Wang's fans set for treat with 8-city tour

Joanna Wang Ruo-lin is to tour eight Chinese cities, starting with Beijing on May 25, and followed by stops in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chongqing.

The 29-year-old singer-songwriter will be accompanied by her band, The Weird Uncles, who have been with her for four years now, and featured on her last album, House of Bullies.

On the tour, Wang, who was born in Taipei and raised in Los Angeles in the United States, will perform both her English and Chinese works.

In 2008, Wang released her debut bilingual album titled Start From Here, which was a huge success, selling more than 200,000 copies across Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland.

The album put Wang, who was 20 then, on a fast track to musical fame. But, the singer-songwriter decided to leave it all behind and start over again.

Speaking about that move in 2013, she said: "I didn't like my first album, there was so much I wanted to do creatively, but the album was the antithesis of everything I wanted to do. It was sappy, empty, and most of all, completely lacking in all things wonderful and imaginative.

"Sadly, there was really not much freedom. Working with a parent and a major label can be very tough and emotionally turbulent."

Wang's debut album was produced by her father, Mando-pop producer Bing Wang Zhi-ping, who has also produced albums for pop singers Jay Chou and Yoga Lin.

Since then, Wang Ruo-lin has taken control of her work.

So, she produced her later albums, including Galaxy Crisis: The Strangest Midnight Broadcast, herself, which she described as a "wonderful, deeply satisfying" experience.

Wang has been exposed to many classic pop music acts, including The Beatles, Queen and Oingo Boingo. And her major influences are Danny Elfman, Yoeko Kurahashi and video-game soundtracks.

As for her, she wrote her first song on the piano at 12, which was a video game melody.

And, now, she has just completed work on her newest record, titled Modern Tragedy, which is "a 90's pop rock feeling kind of record".

Speaking about her future plans, she says: "My next project may be a little more comic book influenced."

When it comes to her sources of inspiration, Wang, who is now based in Taipei, says: "I usually need to be isolated, to be in a certain mood or zone to write. The process could start from just fiddling around on my guitar, finding a riff, or just finding a concept and thinking about what kind of music could go with it."

If you go:

Joanna Wang Ruo-lin tour

7:30 pm, May 25. Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

7:30 pm, May 27. National Exhibition and Convention Center, Hong Arena, Shanghai. 333 Songze Avenue, Qingpu district, Shanghai. 4006-228-228