Heartbeat (G.E.M. album)
| Heartbeat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 6, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2015 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 38:45 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Lupo Groinig | |||
| G.E.M. chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Heartbeat | ||||
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Heartbeat (Chinese: 新的心跳; pinyin: Xīn de xīntiào) is the fourth studio album by Chinese–Hong Kong singer-songwriter G.E.M., released in both digital and physical formats on November 6, 2015, by Hummingbird Music.[1] The album was written entirely by G.E.M. whilst production was handled by Austrian musician Lupo Groinig, who had previously produced for the singer on her previous albums.[2] A limited edition vinyl of the album was made available in Hong Kong in December 2015.[3]
Heartbeat serves as a reflection of G.E.M.'s personal journey from 2013 to 2015, including experiences that expanded the singer's perspectives on life and relationships.[4] The album focuses on pop and dance music and is the G.E.M.'s first studio album to be recorded entirely in Mandarin.[5] The album received positive reviews from music critics upon release, who praised the album's sound and composition.
Commercially, Heartbeat peaked at number one on the Hong Kong Record Merchants Association (HKRMA) album chart in Hong Kong. Six singles were promoted for the album, each with accompanying music videos, starting with "Long Distance" in February 2015. The videos for the singles "Goodbye" and "Away" have garnered over 100 million views on YouTube.
Background and release
[edit]Heartbeat is an album that G.E.M. produced over a period of three years, with all the lyrics and music written by her.[6] The album breaks away from the traditional pattern of publicity and distribution by releasing the singles and music videos for free on all major online platforms before the release of the physical album, which also marks the first audiovisual album by G.E.M..
Heartbeat is G.E.M.'s retrospection and remembrance of her life from 2013 to 2015, during which there were so many profound stories that made her discover new things about the world, which drove her to write the whole album.[4] She also admits that the resonance of her audience reminds her of the feelings she had when she was writing these songs, and that her mindset is more positive and open.[4] The first song G.E.M. wrote for the album was “One Way Road” when she was in London. She felt that life is like a train, you have to make choices and you can't go back.[7] Faced with the pressure of public opinion at the time, G.E.M. wrote “Heartbeat” with an open mind to complete her self-refurbishment.[8] "Long Distance" is a song composed by G.E.M. on a lonely night, expressing longing for the distance.[9] When composing the song "Away," G.E.M. used the song as a metaphor for an emotional experience that ended in nothing.[10] "Blindspot" is a song written for parents.[11]
The inspiration for “Moments” came from a dream G.E.M. had. When she woke up from the dream, she had the lyrics “Time never returns, memories always dissipate, looking back in a daze, we were happy but briefly” in her head, so she started to compile those lyrics and write the song the next day.[11] "Chuck Close" is a song written by her inspired by Chuck Close, a painter who suffers from prosopagnosia.[11] "Against the Wind" is written about G.E.M.'s real experience. She was unwilling to follow the trend and insisted on her own principles, and finally created the song in this state of mind.[11]
Composition
[edit]"Long Distance" is accompanied by piano and G.E.M.'s voice, expressing that no matter how far apart we are, distance cannot stop people from wanting to be together.[12] "Goodbye" adopts the rock music style, with the theme of the beginning and end of love.[13] The title track of the album, "Heartbeat", speaks directly to the heart and conveys a kind of exciting upward energy.[14] "Away" is a blend of electro and rock elements, conveying a tearing sense of pain, and the explosive high notes in the chorus release all the emotions contained in the song, which expresses the heartfelt feelings of many people who are troubled by love.[14]
The arrangement of “Therefore” combines elements of world music, new age music and pop-electronic music. The song opens with a disorienting vocal chant, the new century inspired title track accentuates Tang's strong vocals, the chorus adds an electronic rhythm to bring up the mood, and finally returns to the vocal chant.[15] The song “Moments” is richer in its vocal style, with G.E.M.'s tone and voice being emotive and full of texture.[16]
Release and promotion
[edit]G.E.M. held a press conference for the release of Heartbeat at the Zhengyici Peking Opera Theatre in Beijing on October 29, 2015, announcing that before the release of the physical album on November 6, one new song and music video would be released every day, giving fans free access.[17] From the press conference, she revealed the music video of her new song "Goodbye," and from November 2 to November 6, she would decide to reveal one song every day, so that fans can have Easter eggs and countdown surprises every day before the release of the album. She also announced that she would release a limited edition of 1,000 vinyls for her fans to collect.[18]
After the album was released, its sales topped the iTunes Hot Album Chart in nine regions.[19] In 2015, it reached number 41 and number 7 on the album sales chart of Kuang Nan and Five Music, respectively.[20][21]
Live performances
[edit]On February 18, 2015, G.E.M. participated in the 2015 CCTV Spring Festival Gala and played and sang the song "Long Distance."[22] On April 18, 2024, she served as a guest performer at the "Yu Nifang·Membrane Goddess" concert at the Hunan International Convention and Exhibition Center.[23] G.E.M. performed at the opening ceremony for the Taipingyuan International Furniture Expo City on April 29, 2015.[24] On May 19, 2015, she was a guest performer at the China Micro-Business Integrity Pledge Conference in Guangzhou International Sports Arena.[25] On July 16, 2015, G.E.M. was one of the guest performers at the "King of Singers and Good Voices" concert at the Shenzhen Stadium.
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards | Most Recommended Album | Won | |
| Golden Melody Awards | Best Vocal Recoding Album | Nominated | [26] | |
| IFPI Hong Kong Sales Awards | Top 10 Best Selling Albums | Won | ||
| Best Selling Mandarin Album | Won | |||
| Ku Music Awards | Best Singer Hong Kong/Taiwan | Won | ||
| Migu Music Awards | Best Mandarin Album | Won | ||
| QQ Music Awards | Top Album | Won | ||
| Top 10 Songs and Albums Awards | Top 10 Albums | Won | [27] |
Track listing
[edit]All songs are written by G.E.M. and produced by Lupo Groinig.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Distance (多遠都要在一起)" | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Goodbye (再見)" | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Heartbeat (新的心跳)" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Away (來自天堂的魔鬼)" | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Blindspot (盲點)" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "One Way Road (單行的軌道)" | 4:08 |
| 7. | "Against the Wind (一路逆風)" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Therefore (於是)" | 3:49 |
| 9. | "Moment (瞬間)" | 4:06 |
| 10. | "Chuck Close (查克靠近)" | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 38:45 | |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong Albums (HKRMA)[28] | 1 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | November 6, 2015 | Standard |
| |
| China | ||||
| Taiwan | ||||
| Malaysia | ||||
| Hong Kong | December 23, 2015 | Vinyl LP | Limited |
References
[edit]
- ^ "鄧紫棋 G.E.M.新的心跳". 5大唱片 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ "新的心跳 - G.E.M. 鄧紫棋". y.qq.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "G.E.M. - HEARTBEAT ALBUM - VINYL VERSION". December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c "邓紫棋发首张视听专辑 进化传统宣发模式". October 30, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ 新的心跳- 鄧紫棋的專輯 (in Chinese), November 9, 2015, retrieved July 26, 2024
- ^ "邓紫棋《新的心跳》广州签售 坦言尝试不同服装造型". Sohu Entertainment. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋首张视听专辑《新的心跳》发布". Sina Entertainment. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋回应"对媒体耍大牌":开始觉得是被人设计". People's Daily. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "鄧紫棋：全家一起看春晚能帶來團圓感". People's Daily. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "《金曲捞》邓紫棋：天才少女的逆风飞翔". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "喝下这碗邓紫棋的"鸡汤"，感受一下《新的心跳》". The Beijing News. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋羊年首发新曲 因为有爱《多远都要在一起》". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "中国ヒットソング月間ランキングTOP10（2015年11月）". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "全球流行音乐金榜2015年度二十大金曲公布". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "新的心跳 (全球限量黑膠版)". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋发新歌《瞬间》MV 网友表示瞬间爱上她". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "鄧紫棋新輯免費聽 粉絲先享受後付款". tw.news.yahoo.com (in Chinese). October 29, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "鄧紫棋新歌免費送 出輯前天天有彩蛋". tw.news.yahoo.com (in Chinese). October 29, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋成咪咕汇大赢家 《喜欢你》年度十大金曲". www.sohu.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "光南大批發-連鎖店 - 光南大批發-連鎖店 added a new photo". www.facebook.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Five Music - 五大唱片(5大唱片) -5大年度華語金榜". www.5music.com.tw. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "邓紫棋首登春晚 边弹边唱《多远都要在一起》". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "线上线下资源打通 御泥坊9周年庆新品重复购买率提升34%". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "2015年4月29日太平园国际家居博览城开业盛典邓紫棋". Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "阿SA助阵圣蜜莱雅亮相5.19广州微商大会". Sohu Entertainment. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ TTV. "第27屆金曲獎頒獎典禮 - 入圍名單". The 27th Golden Melody Awards. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Lots of Singers appeared in the ceremony" (in Chinese). 台灣醒報. June 15, 2016.
- ^ "2015 香港唱片商會銷量榜 - 最新唱片情報" (in Chinese). January 2, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Cool Music Forum.
