Award-winning Taiwanese acapella band The Wanted (尋人啟事) has Released their second album Chubby! Chubby! (減肥計劃) today.
Chubby! Chubby! follows the success of their first full-length album Dear Adult, which won the Best Vocal Group award at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Awards in 2021. Dear Adult was also the first ever full acapella album in the Mandopop industry.
The five member group consists of leader and vocal bass Adi (信迪) , sopranos Dodo and Rere, mezzo-soprano and rapper Chia (掐玉) as well as Arnold (阿諾) , who is in-charge of vocal percussion and beatbox.
The 9-track album explores the concept of dieting, not in a physical context, but a spiritual one, describing the overloaded sensation of stress and information that we deal with each day as “additional weight” that should be shed.
The opening track ‘Eat More (餵食秀)’ explores the plethora of information that we consume each day through our mobile devices, and reflects on the human condition of trying to digest too much information each day that leads to unnecessary distractions and distress; while ‘Shake Off (甩)’ encourages us to throw away all these burdens and live our lives for what is really important.
The fast-paced and upbeat title track ‘Chubby’ is also an optimistic song that showcases the exciting abilities of all five members of the band, bringing together a unique sound that also reminds listeners to live happily and confidently.
Working once again with award-winning producer Chia-Lun Yue (余佳倫), The Wanted constantly reinvented their works during the songwriting process, removing and replacing parts of the arrangement in the pursuit for a fresher voice in acapella.
The goal of this album is to be streaming friendly, and Chubby! Chubby! is an acapella album that would not feel out of place in any mainstream pop music playlist. The group hopes that listening to this album will be a simple process for anyone. You only need to sit down and turn it on, and slowly shed away the negative thoughts in your mind with Chubby! Chubby!, and discover a refreshed self afterwards.
First formed in 2014, The Wanted has revolutionized the face of acapella in Asia as an acoustic genre, often including different unexpected sounds and elements from other genres, such as classical, jazz, folk, rock, and even hip-hop, into their music.
They are known in Taiwan and beyond for their experimental sounds and the seamless weaving of multiple genres into the acapella medium in both their recorded tracks and live performances using modern music techniques.