NEW SINGLE
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Annie Zhou returns with a stellar cast of world class musicians.
Charming, breathtaking and full of spirit!
Hi Annie, welcome to VQS!
Tell us a little bit about you and your music.
Annie Zhou
I am a Los Angeles based Artist/Composer/Instructor, my primary musical instrument is Guzheng, the 21-string traditional Chinese instrument which has over 2,500 years of history.
I have been working on the promotion and integration of Chinese traditional instruments in the United States, intent on bringing sound from Asian instruments into the Western music scene.
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Congrats on the release!
What was your inspiration for this new single?
Amare Girls Band at the 30th Qingdao International Beer Festival
Released 7/7/21. -As the title might suggest, the song is dedicated to the band itself. The group was indeed formed as a bold statement, which aims to spread the word about the power of women in music and racial minorities in general.
I am very passionate about sharing Chinese sounds with the world, and the cross-over elements of this music make for a stunning sonic experience.
This is a wonderful opportunity to share powerful stories and show the world that boundaries are meaningless: it’s really all about starting stories and amazing experiences, going for a truly open-ended and fresh approach.
What is your vision for this song?
I was hoping to give this track a very inclusive spirit, doing away with gender and racial barriers, as well as seamlessly combining eastern and western instruments in order to give the song a much broader feel.
I came up with this diverse arrangement in the hope to spread the beauty and charming sound of Chinese instruments to a larger Western audience, which might not have been familiar with these traditional folk instruments from China in the first place.
What is your favorite part of the song?
Amare Girls Band at Friendly Hills Country Club
Sonically, the new release is very intriguing because it combines special traditional techniques, such as tremolo and string bends, in combination with modern western sounds and melodic stylings.
In particular, one of the most distinctive features of this song is the fact that the rhythm section is usually a little more understated in those very traditional Chinese music.
This release features a more upbeat and dynamic structure, with a one-of-a-kind flow that makes the song all the more powerful and direct.
Anything else we should know about it? Future releases?
I would like to thank my amazing band members who recorded this song: Shannon Canchola – Flute; Sasha Chandler – Violin; Lei Liu – Pipa; Annie Zhou – Guzheng. It’s my great pleasure having these wonderful female musicians in the group!
