so much positive feedback about it. Yan Zi was a Singaporean artist making it big in the Mandarin-speaking world, and I was impressed by her talent. The track “天黑黑” (Dark Sky) with Yan Zi performing solo piano is particularly moving.
My desired happiness / 我要的幸福
2000 Album (Second Release): This album is not as upbeat as the first one. Many of the tracks are about love. While it may not be as impressive on the first listen, I’ve come to enjoy it more with repeated listens. Many of Yan Zi’s recordings are like that.
Kite / 风筝
2001 July Album: I particularly like the tracks “绿光” and “风筝”. The Kite (风筝) is especially memorable. At around 3’25” to 3’28”, Yan Zi presents a unique part of the music. Before that, she builds up to a climax, and then the music suddenly stops. During this brief pause, she takes two short breaths, and then the song continues. It’s as if the kite pauses for a moment during its ascent before continuing its journey. I didn’t hear her present that part of the music during one of her live performances.
Start / 自选集
Yan Zi, known for her unique sound, never expected to record an album of oldies. In January 2002, she released a collection of nine familiar favourites from other singers and one song she composed during her undergraduate days. These songs, spanning both English and Chinese works, evoke strong musical and sentimental connections. Yan Zi’s rendition of each song was impeccable.
Leave
In just four months from her debut album, Yan Zi released another album in May 2002. This album featured the Singapore National Day song, composed by local artist Dick Lee. The English version, titled “We Will Get There,” was written by Dick Lee, while the Chinese version, titled “一起走过,” was written by Liang Wen Fu.
To be Continue / 未完成
In January 2003, Yan Zi injected some local musical flavour into the album’s arrangements. The song “神奇” featured a distinct Indian musical idea, and the recording was titled “to be continued” suggesting that Yan Zi still had many wishes to fulfil.
The Moment
This album, released in August 2003, came in both CD and DVD formats. The CD included five new releases, while the second CD featured 15 songs that Yan Zi had released over the years. Each song likely holds a special meaning to her. The album seems to reflect the loneliness Yan Zi felt after reaching her peak in her music career. The DVD captured past events, showcasing Yan Zi’s journey from a beginning to a growing and maturing musician.
Stefanie
Yan Zi finally released her album in October 2004, a year after taking a break. I bought the CD/DVD version. There weren’t many changes in style, but I noticed more songs with different genres and arrangements, including piano, violin, cello, guitar, and banjo.
A Perfect Day / 完美的一天
Released in October, 2005. Her last album with Warner Music.
Against the Light / 逆光
Her first album with EMI, released in March 2007, had a video shot in Egypt that caused some gossip, but I didn’t really pay attention to it.
Back to “It’s Time.” My favourite tracks were “Thief of Time,” “Fool’s Kingdom,” and “It’s Time” (track 11). These were also accompanied by musical instruments instead of electronic synthesisers.
Two things about “It’s Time” caught my attention. First, the track listing was in English instead of Chinese, and there were “/“ signs next to each song title. I later realised that the number of “/“ represented the tempo of the song. So, a slow song like “A Voice Within” had “///,” while a fast song like “KKY” had “///////////.”
The second interesting thing was the last track, “It’s Time.” It was track 10, but after almost a minute of silence, another song called “11” was hidden in the track. I only found out about this by reading the lyrics in the CD booklet and the recording details.
Track 1, “A Voice Within,” might have a special meaning to Yan Zi, but I couldn’t fully understand it. The lyrics were adapted from Sairojini Naidu’s poem “Life,” and the music was composed by ??? and Jay Lim. The CD cover printed a few paragraphs of the poem in English.
The recording of “It’s Time” is of reasonable quality, similar to Yan Zi’s past recordings. However, it still falls short of audiophile standards. In this particular album, I noticed that tracks recorded with instruments had a darker background, making them more pleasing to the vocal presentation compared to those with synthesisers. I imagined the two tracks, “Thief of Time” and “Fool’s Kingdom,” accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and recorded by Hugo Boss Mr. Aik Yew Goh. The soundstage and grand musical effect would be incredibly impressive!
As I wrote this article, it was midnight on May 7, 2011, transitioning to May 8, 2011. I was eagerly awaiting the results of the Singapore General Election 2011, one of the most exciting elections since Singapore’s independence in 1965. Coincidentally, Yan Zi got married on May 8, 2011, which happened to be Mother’s Day. Was this just a coincidence? At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder about the meaning of “It’s Time.”
