Why I Wrote What I Wrote:
Was introduced to client by a work contact/ friend and we realised we were actually schoolmates. Client needed a press kit for publicity of her EP, in both English and Chinese. Interviewed her over a coffee and had the opportunity to chat with her a while more after the actual interview ended, giving me a better idea of her personality.
Client wanted a more elegant feel to her bio and I worked around her attitude towards things in life and her music. Here is the original version I wrote for her, together with its translated Chinese text, before she tweaked parts of it herself to her preference:
The Sensual Sentimentalist - Elaine Lam
Just when you thought you have heard all there is to jazz, in breezes a breath of fresh air in the form of Elaine Lam, pure and wholesome.
Elaine is the picture of that sunny girl-next-door, yet exudes the sensual sentiments of a pensive soul. Featuring an EP of her original compositions, this selection of light numbers tells of little snippets from our everyday lives. With her velvety voice, she blushes of blossoming love, comforts troubled hearts and even playfully brings one back to childhood in a ditty inspired by her son.
For this singer-songwriter, what started out as something fun during younger years became a lasting love when she decided to pursue her passion for jazz music. Elaine admits to being a down-to-earth girl who enjoys the little pleasures in life like discovering new gastronomical haunts or travelling, and that persona is evident in her choice of muses for her songs, beautifully delicate and unpretentiously real.
About Elaine Lam:
Elaine Lam is a local jazz singer-songwriter who is well versed in various musical instruments such as the piano, keyboard and the clarinet. She enjoys jazz, bossa nova and pop music, and is fluent in English and Mandarin. Inspired by her love for Latin music, Elaine has also picked up Spanish as well as French and Italian.
Elaine enrolled in the Very Singer Training Course at Ocean Butterflies Music Pte Ltd in 1998, together with JJ Lin and A Do, and has been singing at Music Dreamer Live! Cafe since 2001. She does private gigs such as weddings and has also performed at various public events such as Esplanade’s Coffee Morning show and memorably, at one of Jeff Chang’s mini concerts.
Elaine has been a member of COMPASS (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) since 2001 and Hong Kong artiste Miriam Yeung, in her first Mandarin album "Smile" in 1999, has recorded one of her songs. Elaine is happily married with a son and enjoys her other role as a loving mother and wife.
感性的情感歌手 - 蓝晓薇
正当你觉得自己已彻底了解爵士乐时，她如微风中飘来的一阵清新空气。那就是蓝晓薇，如此纯正、清纯 。
看似阳光般邻家女孩的晓薇，音乐中却流露着沉思者的感性情感。这张迷你专辑收藏了晓薇的原版创作，清乐中分享的是我们生活中的点滴。以她醇和的声音，晓薇诉说着恋情萌芽的腼腆、安慰苦闷的心、以灵感自儿子的小曲淘气地带领我们回到童年。
对这位创作歌手而言，当年对爵士乐的喜好，在她决定投入爵士音乐创作时已成为坚定的热恋。晓薇自认自己是个踏实的女孩，喜欢旅游，也最爱发觉美食好去处，追求着生活里简简单单的乐趣。歌曲中的意境，就是来自那么朴素单纯的灵感，楚楚美丽却谦逊真实。
关于蓝晓薇:
蓝晓薇是位本地爵士创作歌手, 善于演奏各乐器如钢琴、电子琴与单簧管。她喜欢爵士、巴薩諾瓦以及流行乐，并熟谙英语与华语。不仅如此，热爱拉丁乐的她也因此学会了西班牙语，以及法语和意大利语。
晓薇于1998年同林俊杰和阿杜一伙加入海蝶音乐私人有限公司主办的《非常歌手》训练班, 并于2001年开始在爱琴海民歌餐厅演唱。晓薇也从事婚礼等私人聚会的表演，也曾受邀参与各公众表演，如滨海艺术中心的《咖啡早晨》(Coffee Morning) 音乐会，也曾在张信哲的一场小型演唱会中与他合唱。
自2001年加入 COMPASS (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) 的晓薇，自创歌曲中的一个作品《寂寞的存折》已收入在香港艺人杨千嬅1999年发行的第一张华语专辑《微笑》。生活中，晓薇正享受着为人母与贤妻的美满家庭生活。