Artist Of The Month: Penny Dai- iPenny

From the website slogan of the Penny's 7th album, iPenny(2006) the intro goes like this;-

离开了“爱疯了”的疯狂、深沉、伤痛，Penny 在一个人的生活中与自己相处、从回忆中酝酿出灵感。专辑名称“iPenny”代表“ Fly For Yourself” 的精神，Penny 为自己而飞，为自己而声。
(Leaving LOVES GONE CRAZY's madness, darkness, hurtful, Penny had getting used with herself alone, from the memories dwelling out inspirations. Thy named the album "iPenny" for symbolitic means of 'fly for yourself' live for yourself.)

The i from "iPenny" mean myself. This album represents her alone and presented her own lifestyle mood in lonely, busy, missing someone, warm, even memorables. According to her, music is a kind therapy of healing. This time she shows her bright side and everyone song is a product like the sunshine after every "storm".

After a year and 5 months of productions, her precious "baby" is finally born, with made up to expectation. This totally belong to Penny herself alone. From writing to producing, from singing to instrumental performing. She again wrapped up more works and responsiblity this time.

A playful and yet creative tune, HANGING IN BETWEEN DREAMING AND SANE,“挂在半梦半醒之间” is the 1st song she arranged, and she did it as "accidently" when she was doing her demo in the middle of the night, when she is feeling blur. This leads to a first for her from demo to finishing touch, all by herself.

The first single is ONES LUGGAGE“一个人的行李”is a light, happy, catchy song and it got many fans excited too including me, which truly becomes a theme for those travellers. It's also a very enlighting song for those not traveling.
ONES LUGGAGE“一个人的行李
http://www.mediafire.com/?nykznzyzyjy

DANSIU'S RIVER BANK“淡水河边”a ballad about leaving a relationship, becoz a third party. A damn nice karaoke theme song for me that time, and also Penny directs the music video of LEAVING ALONE单身潜逃 herself. Should be another 1st for her.
DANSIU'S RIVER BANK“淡水河边
http://www.mediafire.com/?uot1jq1omiq
LEAVING ALONE单身潜逃
http://www.mediafire.com/?100e2dt4ik2

With every song the album, she makes it peersonal and themeful. This also maps her on the music history and wider her fan base further. Where her career peak higher, our Penny turns to fo something extra ordinary. She decide to take a 2 years break, However, she never gone totally. The media had loved her much deeply and keep her under spotlight all this while.

Next on to her current affairs, FORGIVE HER AS SUCH A GAL(2009).

Penny's 爱疯了(Loves Gone Crazy)

After her long break from the scene, she was concentrating into her production of the 6th album, LOVES GONE CRAZY,爱疯了(2005). The whole album concept also acts as her autobibio musically written and mainly base on her last relationship. She never reveal anything to the media but instead she tells it all in her music. A principle she stands by all these while. This time again and even more involvement in writings, arranging to producing, had lays in her hands.

Lyrically, its wonderous and beautifully written. A slogan used in this album promo, which I like a lot, is;-

　　疯狂与清醒的界线 痛苦和幸福的拉距点
(the mindset switching between madness and sober, while pain and happiness are so close together)
　　飞跃 之前 我们都有能力选择《终点》或是《起点》
(Before you jump start to a journey of life, we always have a choice to treat it as a "Target Destination" or a "Beginning")

As her past musical stages, I think I do left out a major point. Penny favourite and her major skillful instrument is guitar. She had written all her hit songs using a guitar as a core instrument all these while until before the production of this album, she began to decided to take up piano lessons. Using a new instrument, she writes up all her favourite tune and musically althought she is still loyal to her rock/folk style, you will find a whole new Penny. This totally makes up to her concept of Pennyland. A musical world of her.

Another hit ballad which departed from all her previous ballads hits, with her 1st tried on piano, LOVE GONE CRAZY“爱疯了”, interprets the lost of control of pains in love. The most impressive part is her vocal performance and the tune and arrangements are all presenting a very hurtful and intense struggling events, which also earns her a first award of the Best Song Composer Of later year's Golden Melody Award(Taiwan, equavilent to US's Grammy). she was also going against a super popular track-Micheal Wong's Fairytale(光良-童话）.

After listening to the whole album, its like a richful elements of music concert. It gathers and fusions from Jazz, ballad, soft rock to rock-pop. To conjunction her album promo, she also made her 1st live concert in Taiwan. Upon performing the album's AMEN, she broke down and cried. A song which reap her heart out, and she named it the "most regretful song" ever she publicised. I do indeed rank AMEN as one of my favourite song form the album. A dilemma she is also sat in, between the desire to recorded down each and every meanful moments of her life and experience, and the same time being barenaked infront of the public.

This is a very good move after concluding the greatest of her one musical career stage and she tops it up with this album too. Songs like Wonderland(游乐园), It's Alright, and 79,89,99 shows the versatility of her musical trends.

By the end of this album promo period, Penny had become a truly household name in the success of balance her image as a musical artist and yet commercial enough to be accept by public. An icon that gives pribe as a Malaysian Artist.

戴佩妮-爱疯了
http://www.mediafire.com/?4ztdmzyg3yh

戴佩妮-Amen
http://www.mediafire.com/?ojzdijmjdjm

Artist Of The Month: Penny Dai- Greatest Hit

Guess I am improving hahaha, Should have thought of this name. I guess I gotta post all her stuff before I manage to posts other artist. So here she is my Artist of the month, May. Penny Dai's Forgive Me I Am That Kind of Girl(2009) is out now.

After roughly 5 years, its time for her to conclude a stage of her before enter a more maturing stage. A greatest hit is always a good act, when you need a rest and at the same time fulfilling a record company's points of views. 4 years, with one album every year. This 好…佩妮 SO PENNY greatest hits(2004) conclude up previous hottest tracks and most meaningful tracks of her 1st 4 year records lifespan with 3 new tracks and 2 covers of her own works.

A few notable track is her signature ballads, PREVENT EMPTINESS(防...空洞), another heartbreaking and touching song which also a big hits in the karaoke circles. Her tender vocals sang with a unregretable heart about past relationships and yet you can feel the power through her performance in the song. A theme, she reused many times and yet still touching.
{Download:http://www.mediafire.com/?ukcztyzy0mg}

Breathable(透氣), a track she first able to sold to other artist before her debuts, a memorable to her and a good start. Valen Hsu,许茹芸，who took it and include in her 1999's Best of Love album. This track was a edgy side that complete her album, even it didn't plug to radio before and yet its my favourite at that time. Penny's cover manage to sing out another mood, which I presume its the original arrangement. Very experimental. Both diva made the song alive in their own way.[Download=http://www.mediafire.com/?zmh1qm5kmi2]

During the launching of this greatest hits, the record company comes out in four edition which each includes two discs, one of the complilations, another is an album of Penny's previous four albums. It meant for the fans to recollect all her works. Indeed this is the time I truly addicted up to Penny Tai.

My obsession grews when she release her next album after the two years gap.

Penny's Backpack Trip Result- No Penn No Gain

After her promo duties for her 3rd album, JUST SING IT(2002), she drops everything off and took her new fond interest/hobby to Africa. During her trip she went many places which I couldn't recall where she gone, but just knew that she broughts some cultural elements and experience into her 4th album, NO PENN NO GAIN(2003).

NO PENN NO GAIN is an album which proves her determination to push her writing ability and her performance further. Once again, she took up the writings credtis and as well further more responsiblity in producing it.

This album spurs out a couple favourite tracks like WATER DRIFTER水中央，and FORGIVEN ALL什麼都捨得(Pain & Gain Versions) and the rests are much more alternative, edgier than her previous works. It's rare at that time in Mandapop market. This is the moment when she crowned the 4 princess of Music Mandapop alongside with Elva Hsiao, Yan Zi,and Jolin Tsai. Later in the years she is replaced by Fish Leong.

Since Penny's debut, her gossip column is rare. Mostly revolving her works, which makes her a distinctive in a way. The public eye does pours in a huge interest when she is romantic link which Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee. However, she manage to put off beautifully by reverting the spotlights by answering her frustration in her songs.

I would consider this album is rather less commercial and its impact is not as big as previous, however, it won bigger critics appraisal. I would say its more personal to the artist herself.

Downloads
水中央
http://www.mediafire.com/?mnjyoxzmzrm

什麼都捨得
The Pain Version is my favour ones, and it placed as a hidden track. This had becomes the first track that makes her cry when she repeatedly singing it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2le3wtmdnnj

Penny's 3rd is a stage-Just Sing It

From PENNY(2000)'s experimental, to HOW(2001)'s tenderness, a year later 3rd album, JUST SING IT(2002) further up strengthen up her folk musical root. With her new found fame, she had been notice for being different from the mainstream artists. Not only she written and produce all her own works, which a very few managed to do so(at least in Manda-pop market). It shows her talents in all ways. She had successfully written out her biography through the songs she written. From her love, work and her opinion to life.

JUST SING IT is an album that continues Penny's favourite folk moves, and I will say its something in between both of her previous album. With the fusion trend heating up, she had infused hip-hop, reggae, electronic elements into her folk music and yet able to make it commercial enough to tapped into the mainstream.

She had once expressed it had to touched her before to touch others with those songs she wrote. So this 3rd album continues makes impression in public's heart. In the first single "TIME SPINS FAST"“时间快转”a playful country rock tune that keeps you up-going, and something differentiate her from the rest. A catchy lyrics that soon become a catch phrase among the youth, had made the song had made their say.

LOVED"爱过" the follow-up single, another ballad, bibio-crafted as like previous HOW《怎样》continueing the success with the message of never regrets being in love. Her singing ability also improves when she sing it out so prefectly. This is one good reason why she can sing so emotionally when she is singing her own stories. Another ballad which also hooked up with plenty of drama effects, is BLESSING FROM ACROSS THE STREET,街角的祝福. This is my favourite song of the album as the lyrics sadly crafting the scene of watch your ex with a new-found lover across the street, and nervous about how to react. With a clever arrangement of strings preformance (violins), it sets the mood of the song.

1999, 一九九九, a simple tune that story told Penny's musical diary when she started out being a musicians and ROAD,路, is a song of encouragement that to have faith in the route(dream) she is walking along. Both songs won her favor critics as a touching song that not about love.

With the end of the this album promotional works, she had left to start a new journey of her own by backpacking up to Africa. This had made to core idea to her next album "NO PENN NO GAIN"

COUNTDOWN TO PENNY DAI'S RETURN part II

Penny lastest album is out last week!!! More news in later posts.....

In the new millenium, after she become the best newcomer and won numerous awards across Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, the next worries from her record company would comes to her commercial success in terms of sale. A more commercial twist is made to her sophromore album.

In the follow-up album, HOW怎样(2001) had made her a household name which her signature song from this album, being not only one but two. HOW(怎样) and The Love I Want(你要的爱).

HOW(怎样)is a ballad infused with folk and most of all, it hits the commercial spot int he market with her simple lyrics of thinking and missing her ex boyfriend where he is in faraway land(Australia). It brings the emotions of missing someone who was once the most important person in ones life. Its sad, but beautiful and sweet memories. I immediately fall in love with the song the moment I saw it the music video on tv. In no time, she soon crowned the most potential newcomer in taiwan.


After the wave of HOW, The Love I Want(你要的爱) which riding high on the hugely successful F4's taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden", also follows closely becoming one of the top ten songs of the year. This is a ballad that makes you clinging on it and humming in your mind non-stop.

The rest of the album continues to carries Penny's style and strengthen up her musical status with a wider range of musical route like country, rock, folk, alternative, fusion, jazz etc.... Its more a lighter works compare to her debut. The album's fame lasts til the next year, even by the time her next album is out, the airplay from this album's hit song is still getting heavy attention.

It proves she had made it a longevity album. Thanks to the drama effects.

COUNTDOWN TO PENNY DAI'S RETURN part I

Who is she? Penny Tai,戴佩妮， is a Malaysian Chinese singer and songwriter in the Mandarin pop scene. Since her debut in 2000, she has released seven albums. And after her 2 years break, She returning with an new album. Before that that a peep on her journey back.

Before her debut, PENNY (2000), she was already writing songs at age 17, where then she participate the Halo Song-writing Contest in Kuala Lumpur. This event also gathered other Malaysian then-famous artists like Z-Chen & Fish Leong and then this is where Penny is spoted and being offered a contract by EMI Music (Taiwan) by taiwanese famous producer,陳子鴻 and moved to Taiwan pursue a career in singing and song-writing.

After years of efforts, She is being labeled as a talented singer-songwriter who is responsible for both the compositions and performance of her songs and contributions and influence to Taiwanese pop music scene. Every single song Penny has recorded so far is written and composed by herself.

As to me, her debut PENNY(2000) had not made an impact to me until 2001. This is when almost a year later I was introduce by a Hong Kong music fan, saying a very charactered-wise Malaysian artist called Penny Tai. I also come across reviews from magazines (HK,Taiwan, Malaysia) that critics are giving a very good rating to her as an artist and her works. She had my interest when I knew she is the one who wrote a side track of Valen Hsu's "透氣 " a very Tori-Amos feel track. It was a favourite track once. Penny's own intepretations is more a raw side of the song. Good also.


All songs in the record is chosen in a very experimental choice and therefore they also presented it in a version of more closely to the demo version. Its a big risk, althought it reaches a moderate commercial success, but it won a huge critic appraisal.

Hit singles includes;- 不想(Don't Wanna), 猜不透(Unguessable), 習慣這樣(Used to This way)

Next, Penny's rise to stardom. (Plus upcoming free download of some samples of songs that highlights here. Please check the comment column below later)