I Heart Taipei !

Where to begin...

It was my first time to Taiwan, a country I've been wanting to visit for a long time because so many of my nearest and dearest friends are Taiwanese (including the lovely Wendy Wang of The Sweet Hurt).  So I was really happy to go there to promote my Japanese albums, as well as my new album, This Is Where We Are, being released there in September!

The people there are so nice, the food is unbelievable, the night markets are so much fun!  I can't wait to come back for my 1st show there on July 31st at Neo Studio (purchase tickets here).  If you live nearby -- I'd love to see you there!  :)

Here are some of the things I saw, did, and tasted:

Best mango snowflake ice!

My showcase at Anhe 65

Anhe65: Filled with kittens and cute pillow people.

My 1st Taipei night market experience

Spicy fish balls = delicious

Green Papaya Salad, Medium Spicy = burning lips

Grilled fishies = grilled yummies!

Omelet with oysters = Heck yes!

I can barely contain myself here.

Performing on MTV.  A huge screen behind me with my "Love" video playing, featuring my Mike and I.  Just another normal day.

Beautiful and touching Sodagreen charity concert for children with cancer

Being interviewed and asked to sing a cappella on the spot by Sodagreen in front of 10,000 people.  Another totally normal day.  (!!!)

HONG KONG

I ate jellyfish for the 1st time!

Best fried rice ever!

Fish eggs popped in your mouth.

BEIJING

Their airport has a pond in it!  Ok... this isn't a fair post on Beijing.  Unfortunately, I only got to spend about 14 hours in this city that I am so curious about!  I played a super fun showcase at Sculpting In Time, a really neat artistic cafe, and performed on MTV, and immediately went back to the airport.  I really can't wait to come back here and see more of this amazing city!

BACK TO TAIPEI

Law Baw Gow (spelling is way off)  = My new fave snack!

Sticky rice with red bean = ok, my new NEW favorite snack!

More night market madness!

I shot the balloons and won a rubik's cube!

I'm sure I'm totally making the ocean out of balance from all the seafood I eat!

Small fried crabs

Things are getting crazy.  It's a night market food fiesta!

Wheel pastries with cream = drool...

Warm candied juicy strawberries = over the edge drool!

Super cool area I can't remember the name of.  Used to be an old factory where they made alcohol I think.

Last supper feast!

Stinky tofu = surprisingly awesome + addicting!

Me, Ice Monster, and Mr. Kevin

And hours before the airport, I got some of this put into my hair, inspired by the beautiful Deserts Chang. 

I can't wait to go back to Taiwan and China!!!  Thank you for the unforgettable experiences -- see you soon!

Love,
p. a.

My KKBox Mix

While in Taipei, I had the chance to be an online radio DJ for KKBox Music for 1 hour.  It was so fun getting to chat with fans online while the music was playing.  Thanks everyone who tuned in!  You can see my mix below.  (Note:  I would never put my own songs in a playlist I made...  but it was requested so that's why they're there.  Also, I wanted to include Kyu Sakamoto's original version of "Sukiyaki" but it wasn't available)

1.  Old Man - Neil Young
2.  Karma Police - Radiohead
3.  Let It Fall - Lykke Li
4.  Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
5.  I Feel It All - Feist
6.  California - Joni Mitchell
7.  If It Wasn't For You featuring De La Soul - Handsome Boy Modeling
8.  Comptine D'un Autre Ete L'Apres Midi - Yann Tiersen
9.  Sukiyaki - Priscilla Ahn (cover)
10.  F-cking Boyfriend - The Bird & The Bee
11.  My Buddy - Chet Baker
12.  A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
13.  All You've Got To Do Is Fall In Love - Benji Hughes
14.  I'm Sticking With You - Velvet Underground
15.  Neighbor Down The Hall - Benji Hughes
16.  Undone -- The Sweater Song - Weezer
17.  To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
18.  Feather - Little Dragon
19.  Find My Way Back Home - Priscilla Ahn

New Album coming 1st to Japan!

[photo by Nathan Hazard]
This album cover is exclusive to Japan, and some other parts of SE Asia.
The U.S. & worldwide album artwork will be different.

This Is Where We Are, the title of my new album, is on it's way out, via SE Asia, and then to the U.S. and hopefully the rest of the world.  

It's being released next week on June 19th in Japan!!!  This will be the first place in the world who will hear my new album.  Some of you might be wondering, why Japan?  Why not the U.S. first?  Well, as some of you know, I'm no longer on a record label in the U.S., so I've actually made this album all on my own here.  So we're in the process of locking down a few deals in the U.S. right now.  After that, we have to do the proper promotion, so that people (other than my hardcore fans) will know of its release.  The intention is to have a big and successful release, rather than a small and unnoticed one (so please tell your friends!).  The release date for This Is Where We Are

 will probably be sometime in late September or October in the U.S./Worldwide.  I'm bummed some of you have to wait that long.  Especially since I'm so excited to get this album out there to you!!!  But the following releases will be something like this:

JAPAN - June 19th

S. KOREA - July

TAIWAN - September

U.S./WORLDWIDE - late September/October

SE Asia gets to release my album first, because I'm still on labels there, so we've been doing promo for it for a little while.  Hence, why I'm still in Taiwan!  :)

I am having a BLAST here!  I feel like it deserves its own separate post.  I'll work on it during my flight to Beijing today.  

Lots of love,

P. A.

China Bound

I'm sitting at LAX airport waiting to board a plane bound for Taipei. Taipei!!!! I've never been here before, but am about to embark on a 12 day promo trip that includes a stop in Beijing as well (another place I've never been). I'm a mixed bag of excited and extremely curious! I wanted to take a selfie of myself here at the airport, but I just look terrible. When I dress for the airplane I just can not find it in me to dress chic or cool at all. In fact, I go borderline hobo. No, not hobo-chic. Just downright bummish. I always wear my go-to black sweatpants (think early 90's), t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt (hooded so I can hide my face if I need to), long socks, and running shoes. Makeup?? pff! do my hair?? HA! If you put a softball glove in my hand I would look (and be) completely ready for a scrimmage game. I know they say if you dress nicely, sometimes they (whoever "they" are) spot you out and choose your gorgeously dressed self to sit in first class. There's no way in heck that's happening today or any day I fly. And so alas, no selfie photo to show you. I literally sat here and tried...but realized pretty quickly that no one other than my loved ones would want to see me like this.

That being said, much love to YOU. I'll keep you posted on how the upgrades and promo your goes! x

Love,
P.A.