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Sarah Chen or Chen Shu-hua ( simplified Chinese: 陈淑桦; traditional Chinese: 陳淑樺; pinyin: Chén Shúhuà; born 14 May 1958) is a Taiwanese singer ^[1] who was active from the 1970s to the late 1990s. The only female singer to win both the Golden Bell and Golden Melody Awards, Sarah Chen was known for hit songs such as "Dream Awakening" 夢醒時分, "Red Dust" 滚滚红尘, and "The Mundane World" 笑红尘. Chen released over 30 albums in her career, which included Mandopop, Cantopop, Taiwan Ballad, and English songs.

Music career

Chen's career spanned 31 years, from 1967 to 1998. She sang folk songs in the late 1970s and early 1980s under Haishan Records [ zh] (海山唱片公司), before transitioning to Mandopop with EMI Studio Singapore, and later, Rock Records. She was the only female artist in Taiwan to have won both the Golden Bell and the Golden Melody Awards. ^[2] Her 1989 album Talk to You, Listen to You (跟你說聽你說) was the first to achieve one million sales in Taiwan. ^[3]In the late 1980s and 1990s, Sarah Chen was regarded as the "voice of urban women" through her music. ^{[2] [4] [5] [6]}

Chen was a notable theme song artist, producing numerous movie and TV theme songs, including award-winning pieces like " Red Dust" (滚滚红尘; 27th Golden Horse Award) and " Samsui Women" (红头巾; 2007 Singapore Television Top 5 Original Theme Songs ^[7]).

Chen's feminine yet powerful vocals create a beautiful contrast with male vocals, making her a sought-after artist in classic duets. ^[5] Among her duets were collaborations with Jackie Chan ("So Transparent is My Heart" 明明白白我的心), Jonathan Lee ("Walk Your Own Way" 你走你的路), Leslie Cheung ("Take for Granted" 当真就好), and Wakin Chau (" A Whole New World"，萍水相逢). Chen also contributed to well-known songs performed by multiple artists, such as "Tomorrow Will Be Better" (明天会更好, 1985), "Happy Paradise" (快乐的天堂, 1986), and "The Pearl of the Orient" (东方之珠, 1991).

While mostly singing in Mandarin, Chen sang in three other languages. She recorded Cantopop tracks, released four English albums, and recorded a culture-preserving Taiwanese album. She also adapted Mandarin versions of English hits.

Chen's singing is distinguished by her exquisite voice and emotive singing. ^{[2] [8]} Colleagues describe her voice as a rare combination of being "clean" yet surprisingly powerful. ^[5] While she's primarily known as a mezzo-soprano, Chen effortlessly hits high notes, reaching F5 in both early and late career performances such as "Jealous Lover" (1983) and Paradise Lost (1998). Transitioning to lower pitches, her voice exudes a soothing quality, and she skillfully controls it to express a wide range of emotions. ^{[2] [5]} Songwriters like James Wong Jim (黃霑) specifically sought out Chen for her ability to capture emotions they believed only she could convey accurately. ^[9] For instance, the theme song for the film Green Snake, composed by James Wong, depicts the intense love between a female snake and a man. Wong noted that Sarah Chen's rendition made this song one of his finest work, its enduring popularity surpassing the film itself. ^[9]

Career phases

Even though she retired at the age of 40, while still near the peak of her career, Sarah Chen had a long music career that spanned four decades, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Her collaboration with composers of different styles, along with her openness to explore new musical directions, ^[5] led to a rich and diverse discography, marked by several phases of her career.

Teenage years (1967-late 1970s)

Chen's career had an early but modest beginning. Exemplified by her 1973 album "Love's Sun" (爱的太阳), released by Haishan Records, the songs from Sarah Chen's early years highlighted her crisp and steady vocals, showing her emerging talent. Most of the songs belonged to the Taiwan Ballad/MinYao genre (臺灣民謠). They did not become popular, likely due to the mismatch between Chen's youthful voice and the mature themes of some songs.

Young adult years and first breakthrough with Haishan Records (late 1970s to 1982)

Chen's career took off in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the release of several albums under Haishan Records, when her voice had matured into the recognizable "Sarah" sound. Most songs in these albums followed the Taiwan Ballad/MinYao tradition and bore resemblance to those popularized by Teresa Teng. The song 苏州河畔 ("Suzhou River Bank"), for example, is a Mandarin version of a Cantonese piece that Teng sang (东山飘雨西山晴). However, Chen's folk songs struggled to gain as much traction as Teng's. ^[4] Her early releases also featured an English album, as well as Mandopop-style movie theme songs like "Spring Comes Again" and "Beauty and Sorrow" (1980), marking the beginning of a career as a theme song artist.

One standout album from this period was the 1982 release "Sunset Follows Me Home" (夕陽伴我歸), her final album with Haishan Records. The title track, displaying Chen's ability to convey the joy of the moment to her audience, was considered a breakthrough for her career. ^{[4] [10]} Additionally, the album included several Ballad/MinYao tracks that were well received. During her appearance on Voice of Han with Gua Ah-leh in 1992, Chen chose "Red Chamber Dream" (红楼梦) from the 1982 album as one of her favorite early songs. Reflecting on her interpretation of the song at the time, she mentioned singing it "lightly," shaped by her teenage understanding of the lyrics. ^[11] Chen re-recorded "Red Chamber Dream" twice for her albums A Lifetime of Waiting (1990) and Forever, Sarah (1995), showing both her evolving style and changes in music arrangement over the span of a decade.

EMI Studios Singapore (1983-1986)

Around 1983, Sarah Chen entered into a partnership with EMI Studios Singapore, starting a productive collaboration with the composer duo Xiao Xuan (小轩) and Tan Jian Chang [ zh] (谭健常). The songs released under this collaboration garnered Chen her first major music award at the 20th Golden Bell Awards in 1985 for Best Female Singer. ^[12] Chen became the 5th female singer to receive this award, which was a significant boost for her career. ^{[5] [8]}

Chen explored various genres and musical expressions during this period. ^{[2] [8]} Her first album with EMI Studios, Starlight (星光满天 - 1983; also known as Story of the Harmonica - 口琴的故事), included a mixture of Mandopop and Ballad songs, many of which were written by the composer duo Xuan and Tan. A notable track from this album that has maintained enduring popularity is "Autumn Fills My Heart" (秋意上心头 - 1983), which Chen performed live at the 1983 综艺100 ceremony when her album was ranked #7. ^{[2] [8]} Following Starlight, Chen released another album in 1983 titled Song of the Ocean (海洋之歌), which not only featured a Western-flavored title track but also included Mandarin renditions of English songs, such as an adaptation of FlashDance (晶莹的泪光). That same year, Sarah Chen released an English album, The Right to Sing (1983), where she introduced English classics like "Diamonds and Rust" to her fan base.

Chen maintained her high level of productivity over the next two years, ^[2] releasing two albums in 1984: Wandering the World (浪迹天涯) and Endless Love (无尽的爱), followed by two more in 1985: Black Hair Turns White (黑发变白发; also known as Love 情), and a special Lunar New Year's Celebration album. The title songs from these albums have maintained enduring popularity. ^[2] In subsequent years, EMI released several compilation albums containing Sarah Chen's songs from the EMI period, including a series of 3 CDs from Singapore titled 絕代絕版陳淑樺 (Best of Sarah Chen - EMI Singapore). During this period, Sarah Chen solidified her status as a notable theme song artist. She performed the theme songs for the popular Singaporean TV Series " Samsui Women" (红头巾, 1986), which later won the 2007 Singapore Television Top 5 Original Theme Songs Award. ^[13]

By 1986, Sarah Chen had acquired the reputation as one of Taiwan's best female singers. ^{[2] [8]} However, she had not fully set herself apart from a highly competitive field of top female singers. Her ultimate breakthrough would occur after joining Rock Records.

Breakthrough with Rock Records (1986-1989)

Around 1986, Sarah Chen joined Rock Records due to structural changes at EMI Studios. Her next several albums were released under both EMI and Rock Records labels. These years marked Chen's ultimate breakthrough in Taiwan's music scene. ^{[2] [5] [6]} Composer Kay Huang 黄韵玲 remarked in an interview in 2007 ^[14] that Sarah Chen was "incredibly important for Rock Records; she set the standard." Huang attributed Chen's success to her stubborn determination to perfecting her work, a sentiment echoed by Chen's EMI composer Tan ^{[2] [8]} and acknowledged by Chen herself. ^[15]

According to writer and broadcaster Shihfang Ma (马世芳), ^[6] when Sarah Chen joined Rock Records, the label had adopted an Artists and Repertoire (A&R) approach, focusing on developing and integrating artists with their repertoire. Sarah Chen's producers, including Jonathan Lee and Bobby Chen, engaged in many conversations with her to guide that development. ^[5] While Sarah Chen's emotional sensibility was evident to her audience, her intellect and determination were known mainly by her colleagues. ^[8] Recognizing that Sarah Chen fit perfectly with the societal need for a representative of educated, sophisticated women, Lee and others endeavored to write songs that supported Sarah's image as a modern woman (都市女子). ^[5]

During this period, Sarah Chen released four Mandarin albums: Waiting for the Storm (等待风起) in 1987; Heart of a Woman (女人心) in 1988; Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me (明天，还爱我吗) in 1988, and her commercially most successful album, Talk to You, Listen to You (跟你说 听你说) in 1989. She also launched two English albums: The Miracle of Love (1987) and Hold Me Now (1989). Songs that capture the essence of urban women include "A Single Woman Like Me" (象我这样的单身女子) from the 1987 album, "Don't Say Pity" (别说可惜) from Heart of a Woman, the title track from Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me, and “Dream Awakening” (梦醒时分) from the 1989 album. To support this image, Chen underwent a transformation in her appearance, ^[4] adopting new clothing styles and gender-neutral hairstyles.

In an era predating digital music, the 1989 album, produced by Jonathan Lee, achieved remarkable success, selling an unprecedented 1 million copies in Taiwan. ^[3] It was also Chen's first album under the exclusive label of Rock Records, a factor that increased its accessibility. Chen received a nomination for the Golden Melody Award Best Female Singer award for this work, though she did not win. ^[16] Reflecting on this period during a TV interview in the mid-1990s, Sarah Chen recounted an encounter with a fan on the street, who tearfully embraced her, telling her that "You sang the words of my heart!" ^[17] Interviews with colleagues and fans revealed that "Dream Awakening" had an unprecedented social impact, resonating with audiences of all ages and genders, paving the way for greater acceptance of diversity among female singers. ^[5]

Another notable album during this period was the 1988 album Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me (明天，还爱我吗). ^[6] Produced by Bobby Chen, this album aimed to incorporate Sarah's personal life experiences, emotions, and personality into the songs. This proved challenging as Sarah was reluctant to divulge her private life. ^[5] Nonetheless, Bobby Chen considered the endeavor successful in drawing out some aspects of Sarah's inner world and providing her with a platform to express her emotions. ^[5] Sarah Chen performed two tracks from this album live ("Beauty and Sorrow", 1988, and "Loneliness" 孤单), and recorded at least three versions of the title track Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me (明天，还爱我吗), showing her own fondness for this work. ^[6] However, these songs were soon eclipsed by "Dream Awakening" (梦醒时分). The dissolution of EMI Studios has also restricted access to Sarah Chen's EMI albums, contributing to the mistaken impression that her career started in the late 1980s with Rock Records. ^[2]

By the end of this period, Sarah Chen had not only become the standard bearer of Rock Records, ^[14] but also emerged as the voice of urban women in Taiwan. ^{[4] [5]}

Award winning years - Riding on the tide of Dream Awakening (1990-1995)

During the five years following "Dream Awakening" (梦醒时分), Sarah Chen showed sustained success with individual music awards, award-winning duets and theme songs, ^[17] and the release of multiple albums. However, health concerns slowed her down, ^[18] and the extensive effort invested in producing her first R&B album consumed three years. ^[19]

Rock Records released five albums between 1990 and 1995. Unlike her earlier releases, some of the albums featured a mixture of Chen's old songs with new ones. The 1994 album The Dearest of Sarah (爱的进行式) contained 6 old hits and 6 new songs, including theme songs. The A Lifetime of Waiting (一生守候) - 1990 and Forever Sarah (生生世世) - 1995, both produced by Johnny Bug Chen, also included a few new tracks alongside Sarah's theme songs or re-recordings of her favorite classics. The re-recordings not only made her older classics easier to access but also showed how Sarah Chen's singing style has evolved. Sarah won the Golden Melody Best Female Artist Award twice, for her work in A Lifetime of Waiting (1990) ^[20] and Forever Sarah (1995). ^[16]

In November 1991, Sarah Chen released Be Wise, Be Easy (聪明糊涂心), an album featuring new songs. In her 1992 appearance on Voice of Han, Chen discussed the origin of the title track, composed by her friend, the singer and composer Cheng Hwa-jiuan [ zh]. Chen had faced a health scare in the early 1990s after using a harmful weight loss drug that was then popular in Taiwan. ^{[11] [21]} "Be Wise, Be Easy" served as a gentle admonition and reminder for Chen to prioritize her well-being. After taking a break to travel the world, Chen's health seemed to have improved, as she appeared on CTS in late 1991 to promote the album's release. ^[18] She also participated in Rock Records' 1992 concert in mainland China. ^[22]

Chen's last collaboration with Jonathan Lee as a producer was with the 1992 album, Sarah Chen's Taiwanese Album (淑桦的台湾歌). In her 1992 interview with New York Chinese American Voice (subsequently part of ICN Chinese American Voice), ^[21] Chen described this album as her attempt to preserve the cultural importance of Taiwanese songs through her own interpretations.

Although Chen's output of new albums had slowed, this period marked significant success for her in classic duets and as a theme song artist. Her duet with Jackie Chan, "So Transparent is My Heart," won the duo the Best Mandarin Song Award at the 1992 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards. Chen also sang the theme song for " Red Dust," a film starring actress Brigitte Lin, which tells a tale of lovers torn apart amidst the political upheavals of 1940s China. Chen recalled receiving an urgent request to perform the song during the movie's production. After hearing the story, she agreed to work with Lo Ta-Yu on the project. ^[17] Chen and Lo gave a live performance at the 27th Golden Horse Awards, when Red Dust won the Best Cinematic Music Award.

Chen also produced popular theme songs in martial arts films, such as "The Mundane World" (笑红尘, for The East Is Red, Swordsman III ), and the theme song for the Green Snake. Additionally, her songs "Borderline of Love" (情关) and "Questions about Love" (问) were later adapted as theme songs for martial arts TV series. The lyrics in these songs are poetic and philosophical. "The Mundane World," sung by the Kung Fu character Invincible East in "The Swordsman" series (portrayed by Brigitte Lin), starts with the proud declaration that "the mundane world is laughable, infatuation is boring, and it's good to be arrogant." It continues with "this life is not over, but nothing worries me any more, only want to live the rest of my life carefree." ^[23]

New R&B style and retirement (1995-1998)

Forever (淑桦盛开) - 1995 and Paradise Lost (失落园) - 1998 occurred in the final phase of Chen's career. The 1995 album, produced by David Tao (陶喆), who would later be recognized as the "godfather of Chinese language R&B music," was notable as Taiwan's first R&B album. ^[4] Sarah Chen described the album's production as challenging and time-consuming, as both she and the producers had to adapt to the new style and to know each other. ^[17] The album stayed on Taiwan's weekly Golden Song Chart for 10 weeks. ^[24]

Sarah Chen's final album, Paradise Lost (失落园), also incorporated elements of R&B, but the lyrics took on a sadder tone. The title track, beginning with the somber line "carrying a suitcase of regret alone in the darkness of the city," was accompanied by visuals of a reflective Sarah singing in an empty room. Paradise Lost stayed on Taiwan's weekly Golden Song Chart for 6 weeks. ^[24]

In later interviews, ^[5] Sarah Chen's colleagues revealed that, at the time, both Rock Records and Sarah Chen were eager to explore new musical directions rather than sticking to the formula of her previous hits. However, her colleagues had mixed feelings about the new endeavors. Even David Tao, producer of the 1995 R&B album, was unsure whether it was the right direction for Sarah. Singer and actress Tarcy Su expressed both admiration for Chen's courage to try R&B and reservations about the direction taken. Chen Mei, the manager of Rock Records, believed that, in seeking new directions, Sarah Chen might have undervalued her own distinctive style.

Chen retired around 1998. She has not appeared in public since 1997, when she co-hosted the Golden Melody Awards. ^[25]

Legacy

A Letter to Sarah and peer evaluation

In an unsuccessful bid to entice Sarah Chen back into the entertainment industry, her former producers and colleagues at Rock Records appeared in a documentary titled "A Letter to Sarah"(給淑樺的一封信), ^[5] complementing Rock Records' 2003 collection of Chen's songs Herstory. ^[26] Her colleagues described Sarah Chen as having a naturally beautiful voice that required minimal modification. In a different interview, renowned musician Lo Ta-Yu remarked that "Sarah was absolutely a first-rate singer. It was stupid of me to try to sing duet (for Red Dust) with her. She was too good for me." ^[27] Rock Records released some of Chen's live concert recordings as official versions to rival the quality of studio recordings, notably the 1992 Rock Records China concert featuring the song "Questions about Love" 问.

According to singer Wakin Chau, ^[5] Chen was a critical link in Taiwan's music history by bridging the gap between the traditional Taiwan MinYao/Ballad of the 1970s and the emerging pop music scene of the 1990s. Joseph Yeh [ zh], a MinYao composer who collaborated with Chen in the early 1980s, regarded her as the female singer with the deepest understanding of Taiwan MinYao's cultural significance. ^[10] Nevertheless, Chen did not limit herself to one music genre. ^[5] In addition to Ballad and pop music, she introduced English songs to her fan base ^[28] and recorded Taiwan's first R&B album before retiring. Summing up Chen's impact, Chau remarked: "She is not just a diva. She is the diva of the divas (天后中的天后)." ^{[4] [5]}

In the 2003 documentary, ^[5] Sarah Chen's colleagues emphasized that her contributions and achievements were unlikely to be replicated. They noted that unlike some singers who found success with one type of songs or a specific period of time, Sarah Chen's success crossed multiple musical genres and several periods of the society and music scenes. Chen Mei, the manager at Rock Records, credited Sarah's success to her ability to "Sarah-ize" any song she performed: she transformed Mandopop, English songs, Taiwanese songs, and R&B into distinctively "Sarah Chen style" renditions.

Expressing the same sentiment, Tarcy Su noted that Sarah Chen's songs were challenging for other singers to perform. ^[5] Chen Mei commented that while others could imitate singers like Teresa Teng or Fong Fei-fei with some success, they could not imitate Sarah Chen. Sarah's colleagues identified several factors that contributed to her distinctive style: her exceptional vocals, skillful articulation of the lyrics, deep understanding of the culture, and importantly, the purity of her heart untouched by the complexities of society. ^[5] According to her colleagues, for an emotive singer, this purity radiated through Sarah's music, making it uniquely enjoyable and, in Johnny Chen's words, "modern" and "high-class."

Although the 2003 documentary did not persuade Sarah Chen to make a comeback, it played an important role in cementing her legacy. The concerted effort by her colleagues to safeguard Sarah Chen's image and legacy continues to this day. ^[29]

Cultural influence and Sarah Chen's role

Sarah Chen gained widespread recognition as the "voice of urban women" (都市女子代言人) ^{[4] [6]} following the release of three albums in the late 1980s: 女人心 Heart of a Woman (1988), 明天，還愛我嗎？ Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me (1988), and 跟你說，聽你說 Talk to You, Listen to You (1989). Breaking away from conventional love songs where women are depicted as emotionally dependent on men, these albums captured the independent mindset of modern women. Several tracks portrayed women as self-reliant, equalizing the genders in their perceived emotional needs. In 那一夜你喝了酒 ("That night you were drunk"), Chen portrayed a woman pondering the needs of her sobbing lover on the other side of a screen door. In 明天，還愛我嗎？Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me, she depicted a woman realizing the emotional vulnerability of the man who, as he was leaving, asked if she would still love him. In "Dream Awakening" 夢醒時分, she delivered the famous line "some things you need not ask now, and some people you should never wait for," a sentiment deeply comforting to her listeners. ^{[5] [17]}

According to the broadcaster Ma Shihfang, ^[6] Chen's rise in the late 1980s coincided with a time when more women were relocating to urban areas in Taiwan to pursue white-collar careers. Despite being just as capable as men, they often had to work harder and make personal sacrifices. Sarah Chen embodied this demographic, and her songs such as "Dream Awakening" offered solace to her audience as they navigated challenges in their personal lives. In the 2003 interview, ^[5] Bobby Chen remarked that Sarah Chen not only sang the words of women but also adeptly communicated women's needs to men, making her an effective speaker for a wide audience. Tarcy Su further credited Sarah Chen for sparking a new era for independently minded female artists in Taiwan's music scene. ^[5]

Colleagues gave varying degrees of credit to Sarah Chen for her success in this role ^[5]. While recognizing Sarah Chen's importance, Jonathan Lee emphasized the contributions of the producers, stating that Sarah "fulfilled my dream," and although not always willing, she "tried hard to fit the role." Lee said that the first two albums, Heart of A Woman (1987) and Tomorrow, Will You Still Love Me (1988), succeeded in "completely washing away Sarah's past," making her portrayal as an urban woman acceptable to her audience for "Dream Awakening" 夢醒時分. On the other hand, singer Wakin Chau, involved in various aspects of the production, compared the relationship between Sarah Chen and her project with Rock Records to a "chicken and egg" scenario, indicating that the collaboration with Rock Records would not have succeeded with a different singer. Still others credited most of the success to Sarah herself. Bobby Chen said, "We were very lucky to have worked with Sarah Chen. The truth is, she had walked a long way by herself before coming to us. She was much more established than any of us, yet she still preserved that level of purity in her temperament. We are very fortunate."

Awards since retirement

During an interview with Shanghai Television in 1993, Sarah Chen expressed her aspiration to create songs that, much like certain English classics, would stand the test of time. ^[30] Decades after her retirement, Chen's songs continued to receive awards. In 2007, in the inaugural Singapore Mediacorp 8 Chinese Drama 25 Years, the original theme song "Samsui Women" (紅頭巾) for the TV series of the same name was voted the Top 5 Theme Songs for the past 25 years. ^[7]

From 2014 to 2019, Chen's songs have been consistently voted by listeners of UFM100.3 into their "The Top 1000 Mandarin Hits of All Time" list. ^{[31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]}

In 2018, Sarah Chen was voted as one of the "Top 10 Mandarin Hits Female Artists of All Time" (十大巨星) by listeners of 96.3 Hao FM. ^[37]

In 2019, out of over 1800 songs nominated by listeners in Singapore, 17 of Chen's songs were voted into top 400 of 4 categories – "Classic Duets 情歌對唱", "Taiwan Ballad/MinYao 臺灣民謠", "Best of 80s 熱門80" and "Top 90s 輝煌90". Her duet with Jackie Chan "So Transparent is My Heart 明明白白我的心" took the 2nd place in Classic Duets, and her "Sunset Follows me Home 夕陽伴我歸" secured 3rd position in Taiwan Ballad/Minyao category. ^[13] Her most outstanding hit "Dream Awakening" 夢醒時分 was ranked number 4 in "Best of 80s 熱門80", and "Is it Right to Love You?" 這樣愛你對不對 was also voted as number 4 in "Top 90s 輝煌90" category.

Overall, Sarah Chen is the only female artist with songs spanning four different categories from 1970s to 1990s, and the only artist ranked top 4 in these categories.

Discussions on return

Chen was among the few Taiwanese singers to quietly exit the entertainment industry, without any formal announcements or farewell concerts. ^[38] Her departure initially stemmed from grieving the unexpected loss of her mother in 1998, who had been her steadfast companion throughout her career. ^[4] In her only, and final, public radio interview in 2003 post-retirement with Matilda Tao, Chen expressed an interest in a potential return but acknowledged complications in her life needing attention first. ^[39] Her continued interest in music echoed her message in interviews before retirement. During a 1992 radio interview with ICN Chinese American Voice, Chen, who admitted facing immense pressure and health issues, was asked whether she would choose a music career again. ^[21] She thought for a few seconds, and affirmed "yes." She elaborated on her passion for music since a very young age, and her observation that music permeated into every corner of people's lives. She hoped that her songs could offer a few minutes of solace to listeners amidst life's challenges.

Nonetheless, despite efforts by Lo Ta-Yu, Jonathen Lee, and others, including forming the music group 纵贯线 to attract Chen's return, ^[40] Sarah Chen did not make a comeback. She declined Lee's emotional plea to reemerge at a 2006 concert in her hometown ^[41] and was notably missing from Rock Records' 30-year anniversary celebration in 2010. ^[42] Similarly, she did not participate in the re-recording of "Happy Paradise" in 2023, despite the return of many original singers. Sarah Chen continues to be the singer fervently desired back by fans and colleagues alike. ^[38]

Personal life

Sarah Chen stayed single throughout her career, maintaining strictly professional relationships ^[4] with her male colleagues, even when working alongside those of similar age at Rock Records. In a culture where few women remained unmarried, Chen seemed to have faced significant workplace and societal pressure. ^{[4] [28]} As early as 1987, hosts of her TV appearances ^[43] openly inquired about her personal life, an improper line of questioning that continued in later years. ^[39] Chen's colleagues noted that she rarely disclosed her private life to people around her, but they believed she expressed her rich emotions through her music. ^[5]

Chen received steadfast support from her family, particularly her mother, throughout her career. Both her colleagues ^[4] and Sarah Chen herself ^[21] acknowledged her mother's role in managing her busy schedule and providing sound advice. In a culture that values filial piety, Chen was described as a dutiful daughter by people close to her. ^[4] Chen herself admitted to respecting her mother's opinions on matters related to both her professional and personal life. ^[21] During a joint TV appearance in 1989 ^[28], Bobby Chen joked that Sarah's mom acted as an armored vehicle, deflecting unwanted attention from men around her. However, Sarah Chen made it clear that involving her mom was entirely Chen's own choice. In the 1992 interview with ICN Chinese American Voice, Sarah was asked how she viewed mom's involvement and whether it affected her dating life. She expressed gratitude for her mother's advice, explaining that her mother was more concerned about her remaining single than she was herself. She emphasized that involving her mother was a conscious decision and she understood the tradeoffs involved. When further asked if the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, Chen said that when a choice led to benefits, there would also be drawbacks, but she was willing to accept them. Instead of family interference, Chen attributed her staying single to fate and joked that her devotion to music brought consequences. ^[21] Following her mother's passing and Chen's retirement in 1998, the media began to mischaracterize their relationship as one of control and dependency. ^[4] In her 2003 interview with Maltilda Tao ^[39], Chen emphatically stated that rumors about her "are not true." Chen withdrew from further public engagement.

In a radio interview with Liu Jie [ zh] in the early 1990s, Chen shared her views on marriage, Taiwanese family dynamics, and their impact on men's attitudes towards women. She observed that before marriage, men often displayed care and protectiveness towards their girlfriends, a behavior instilled through school education. However, after marriage, this dynamic tended to shift, with men becoming more demanding and expecting care, influenced by prevailing family traditions in Taiwan. ^[15] She admitted that this tradition made it unlikely for her to find someone who would respect her desire for independence and equal rights. Sensing Liu's disagreement with her views on gender roles in relationships, Chen changed the topic. ^[15] Chen never married.

Discography

• 水車姑娘/忘也忘不了; 'Water Wagon Girl /Unforgettable' (1967)
• 愛的太陽; 'Love's Sun' (1973)
• 再會吧！心上人; 'See You Again My Love' (1976)
• 寒雨曲; 'Chilly Rain Songs' (1977)
• 悄悄地說再見; 'Quietly Saying Good-Bye' (1977)
• 飄雲。落花。愛; 'Flying Snow - Falling Flowers - Love' (1978)
• 陈淑桦 西洋歌曲; 'Sarah Chen's English Songs' (1978)
• 自由女神哭泣了; 'The Statue of Liberty Is Crying' (1979)
• 寧靜海; 'Calm Ocean' (1979)
• 歸程; 'Road Home' (1980)
• 美麗與哀愁; 'Beauty And Sorrow' (1980)
• 又見春天; 'Spring Comes Again' (1981)
• 夕陽伴我歸; 'Sunset Follows Me Home' (1982)
• 她的名字是愛 Love is Her Name (1982)
• 星光滿天/口琴的故事; 'Starlight / Story of the Harmonica' (1983)
• 海洋之歌; 'Song of the Ocean' (1983)
• The Right to Sing (1983)
• 無盡的愛; 'Endless Love' (1984)
• 浪跡天涯; 'Wandering the World' (1984)
• 情/黑发变白发; 'Love / Black Hair Turns White' (1985)
• 陈淑桦贺年专辑; 'Sarch Chen's Lunar New Year Celebration Special' (1985)
• 紅頭巾 Samsui Women 《新廣連續劇主題曲及片尾曲》-只在新加坡發售 (1986)
• 等待風起; 'Waiting for the Storm' (1987)
• The Miracle of Love (1987)
• 女人心 Heart of a Woman (1988)
• 明天，還愛我嗎？ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (1988)
• Hold Me Now (1989)
• 跟你說，聽你說 Talk to You, Listen to You (1989)
• 一生守候 A Lifetime of Waiting (1990)
• 聰明糊塗心 Be Wise, Be Easy (1991)
• 淑樺的台灣歌 Sarah Chen's Taiwanese Album (1992)
• 愛的進行式 The Dearest of Sarah (1994)
• 淑樺盛開 Forever (1995)
• 生生世世 Forever, Sarah (1995)
• 失樂園 Paradise Lost (1998)

References

External links

• <陳淑樺,祝福> 為她加油打氣 Well Wishes for Sarah Chen
• Dance of Sunlight 流光飞舞 | Sarah Chen fan site 陈淑桦中文网站 (in Chinese)
• 陳淑樺國際歌迷會 新浪微博 (in Chinese)