衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

By Wales 

Whoa! Weiwuying's Masters Play is in its fourth year! I wonder if anyone besides me has gone to all three Masters Play concerts (respectively themed on the music of LO Ta-you, ANG It-hong, and Johnnybug CHEN)?

These three Masters Play concerts included songs in Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien, and the three huge artists who wrote the original songs could be considered "Godfathers" of pop music in Taiwan. So what about a "Godmother"?

Well, the spirit behind this fourth edition of the concert is none other than Salsa CHEN, known as the "Divine Songwriting Machine" for her countless works. Perhaps that brings to mind Eason CHAN's "Ten Years," Mai MENG's "Look at the Moon's Face," and Jody CHIANG's "Speechless Flower."

CHEN's songs have been sung and loved by countless people, but if I had to choose just one as my favorite, it would be her first album's "Puppet Figure," behind which is a really inspiring story.

CHEN was doing a 9-to-5 job at EMI Recording Studio, and since that took up all her time during the day, she had no choice but to wait until after work, when she would stay in the MIDI room alone until late at night writing. Such exhausting work made her less and less able to recognize herself.

The philosopher George BERKELEY once asked, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" CHEN was afraid that if no one ever heard the huge quantity of music in her backpack, they would never know about the beauty and sorrow in her heart.

But one day, destiny struck.

When CHYI Chin was at EMI as its director, he happened to hear CHEN's Taiwanese Hokkien songs, and it caused his heart to skip a beat.

He believed they had a sincere power to relate people's joys and sorrows while weaving the delicate threads of fate.

He thus thought they were perfect for EMI, which was still a new company and desperately needed more variety in its music. He was sure CHEN's music would touch many people's hearts if they could only hear it.

So after years of patience, CHEN was finally given the opportunity to make it big.

This album is like an invitation to walk with her into a Virginia WOOLF-style "room of one's own." From a father's tears to a mother's wrinkles, and with the gentle perspective of a woman, the album is a portrait of the spirit of the times.

Having bravely pursued her inner voice for so long, CHEN continued to press on with her strength, like an embrace or an umbrella in the rain. Her song "Step Aside," written for René LIU, might make you shed tears about a love from the past, and "Singing in the Trees," written for Claire KUO, can bring you a smile as you remember the sweetness of your youth. What has never changed is her ability to write about the gentlest feelings in our hearts.

For Masters Play IV in 2025, Golden Melody Award-winner for Best New Artist Pei-yu HUNG will reinterpret CHEN's classics. This is a perfect match! If you have heard the theme song "The Usual" for the film Day Off, you know that HUNG's voice has a soothing power in the way she slowly sings out the subtle stories of women within the passage of time. This meeting of artists from two generations brings to mind how CHEN wrote "There's a Song in Mom's Heart" for her daughter, but this time, it is a grown-up daughter gently singing in tribute to a mother.

There are unforgettable songs from every era. Though the sands of time cover them, as soon as you hear them again, they strike a chord deep within you. Make sure to arrange time in early spring next year to take a trip back to your youth on the wings of Salsa CHEN's creativity.

  Program  

2/15(Thu)-2/16(Sun)

►Masters Play IV - Beyond the Music Boundary @WEIWUYING