Auckland songwriter Crystal Chen takes the reins on her intimate debut album
While making You can call me CC, the Chinese-New Zealand musician learnt to ride a horse, lead a band and sing however she felt like singing.
After getting told off for freestyle harmonising in her high school choir, Crystal Chen realised she wasn't cut out for classical singing.
"I was like, 'Why are we singing these songs written by old white men from hundreds of years ago exactly how it's written on the score? I'm just gonna write my own songs."
Recording the new track 'The Forecast' from her debut album You can call me CC, Chen felt like expressing some anger, so she did - "I was like 'I want to yell this'. Then the band was like, 'All right, we'll join you’."
Songwriter and visual artist Crystal Chen also co-produced her debut album You can call me CC.
via Crystal Chen's Bandcamp
While listening to 'Can’t Help It' - a song about falling in love while in her "single girl era" - Chen, who is also a photographer, envisioned slow-motion black and white film footage of horses cantering.
Although she couldn't ride a horse, she decided to get in the saddle for the music video. Despite falling off twice on the day it was filmed, Chen now goes horse-riding every week.
"It's fulfilling my childhood dream."
While she is very happy for people listening to You can call me CC to "pretend they're the main character", the jazz and soul-loving Chen says she also reveals an intimate side of herself in the songs.
By inviting listeners to use the nickname given to her by "near and dear" Chinese family and friends, Chen hopes people will "feel more near and dear" to her.
The 12 songs on You can call me CC were arranged by multi-instrumentalist Joe Kaptein- "He has perfect pitch" - and recorded with a band of acclaimed New Zealand jazz musicians over two days at Roundhead Studios.
Although Chen doesn't consider herself a "music producer", she had a strong vision for the album's production and, with Kaptein and Kenny Sterling, shares a production credit.
"It's a privilege to be able to do the whole package."
Crystal Chen on the cover of her debut albumYou can call me CC.
Sylvia Louis Marie
Making an album, Chen now knows it requires "a decent amount of believing in yourself" and also putting a lot of trust in others.
While many people tried to "change the vision" for You can call me CC, and it was sometimes really hard saying no to their ideas, the Auckland creative learned in the process to back her own.
"I know the vision best since it all came from me."
Crystal Chen performs an album release show with her jazz ensemble at Neck of The Woods in Tāmaki Makaurau on 25 September.
