Amit (album)
| Amit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 White limited edition cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 26, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2009 | |||
| Studio | Mega Force Studio (New Taipei City) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 41:06 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label | Gold Typhoon | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| A-Mei chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Black limited edition cover | ||||
| Singles from Amit | ||||
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Amit (Chinese: 阿密特; pinyin: Ā mì tè) is the fifteenth studio album by Taiwanese recording artist A-Mei. It was released in physical and digital formats on June 26, 2009, through Gold Typhoon. A-Mei enlisted Adia to help produce the album, while musicians such as Sodagreen's Wu Qing-feng, Xiao An, Albert Leung, Yao Ruolong, Chen Zhenchuan penned the record's lyrics. Amit is primarily a rock record with elements of punk, heavy metal, R&B and acoustic styles.
Amit received positive reviews from music critics. The album experienced commercial success, peaking at number one on the G-Music Combo Album Chart in Taiwan and ranking within the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the country. It eventually garnered sales of over 120,000 copies in Taiwan and over 1,300,000 copies across Asia.
Amit spawned several singles, including "Split", "Disappear", "Bold For My Love", and "Rainbow". The album and its singles received various accolades at regional award ceremonies; at the 21st Golden Melody Awards, Amit won Pop Album of the Year whereas "Bold For My Love" won Song of the Year, amongst other awards. The Chinese Musicians Exchange Association named Amit one of the top 10 albums of the year, and included "Disappear" and "Straight Up" in their list of the top 10 singles of the year.
Background and development
[edit]In 2009, A-Mei realized that the public had become tired of her love songs; therefore, she decided to change her music style and completely overturn her original development path as a "sad singer," trying a new music style with Amit. Subsequently, she spent NT$30 million to produce the music album Amit.[1] This album is A-Mei's first music album released under the music brand "Amit," which includes 11 music works of different styles.[2] The album's title "Amit" comes from A-Mei's Puyuma name "Gulilai Amit," which is another "limited-time" identity of A-Mei, representing "Amei -Music Is Transformed" (AMIT). She also performed on stage under this name in March 2007, and produced this album 834 days later. During the production process, many behind-the-scenes staff sometimes called her "A-Mei" and sometimes called her "Amit," which made them feel "schizophrenic."[3]
A-Mei said that this album is not only a breakthrough and leap forward in her musical style, but also a conceptual presentation of her personal ideas, giving her the opportunity to sing out her true feelings. She also hoped to use the new brand concept of "Amit" to complete her thinking on the essence of performance, starting from the music aspect.[3] She also stated that the "Amit" persona in the album is actually 20 percent herself.[4] Since the music in this album is full of experimental elements, the album also continues the avant-garde concept in A-Mei's styling, combining "surreal" clothing with installation art, hoping to subvert the public's original impression of A-Mei.[5] A-Mei also positioned the "Amit" image in the album as a "new music consciousness brand" derived from the music brand "Zhang Huimei," so the album is also called "Amit Consciousness Album."[2] As for the behind-the-scenes production team, the record company invited many musicians, including Sodagreen band lead singer Wu Qing-feng, music creator Andrew Chen, lyricist Daryl Yao, and A-Mei's manager Isaac Chen, to participate in the creation and production of the album. In addition, the album not only includes the songs that A-Mei composed under the name "Amit," but also includes the works of A-Mei's mother.[2]
Writing and recording
[edit]The concept of Amit explore's A-Mei's multifaceted personality. The songs express the singer's evolving perspectives on life, including her exploration of life's purpose, her stance on LGBTQ+ issues, as well as women's rights. Observers have noted that the album offers a glimpse into the aspects of A-Mei's life that are not usually visible to the public eye, thereby providing a platform for expressing her thoughts and emotions.[2] Primarily a rock record, Amit utilizes various styles including punk, heavy metal, R&B with both electric and acoustic guitar instrumentations.
"Straight Up" is a heavy metal rock song that expresses Amit's musical personality and attitude. "Double Cross" is a heavy rock song that describes the female consciousness very clearly. "Split" depicts split images to construct a dual personality monologue. [6] "Disappear" is a composition of similar style which was penned by Wu Qing-feng, drawing inspiration from A-Mei's interviews about the death of her father. The final version that was included on the album, in contrast, is more lucid and gentle.[7] "Depressed" realistically presents the sexual ecology of urban men and women.[8]
"Weight of the Soul" is a melancholic song that depicts the struggle and helplessness of the soul. "Bold For My Love" is an electronic rock song sung in Taiwanese Hokkien. "OK" is a hysterical rock song; the recording crew treated the recording studio as a party, singing and recording randomly, and playing casually. "Dreams You Can Hear" is an inspirational song that serves as the theme for the 2009 Summer Deaflympics; the version included on the album only contains guitar strumming and humming. The album's title track features aboriginal chanting.[8] "Rainbow" is a pop rock number that has been recognized as a LGBT anthem in Asia following the album's release. Its lyrics describe how the singer overcomes a failed relationship with the support of her friend.[9][6]
Release and cover artwork
[edit]The standard version of Amit was released in digital formats on June 26, 2009. In Taiwan, the physical CD was distributed in two versions: a white limited edition and a black limited edition. The CD was made available in China beginning on August 5. A sensory upgraded edition was made available in Taiwan on August 21, which contains a new DVD and a new track titled "Sorrowful Regret". A Hong Kong special edition was released on September 18, which contains a new track titled "Cong Cin Si Gu Mung".
On the album cover of Amit, A-Mei is shown sporting blood orange colored hair and is seen sitting on a leather red chair, designed by BD Barcelona. The chair, worth NT$430,000, takes inspiration from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) musicals that were produced after the roaring 1920s era.[2]
Accolades
[edit]| Organization | Year | Award | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Musicians Exchange Association |
2010 | Top 10 Albums of the Year | Amit | Won | |
| Top 10 Singles of the Year | "Disappear" | Won | |||
| "Straight Up" | Won | ||||
| Golden Melody Awards | 2010 | Song of the Year | "Bold For My Love" | Won | [10] |
| Pop Album of the Year | Amit | Won | |||
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Won | ||||
| Best Music Video Award | "Bold For My Love" | Nominated | |||
| Best Album Packaging Award | Amit | Nominated | |||
| Metro Radio Music Awards | 2009 | Mandarin Power Songs Award | "Depressed" | Won | [11] |
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Straight Up" (開門見山) | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Double Cross" (黑吃黑) | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Split" (分生) | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Disappear" (掉了) | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Depressed" (相愛後動物感傷) | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Weight of Soul" (靈魂的重量) | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Bold For My Love" (好膽你就來) | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Ok" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Dreams You Can Hear" (聽得見的夢想) | 2:01 |
| 10. | "Amit" (阿密特（給親人+來唱歌吧+等待豐收的父親）) | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Rainbow" (彩虹) | 4:24 |
| Total length: | 41:06 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Sorrowful Regret" (梦中作憨人) | 4:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Cong Cin Si Gu Mung" (床前思故梦) | 4:12 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Taiwanese Albums (G-Music)[12] | 1 |
Sales and certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | — | 120,000[13] |
| Summaries | ||
| Asia | — | 1,300,000[13] |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | June 26, 2009 | Standard | Gold Typhoon | |
| Taiwan | White limited edition | CD | ||
| Black limited edition | ||||
| Double cover version | ||||
| China | August 5, 2009 | |||
| Taiwan | August 21, 2009 | Sensory upgraded edition | CD+DVD | |
| China | August 26, 2009 | Celebration edition | CD | |
| Hong Kong | September 18, 2009 | Hong Kong special edition | ||
| Taiwan | May 20, 2016 | New XRCD | Warner Music Taiwan | |
| August 9, 2017 | Special edition | LP | ||
| December 18, 2020 |
References
[edit]- ^ "[评测]张惠妹《阿密特》：血性自省为乐坛洗牌" [[Review] Zhang Huimei's "Amit": Bloody Introspection Reshuffles the Music Industry]. NetEase (in Chinese). June 26, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "专辑：张惠妹 -《阿密特(张惠妹意识专辑)》" [Album: A-Mei - "Amit (Zhang Huimei Consciousness Album)"]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). June 29, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "张惠妹彻底转变 834天《阿密特》诞生(组图)" [Zhang Huimei's complete transformation 834 days later, "Amit" was born (Photos)]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). June 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "张惠妹重现身体里20%的阿密特(图)" [Zhang Huimei reproduces 20% of Amit in her body (Photo)]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). July 17, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "张惠妹《阿密特》：用赤裸裸的摇滚颠覆过去" [Zhang Huimei's "Amit": subverting the past with naked rock]. Sohu (in Chinese). July 14, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "張惠妹『阿密特』專輯". 銀河網路電台. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ "Amit Consciousness Album – A-Mei" (in Chinese). Apple Music Taiwan. June 26, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "张惠妹·《阿密特》:用赤裸裸的摇滚颠覆过去" [Zhang Huimei's "Amit": Subverting the past with naked rock]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). July 13, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "No Rainbow at A-mei's gig due to 'pro-LGBT message'". The Straits Times. July 10, 2014. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "Chang Hui-Mei claims 6 awards at 21st Golden Melody Awards". What's On Xiamen. June 28, 2010. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ "2009新城国语力颁奖礼完全获奖名单(wap版)" [2009 Metro Mandarin Radio Music Awards Ceremony Complete List of Winners (wap version)]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). August 9, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "G-Music Combo Album Chart" (in Chinese). G-Music. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "張惠妹 / 阿密特 意識專輯 [New XRCD]" (in Chinese). Warner Music Taiwan. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2024.