Deserts Chang

Deserts Chang
Deserts Chang
張懸
Born	Chiao An-p'u (焦安溥); 30 May 1981 (age 43); Taiwan
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2001–2015 (Deserts Chang) ; 2015–present (Anpu)
	Musical career
Genres	Indie pop, alternative
Instrument	Guitar
Labels	Sony BMG (2006–2012)
Website	www.anpu-oystermusic.com

Deserts Chang (Chinese: 張懸; pinyin: Zhāng Xuán; born 30 May 1981) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter.^[1]^[2]

The widely recognized name "張懸(Deserts Chang)" was originally a pen name used during high school when she began writing poetry and submitting it to newspaper supplements. After her "To Ebb" concert in Kaohsiung in 2015, she decided to retire the persona of Deserts Chang and took a hiatus from the music industry. She has since continued her artistic pursuits under her given name, "安溥(Anpu)".

Anpu's lyrics are highly poetic, enduring, and often lead listeners into deep contemplation. She frequently expresses social concern and criticism in her work. In 2013, she won the Best Lyricist at the 24th Golden Melody Awards with her song "玫瑰色的你" (Rose-Colored You). After returning to the music scene under her given name, she won the Song of the Year at the 34th Golden Melody Awards in 2023 with the song "最好的時光" (a flash and how it lasts) , marking a decade-long interval between her two awards.

Early life

Deserts Chang was born as Chiao An-p'u (焦安溥; Jiāo Ānpǔ) on 30 May 1981 to a high socio-economic status family. Her father, Chiao Jen-ho (焦仁和; Jiāo Rénhé), is a former secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation. However, Chang has been quoted by the media as saying that she does not want to ride on the success of her father. Her stage name Deserts represents something "mysterious and suggests something hanging in limbo," a representation of her personality.^[3]

Chang started composing when she was 13 and began to perform on stage at 16. By the age of 19, Chang had written over 100 songs and got her first contract with Sony BMG., However, after recording, photo shooting and several campus performances, nothing happened. The young singer had waited for 5 years for the release of her debut album " My Life Will...”

Though she released her first album in 2006, Chang was well known among live houses, pubs and the Internet before that. Her light and clear voice is heart-touching and inspiring,^{[citation needed]} which attracts many college students and independent music lovers. Chang is also a guitar player, and writes most of her songs with acoustic guitar.

Chang married her boyfriend Xu in August 2019 and gave birth to their first kid in September 2019.

Career

Chang dropped out of high school because she "couldn't stand the conservative restrictions."^[3] She previously performed at pubs before entering the music recording industry.

She was a member of the rock band Mango Runs, named most popular act and winner of the Indie Music Award at the 2003 Hohaiyan Rock Festival in Taipei County.^[4] Mango Runs was featured in the 2004 documentary Ocean Fever (海洋熱), which followed the stories of several acts at the Hohaiyan Rock Festival.^[5]

Chang's debut album My Life Will... was released on 9 June 2006 under the record label Sony BMG. Although many of her fans objected to the recording deal, Chang promised that her style of music will not change.^[3] The album contains her music written between the ages of 13 and 19.

Her presence in the alternative music scene was demonstrated in the 18th Golden Melody Awards, where she received four award nominations. Her debut album was nominated for Best Mandarin Album along with mainstream musicians such as Jolin Tsai.^[6] It was previously considered unthinkable for a high-profile Chinese language music awards show to nominate independent artists in its major categories.^[7]

The singer has been enjoying growing popularity in Taiwan and Mainland China. At the 7th Chinese Music Media Awards in Hong Kong, Chang received the award for Best New Mandarin Artist.^[8]

She released her second album Oh, dear. dear. I haven't. (親愛的...我還不知道) on 20 July 2007. For the song 畢竟, she was nominated for Best Lyricist at the 19th Golden Melody Awards.

Since then, she has been joined by three other musicians (Cent, Goodtone, and Sunho) to create a band called Algae. On 22 May 2009, her third album City (城市) was released.

Chang released her fourth album in August 2012. The album named 神的遊戲 (Games We Play) was released under Sony music. The new album provides insights into Chang's life experiences over the past three years, in songs such as 如何; her constant advocacy for social issues, in song like 玫瑰色的你 (Rose-colored), for she won her first Golden Melody Award for the song's lyrics.^[9]

Musical style

Using a guitar as her primary instrument. She is generally considered an indie artist despite having signed with recording giant Sony BMG.^[10]

Chang's most downloaded song Baby (寶貝) was written after she turned 13 following a fight with her mother. However, the full song was not realized until later when she had learned how to play a musical instrument.^[3]

Political views

In her 4th album named Games we Play, she published a song named 玫瑰色的你 (’the rose-colored you’). It has been banned in mainland China for an extended period. Initially, it was removed from streaming and download platforms around June 4 each year, but it would later be restored. However, it eventually became permanently unavailable, and as of now, listeners in mainland China cannot stream or download the song on any music platform. The suspected reason for the ban is that Deserts Chang (Anpu) indicated in interviews and personal statements that the song was dedicated to social activists.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album
2005	Maybe I Don't Care 31 March Indie Release Live House Limited Edition
2006	My Life Will... 9 June Released by Sony BMG
2007	Dear... I don't know yet 20 July Released by Sony BMG
2009	The City 22 May Released by Sony BMG (in Taiwan) 22 May Released by Sony BMG (in China) Released under band name:"Algae"
2012	Games We Play 11 August Released by Sony BMG
2022	9522 14 October Released under name: "anpu" (安溥)

EP

Year	Name
2007	《Baby in life》: 8 June Released by SonyBMG
2008	《Love, New Year》: 19 December Released by SonyBMG as a form of Greeting Card, Limited 5000 Cards were released

Soundtrack

Year	Title
September 2005	《The Passage》MovieSoundtrackTheme Song: 〈Glimmer〉 (Producer)
August 2008	《Candy Rain》MovieSoundtrack: 〈Triste〉 (Singer/ Producer)
February 2010	《Monga》MovieSoundtrack: 〈I think you're leaving〉 (Singer/ Producer)

Tours and performances

Spring Scream
Formoz Festival
The Wall Live House─Cat Power Warm Up
Hohaiyan Rock Festival
Modern Sky Festival
In Music Festival
S.H.E Top Girl Concert (Guests)
Taiwan Music Night at Nouveau Casino, Paris, France
Sodagreen「Walk Together」Concert Tour 2012 (Guest)
Fuji Rock Festival フジロック 2012, Naeba, Japan
Deserts ＆ Algae To Ebb Tour 2014–2015
Taiwanese Wave at Central Park Summerstage Festival 2015, New York City, United States

Awards and nominations

Awards

Year	Awards
2003	The 15th CASH Song Writers Quest	Winner:《At That Moment》
2007	The 5th Annual HITO Pop Music Award	DJ's Most Popular Album: 《My Life Will...》 HITO Best New Artist
	The Second Annual KKBOX Music Award	New Singer of the Year
	The Second Annual Stars Award	Best Female Singer
	HITO Radio Music Awards	Best New Female Artist: Deserts Chang^[11] DJ's Best Loved Album: 《My Life Will...》
2008	The 6th Annual HITO Pop Music Award	HITO Pop Music Lyricist: 〈Like〉
2008	2009 Beijing Pop Festival	Best Singer-Songwriter in Hong Kong and Taiwan
2013	The 13th Annual Top Chinese Music Awards	Best Singer-Songwriter Award Best Lyricist Award Best Song Producer Award

Nominations

Years	Nominations
2007	The 18th Annual Golden Melody Awards	Song of the Year Nomination: 〈Baby (in the night)〉 Best Chinese Album Nomination: 《My Life Will...》 Best Lyricist Nomination: 〈Baby (in the night)〉 Best Composer Nomination: 〈Baby (in the night)〉
2008	The 19th Annual Golden Melody Awards	Best Lyricist Nomination: After All
2008	The 8th Annual Top Chinese Music Awards	Best Lyricist in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 〈The Annoying Word〉 Best Music Arranger in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 〈Like〉 Best Female Singer in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 《Dear...I don't know yet》 Best Album in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 《Dear...I don't know yet》 Best Singer-Songwriter in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 《Dear...I don't know yet》 Best Producer in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 《Dear...I don't know yet》 Best Song in Hong Kong and Taiwan Nomination: 〈Appearance〉, 〈The Annoying Word〉, 〈Like〉
2010	The 21st Annual Golden Melody Awards	Best Chinese Female Singer: The City
2012	The 23rd Annual Golden Melody Awards	Best Song Writer Nomination: Please Give Me A Better Rival In Love

References

^ China Daily It's a packed hall for Zhang Xuan – once again 8 October 2010
^ Time Out Deserts Xuan 2013 Taiwanese indie folk singer-songwriter Deserts Xuan (Zhang Xuan) takes her heartfelt and earnest sounds to local audiences.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Yang, Ginger (12 June 2006). "Finding refuge in music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
^ Woodworth, Max (14 July 2003). "Monkey Insane tops the charts at Ho-Hai-Yan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
^ Hu, Brian (12 May 2005). "Musical Verite". UCLA Asia Institute. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
^ Yi, Ho (8 June 2007). "Return to the music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
^ Hu, Brian (8 June 2007). "Alternate melodies in Taiwan". UCLA Asia Institute. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
^ "7th Chinese Music Media Awards Go Non-Mainstream". CRI English. 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
^ "Desert Chang, Releases New Album After Three Years". CRI English. 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
^ "Deserts Chang". Seven Castles. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ (in Chinese) HITO Radio 2007 HITO Radio Music Awards winners list 4 February 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2011

External links

[1] China Daily It's a packed hall for Zhang Xuan – once again 8 October 2010

[2] Time Out Deserts Xuan 2013 Taiwanese indie folk singer-songwriter Deserts Xuan (Zhang Xuan) takes her heartfelt and earnest sounds to local audiences.

[debut-3] Yang, Ginger (12 June 2006). "Finding refuge in music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 July 2007.

[4] Woodworth, Max (14 July 2003). "Monkey Insane tops the charts at Ho-Hai-Yan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 22 July 2007.

[5] Hu, Brian (12 May 2005). "Musical Verite". UCLA Asia Institute. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.

[6] Yi, Ho (8 June 2007). "Return to the music". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 July 2007.

[7] Hu, Brian (8 June 2007). "Alternate melodies in Taiwan". UCLA Asia Institute. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.

[8] "7th Chinese Music Media Awards Go Non-Mainstream". CRI English. 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.

[9] "Desert Chang, Releases New Album After Three Years". CRI English. 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.

[10] "Deserts Chang". Seven Castles. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.^{[permanent dead link]}

[11] (in Chinese) HITO Radio 2007 HITO Radio Music Awards winners list 4 February 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2011

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