About this album (OUT on Aug 28!)
The Bloom Project is a feminist reinterpretation of Chinese “shidaiqu”—an early 20th-century fusion of Chinese folk and Western jazz that emerged in 1920s Shanghai. I’ve reimagined these classic melodies with contemporary lyrics and bold arrangements that weave EDM, traditional Chinese instruments, and rap.
Unlike most shidaiqu from over a century ago, this album was created and produced under female leadership. In the same way that many industries once dominated by men are gradually changing, this time it’s women making the creative decisions.
玫瑰，美而带刺，就像女人，绽放得有力量；这张专辑里的歌大部分来源于“时代曲”，是中国民间音乐与欧洲爵士音乐的融合，起源于1920年代的上海。我把这些熟悉的旋律配合上更符合当下的歌词，编曲上融合了EDM、中国传统乐器、rap，而与大部分一百多年前的时代曲不同的是，这张专辑是女性主导创作和制作的，就如同千千万万个原本由男性主导的行业逐渐改变一样，这次是女性来做出决定。所以这张专辑叫做《玫瑰时代》。
About this album
The Bloom Project is a feminist reinterpretation of Chinese “shidaiqu”—an early 20th-century fusion of Chinese folk and Western jazz that emerged in 1920s Shanghai. I’ve reimagined these classic melodies with contemporary lyrics and bold arrangements that weave EDM, traditional Chinese instruments, and rap.
Unlike the shidaiqu of a century ago—largely shaped by male composers and producers—The Bloom Project is authored and produced by women. Supported by the New York Foundation for the Arts Women’s Fund, I (Adai Song) led the project alongside other women artists, including mixing and mastering engineer Rachel Alina and SHI, a guzheng player and producer.
In a time when traditionally male-dominated industries are becoming more inclusive, this album takes a stand: women, too, shape what gets heard and how. That’s why it’s called The Bloom Project—a celebration of creative blossoming, thorns and all.