Haneri and Li Tianci have released a new Mandarin pop song that will cure your 2020 blues.
We are well into the milestone year that is 2021, and a new track from Haneri and Li Tianci’s is one that will be highly relatable for most who are looking to move on from the year 2020.
Packed with optimism and motivation for the new year, in this two and a half minutes Mandarin pop song, the pair reflects on the adversities they have faced last year. Despite all the unfortunate things that have overwhelmed 2020, ‘2021’ with its light-hearted tune and uplifting harmonies hopes for 2021 to be a better year.
Formerly known as Daphne Khoo, Haneri is an Australian-Singaporean singer-songwriter who participated in the first season of Singapore Idol where she finished off as the third runner-up. Haneri officially entered the music scene in mid-2017 with her single ‘Burning Up’ which got its highest position at #9 on Singapore’s Spotify charts. Besides composing her own songs, she has worked with artists such as Charlie Puth, Kuizz, and Amber and Luna from f(x).
At the end of 2020, Haneri released her debut EP, MILLIONA, which features funk-disco-pop vibes together with a fresh new look. With her songwriting focused mainly on English songs since her entry into showbiz 17 years ago, ‘2021’ is her first-ever Mandarin single and reveals the adventurous side of Haneri with her music. Moving forward, Haneri will continue her passion for producing music and hopes to bring in more Singaporean talent into Hollywood using her connections that she has made over the years.
Li Tianci is a Singapore-raised, American-born Chinese singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles who has written and produced music for the LA scene, Taiwan dramas and Singapore singer-songwriter Joel Tan, also known as Gentle Bones. His unique cultural background has also influenced his music in which it leverages both Western and Eastern cultures. Tianci combines these two distinctive sounds by overlaying strong eastern melodies onto western music production. Moreover, the raw emotions and sharing of real-life experiences in Tianci’s songwriting have allowed him to gain a deeper and more meaningful connection with his audiences thus distinguishing him as an artist.
Produced and written by Tianci (which he wrote in 3 hours on the first day of 2021), Haneri felt attached to the song and the pair decided to record and release the song before the first quarter of 2021. Amidst the almost-global lockdown last year, the pair of singer-songwriters took this opportunity to think about the difficulty in 2021 especially in the creative industry, and thus inspired ‘2021’.
Since Haneri’s move to Singapore earlier last year, both artists collaborated across different continents and time zones. ‘2021’ as a result was recorded and produced via calls and Zoom sessions despite being miles apart. Both Haneri and Tianci mentioned that they “hope that the audiences find hope and a deeper meaning in the song for themselves” and have also put forward their hopes and wishes for 2021 in the song.
Listen to ‘2021’ on Apple Music and Spotify now.