''Depart'' is the twelfth

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

-language studio album by Singaporean singer and songwriter

Tanya Chua Tanya Chua (; born 28 January 1975) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She launched her singing career by releasing her debut studio album ''Bored'' in 1997. She was part of the trio that sang "Moments of Magic" (1999), Singapore's official millen ...

, released by Universal Music on 13 August 2021. She collaborated with

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...

and

Ayanga Ayanga (born 23 October 1989) is a Chinese theatre actor, singer, and songwriter of Mongolian ethnic background from Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China. Early life Ayanga was born in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China. His parents were sheep h ...

, and also invited world-class composer Ricky Ho to produce and arrange the music. At the

33rd Golden Melody Awards The 33rd Golden Melody Awards (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 第33屆金曲獎) took place in Kaohsiung Arena, Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2022, which marked its return at Kaohsiung City since the 16th Golden Melody Awards, 16th edition. The ...

, Chua was awarded the Best Female Mandarin Singer, Best Mandarin Album, Album of the Year and Best Vocal Album Recording for ''Depart'', among eight other nominations.

Background and recording

On 30 January 2021, Chua sang a new song, "Ex-Love Song" during the encore of her "Kisses for the World" concert tour held in

Taipei Arena The Taipei Arena () is a multi-purpose stadium in the capital Taipei, Taiwan, and it is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC). Built in 2005, the large multi-purpose stadium can accommodate major international sport event ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. The song appeared on Track 6 in the album. On 22 June 2021, Chua posted a photo of herself approaching an open door in a backdrop of a rocky mountain on her social media accounts, mentioning

Wu Qing-feng Wu Qing-feng ( zh, p=Wú Qīngfēng, s=吴青峰, t=吳青峰, first=t; born 1982), also known as Greeny and credited as Wu Tsing-fong, is a Taiwanese singer-song writer, composer, arranger, and lyricist. Born in Taipei, he is a founding member a ...

. It served as the first teaser to her lead single "Depart". According to Chua, she was "idling and feeling at a loss" during her isolation in Taipei when the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

broke out, so she took the time to write music about what was happening to the world. She drew inspiration from nature documentaries and classical music. The album was recorded at Chua's home recording studio, skipping the convenience of electronic arrangements and returning to "

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

" music, focusing on the timbre and quality of instruments and vocals. Chua single-handedly composed, arranged, and played the acoustic guitar for the album which she did for the first time. She also invited Taiwanese lyricist (葛大為), Singaporean lyricist Xiaohan, and Hong Kong lyricist (周耀輝) to help with the lyrics. Chua wrote over 30 songs for the album.

Release

On 8 July 2021, Chua released her single "Depart", three years after her eleventh studio album ''Kisses for the World'', and followed up with the music video a week after. The song employed minimalistic orchestration with only a guitar and a string quartet. She followed with the second single "Bluebirds" on 29 July 2021, in cooperation with Ricky Ho and the

Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra The Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra ( Bulgarian: Симфоничен оркестър на Българското национално радио) is a Bulgarian radio orchestra based in Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia is the Capital cit ...

. On 6 August 2021, Chua released her third single "Photographs" in collaboration with

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

- French singer, model, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

's former first lady

. The song is in English and Mandarin with Bruni singing a few lines in Mandarin, with guidance from Chua. On 12 August 2021, Chua released her fourth single "Romanticism", followed by the release of her full album ''Depart'' the following day.

Background and recording

Release

Track listing

Awards and nominations

References