"Tear open the memory, everything that touches me is Ke Yimin!" Even with this advertising slogan, people are eager to listen to her voice.
In today's pop music scene, Mindy Quah's name is obviously not as loud as the names of several other female singers, such as Coco Lee, Zhang Huimei, and Xu Ruyun. Although she has been in the Taiwanese music scene for many years, people still exclude her from mainstream singers, consciously or unconsciously, because she is from Malaysia. But it's no wonder - she doesn't have a charming appearance, an avant-garde style, nor does she have that kind of almost crazy youthful vitality; her extraordinarily tall figure has not become an advantage, but it is not in line with people's general impression of female singers; she is only unique His temperament is somewhat convincing, but unfortunately not many people pay attention to it. But in fact these are not very important, especially for the "powerful" singers who are often mentioned. And when hearing Ke Yimin's singing, the kind of emotion can make people forget everything that has nothing to do with the singing. In other words, to get to know Ke Yimin, you should start with her voice.
The first time I heard Ke Yimin singing was on an advertising CD released by Sony (Sony) for her and Coco Lee. Because it is a gift, the packaging is very simple, with only a cardboard sleeve with the song title and the two people's advertising slogans printed on both sides. The side written by Coco Lee is "The wind is dancing", which is a very popular phrase nowadays. It is quite appropriate for Coco Lee's style and I don't take it seriously. And when I turned to the other side, my heart couldn't help but be shocked - it was clearly printed on it: tear open the memory, all the touches are Ke Yimin! After savoring this sentence carefully, I couldn't help but want to listen to Ke Yimin's voice as I'm not very interested in pop songs; and, even for this advertising slogan.
When Ke Yimin's singing voice came out of the record player, although I didn't feel that moved immediately, I did feel that it was a unique sound. Perhaps out of reluctance, perhaps out of further curiosity, I listened carefully a few more times. When the song "Gone with the Wind" played again and again, I found that I had been deeply attracted.
That kind of sound is difficult to describe in simple words, but I am sure it is a special type of sound, very different from any singer I have heard before. The sound seemed a bit weird at first. I'm afraid "wonderful" is a more appropriate word to describe it. It has an indescribable beauty and an invisible magic that touches the heart. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a magnetic sound, not only the magnetism of the sound itself, but also the irresistible attraction it generates.
The song "Broken Line" can be sung so ethereal, the helplessness and helplessness can be expressed so appropriately, and the listener can really feel the feeling of "going with the wind" The feeling of passing away. The song "River" can be sung so calmly, with such detachment and freedom, yet it can make people fall deeply into its charm. There is also the song "She Cries Before Sleeping" sung with Coco Lee. Under Coco Lee's high-pitched and loud voice, Ke Yimin's singing can be interspersed freely. Although it disappears and appears, it is still as clear as daylight. Crossing the clouds warms the heart.
It was by chance that I met Ke Yimin, or more accurately, I met her voice. Although I can't describe the sound exactly, I was fascinated by it. Since then, I began to understand Ke Yimin, her voice, her songs, and her person (after all, it is impossible to completely separate the sound from the person who makes the sound, and the song from the person who sings it).
Ke Yimin’s journey to becoming a pop singer was not an easy one.
She does not come from a musical family. Although her family later supported her, they had little influence on her taking this path. Ke Yimin, who had determined to make a difference in music since childhood, did not become the target of "talent scouts" despite having a good voice. Instead, he went overseas to study in the UK. In a conservative and traditional country like the UK, the status of the Chinese is not high, especially for newcomers. But this did not affect Ke Yimin's enthusiasm for learning. She spends more time and puts in more effort than others, proving that not only is she no worse than others, she can also do better. Afterwards, she obtained the Royal Grade 8 in Piano, Computer Music Programming and Vocal Advancement from the Guildhau Conservatory of Music in London. It is rare for a pop singer to receive such a systematic and comprehensive music education and have profound musical accomplishment. Ke Yimin's later achievements are inseparable from this.
1991 should be a turning point for Ke Yimin’s singing career. In this year, she won the second place in the "Voice of Asia" finals with her song "The Power of Love". Although I am a little disappointed that I failed to win the crown, being able to successfully sing the famous song of European and American diva Celine Dean and finishing second is a success. This is a great encouragement to Ke Yimin.
In 1993, Ke Yimin's first single "Too Silly" won the top spot on the Malaysian Chinese pop chart for 3 weeks. Afterwards, she released several more albums and won the Malaysian Top Ten Golden Melody Awards and the Top Ten Singer Awards in 1994 and 1995.
At this moment, Ke Yimin faced a second choice.
Although her singing career has achieved certain success, it is in Malaysia after all. Chinese singers receive limited attention, and it is very difficult to further develop. After careful consideration, Ke Yimin decided to go to Taiwan.
Although entering Taiwan is the right decision, it is not an easy task. Although the overall level of Taiwan's music scene is uneven, there are many strong players and newcomers emerging in large numbers. It is still difficult to get involved and make a name for yourself in the world. When Ke Yimin first came to Taiwan, she did not receive the attention she deserved. According to her own words, "There was not even a makeup artist, so she had to do everything by herself."
Although he suffered a lot, Ke Yimin finally got through this period. In 1996, her first album "Broken Line" after coming to Taiwan was finally released. The album didn't create much of a sensation, but it was a useful attempt. In addition to some new songs, it also includes several very successful singles sung by Ke Yimin, including the theme songs or interludes of several China Television TV series: "Broken Line", the ending song of "The Beauty of Fire", "The First Family" "Interlude "River", "Call Me at Dawn" theme song "Before Dawn", and the song "Too Silly".
Since then, Ke Yimin's several albums "Love Me", "Neighbor's Ears" and "Hug Me" released by Sony have achieved great success, especially in music. What's interesting is that each album contains, without exception, several theme songs or interludes from film and television dramas. In addition, Ke Yimin also collaborated with Masato Nakamura on the single "Like Lovers" (also included in "Neighbor's Ears"), and duet with Leehom Wang on the designated Chinese version of the theme song "I Love You with My Life" from "Zorro" ".
In 1998, Ke Yimin left Sony for some reasons and joined "Very Happy", another record company in Taiwan, and released his first album "Missing You Crazy" on December 31. Among them, the title song "Missing You Crazy" was written and composed by Ke Yimin's friend and another female singer Peng Jiahui, and "Love the Sky", which was improvised by Ke Yimin after visiting Jiangsu and Zhejiang and has a strong Jiangnan water town atmosphere. All are highly listenable and successful works. Sony seemed to be reluctant to leave her, so it released a two-part best-of album "Meeting Aoi" on January 14, 1999, which included all of the classic tracks (mainly themes from movies and TV shows) recorded by Annie Ke at Sony. song or interlude), which can also be regarded as a summary of her previous achievements.