There are only a handful of Singaporean musicians to have made a splash on the international scene; Tanya Chua is one of them. And to have won Best Mandarin Female Singer at Mandopop’s equivalent of the Grammys––the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan––four times, including most recently at the 2022 ceremony, is a feat not to be scoffed at.

Chua scooped up the latest accolade for her 12th Mandarin album, DEPART. She also bagged awards for Album of the Year, Best Mandarin Album and Best Vocal Album Recording. Released in August 2021, DEPART, written at the height of the pandemic and composed of uplifting acoustic guitar numbers, struck a chord with judges as well as her fans.

Her fans also showed incredible support for their idol earlier in the pandemic. In February 2020, tickets to her concert tour, Kisses for the World, sold out within five minutes. The May 2020 concert was postponed to January 2021 for safety reasons.

Bilingual in English and Mandarin, Chua’s soulful vocals and versatility has captivated audiences and cemented her enduring appeal over the past 24 years. Although international in stature, Chua remains a true-blue Singaporean at heart, professing a fondness for seafood hor fun, chilli crab and Milo Dinosaur whenever she’s home––fitting for one who, in 2001, penned and performed Singapore’s National Day theme song, Where I Belong.