| Yen-j | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 嚴爵 (Traditional) |
| Pinyin | Yán Jué (Mandarin) |
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Giâm Chiok (Hokkien) |
| Origin | Taiwanese |
| Born | April 23, 1988 Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Genre(s) | Mandopop |
| Instrument(s) | Voice, Piano, Trombone, Guitar, Bass , Drums |
| Label(s) | B'in Music Co. (相信音樂) |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Children | none |
| Influences | Charlie Parker , John Coltrane |
| Official Website | yenj234.pixnet.net/blog |
Yen-j , also known as Yan Jue, is a Taiwanese jazz-pop singer-Songwriter. He has achieved rising success as a newcomer on the Mandopop scene, due to testimonials from popular artists such as Wang Leehom[1], Mayday’s Ashin, Dee Hsu, Blackie Chen and DJ Xiao Shu. His fresh combinations of jazz and pop has made him a noticeable star on the rise. His debut album , Thanks to Your Greatness (谢谢你的美好) contains 11 songs, all written , and produced by him, or with his input. He also plays many instruments, such as the piano, trombone, guitar and bass guitar.
Contents |
-“没有如果”。梁静茹（2007） -“他们”，张惠妹（2011） -“未来的情人”，叮当（2011） -“偷偷的爱” ，叮当，严爵（2011）
Yen-J was born as Yen Jue, on 23 April 1988 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He moved to the USA at the age of 10 to continue his studies. He started playing the piano and the trombone at an early age, and at the age of 11 started composing his own music and also learned to play other instruments to further his interests in jazz music. During his high school years, he took to performing with his high school teachers at jazz bars in San Francisco. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to further his education at the University of Southern California, studying music.[2] However, he withdrew from the university after his first semester and decided to move back to Taiwan to begin his career as a singer.[2]
Yen-J who comes from a family of doctors, was given a deadline of two years to start off his music career by his father, who wanted him to study medicine.[3] Seeing how successful he has been since his decision to become a singer, his father has since changed the deadline to ten years, instead of two.[3]
After only three months, he was able to land a contract with a recording company in 2008, with Taiwan’s Bin music. In January 2010, he released an EP, Trapped in Taipei (困在台北, Kùn Zài Táiběi) and went on various live gigs around Taiwan to be able to get used to performing by himself, and to raise audience awareness. Yen-J states that learning how to perform live was not enjoyable in the beginning as he was only learning the ropes, but he gradually learned to enjoy performing live and interacting with the audience.
His 2010 album, Thanks to your Greatness (谢谢你的美好, Xièxiè Nǐ De Měihǎo) was released on the 29th of April, proved to be a huge success, with his Facebook page and blog receiving tens of thousands of hits. His new album took out KKBOx’s “Most Played Album” spot which was contending with albums by other Mandopop veterans, and also reached number four on HIT fm’s global music charts.[4] It also peaked at number 2 on the G-Music’s Mandarin album charts a month after its release. He has been nominated for a number of awards in prestigious awards ceremonies such as the Golden Melody Awards as "Best Newcomer" and also the Singapore Hit awards, where he was nominated for and won the Best Newcomer Award. His 2011 single, "Good Things" (好的事情, Hǎo De Shìqíng) has reached #1 on the KKBOX Charts in Taiwan.
Yen-J has also received much interest towards his music from providing songs for some drama soundtracks, such as Queen Of No Marriage (敗犬女王), P.S Man (偷心大聖PS男) as well as the popular Autumn's Concerto (下一站,幸福) , which featured some of his songs, such as “拓也的秘密心願 - 我以為" (I Presumed - secret version) and "相遇就不放手" (Not Letting Go).
His idols include Wang Leehom, Khalil Fong, Jay Chou and Stevie Wonder, who he hopes to be able to sound like in 5 years’ time. He has shown himself to be a hardworking artist, with him re-recording some tracks in his album many times in order to get the best result for his album. At the present time, he has said in an interview that he has already presented his record company with songs for his second album. His 2nd album, Good Things (好的事情, Hǎo De Shìqíng) was released on the 27 May 2011. Prior to the album release, Yen-J also released a duet with René Liu, "Méiyǒu xuánlǜ pèi de shàng nǐ" (沒有旋律配得上你) for the television drama Mr & Mrs Single (隱婚男女).
<謝謝你的美好> (4/22/2010)
<嚴爵不孤獨> (5/27/2011)
His rising success has also led to endorsements deals with many brands such as GOZO, a menswear fashion brand and also many university campus performances.[4]