Untitled Document

(Excerpt from the Star Newspapers dated 17 October 2003 by Ll Ee Kee.)

This is an interview done during her promotion tour in conjunction with the release of her album "The Moment" in Malaysia.

Yanzi : Being a singer, you really work very hard. Your time is not yours. Everything is planned and pre-arranged for you. Promotions take your to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, where the routine repeats itself - handling interviews, signing autographs, performing and endorsing products. At the end of the promotion schedule of my first album (I am Sun Yan Zi), I was exhausted. Things got better after the third album (Kite), 2001. In the past 3 years, I feel that I've accomplished so much -staging my own concert and releasing 7 albums - achievements that wouldn't have been possible without the help of many people. But in the course of doing it, I also realised there are many important thins waiting for me. My decision is take a break is something I have to do. I believe everything takes its own course. Who knows, something better may come up.

[Representatives from Warner have confirmed that Yanzi has renewed her contract for another 3 years with her one year break as one of the conditions]

Yanzi : They are okay with my decision. After all, I am a grown woman and they know that I've been working hard. When I first started, my mom talked of going to Taiwan to take care of me. But I think even if my parents were there it may not necessarily helped much because the work is tiring.

Yanzi : I'm going to go home and watch TV. So, I think I would probably go to New York and visit my sister, do a bit of traveling and just do the things I want to do. This is not to say fans won't get to see me at all. I will continue to accept advertisement offers as well as perform at charitable functions.

Yanzi : Besides the free travel mileage, I can't think of anything. It has been a lot of fun. I will miss my colleagues and fans but the time away will allow mw to nurture my relationship with my loved ones.

Since your announcement last month, speculations has been rife about your decision. Some say it is a precursor to your eventual retirement from the music industry.

Yanzi : Doing an album is gratifying and I will continue to contribute to honest music. If I were to retire now at 25 years of age, I wouldn't know what to do. DO I get a 9 to 5 job or just sit at home at watch TV?

Yanzi : At the moment I don't think I'm good or experienced enough to be a producer but it is one of my ambitions. It is hard for me to envision under what circumstances I will stop singing. Perhaps when I decide to retire from he limelight, in which case I will probably open my own pub and sing there. Or I'll just resign myself to singing in the bathroom (laughs). I truly appreciate the applause I have received because it means there people who like my songs. Should there come a time when there is no more applause, I think that would be when you will find me singing in the bathroom.