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Truth (A-Mei album)

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Truth
Studio album by
A-Mei
ReleasedOctober 29, 2001
Recorded2001
Studio
  • Platinum Studio (Taipei)
  • Premium Studio
  • Mega Force Studio
  • Atomic Studios Pte Ltd. (Singapore)
  • Maestro Studio
  • Audioplex Studio Singapore
GenrePop
Length47:26
LabelWarner Music
Producer
A-Mei chronology
Journey
(2001) 		Truth
(2001) 		Fever
(2002)

Truth (Chinese: 真實; pinyin: Zhēnshí) is the ninth studio album by Taiwanese singer A-Mei. It was released on October 29, 2001. The album was her first album to be released after joining Warner Music Taiwan in June 2001. Crafted collaboratively with musicians such as Tino Bao, Kevin Yi, Peter Lee, Eric Chen and JJ Lin, it incorporates genres such as pop, Latin pop, R&B, hip-hop and adult contemporary.[1]

Commercially, the album was a success; it sold over 1.6 million copies in Asia,[2] and was ranked as one of the top 20 best-selling albums of 2001 in Taiwan.[3] The album has since sold over 200,000 copies in Taiwan to date.[2] The following year, A-Mei won the Best Female Mandarin Singer award at the 13th Golden Melody Awards, which was the very first Golden Melody Award of her entire career.[4]

Background and development

[edit]

On December 5, 2000, A-Mei released her final studio album under Forward Music, which was titled Regardless.[5] Despite being releases hard on the heels of her controversy regarding singing the National Anthem of the Republic of China,[6] the album still found commercial success. Regardless sold over 360,000 copies in Taiwan and 1 million across Asia.[7][8] After the promotional activities for the album had ended, she severed ties with Forward Music and decided to jump the gun by joining a global record company that could promote her internationally. In June 2001, she found a home with Warner Music Taiwan.[9] During the contract signing ceremony, A-Mei expressed her gratitude to Forward Music, for guiding and nurturing her to achieve what she had achieved, and showed her anticipation and excitement for the musical journey ahead with her new record company.[10] Shortly after signing with Warner, she sang the Mandarin theme song for the movie Pearl Harbor, which was a cover of Faith Hill's "There You'll Be."[11]

The album Truth was jointly created by musicians such as Tino Bao, Kevin Yi, Peter Lee, Eric Chen and JJ Lin.[1] The songs on the album were carefully selected from hundreds of domestic and international candidates.[12] Before the album's release date, Warner allowed netizens to vote for the album's title song on their official website and Yahoo.[13] Fans had responded strongly, with more than 2 million people having listened to it on the web.[14]

The song "Remember" was inspired by a fight JJ Lin had with his girlfriend when he was 17 years old over relationship issues; he and his first girlfriend had to separate because they each had their own dreams to follow. He didn't know how far he could go with her and wrote the song with those emotions in mind.[15] During the creation process, Lin composed the music with the helplessness of being forced to separate from the one he loved, with a sad tone and a slower tempo. At the same time, the song “Remember” also records the time when Lin was a soldier serving his mandatory military service, holding a simple and persistent attitude towards his career or relationship.[16] In 2001, Sam Chen, general manager of Warner Records Greater China, heard a demo of the song when he was working on A-Mei's album Truth. He tried to sign JJ Lin at one point but was unsuccessful, so he adopted the song and had it rewritten by Taiwanese lyricist Kevin Yi as “Remember.”[17]

Writing and recording

[edit]

The album's musical style is diverse and emotionally oriented, catering to a wide variety of audiences.[18] The songs on the album are more “foreign,” with A-Mei's voice moving through almost all of the songs at a medium to slow tempo with deep emotion.[19]

"Senses" is a song written by A-Mei for the first time under the pen name Katsu, while it was composed by George Samuelson, Mikael Lundh, and Quint Starkie.[20] "Senses" is a Latin pop-inspired song with flamenco influences.[21] "Hate That I Love You" is a mellow love song with lyrics by Zheng Shufei, and music and arrangement by Chen Dawei.[20] The album's title track is a Mandarin cover song of Kim Hyun-seong's "Hope (소원)."[20] The song "Thumbs Up" is a Mandarin cover song of Kinnda's "Don't Bring Sand to the Beach."[20] The piano ballad "Remember" was written by Kevin Yi and composed by JJ Lin.[21][20]

"Forever Picture" is composed by Guo Wenxian and written by Liao Yingru;[20] musically, "Forever Picture" is her first attempt at folk music.[21] "A-Class Entertainment” is a song written by Jennifer Hsu and composed by Eric Ng;[20] the song presents a special attitude towards love, with dynamic and lively dance music and a Big band's powerful arrangement. "Ladies Talk" is a mellow R&B slow jam written by Kevin Yi and composed by Tino Bao.[21][20] "Because You Didn't Say" is a guitar-driven ballad written by Arys Chien and Kevin Yi and composed by Arys Chien.[20] "Moment" is the only rock-style song in the whole album.[21] The album's closing track is a Mandarin cover of Faith Hill's "There You'll Be."

Artwork

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The album was photographed by Hong Kong's chief visual Team Sha La La's Xia Yongkang and Taiwanese photographer Huang Zhongping.[22] In order to present A-Mei's sense of texture and fashion, the album's clothing was based on the spirit of glamor and spontaneity, and the hairstylist had boldly cut A-Mei's hair into a short, sleek haircut. This made her look closer to her own personality and showed off her figure and charisma. The butterfly jacket on the album cover was created by A-Mei and designer Han Zhongwei. The golden lace and denim undershirt add a touch of glamor and sexiness to the spontaneity.[18]

Release and promotion

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On November 9, 2001, A-Mei held the "Real New Song Concert" at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to promote Truth

Warner Records generously purchased the largest theater in Warner Village Roadshow Studios on October 27, 2001, to host A-Mei's first public event before the release of Truth.[22] At the event, the theater played the music video premieres for "Senses," “Remember,” “Ladies Talk” and “A Class Entertainment.”[22] On November 9, 2001, in Taipei City, the "Real New Song Concert" was held at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, where A-Mei held a free large-scale concert to promote the album. More than 30,000 fans were packed at the venue, allowing fans who had not seen each other for a long time to share her musical works over the past year.[23] In December 2001, A-Mei held 7 concerts in the United States and Canada. The Toronto show at the Sears Theater was also the most successful solo concert held by a Taiwanese singer there in recent years.[24][25] At the last performance of the tour in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, a small autograph session for 100 people was held. During the event the local mayor of Cupertino presented the "Outstanding Artist Award from Cross-Strait and Three Places."[26] On December 31, 2001, she participated in a New Year's Eve concert in Taipei City. At the 13th Golden Melody Awards on May 4, 2002, A-Mei put on a showcase titled, "Best of Asia."[27]

Singles and music videos

[edit]
The music video for "Senses" was filmed in Valencia, Spain

The music video for the album's lead single "Senses," which was directed by Kuang Sheng,[28] was filmed in Valencia, Spain.[29] In order to ensure that A-Mei could dance in Spain, Warner Records asked Mr. Lafayette, the founder of the Flamenco Dance Academy, to assemble six dancers of the most professional standard to choreograph the video.[30] When the footage of A-Mei dancing in the video was filmed, it happened to be Valencia’s National Day, and local residents gathered in the church to watch mass.[30] A-Mei and more than 40 staff members filmed the dance scene for the "Senses" music video in the “Virgin Square.”[30] Unexpectedly, as soon as A-Mei danced, residents and tourists stopped to watch.[30] The whole square was bustling with activity, just like a large-scale party, and the crowd in the church was alarmed at some time.[30]

The music video for "Remember" was directed by Shockley Huang.[31] The video depicts doing tasks forlornly in her apartment.[31] The music video for "Truth" was directed by Kuang Sheng and depicts A-Mei laying in bed and using a sewing machine in a dreary, frozen room.[32] Throughout the video, there are interspersed scenes of A-Mei walking by a seashore.[32] The video for "Hate That I Love You" was also directed by Kuang Sheng and depicts A-Mei singing in an empty park.[33] The video for "Ladies Talk" was directed by Lai Weikang.[34] The video for "A-Class Entertainment" was directed by Teng Yung-Shing.[35] The music video for "Thumbs Up" was directed by Jeff Chang.[36] The videos for "Because You Didn't Say" and "Forever Picture" used edited concert footage.[37][38] In January 2002, the tracks "Remember" and "Senses" were listed at number 6 and number 36 respectively on the 2001 Hit FM Top 100 Singles of the Year chart.[39]

Accolades

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The following year, A-Mei won the Best Mandarin Female Singer award for the very first time with the album Truth at the 13th Golden Melody Awards.[40] A deserving win after four years of consecutive nominations in the same category since her second album Bad Boy. At the same ceremony, Truth was also nominated for Album of the Year.[41] On January 25, 2002, the song "Senses" made it onto the leaderboard for Most Popular Song at the 8th Chinese Music Chart.[42] In July 2012, the song "Remember" won the Singapore Lyric Copyright Society's Best Local Chinese Pop Song of the Year Award.[43]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Opening"  Mr.B0:31
2."感應" (Senses)Katsu[Note 1]
  • George Samuelson
  • Quint Starkie
  • Mikael Lundh
Lu Shaochun3:36
3."我恨我愛你" (Hate That I Love You)Zheng ShufeiChen DaweiTerence Teo4:29
4."真實" (Truth)Jennifer HsuGyuman ChoTu Ying4:39
5."了不起" (Thumbs Up)Kevin Yi
Eric Hung3:49
6."記得" (Remember)Kevin YiJJ LinGoh Kheng Long4:46
7."永遠的畫面" (Forever Picture)Kate LiaoGuo WenxianJamie Wilson3:51
8."A級娛樂" (A-Class Entertainment)Jennifer HsuEric NgAnthony Bao3:49
9."女人說" (Ladies Talk)Kevin YiTino BaoBaby Chung5:07
10."因為你沒說" (Because You Didn't Say)
Arys ChienKenn C4:35
11."瞬間" (Moment)
Eric NgRay Huang4:23
12."排山倒海" (Mountainous Waves)Lo-Jung ChenDiane WarrenBaby Chung3:40
Total length:47:26

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Katsu is the pseudonym of A-Mei.

References

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  1. ^ a b "張惠妹 / 真實". Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "張惠妹 / 真實 [限量透明水晶膠". Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "2001唱片銷售統計＠PMW 2009年度華語專輯總銷售榜單｜PChome 個人新聞台". April 6, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  4. ^ ""台湾金曲奖"昨晚揭晓 庾澄庆张惠妹登上宝座(图)". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). May 5, 2002. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "《不顧一切》CD+VCD反盜加值版" (in Chinese). Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  6. ^ "Taiwanese Pop Star A-mei Banned In China". MTV. May 31, 2000. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "張惠妹 A-Mei 不顧一切". www.5music.com.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "張惠妹『不顧一切』專輯介紹". iwant-radio.com (in Chinese). Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "張惠妹『排山倒海』而來，正式入主天后宮". inews.iwant-radio.com (in Chinese). November 17, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "演唱《珍珠港》中文主题曲 张惠妹复出心情不错(图)". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). July 15, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  11. ^ 张惠妹获"厚礼"　演唱《珍珠港》中文主题曲(图) (in Chinese). Sohu. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on June 25, 2001. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "和盗版赛跑 天后张惠妹推出新专辑<真实>(图)". yule.sohu.com (in Chinese). October 30, 2001. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  13. ^ "新专辑通篇失恋歌曲 张惠妹真的被男友抛弃?(图)". yule.sohu.com (in Chinese). October 10, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "张惠妹王菲十月同出大碟 歌坛天后之战一触即发". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). October 25, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "林俊杰聊成名作《记得》 多谢女友曾和自己吵架". chinanews.com.cn (in Chinese). March 10, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "林俊杰失意台湾金曲奖 新加坡本土颁奖礼揽三奖" (in Chinese). July 10, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  17. ^ 陈泽杉十年前“下手太晚” 林俊杰签约华纳如愿 (in Chinese). Enorth. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  18. ^ a b 张惠妹《真实》 (in Chinese). NetEase. October 30, 2001. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  19. ^ 张惠妹的《真实》犹豫是一种罪恶(图) (in Chinese). Enorth. November 13, 2001. Archived from the original on November 23, 2002. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i 真實 (CD album; Liner notes). 張惠妹. Warner Music Taiwan. 2001. 0927-42738-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ a b c d e "張惠妹《真實》", Apple Music (in Chinese), retrieved July 8, 2024
  22. ^ a b c 张惠妹新专辑《真实》发行 (in Chinese). October 20, 2001. Archived from the original on April 30, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "阿妹掀起一場『真實』風暴". inews.iwant-radio.com (in Chinese). November 17, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "阿妹「出嫁」多倫多". mypaper.pchome.com (in Chinese). April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "穿吊带低胸长裙出场 张惠妹魅力引爆多伦多(附图)". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). December 21, 2001. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "阿妹矽谷高歌 周立璟全程陪". mypaper.pchome.com (in Chinese). September 5, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  27. ^ 第13屆金曲獎:張惠妹 【亞洲最棒】, retrieved April 28, 2024
  28. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 感應 Senses (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  29. ^ "张惠妹西班牙拍MTV 男友与名模销魂兰桂坊(附图)". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). October 8, 2001. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  30. ^ a b c d e "全新MTV新鲜出炉 张惠妹激情演绎西班牙舞(附图)". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). October 19, 2001. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  31. ^ a b 張惠妹 A-Mei - 記得 Remember (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  32. ^ a b 張惠妹 A-Mei - 真實 Reality (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  33. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 我恨我愛你 Hate That I Love You (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  34. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 女人說 Ladies Talk (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  35. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - A級娛樂 First Class Entertainment (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  36. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 了不起 Thumbs Up (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved July 9, 2024
  37. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 因為你沒說 Because You Didn' t Say (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  38. ^ 張惠妹 A-Mei - 永遠的畫面 Forever Picture (official 官方完整版MV), retrieved April 28, 2024
  39. ^ "Hitoradio‧Hit Fm --華人音樂入口指標". www.hitoradio.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  40. ^ "第十三屆金曲獎得獎名單 - 文化部影視及流行音樂產業局". www.bamid.gov.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  41. ^ "第十三屆金曲獎入圍名單 - 文化部影視及流行音樂產業局". www.bamid.gov.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  42. ^ "第八届华语音乐榜中榜-最受欢迎歌曲奖名单". ent.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). January 25, 2002. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  43. ^ 林俊杰谈金曲奖：到底是我歌差 还是评审听不懂 (in Chinese). Tencent. July 11, 2012. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
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