Vancouver’s Jade Music Fest will bring two popular Asian musical artists together at the Vogue Theatre for a concert featuring musicians from three Canadian cities. Headlining the Concert of Convergence on Friday (November 8) are Hong Kong lyrical sensation Serrini and Taiwanese superstar Enno Cheng.
The multilingual Serrini’s charismatic stage presence and songwriting have attracted a near cultlike following. It’s due, in part, to her bold and imaginative music videos, which chart a new course for women in Hong Kong.
Serrini has a PhD in cultural studies from Hong Kong University and she speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese, Spanish, and some French. She told Pancouver earlier this year that her newest full-length album, Rage in Peace, was inspired by her unprocessed rage as an Asia woman. Even though she’s stepping out of traditional roles on the album, the music is, at times, quite serene.
Watch Serrini’s video for “Moon Dance”, which was filmed in Japan.
She likened Rage in Peace to The Tempest, in which Shakespeare’s lead character, Prospero, creates a storm.
“A lot of strings are used,” Serrini said of the album at the time. “I feel like I’m exploring the feminine energy within me.”
Meanwhile, Cheng has released four solo studio albums, each named after a planet. She created the most recent, Mercury Retrograde, entirely in the Taiwanese Hokkien language. It combines electronic and rock music in songs reflecting folklore. And it resulted in Cheng winning Golden Melody Awards for Best Taiwanese Album and Best Taiwanese Female Singer in 2023.
Cheng has also recorded albums with the band Chocolate Tiger and has acted in films and TV series. Her father is film director Cheng Wen-tang. She has often collaborated with by writing scores, screenplays, and acting.
Watch Enno Cheng’s video (above) for “Golden”.
Concert of Convergence includes Canadian solo artists
Taiwan is a haven for LGBTQ+ people in Asia and in 2016, Cheng announced that she is queer. Four years later, she participated in an album project celebrating Taiwan’s first anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage. She also performed at the second inauguration ceremony for former president Tsai Ing-wen, who vigorously defended LGBTQ+ rights in the 2020 election campaign.
The opening artists at the Concert of Convergence have all performed at previous Jade Music Fests. One of them, Vancouver singer-songwriter Daniel Lew, released his full-length album Destiny earlier this year. Lew, a third-generation Canadian, writes some songs with Cantonese and Mandarin lyrics.
Toronto alt-pop artist Aiko Tomi, will also perform at the concert. She recently released a three-track mini-album, “Delulu Demon”. Tomi was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada as a young child. She speaks Mandarin and has written songs challenging western beauty standards imposed on Asian women.
The third opening artist at the Concert of Convergence is Calgary singer-songwriter Mirabelle Jien, whose parents are immigrants from Taiwan. Jien occasionally sings in Mandarin, though she’s better known for English-language songs such as “Imaginary People” and “Wildfire”.
The Jade Music Fest will present the Concert of Convergence with Serrini and Enno Cheng at the Vogue Theatre on Friday (November 8). Purchase tickets online. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
