Diana Liu, one of Malaysia’s most celebrated jazz musicians. Her latest collection of songs treats listeners to a fresh burst of original and upbeat sound, bringing together Diana’s various musical influences in pop, jazz, bossa nova, funk/soul, gospel and experimental music.
Sunny Days is Diana’s first bilingual album with songs in Mandarin Chinese and English serving as a bridge between different cultures and musical genres. At various times adventurous, soothing and exploding with joy, Diana’s album has something for everyone and challenges listeners to broaden their tastes while delivering catchy hooks and irresistible grooves.
About Diana:
Sarawakian born Diana Liu is a vocalist, composer and producer studied classical and contemporary Voice from the University of New South Wales and the Australian Institute of Music. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music specialising in Contemporary Voice Performance and had since then been performing and producing music.
Her debut in Malaysia was in 2007, where she won 1st runner up in the second season of Project SuperStar which screens on 8TV. Since then she had graced the local music scene with performances as No Black Tie, Alexis and the Hakka Republic while working on her first solo album, which was a mandarin album Most Beautiful, released in 2009.
Diana is a multi-talented vocalist, pianist and composer who has devoted her career to creative expression. She shouldered the roles of both composer and producer for Sunny Days, which features eight original songs and “Whisper” a song written by Indonesian pianist Idang Rasjidi.
Diana is one of the central contributors to the emerging Southeast Asian jazz movement and Sunny Days has a uniquely Southeast Asian flavor. Diana expresses her musicality in this album mainly through a trio format (drums, acoustic bass and acoustic piano) with the occasional addition of organ, electric piano and saxophone to the mix. The album’s title track is a cheerful tune with a samba beat that conjures images of cold drinks and long summer days on the beach. The song, “Fly” has jazz and semi-classical influences while “6/8” is a more percussive Afro romp. “Whisper” is a light and cool funk tune.
Sunny Days features vibrant performances by well-known jazz musicians from around the world, including pianist Tan Wei Xiang from Singapore, bassist Christy Smith from the United States, drummer Lewis Pragasam from Malaysia and saxophonist Passakorn Morasilpin (the Mint) from Thailand. The album was recorded in Singapore and Malaysia and mastered in New York, USA by the renowned mixer Ken Freeman.
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