PENANG girl Chelsia Ng always says she is blessed to be surrounded by a family that loves telling great stories.
This, she said, gave her lots of raw materials for her songwriting.
Fluent in English, Malay and Hokkien, she has just come up with a colourful "storybook" of songs from the heart.
Titled 'Songs For You And I (Book One)', it is her labour of love for her fans, her parents, elder brother and close friends, especially those who helped her grow musically.
MINI-BIOGRAPHY
"There's this lovely Hokkien number I created specially for my mum.
"Titled 'Kim Hwa of Mount Erskine, I Love You', it is a mini biography of her and how her life journey inspired me," said Chelsia at the launch of her album in APW, Jalan Riong, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur recently.
"It's a catchy, sing-along number all the way, and tailor-made for family gatherings, especially Penangite ones."
BEST FRIEND
The 42-year-old singer, songwriter and actress is also happy to rope in her brother Charlie as a songwriter for the 12-track album.
"He's my best friend, soul mate and confidant. In fact, I'd credit him as the one person who coached me as a musician during my growing up years."
The unique thing about 'Songs For You and I' is it is packaged within a "biscuit box" and comes with a booklet containing the lyrics for each song.
"Each song comes with a brief description of the story behind it, and on every page my fans will get to see my little girl photos as well as my artwork."
FAIRY TALE
Chelsia's artwork looks "right out of a fairy tale book".
Dragons, fireflies horses and other mythical creatures are prominent, and within them are lots of intricate, floral patterns.
"The artwork is meant to reflect my wild imagination, and the fantasies that lift my spirits from time to time," she said.
FROM BEDTIME STORIES TO UPBEAT MELODIES
Chelsia's passion for songwriting stems from her childhood, where her mother read her original bedtime stories set in their hometown of George Town, Penang. These stories, along with those from relatives and friends, became the foundation for her music.
'Songs For You And I' is the culmination of years of creative expression and perseverance. The album's production was delayed due to the pandemic, but with the support of MyCreative Ventures and a dedicated team, Chelsia was able to complete it in 2023.
"I'm grateful that I assembled a superb, hardworking team to help me wrap it up.
"Special thanks to my dear friend, singer-songwriter and music producer Irena Taib who led the production team with gusto."
She also thanked co-producer Raja Farouk, whom she describes as one of her strongest supporters and biggest fans.
DONE DURING RAMADAN
Chelsia and her team recorded all of the songs during last Ramadan and spent two other months mixing and mastering them.
"Everything was done in Kuala Lumpur, so it is a 100 per cent 'buatan Malaysia' product that comes in three languages — Hokkien, Malay and English."
Despite the album's upbeat sound, Chelsia reveals that some songs were written during challenging times.
"Each song is a story of my life, and one of them called '6am Sushi' was written when I was as down as can be.
"The writing process channelled all of my sadness away."
OPTIMIST AND LOOKING AHEAD
Chelsia describes herself as an optimist.
"Life is always full of lemons, at times they make you feel bitter, but you can always make tasty lemonade."
Chelsia chose to include Hokkien songs in her album because her mother tongue is a "slowly dying dialect".
"The only way to keep Hokkien going is to write songs in it.
MAJOR CITIES
Chelsia plans to visit major cities around Malaysia to promote her album.
"If all goes well I will have some showcases soon. I plan to have gigs in Penang and Kuala Lumpur first."
On her upcoming projects, Chelsia said she would be reprising her role as Lee Za, a no-nonsense palace official in the second season of 'Legenda Puteri Qaseh'.
The drama series which also stars Qasrina Karim, Datuk Yusry Abdul Halim and Datin Lisa Surihani continues the adventures of Puteri Qaseh, a princess from a magical kingdom who goes on a quest to save her parents from a diabolical sorcerer.