The acclaimed Chinese soul singer is about to launch her first English album after years of cross-cultural collaboration, Xing Wen reports.

The voice that first awakened Yuan Yawei's musical soul came from the dim, intimate heart of a Beijing jazz bar. There, as a young woman from Hunan province, she watched a singer pour raw soul into a wireless microphone while moving freely through the crowd.

In that moment, the sounds of American roots music washed over her with an intoxicating sense of liberation.

"I'd never seen a performance so thoroughly enjoyed, so full of pure joy," she recalls. That night ignited a spark that has fueled her unwavering artistic journey ever since. She evolved into the artist known today as Tia Ray, flowing effortlessly between soul, jazz, and R&B, mastering their rhythms, riffs, and phrasing with instinctive grace.

Once, she lived in a rented room in Beijing, saving from her food budget to buy English-language music CDs. She taught herself the language by copying lyrics by hand and imitating the voices of singers she admired.

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Now, with six Chinese albums to her name, she is ready to bring the soulful spirit of her Chinese identity to listeners worldwide. On Feb 6,Yuan will release her debut English-language album, New Day — a move she describes as her first step toward truly connecting with the world.

Crafted over three years, the album consists of 12 tracks that showcase different facets of Yuan as a singer.

For example, the prerelease single Cold uses a simple acoustic guitar arrangement layered with soft vocals to create an intimate, whisper-like atmosphere, highlighting the purity of her voice. Meanwhile, the track Pressure features Afro and reggae rhythms, unfolding as a vibrant and passionate song.

The production involved Grammy-winning musicians, such as Antonio Dixon and Tiara Thomas from the United States, though Yuan remained at the helm throughout.

"I acted as the main producer. I really put effort and ideas into the whole album from the beginning to the end," she says.

Much of the album grew out of writing camps that gathered creators from various cultural backgrounds.

Yuan recalls one especially productive session: "We had producers from different countries and styles spread across six rooms. I'd move from room to room every hour or so to introduce myself and hum ideas. Then I'd circle back to each room to hear how things were developing."

By the end of the day, they had created six demos. Her role was to listen and choose the one that resonated most, the song that would eventually earn its place on New Day.

In the summer of 2024, while competing on the reality show Riding Wind, Yuan had an intense schedule.

The show, which featured female contestants all aged over 30, required them to live together in Changsha, Hunan province, train in dance for at least eight hours a day, and juggle group rehearsals, media interviews and other commitments.

Despite the grueling pace and severe sleep deprivation, Yuan still managed to fly to Indonesia for a two-day stay in a songwriting camp that gathered musicians from around the world.

To use every possible minute, she slept on the floor of the studio, waking up to brainstorm and write alongside other artists.

"My body was exhausted, but mentally, I felt completely free and even healed," she recalls.

Within those two days, she co-wrote three songs, two of which were later selected for her upcoming English album.

After this creative interlude, she returned to Changsha reenergized, ready to resume the competition with new focus.

Those around her are often amazed by her seemingly boundless energy.

On stage, she often presents herself with bold red lips, voluminous waves and formfitting gowns, delivering effortless vocal runs and explosive high notes with charismatic control.

Offstage, she moves between roles with a seemingly tireless and focused energy.

Host Tian Tian recalls one occasion when he and Yuan were traveling to the US to record a program for a music channel. They met at a US airport, both jet-lagged, yet Yuan appeared exhilarated. She shared an anecdote from her flight: she had encountered a typhoon, nearly missed her plane, and amid the turbulence, wrote a song titled Lucky Rain on board.

"Life is short. We only live once — maybe less than 30,000 days. You have to go for it," Yuan reflects.

"To me, 'going for it' — that energy, that strength, that faith — whatever drives me, music is the foundation. Music helps me understand who I am and why I'm here.

"I love high-pressure, challenging creative environments," says Yuan, who can now step confidently into collaborative spaces as a leader.

Since her second album, Tiara, she has been traveling to the US to record and work with local musicians.

"At first, collaborating with Grammy-winning producers, I was so conscious of their judgment," she admits.

"But now I can communicate with ease. As a Chinese singer, I feel a growing cultural confidence."

She credits her ability to connect across cultures to her years in bands.

Around 2010, she joined The Knuts, a jazz-rooted group that blended R&B, soul, hip-hop and funk, with members from China, the US and the Dominican Republic.

Such experience taught her how to listen, adapt, and create with artists from entirely different backgrounds — a skill that now defines her creative voice.

Though she had been supported by renowned singer-songwriters such as Zhang Yadong, Liu Huan, and Khalil Fong, Yuan remained what many considered a "niche" artist in the public eye for a long time.

It wasn't until the release of her album Once Upon A Moon in October 2021 that she began to notice a shift — more and more young listeners were discovering her music.

The following year, the album earned her a nomination for Best Mandarin Female Singer at the 33rd Golden Melody Awards, while the album was also nominated for Best Vocal Recording Album.

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"In the past, every step I took sometimes felt like an exhausting struggle," she says. "But now it's different. I feel like I'm walking a path lined with flowers, and everything feels lighter."

"Because I feel like I'm being lifted," she adds.

She recalls the most moving moments from her sold-out tours last year: "When the entire audience stood up and sang along to songs I never expected them to know, I was stunned.

"In that moment, it was like being a hot-air balloon. It takes someone to light the fire, and it takes shared breath and shared energy — that's the 'gas' that lets it rise slowly. And when I finally lifted off, I felt like the balloon had grown big enough and steady enough to carry everyone who lifted me up, all together, drifting higher and higher.

"That feeling … it's beautiful."

Contact the writer at xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn