Deserts Chang

Deserts Chang (born 30 May 1981) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter.

The widely recognized name "張懸(Deserts Chang)" was originally a pen name used during high school when she began writing poetry and submitting it to newspaper supplements. After her "To Ebb" concert in Kaohsiung in 2015, she decided to retire the persona of Deserts Chang and took a hiatus from the music industry. She has since continued her artistic pursuits under her given name, "安溥(Anpu)".

Anpu's lyrics are highly poetic, enduring, and often lead listeners into deep contemplation. She frequently expresses social concern and criticism in her work. In 2013, she won the Best Lyricist at the 24th Golden Melody Awards with her song "玫瑰色的你" (Rose-Colored You). After returning to the music scene under her given name, she won the Song of the Year at the 34th Golden Melody Awards in 2023 with the song "最好的時光" (a flash and how it lasts), marking a decade-long interval between her two awards.

Early life
Deserts Chang was born as Chiao An-p'u on 30 May 1981 to a high socio-economic status family. Her father, Chiao Jen-ho, is a former secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation. However, Chang has been quoted by the media as saying that she does not want to ride on the success of her father. Her stage name Deserts represents something "mysterious and suggests something hanging in limbo," a representation of her personality.

Chang started composing when she was 13 and began to perform on stage at 16. By the age of 19, Chang had written over 100 songs and got her first contract with Sony BMG., However, after recording, photo shooting and several campus performances, nothing happened. The young singer had waited for 5 years for the release of her debut album " My Life Will...”

Though she released her first album in 2006, Chang was well known among live houses, pubs and the Internet before that. Her light and clear voice is heart-touching and inspiring, which attracts many college students and independent music lovers. Chang is also a guitar player, and writes most of her songs with acoustic guitar.

Chang married her boyfriend Xu in August 2019 and gave birth to their first kid in September 2019.

Career
Chang dropped out of high school because she "couldn't stand the conservative restrictions." She previously performed at pubs before entering the music recording industry.

She was a member of the rock band Mango Runs, named most popular act and winner of the Indie Music Award at the 2003 Hohaiyan Rock Festival in Taipei County. Mango Runs was featured in the 2004 documentary Ocean Fever (海洋熱), which followed the stories of several acts at the Hohaiyan Rock Festival.

Chang's debut album My Life Will... was released on 9 June 2006 under the record label Sony BMG. Although many of her fans objected to the recording deal, Chang promised that her style of music will not change. The album contains her music written between the ages of 13 and 19.

Her presence in the alternative music scene was demonstrated in the 18th Golden Melody Awards, where she received four award nominations. Her debut album was nominated for Best Mandarin Album along with mainstream musicians such as Jolin Tsai. It was previously considered unthinkable for a high-profile Chinese language music awards show to nominate independent artists in its major categories.

The singer has been enjoying growing popularity in Taiwan and Mainland China. At the 7th Chinese Music Media Awards in Hong Kong, Chang received the award for Best New Mandarin Artist.

She released her second album ''Oh, dear. dear. I haven't.'' (親愛的...我還不知道) on 20 July 2007. For the song 畢竟, she was nominated for Best Lyricist at the 19th Golden Melody Awards.

Since then, she has been joined by three other musicians (Cent, Goodtone, and Sunho) to create a band called Algae. On 22 May 2009, her third album City (城市) was released.

Chang released her fourth album in August 2012. The album named 神的遊戲 (Games We Play) was released under Sony music. The new album provides insights into Chang's life experiences over the past three years, in songs such as 如何; her constant advocacy for social issues, in song like 玫瑰色的你 (Rose-colored), for she won her first Golden Melody Award for the song's lyrics.

Musical style
Using a guitar as her primary instrument. She is generally considered an indie artist despite having signed with recording giant Sony BMG.

Chang's most downloaded song Baby (寶貝) was written after she turned 13 following a fight with her mother. However, the full song was not realized until later when she had learned how to play a musical instrument.

Political views
In her 4th album named Games we Play, she published a song named 玫瑰色的你 (meaning the rose-colored you). It has been banned in mainland China for an extended period. Initially, it was removed from streaming and download platforms around June 4 each year, but it would later be restored. However, it eventually became permanently unavailable, and as of now, listeners in mainland China cannot stream or download the song on any music platform. The suspected reason for the ban is that Deserts Chang (Anpu) indicated in interviews and personal statements that the song was dedicated to social activists.

Tours and performances

 * Spring Scream
 * Formoz Festival
 * The Wall Live House─Cat Power Warm Up
 * Hohaiyan Rock Festival
 * Modern Sky Festival
 * In Music Festival
 * S.H.E Top Girl Concert (Guests)
 * Taiwan Music Night at Nouveau Casino, Paris, France
 * Sodagreen「Walk Together」Concert Tour 2012 (Guest)
 * Fuji Rock Festival フジロック 2012, Naeba, Japan
 * Deserts ＆ Algae To Ebb Tour 2014–2015
 * Taiwanese Wave at Central Park Summerstage Festival 2015, New York City, United States