A year after releasing his debut track 'New Reality', Chinese–Australian polymath Chai Chang is back with his follow-up single 'Music Warrior', an ode to the groundbreaking chanteuse Coco Lee.
The Hong Kong-born, Melbourne-based singer's sophomore effort – which exhorts listeners to remain confident, stay positive and never back down – is an electropop homage to China's Whitney Houston, who passed away in 2023 aged 48.Chai confesses he's a Coco Lee "super fan" and was fortunate enough to have met the diva on several occasions. "I've always been impressed by her powerful and emotional vocals, as well as her live performances.
"She is widely regarded as a significant figure in C-pop and was the first American Chinese to perform at the Oscars [singing 'A Love Before Time' from 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in 2001; she also voiced Mulan in the Mandarin dub of the Disney classic].
"She said that we only live once, so we need to make sure this life is a fruitful one. Even though she has passed away, her smile, energy and talent still inspire me to stay strong and positive, not just in music, but also in my daily life."
These were words to live by when Chai developed health problems after his first single came out. "I suffered from serious inflammation in my body.
"For about two months, I couldn't eat and drink properly. I stopped everything and spent most of my time at home to rest and recover. Luckily, the situation gradually improved. At the moment, it's under control."
Unaccustomed to resting on his laurels (he boasts three degrees: one in commerce, one in education and another completed recently in nutrition), Chai used the downtime to his benefit.
"I spent a considerable amount of time, six to nine months, redefining myself. I also enrolled in short courses to learn about vocal techniques, music theory and music production."
Chang's health problems prevented him from making his performance debut, but he plans to start busking in December. "I think it's good to try something more casual and leisurely to start. Then I can slowly step onto a larger stage.
"Eventually, I want to play a festival, but I think before reaching that goal, I have a long way to go. Dancing is a great way to express music, especially during live performances but singing and dancing at the same time is never easy."
As for future music releases, Chai plans to next share the Chinese-language ballad originally slated to be his second single. "I decided to release this electronic pop song first [instead] because I want my audience to link this with my previous song and see me as a dancing singer."
There's talk of an album too – "Probably in late 2025 or even 2026," – once he has gathered more songs. "It's important to find and define my target market and see what they like."
In the meantime, what advice, Coco Lee-style, does he have for his audience? "Keep trying. Keep learning. Don't give up. Just try."
