Renowned Taiwanese children's program host 'Dragonfly' Song Yizhang and veteran Malaysian producer Ou Junwei have jointly created a new chapter in cross-border music, producing the light-hearted single 'I'm Not Afraid' for Jiang Xueying, the lead singer of the ending theme for Taiwan's prime-time Taiwanese-language drama 'Tiandao'. They also plan to submit it for the annual Taiwanese music event, the Golden Melody Awards.
The recording and filming of this single were all completed in Penang. 'Dragonfly' Song Yizhang and the over-60-year-old Jiang Xueying came to Penang a few days ago, and the MV was filmed with Penang's streets and cultural landmarks as the backdrop, delivering a double treat for both the eyes and ears.
Ou Junwei said that Song Yizhang and Jiang Xueying also had the opportunity to meet well-known figures in the Malaysian music scene, such as Dato’ Pang Yong Tiam, the chairman of the Northern Malaysia Arts Association. At the same time, they were invited to attend the Taiwan-Malaysia Hakka Cultural Exchange Conference.
He said at a press conference on Monday evening that this music project was not only about recording and filming, but also a cross-border cultural dialogue. He hopes that through this song, the world can hear the musical souls of Taiwan and Malaysia.
He said that this time he personally took charge, tailoring the brand new inspirational single 'I'm Not Afraid' for Jiang Xueying, writing a new chapter for Taiwan-Malaysia music.
Song Yizhang said that he had been developing his singing career in Taiwan for ten years. By chance, during an Asia Children's Talent International Singing Competition, and with Ou Junwei's introduction, he came into contact with female singer Jiang Xueying, and appreciated some of her motivational song selections.
He said that Jiang Xueying has a certain popularity in Taiwan, being the leading female singer for the prime-time drama 'Tiandao' on Sanli TV. After communicating with her, they decided to cooperate in music production.
He pointed out that, to coordinate with this filming, he spent two months writing five songs.
He said that the reason for choosing to produce the album in Malaysia was mainly because there are more restrictions in Taiwan and higher requirements for artists, while Malaysia's music culture is comparatively more open.
He stated that Malaysia and Taiwan's music industries rarely interact or spark collaborations, perhaps because Malaysia is considered relatively niche in Southeast Asia. The achievement this time is also due to 'Dragonfly's' active promotion efforts.
Jiang Xueying said that she released an album called 'Love Harbor' last year, and was very happy that it was immediately selected by Sanli TV to become the ending theme for the 'Tiandao' drama series.
She said that she invited Ou Junwei to be her manager, and thanked him for customizing a song for her. The recording and filming were just completed in the past few days.