WATCH/SHARE VIDEO FOR
LATEST SINGLE hum人n HERE
"With ilyimy, Chen has only started building new beginnings atop a solid foundation. Adversity's shadow will always fall on Chen — they are "hum人n," after all. But as ilyimy proves, light and love will always prevail." - Exclaim!
[Sad China/Sunny Chen pronouns: They/She]
Today's the day! Vancouver musician Sad China's (aka Sunny Chen) new bilingual hyperpop quarantine album ilyimy is out today on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.
And to celebrate the release of their debut full-length album, Sad China is also releasing the video for 'hum人n', the 4th single from ilyimy. Watch video here.
"As a non-binary Asian Canadian, assigned female at birth, I’ve endured misogyny, abuse, fetishization, and other forms of violence simply by being gendered and racialized (which are social constructs upheld by people and organizations to maintain the white supremacist heteropatriachy), especially within Vancouver's music and art scene," says Sad China. "As a human, all I want is to love, belong, and create. When we feel alone during our darkest nights, or are unable to access community, our ancestors keep watch over us. We need allies to redistribute power and wealth to us, so we can escape, heal, and thrive. You will be safe and respected, and we’re stronger together."
Sad China’s sound is avant-garde yet accessible and draws influence from 2000s pop and R&B, their Chinese heritage, and the choral arrangements they performed with multiple school choirs. They released their self-titled dream pop debut EP in 2016 and have shared the stage with Tonye Aganaba and Adewolf, and played livestreams with KeAloha, Sleepy Gonzales, and Blonde Diamond, among others.
Sad China worked closely with experimental electronic artist Kerub (aka Vi Levitt) on their new album, crafting 7 of the 10 tracks with them. Created during the COVID pandemic, ilyimy is a quarantine album that Sad China wrote for all of us—their community, their ancestors, and their loved ones.
ilyimy is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more info, please visit bysunnychen.com/music.