highest high

i am a lucky fella. music (and not hifi) has given me so much enrichment, nourishment and inspiration since i was a kid. i was already buying audio cassettes since i was a primary 4 student.

many people live their lives without any memorable high points. i have several and the highest high is gonna happen soon, as early as next year.

my first "high" is starting musicexchange in 1998, the first ever full-scale 2nd hand cd store in malaysia. in fact, the idea was born one night while i was listening to cheer chen's amazing debut album "let me think a while", which was rated at number #11 in the recent taiwan's top 200 albums of the last 20 years. musicexchange left a memorable chapter in the music industry in malaysia as well as an indelible mark on my life. in fact, i was so high that my favorite song at that time was lighthouse family's "high", which i constantly spinned in my store.

my 2nd "high" came last year with the creation of 2v1g. well, i won't dwell into this again as i have said enough in this blog.

my 3rd "high" which is about to come true is my long-time desire to create a world-class chinese indie music label with a world-class chinese female singer-songwriter a la cheer chen qi zhen and zhang xuan of taiwan. i want to do original compositions of indie pop/rock, away from the mainstream.

i had someone in mind 10 years ago. at that time, she was still a little girl but she showed enough talent to entice me. i met her in the cafe where she performed and passed her my name card but she didn't call me. subsequently, she was signed to a major label and pursue her singing career in taiwan.

10 years later, 3 months ago to be exact, i got to know her thru a friend in a x'mas dinner. she told me she likes my work in 2v1g and she is thinking of collaborating with me to start an indie label in malaysia. i couldn't believe my ears.

she passed me her demo cd last night which is full of all her compositions over the last 2 years. i played the cd on my system, i was awe-struck. "this is the music that i want to do for my label!", i yelled. her music is indie pop/rock but with a very strong hook and commercial crossover appeal. we connect instantly.

i have been listening non-stop to her cd for the last 24 hours. many times, i was moved to tears. such talent is god-send. and she isn't even peaking as i could see the depth of her talents.

everything has a reason. god delayed our fateful meeting because she wasn't ready 10 years ago. she is now.

god willing, you are going to see the first local indie queen in the chinese music industry early next year that's going to carry the malaysian flag globally, and this is gonna be my third "high" and probably my highest high.