in::music - Peggy Hsu

Esplanade Recital Studio

Last Saturday

There was a welcome whiff of winter at singer-songwriter Peggy Hsu’s gig.

After all, it was chilly back in Taiwan and the 29-year- old confided that she was still celebrating Christmas as she loved festivals.

It’s Snowing In Germany, off her second album Peggy’s Wish Box (2007), was accompanied by visuals of a fir tree and a blanket of white. She also sang several numbers from her latest album, the seasonally titled Snowman (2009).

Her lilting vocals were as clean as freshly fallen snow and she was ably backed by a drummer, a guitarist and a bassist. There was also a cello added to the mix and the warm, melancholic strings heightened the drama on tracks such as Fly (the insect, not the action) and chill-out dance number Downfallen Aristocrat.

Even Hsu’s dressing evoked colder climes, as the elfin singer had on a cloak of black and grey stripes and comfy-looking boots.

She was at her most moving when she sang about the simplicity and strength of love in the beautifully spare You Love Me, while a harmonica solo underscored the sweet sentiment of the lullaby-like You Are In My Heart.

This was followed by a cover of Butterfly, which she had produced for local singer Joi Chua.

In return, Chua taught her the Singlish term “steady pom pi pi” which Hsu endearingly used to praise the audience when they gamely clapped along during Romantic Solitude.

The mood might have been wintry but temperatures were far from frigid, thanks to her radiant smiles and the warmth of the full-house crowd.

The only trace of bitterness over the six years she was silenced as a singer because of a contractual dispute with her previous record label came when she sang Lunatic, a track into which she had poured out her frustration.

But she had clearly put that unhappy period behind her and she also showed a sunnier side of her personality in the sprightly spring of Tick Tick Tick and the bossa nova-influenced Sunlight Lover.

After hearing from fellow musicians such as Cosmos People about their great experiences here, the gamine Hsu was clearly chuffed to be performing in Singapore herself. She joked that she now had bragging rights since she sold out two shows.

The set ended with the vocally demanding Balloon.

The song soars high and also requires excellent breath control. As Hsu sang and played the keyboard, it brought back memories of the music wunderkind who made her debut with that song back in 2001.

She had a treat for the audience during the encore as she trotted out White Wedding, her first single that was promoted in Singapore.

It is a track she seldom performs nowadays but “if I don’t sing this, I will go back to Taiwan with regrets”.

The 80-minute show ended appropriately with Fine, the touchingly tender title track from her third album.

Outside, it was sweltering, but in here, it was winter, it was warm and it was fine.

(ST)