Composer of "Matriarchal Society" AlicesVoice: Pursuing dreams is proof of living

▲AlicesVoice, Yan Xintong. Screenshot from Entertainment Hundred Percent. (2015.06.01) (Image/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice fan page)

Written by/ Elaina

AlicesVoice (real name Yan Xintong) is a singer-songwriter and the composer of "Matriarchal Society" (featured on the album Amit 2). She once gave up on pursuing her dreams but always found her way back to music after straying. Throughout the bumpy journey, it wasn’t until she met well-known producer Yu Yukang that she was discovered and resumed her path as a singer. As an artist yet to officially debut, she says: "People see me like a lunatic, chasing an impossible dream."

From a young age, AlicesVoice dreamed of becoming a singer. During high school and university, she participated in various singing competitions, both on and off campus. Despite achieving decent rankings, luck just wasn’t on her side. AlicesVoice says every “accident” felt like a setback—like during her university years, when she was highly favored to win the Shih Hsin University’s “舍我杯” competition but suffered a crushing defeat; or when she had a major car accident right before a TV singing show’s audition, and after arguing fiercely with her family about participating in an upcoming program, she ultimately missed her chance to appear on screen—all events she never saw coming.

If the mountain won’t move, take another road; if the road won’t turn, you turn. No matter how roundabout the journey, I will still chase my dream.
"Dreams can be realized in many ways—you don’t have to do certain things at a specific age," says AlicesVoice. In 2008, when she had just graduated from university, her father passed away. To support her family financially, she decided to take a detour. Coming from a less-than-well-off background, she knew that pursuing her dream of becoming a singer under unstable conditions was unrealistic. So she chose to fulfill a different dream first—opening a shop and becoming a business owner.

"Originally, I wanted to keep the shop idea for retirement, but life is full of surprises. I figured being a singer doesn’t necessarily have to happen before 30. For the sake of living, switching dreams around is okay." Fortunately, she had picked up several skills through part-time jobs during school and had some savings, combined with the money left by her father. Right after graduation, she opened her own pancake and coffee shop. Relying on word-of-mouth from regular customers, the shop was even featured in a TV news segment—an alternative form of “TV exposure” for AlicesVoice. But after four years of running the store, the nearly 15-hour workdays each day took a physical toll, leading to occupational injuries. It wasn’t until she reconnected with music that she decided to close the shop and then stepped back onto the musical path.

▲AlicesVoice, Yan Xintong. Screenshot from Entertainment Hundred Percent. (2015.06.01) (Image/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice fan page)

Discovered for singing at a friend's birthday party　
In June 2012, at a friend’s birthday party, she sang a song and happened to be seen by a colleague from her future agency. That’s when she started her journey as a singer-songwriter: "Since I was little, I loved humming and singing randomly, but I never imagined this ability could be considered creative—and even get recognized."

"Over ten years ago, digital music started to emerge. Unlike the early days where simply recording vocals and instruments could make a song, not understanding digital music was really frustrating. But I started from scratch, learned everything, and now I can do basic recordings and simple arrangements. I finally have songs to share with everyone. I always tell myself: not knowing digital music is an obstacle, but that’s okay, I just need to learn!" "There are also times when I feel discouraged—I’ll cry it out, then look at things from a positive angle again, and suddenly everything feels fine!"

On dreams versus survival
"I haven’t debuted yet, so there’s still a lot to work on. Maybe the road is tough, but it’s okay. I’m willing to give up other opportunities to pursue my dream of becoming a singer. Even if it means being a working stiff for life, that’s fine." The struggle between real life and dreams is what weighs most heavily on AlicesVoice. As an emerging singer-songwriter who is still relatively unknown, just an ordinary person, the occasional gigs and meager income make daily life difficult: "Unlike the past, these days even if you’re unemployed, you still have to pay labor insurance, health insurance, utilities, and more!"

▲AlicesVoice, real name Yan Xintong, is also an editor at ETTODAY Travel Cloud. (Image/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice fan page)

The more you love music, the stronger your ability to persevere
When asked how she’s been managing over the past three years, she said: "Taking on projects and doing part-time jobs is enough to get by." In order to achieve results, she’s tried every music genre. AlicesVoice has even written children’s songs—for example, "香香澡" ("Fragrant Bath") by Big Sis is the first song she sold. "Life is hectic, but whenever I have free time, I write songs. I never let any opportunity to write pass by. Walking, riding the bus, even dreaming while sleeping—those are all sources of inspiration."

"When we’re kids, our dreams are big. As we grow up, they get smaller—and that shouldn’t be the case. We must remember our original dreams. Even if life wears down our willpower, without those dreams, life becomes like a dry sponge—empty, with no reason to live. What’s the difference between that and being dead?" AlicesVoice hopes everyone can find their dreams and realize them—even if it takes a lifetime: "The steps toward pursuing your dreams will never stop—that’s proof of living."

▲AlicesVoice, real name Yan Xintong, sometimes performs at Gongguan Riverside Leave a Message. (2015.05.14 at Gongguan Riverside Leave a Message) (Image/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice fan page)

▲AlicesVoice (real name Yan Xintong), composer of "Matriarchal Society," shows the raw DEMO in a home recording video. (Video/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice YouTube)

▲AlicesVoice (real name Yan Xintong), composer of "Matriarchal Society." (2015.05.14 at Gongguan Riverside Leave a Message) (Video/Screen captured from AlicesVoice - AlicesVoice YouTube)

AlicesVoice – Music Witch, recent representative works:
"Matriarchal Society" (A-Mei / Amit) (featured on the album Amit 2)
"You Deserve My Generosity" (theme song for the idol drama "Sister" on GTV)
"Happiness, Move Forward" (Lu Jiaxin) – theme song for the 2013 Japan Tourism Agency microfilm
"Fragrant Bath" (Big Sis)

AlicesVoice Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/AlicesVoice

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