It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but a recent release by one of my personal favorites sparked the need to spread the word. For July’s artist plug feature, I’ll be introducing you to the rising Mandopop sensation Anthony Neely!
Anthony Neely (or 倪安东 as his fans in Taiwan probably call him) was born and raised in the Bay Area of sunny California by an American father and a Taiwanese mother. Presumably after successfully tackling a double major degree in Psychology and Theatre Studies at UCSD, Anthony went on to participate in the 5th season of One Million Star, a singing competition in Taiwan.
In 2009, Neely signed on with HIM International Music and has since released two albums. In 2010, he released his debut album Lesson One, which featured his promoted singles Nightmares and Sorry That I Loved You, among many others.
His 2012 album endeavor Wake Up features a pop-rock single by the same name, and his freshly released follow-up single Dear Death, which is a mellower love ballad.
With his trusty guitar by his side, Anthony Neely’s sound can be best described as romanticized Mandopop with English and Mandarin lyrical transitions that add a lovely dynamic to his songs, allowing transcendence from the usually shallow English lyrical inserts that litter most Asian music in general. Most of his tracks off both albums tend to be on the softer side, making him ideal for an easy listening on a Sunday afternoon.
However, he does have surprises up his sleeves by releasing heavily Pop-influenced tracks like Wake Up and You Are My Baby, his song featured in the movie 愛的麵包魂(The Soul of the Bread), in which Anthony co-stars. From what we see in his dramatic and often eccentric music videos as well as his movie feature, Neely has several talents up his sleeves. And it can’t hurt that he’s quite a looker, as well. Looking forward to his future releases, and I hope you all hop the Neely bandwagon with me!
Not Another K-Blog!!! 