Since making her official return to music with the release of her latest album ‘I’m V’, prolific Taiwanese singer and actress Vivian Hsu has released her music video for “Alright”. The disco- and rock-influenced track features hip-hop prodigy Kumachan and Shawn from Taiwanese pop-rock band Noovy.
In addition to Kumachan and Shawn, Golden Bell Award regulars Kaiser Chuang, Lin Mei-hsiu and Summer Meng join Vivian to complete the music video’s star-studded lineup. In a major throwback to the glorious 80s, the music video, inspired by Hong Kong-style Chinese New Year films, depicts Vivian grooving to a retro tune of “Alright” . Overall, the video is a reminder for us to smile and say “alright” with gusto, whatever obstacles we may face.
The song was born out of songwriting sessions organised by Vivian’s hitmaking creative partner JerryC. A butter-smooth rap verse from Kumachan and vocal accompaniment from songwriter Shawn make “Alright” the perfect pick-me-up in times of dejection. Both collaborators were extremely excited for this long-awaited opportunity to work with the legend herself.
On the collaboration, Kumachan said, “Shawn is an incredibly talented composer, and he’s written a great piece of music. I’m also grateful to Vivian for this opportunity to unleash my creativity. I’m really satisfied with the final product!”
Shawn added, “Because of a car accident, I couldn’t attend Vivian’s press conference when she first signed with Sony. I was really frustrated that I couldn’t get to meet her then, so I thought, ‘I must find a chance to work with Vivian!’ So I kept writing. When I was told that Vivian decided to include one of my songs and include me in the music video, I was over the moon!”
In response to Shawn’s enthusiastic comments, Vivian said, “The essence of a song is best expressed when its original composer performs it.”
The music video for “Alright” tells the classic story of a femme fatale who leaves her rich landlord partner. When Vivian first heard about the plot, she decided to invite Kaiser Chuang, who acted as her heartbreaker in the drama series ‘Who’s By Your Side‘, to play the heartbroken partner in this music video as “payback”. Chuang gladly made time for the music video’s filming. He commented, “Being able to film this music video with my good friends has been a joy in this turbulent, busy year. I’m ecstatic to have been dumped by Vivian.”
While the lyrics in “Alright” intentionally lack any serious meaning, the track is musically rich, containing elements of hip-hop, as well as synthwave and disco reminiscent of the 1980s. The diverse guitar sounds courtesy of Shawn and choral singing in “Alright” echo the epic atmosphere of “InVincible”.
“Alright” is taken from Vivian’s latest album ‘I’m V’, the product of much reflection on Vivian’s past experiences and aspirations for the future. It includes 15 of Vivian’s greatest hits and five new songs. ‘I’m V’ captures the essence of Vivian’s ever-evolving musical journey. On the tracklist are some of her greatest hits, including “InVincible”, “Goodbye” and “InVincible Lover”.