By TODAY | Posted: 04 June 2009 1314 hrs
Sarah McLachlan may have started the whole female singer-songwriter trend back in the late '80s, but she's more or less semi-retired and few have emerged who seem worthy enough to take over that mantle.
Well, Vienna Teng might just be the one. Don't worry if you've never heard of her. She isn't.
When we told that we hadn't heard of her first three albums and only managed to get her fourth, Inland Territory, she said chirpily: "It's okay. I'm glad that you actually heard (this one)!"
Yes, Vienna Teng is a stage name - her real name is Cynthia Yih Shih.
And, yes, she got her first name from the city in Austria, but, no, she didn't get her last name from Teresa Teng.
"That's just a rumour, although I like that story," said the Taiwanese-American over the phone from California where she was visiting family.
Since she started her music career, the 30-year-old has slowly been going from strength to strength.
She recently completed her headlining tour ("That was fun, one great adventure to another, because it started on a cruise ship in the Caribbean"); and she's also shared the stage with the likes of Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn and Joan Baez ("I'm glad we performed first, because you really can't do anything after she's performed, really").
Yeah, but is Baez named after a European capital city? We think not.
Somebody called your album "good honest music". Agree?
Whenever I write songs, I'm always trying to tell an interesting story inevitably drawn from my own emotions and experience, but not exactly as they happen to me, because I don't think it's as interesting as trying to tell a story that will resonate with somebody else.
This album has a lot of very different styles. Was that deliberate?
That was a pretty deliberate decision that Alex (Wong, producer) and I made. We deliberately wanted to get an eclectic collection of songs, because that's the kind of album that we like. I think our favourite (albums) are the ones where you get to see the musical range of the songwriters and producers.
What's this about you ditching a computer keyboard for piano keys?
Actually, I started playing piano when I was five. My parents are both from Taiwan - and they pushed really hard in school. Actually, they always compared us to Singaporean kids. Like, "look how hard those children are studying, they're so smart!"
So I actually went to college for computer science, designing software. I still have a techie nerd personality. I enjoy locking myself up in a room and working on a problem and I have to remember to go out and talk to my friends and make new friends.
So you're a geek?
I think "nerd" is the word I'd use. I'm very excited about academic stuff. I think I've always enjoyed the brainier side of things.
How do your parents feel about this job then?
I think they find it a very insecure profession and I think they still worry about what I'm going to do when I'm 50 - what career options I'll have! But I think they know this is very important to me, so they're pretty supportive, which is impressive, considering their background!
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.
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