Local Talent: Spotlight on Singaporean singer Sarah Cheng-De Winne
Sweet and stunning, this local music goddess has rich-as-honey vocals that will blow you away.
Yes, we’ve covered this amazing singer in our bumper issue of local music artists as one of the talents to look out for, but Sarah Cheng-De Winne’s delightfully soulful voice, not to mention impeccable vocal range, is certainly worthy of its own spotlight.
While the jazz-folk-pop vibe of her first full-length album, Let’s Pretend (2010), got her into the local music scene, Cheng-De Winne’s style really came into its own with her 2012 album, Brand New. Though marked as a pop album, she impressively avoids the common pop pitfalls of cliche melodies and generic lyrics with her own distinctive soulful pop style. Listening to tracks like Parallel Lives and Love-Shape Void, you can certainly hear the vocal influence of greats like Mariah Carey, and even local artist Corrine May, to well-produced backings inspired by the likes of The Fray and Keane (the latter of which she covers with the seriously impressive Somewhere Only We Know).
The icing on the cake, however, is her most recent bilingual EP, Candle (2015). Cheng-De Winne sounds like she really found herself with this release, particularly with the laid-back, R&B-infused grooves of To Where You Are and 我需要你 (I Need You). With chocolate velvet harmonies and deep, soulful rhythm, Candle really sends shivers down your spine with each listen.
Though a little bit of social media snooping suggests that she’s focusing on competitions like The Voice – China at the moment, after Candle, we certainly hope that another release is in the works soon!
To check out some of her music, search for the artist on Spotify, or find Candle on iTunes.
Angela Goh
Photos: Sarah Cheng-De Winne
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