We first posted on Isabelle Huang Ling last year, a rising young singer from Shanghai, due to the strength of her vocals and the unique quality of her songs from her first album Itch/Yang. Back then the buzz around her was just beginning, and she had just done a CM with BOBO, and had announced a second album. She made good on that promise a month ago with “Special”, an album continuing her unique style of music. This time she released to a much larger audience than before, her popularity having steadily increased in the past year, even promoting in Taiwan. Yesterday, in her fanmeet in Beijing she was congratulated by her “Shi Xiong” (her company senior in SMG), famous author and blogger Han Han. Back when he had dabbled for better or worse in in music, she appeared in one of his MVs, then a complete unknown, and just starting her musical training with the company.

Coincidentally, Chang Shilei, the talented producer responsible for the arrangement of her songs, and the composer of some of her biggest and most unique hits like High Song/High Ge and  Red Eyes, also received a strong boost in popularity this year with his single Ge Ge, and released his second album Myself to much anticipation.

Amidst the commercialism in cpop, both seemed to tap into the public’s simple desire for quality music, regardless of what is trendy at the moment. And it is never more gratifying when that happens. Here’s hoping they will both release a third album next year.

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