21st Taiwan Golden Melody Awards - Nominations

The nominations for the 21st Taiwan Golden Melody Awards (第二十一屆金曲獎) were revealed on May 14, 2010. The award ceremony will be held on June 26, 2010 at Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋) in Taiwan and will award music released from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Eason Chan's Fifth Floor's Happiness received two nominations, as follows.

Best Mandarin Male Artist (最佳國語男歌手獎)
JJ Lin (林俊傑) - 100 Days (100天)
David Tao (陶喆) - Opus 69 (六九樂章 Zero to Hero)
Eason Chan (陳奕迅) - Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活)
Khalil Fong (方大同) - Timeless (可啦思刻)
Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰) - Princess (王妃)

Best Music Video (最佳音樂錄影帶獎)
Song Title...Album...Director
主人...赤子 innocent...劉明群
日光...春.日光...林暐哲 & 陳映之)
看見什麼吃什麼...感官/世界...比爾賈
吉米寶貝...七天...劉耕名
我行來海邊...98年臺灣原創流行音樂大獎作品輯 [風神之歌]...徐東翔
好膽你就來...A-MIT 阿密特 張惠妹意識專輯...比爾賈
這樣的一個麻煩...上五樓的快活...陳映之

Source: golden melody (official government site) 05.14.2010

Upcoming Cantonese EP and New Song

As Eason mentioned earlier, he was simultaneously recording a new Cantonese EP while he was recording Fifth Floor's Happiness. There are now rumors that Eason will release that EP December 2009.

In this month's JET Magazine, Wyman Wong reveals that he created a "platter" of songs for Eason. The first song of the "platter" was 葡萄成熟時, followed by 人車誌 and 沙龍, the upcoming song will be 陀飛輪 (Tourbillon (mechanics of a watch)), all of which revolve around grown men toys/playthings.

In a discussion among fans, these are the grown men toys/playthings revolving around the "platter" of songs:
葡萄成熟時 - red wine
人車誌 - cars
沙龍 - cameras
陀飛輪 - watches

Also previously rumored was a song (composed by Eric Kwok and lyrics by Wyman) which revolves around the topic of 'having an affair.'

Sources: 3cmusic 10.14.2009 & dettoriip @ easyjoint forum (courtesy of JET magazine) 11.05.2009

Eason to Join Will Lin in "Jumping Into the Ocean"

Yesterday, Eason Chan was at a press conference in Taiwan promoting his latest album Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活) where he performed 3 songs off the album.

Earlier, producer Will Lin stated that if Eason Chan's doesn't win a Golden Melody Award for Best Composer or Best Male Singer next year for his work in Fifth Floor's Happiness, he will jump into the ocean. Upon being informed of Will Lin's confidence, Eason said, "Wow, Taiwan people are fierce! I will join him." Eason pretended to be serious when speaking of the plans and goes into detail, from choosing the right place to jump from to having the correct outfits and whether to invite the media. He even mentioned he would wear a tight outfit or even wear zebra print.

Source: msn taiwan (courtesy of nownews) 10.01.2009
Photos: ent.qq 10.01.2009

Sodagreen Helps Eason Record Upcoming Album

Sodagreen appears in a photo shoot with Eason and helps him record "la's" for his upcoming album Fifth Floor's Happiness while they were there.

Photo shoot: easonchan.pixnet

Recording: easonchan.pixnet

Sources: pixnet 09.15.2009 & pixnet 09.16.2009

Song Sampling: Studio Recording of 床頭燈

Here is a clip of Eason Chan recording 床頭燈 (Night Light, or literally Bed Light) in the studio. The song is featured in Eason's upcoming Mandarin album Fifth Floor's Happiness, set to be released September 25, 2009.

To listen/watch: easonchan.pixnet (Official Fifth Floor's Happiness Blog)

Source: pixnet 09.05.2009

"Fifth Floor's Happiness": Album Cover, Track Writers, Song Sampling and Official Site

Tracklist with Composer and Lyricist:

1. 在你身邊
Composer: Zhang Ya Dong (張亞東)
Lyricist: Keith Chan Siu Kei (陳少琪)

2. 這樣的一個麻煩
Composer: Qing Feng @ Sodagreen (吳青峯)
Lyricist: Qing Feng @ Sodagreen (吳青峯)

3. 多少
Composer: Tanya Chua (蔡健雅)
Lyricist: Tanya Chua (蔡健雅)

4. Nothing Ever Happened (English)
Composer: Will Lin (林暐哲)
Lyricist: Lin Jia Xin (林嘉欣 - possibly actress-singer Karena Lam)

5. 你為什麼哭了呢
Composer: Mavis Fan (范曉萱)
Lyricist: Wang Xiao Miao (王小苗)

6. 謀情害命
Composer: Qing Feng @ Sodagreen (吳青峯)
Lyricist: Wyman Wong (黄偉文)

7. 我甲你 (Taiwanese)
Composer: Luantan Ascent (亂彈阿翔)
Lyricist: Luantan Ascent (亂彈阿翔)

8. 心的距離
Composer: Xiao An (小安)
Lyricist: Xiao An (小安)

9. 床頭燈
Composer: Li Yu Huan (李雨寰)
Lyricist: Ge Da Wei (葛大為)

10. 給你
Composer: Eason Chan (陳奕迅)
Lyricist: Francis Lee (李焯雄)

11. 從何說起
Composer: Li Hai Ying (李海鷹)
Lyricist: Lin Xi (林夕)

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Song Sample: eolasia (listen to ~1 min. clips of each song)

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Official site: Fifth Floor's Happiness (Universal Music HK)

Album covers: pixnet 09.10.2009
Track writers: pixnet 09.07.2009

Will Lin: "I Will Jump Into the Ocean if Eason Does Not Win a Taiwan Golden Melody Award Next Year!"

Having won Best Album at this year's Taiwan Golden Melody Awards, Eason Chan will release a brand new Mandarin album, Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活), at the end of September. For the album, Eason purchased an expensive single lens digital camera and took on the role of photographer, taking over a thousand photos. However, most of those images were of producer Will Lin (林暐哲) and his company cried "useless" [for the upcoming album]. Elsewhere, as the album production was coming to an end, Eason handed over a song, For You (給你), written by himself. Unexpectedly the song beat out good friends Tanya Chua and Mavis Fan's works to become the first plug of the album. Producer Will Lin states, "If Eason does not win a Taiwan Golden Melody Award for Best Male Artist or Best Composer next year, I will absolutely jump into the ocean (我一定去跳海)!"

It took Eason ten years to finally build up the courage to ask to work with Will Lin. When asking his record company, they immediately said 'yes' and set up for the two to meet. When meeting, the two were extremely polite towards each other and after exchange phone numbers, the two became good friends.

Due to time restraints Crowd Lu was not able to give Eason a song, so Eason submitted his own song, For You (給你). Will Lin and his production team were surprised by the natural but easygoing nature of the song. Eason used the piano to write a pleasant blessing, used notes to write a poetic sentiment, and the song brings a sense of hope for more love which translates into feeling all the happiness that exists on earth. Eason invited Francis Lee (李焯雄) to write underlying sadness but positive, meaningful and encouraging lyrics to this song. And because of the meaning in the song, it was chosen to be the frist plug.

Source: msn taiwan 09.07.2009

"Fifth Floor Happiness" Pre-order and Track List

Eason Chan's upcoming new Mandarin album Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活) is expected to be released September 23, 2009. As mentioned earlier, a pre-order edition will come with Joy Note and rough cuts of the 11 (not 10) demos. The track list as follows.

1. 在你身邊
2. 這樣的一個麻煩
3. 多少
4. Nothing Ever Happened
5. 你為什麼哭了呢
6. 謀情害命
7. 我甲你
8. 心的距離
9. 床頭燈
10. 給你
11. 從何說起

To pre-order: yesasia

給你 (Official MV)

Source: yesasia 09.02.2009

Upcoming Album Update: "Fifth Floor's Happiness" Joy Note & Rough Cut Demos

Having traveled between Hong Kong and Taiwan over the past month to record his September release, Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活), Eason Chan recently wrapped up recording and is beginning a new round of promotions. The title of the upcoming album comes from the fact that whether in Hong Kong or in Taiwan Eason was recording in a studio on the 5th floor and Eason is at his happiest when recording. A pre-order limited edition of the album comes with a booklet of photos, Joy Notes, showcasing Eason's journey through the album process (see photo above) and a CD (see photo above) with rough cut demos of the 10 brand new songs in the upcoming album.

To catch a glimpse: universalmusichk (For You (給你) playing in the background)

Source: universal music hk youtube 09.01.2009
Photos: pixnet blog 08.31.2009

New Song: "For You" (給你)

A one minute preview of a new song from Eason Chan's upcoming album Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活) has been released by Universal Music. To get access to the preview clip, register here and the clip will be sent to you. For those who cannot read Chinese, click here to get direct access to the clip. The song, titled For You (給你), is composed by Eason himself and lyrics by Francis Lee.

For You 給你

Composer: Eason Chan
Lyricist: Francis Lee (李焯雄)

不要把我推開
當堅持像無賴
當鑽石也變塵埃
我信 你在

唯有寂寞慷慨
骨牌倒了下來
想安慰找不到對白
那空白

可是我 相信愛
我信異想才有日會天開
可是愛 我相信愛
就算一切都像
獨白

我不要藏起來
當堅持像無賴
當鐵樹不會花開
我信 你在

唯有寂寞慷慨
恐懼侵蝕血脈
想安慰卻找不到對白
那空白

可是我 相信愛
我信異想才有日會天開
可是愛 我相信愛
就算一切都像
獨白

忍耐種種不能忍耐
不懷疑該不該
因為我信 所以你會 存在

可是我 相信愛
我信異想才有日會天開
可是愛 我相信愛
就算一切都像
獨白

可是我 相信愛
我信異想總有日會天開
可是愛 我相信愛
就算沒對你說
我愛 我愛 我愛 你會在

Source: universal music hk 08.28.2009

Eason Tours Again: "90 Minutes of Happiness"

Yesterday, Eason Chan was in Shanghai to promote his upcoming brand new Mainland China tour. The details of the upcoming tour are not yet finalized but preliminary details include the tour destinations: currently planned as 20 shows in 8 cities of China, and the tour name: 90 Minutes/Points of Happiness (90分的快活). Organizers reveal the tour is expected to start December of this year with 5 shows at the Shanghai International Gymnastics Center (上海國際體操中心). It is reported that a smaller venue is chosen upon request from Eason.

Asked about the details of the upcoming tour, Eason explains it will be smaller in scale, he will not dance, and he hopes that it will be a closer, more relaxed environment where he will be able to interact with his fans and share details of the production of his songs. Speaking from the heart, Eason says, "I hope to sing songs that have been "left out" and not songs such as 十年, which is performed so often that some might dislike it." Organizers reveal that this upcoming tour is story driven and music-based in hopes for Eason to interact with the audience and the idea of the audience choosing songs on the spot is currently in the plan.

With his Moving On Stage World Tour just ending and with 5 shows set in Shanghai for the upcoming tour, the media questioned Eason's intentions and asked whether he felt he was "stealing" from the people. Eason, who seems to not have fully understood the question, responds, "Am I not welcome here?" and later says, "The dates are not set, who knows? My management company might be planning this tour to end in 2015."

When asked about the name of the tour, 90 Minutes/Points of Happiness (90分的快活), Eason explains that 90 Points (90分) was chosen instead of 100 Points (100分) due to multiple reasons, including, "In the opinion of Eason's fans, Eason is always worth 90 points which represents my room for improvement"; "The concerts will be 90 Minutes (90分鐘) long"; "The current trend is keeping things 'low-profile' and naming it 100 Points is too 'high-profile'." Eason explains that the Shanghai shows will be timed to exactly and hour and a half (90 minutes), and says, "Happiness (快活) is one level above being happy (快樂) and I hope to share that with everyone." The title of his upcoming album Fifth Floor's Happiness (上五樓的快活) share a similar name to the tour name.

Source: dailyvc 08.14.2009
Photos: sina 08.13.2009

Notes:
1. As explained by Eason above, in Chinese, the '90分' in 90分的快活 could represent (a) 90 points (aka 90%), or (b) 90 minutes. So depending on your English interpretation, the title of the upcoming tour is either 90 Minutes of Happiness or 90% Happiness.
2. In Chinese, 快活 (fai woot) and 快樂 (fai lok) have two different meanings. However, when translated to English, they both mean "being happy/happiness", therefore, there is no difference in the translation above.

"Fifth Floor's Happiness" Song Leakage + Album Update

Eason's latest album leaked

Xin.sg - Wednesday, August 12

Set to be released next month, Eason Chan's latest album, 5th Floor of Happiness, ran into problems of a premature online leak with five of his new tracks currently circulated on the internet. Apart from that, a fan went as far as to mimic and record one of Chan's latest tracks onto a CD and had it mailed to the bewildered King of Cantopop.

Chan's latest album features a plethora of collaborations with different musical talents such as Tanya Chua, Sodagreen, Mavis Fan, Xiao An, and Ah Xiang, the vocalist of rock band Luantan Ascent. Chan's record company has confirmed that all five collaborated tracks had been leaked onto the internet. The company is currently carrying out a thorough investigation to see if the leak was an intentional move.

As if the leak of five songs were not outrageous enough, Chan received a CD from a fan who re-sung one of his latest compositions, 'How Much', which is also one of the leaked tracks. The singer was exasperated as he disappointedly expressed that he could not be bothered with these anymore.

This is not been the first time such leaks have happened in the music industry. Previous victims include Angela Zhang, whose song was accidentally leaked online by the music producer's assistant. Jay Chou has also experienced similar leaks before the official release of his album.

Source: yahoo singapore 08.12.2009

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Song's leaked include:
1. 多少 - Composed by Tanya Chua (蔡健雅)
2. 這樣的一個麻煩 - Composed by Sodagreen's Qing-Feng (蘇打綠 青蜂)
3. 你為什麼哭了呢 - Composed by Mavis Fan (范曉萱)
4. 心的距離 - Composed by Showan (or Xiao An, 小安)
5. 我和你 (in Taiwanese) - Composed by Luantan Ascent (亂彈樂團 阿翔)

Source: jiaodong 08.11.2009

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During a recent interview, Eason mentioned that producer Will Lin wrote an English song for him, titled Nothing Ever Happen, which is expected to be released in his upcoming Mandarin album.

Source: sinshew-i 08.07.2009

2009 Mandarin EPs Update II

As Eason mentioned earlier (here and here), he plans on releasing 2 Mandarin EPs this year.

During a recent promo of his album H3M in Mainland, he revealed further info on the upcoming Mandarin album, as follows.

- producer is Will Lin
- songwriters are Zhang Ya Dong, Sodagreen's Qing-Feng (青峰), Tanya Chua, Mavis Fan, etc.
- will perform one song in the Taiwanese dialect
- mentioned as one album (instead of 2 EPs)
- expected to be released in September 2009
- (unofficially) titled 上五樓的快活 (Fifth Floor's Happiness, or literally translated: Happiness Going to the Fifth Floor)

Note: There are several discrepancies involved. Whether because of official changes or because Eason merely mentioned the upcoming Mandarin album (i.e. not promoting it), the above mentioned is the latest info. Thanks to Eason's fans from all around providing the updated information.

Source: easonfans 07.21.2009

2009 Mandarin EPs Update

As announced earlier, Eason Chan will (hopefully) release 2 Mandarin EPs this year. Additional information, as follows.

- There will be 2 songs in the Taiwanese language written by Luan Dan A Xiang (亂彈阿翔) titled 離家出走 (Run Away From Home) and 我和你 (Me and You)

- Eason says that he has always liked Mayday's 志明與春嬌, so when producer Will Lin approached him suggesting he record a song in Taiwanese, he took on the challenge

Sources: chinatimes 06.01.2009

Eason Accepts Awards and Joins the Association

Eason & Ashin (@ Mayday)

On June 16, 2009, Eason Chan attended the Music Workers in Taiwan Annual Ten Best Albums and Ten Best Songs Awards Ceremony (中華音樂人交流協會年度十大專輯和十大單曲頒獎典禮), where he was awarded one of the top 10 albums for Don't Want To Let Go (不想放手) and two of the top 10 songs for 不要說話 and 倒帶人生. To express his support, upon accepting his award, he took out $1,000 as payment for his member fee, whereby becoming the first member from Hong Kong. In addition, he asked, "Aside from a members fee, is there anything else I need to contribute? Can I now listen to non-mainstream music before it's released?"

Eason was extremely happy to be able to meet and talk with other musicians. At the ceremony, he saw Mayday's Ashin (阿信) who he had previously asked for a song. However, Ashin hasn't given him anything yet and not giving up, Eason says, "Wait is needed for good songs."

As for the state of his vocal chord, he says it is a lot better and he is currently practicing his Taiwanese-language song 我和你 (Me and You) for his upcoming Mandarin album, but the nasal resonance of the Taiwanese language is leaving him tongue tied.

Source: chinatimes 06.17.2009
Photos: ent.qq (courtesy of tungstar) 06.17.2009

Upcoming: 2009 Mandarin EPs & New Cantonese EP

As posted earlier, Eason Chan will release 2 Mandarin EPs, 5 songs each, this year. And as concepted, will incorporate "two different styles from two different shores" with Taiwan's Will Lin 林暐哲 and Beijing's Zhang Ya Dong 張亞東 as producers. Additional and new information on the albums as follows.

North (Zhang Ya Dong as producer):
- experimental album (e.g. Acid Jazz, song types by Lenny Kravitz, UFO, Corduroy, Galliano, Urban Species, etc.)
- Eason wants to write a song

South (Will Lin as producer):
- songs by Tanya Chua, Mavis Fan, Angus Chan & Sodagreen
- Tanya's song is titled 多少 (How Much), lyrics are also by Tanya - according to Eason, this song is awesome! When Tanya finished writing the song, she gave it to Eason and said "This song is for you." After hearing the demo, Eason asked her, "Are you sure you don't want to keep it for yourself?" because the song is THAT good!
- right now, writers are giving Eason songs and Eason is then discussing them with Will Lin, but Will is giving Eason freedom and saying, "as long as you like [the song]"

Eason hopes that the 2 EPs will be released together anywhere between August & September.

Also noted is that Eason is simultaneously working on a new Cantonese EP while working on these Mandarin EPs. It is currently used as a "back-up" in case the Mandarin EPs aren't finished in time. However, Eason prefers to plug all the songs from H3M rather than releasing a new EP, if it comes down to that. However, Eason doesn't mind recording songs in advance.

Source: crhk (radio interview with Eason) 05.14.2009

New Mandarin Album(s) Expected in August

Eason Chan was doing a round of promotions for his upcoming Eason's Moving On Stage 21 - Taipei (Part II) concerts where he said, aside from the songs he performed the first time, he also wants to incorporate songs from his last album Don't Want To Let Go and his upcoming album Eason and the H Cube M Band into the two upcoming shows, and joked that he might have to sing for 48 hours.

It is estimated that Eason's new Mandarin album(s) will be released in August of this year. He is currently gathering songs and already has a concept in mind. He wants to invite Taiwan's Will Lin 林暐哲 and Beijing's Zhang Ya Dong 張亞東 (two different styles from two different shores) as producers. He hopes that they can produce two different sounding, but equally great, EPs.

Source: udn 02.25.2009