Corrinne May
Encyclopedia
Corrinne May is a Singaporean
singer-songwriter
based in Los Angeles
.
Corrinne composed and performed the theme song for Singapore's National Day
2010, titled "Song for Singapore". She performed the song live at the National Day Parade
on August 9, 2010.
, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
and Raffles Junior College
. She later majored in mass communications and English literature
at the National University of Singapore
. Corrinne left Singapore to further her music education at the Berklee College of Music
, where she majored in songwriting and film scoring. In order to pursue her dreams in music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1999.
May has been playing the piano
since the age of 5, and is also proficient with the guitar
. On 11 February 2005, The Straits Times
interviewed May, who related that being a devout Catholic, "much of her music has been inspired by her relationship with God".
and Carole Bayer Sager
as part of her winning entry in a songwriting competition on the music industry website Tonos.com. Carole King and Carole Bayer Sager wrote the lyric for the song and entertained submissions for the best musical accompaniment and melody. Corrinne's version was the winner. The song is featured on Corrinne's debut album.
In September 2004, Corrinne May became the first (and only) artist singing exclusively in English, to be signed by the record label Forward Music
in Taiwan
, which distributes her music to Taiwan, Japan
, Hong Kong
, and China
.
Two songs from Corrinne's second album, "Save Me" and "Everything in its Time", were featured in Channel 5
's hit television series Chase, which ran from March to May 2005. Chase arguably propelled Corrinne May from relative obscurity to an unprecedented level of recognition in Singapore.
On August 10, 2005, Corrinne held her first sold-out concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall, playing to a 1600 strong crowd.
On February 12, 2006, Corrinne held a concert "Strings & Serenades: Corrinne May in Concert" in Singapore
at UCC Hall. Singapore's answer to Sarah McLachlan
returned to kick off the Arts Festival with this one-night-only acoustic concert, backed by an eight-piece string ensemble. Due to popular demand, an extra show was added on Monday 13 February 2006. This second show was more intimate and featured Corrinne on her piano accompanied by just a string quartet.
On December 16, 2006, Corrinne held a Christmas Concert in Esplanade following the release of her Christmas album, The Gift.
Eager fans snapped up all the tickets for the concert one month prior to the concert date, making the concert a sold-out success.
On August 3, 2007, Corrinne held her "Beautiful Seed: Corrinne May in Concert" at the UCC Hall. She performed tracks from her latest CD "Beautiful Seed", which was released the following Monday. A pre-release sale of the CD was held after the concert, followed by an autograph session, which lasted almost four hours.
In 2010, Corrinne was invited to write the annual theme song for Singapore's National Day. On 9 August 2010, she performed 'Song for Singapore' on the floating platform, in front of more than 9, 000 people, wearing a shimmering white dress. A music video was also filmed, which featured her as a young schoolgirl with a passion for music, aspiring to be a music teacher. She also begins to learn how to play the piano. She eventually realises her dream. There has been more than 400, 000 views on YouTube and more than 900, 000 downloads on the song. The song has received generally very good reviews and is featured on her website.
On July 21, 2010, she was the lead guest on prime time Channel 5 show "Entertainment on 5", Mediacorp.
On December 5, 2010, she performed at Marina Barrage
in Singapore for the "I Love V" concert to celebrate International Volunteer Day. The event is a celebration held to recognise 8,000 volunteers for their service to the community.
and Gigi Leung
.
Corrinne's cover version of the Burt Bacharach
classic "Close to You
" was featured prominently in the movie So Close
released by Columbia-Tristar films (2002).
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Corrinne composed and performed the theme song for Singapore's National Day
National Day
The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler . Often the day is not called "National Day"...
2010, titled "Song for Singapore". She performed the song live at the National Day Parade
National Day Parade
The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that, as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore's National Day on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore's independence that is usually held at the Padang , the National Stadium, various decentalized venues all over...
on August 9, 2010.
Early life and education
Born on January 19, 1973, she was named after her mother's favorite song, "Corinna, Corinna". May studied in Raffles Girls' Primary SchoolRaffles Girls' Primary School
Raffles Girls' Primary School is a primary school for girls located in Singapore. It offers the Gifted Education Programme to Primary Four to Primary Six students. Despite its name, RGPS is not considered part of the Raffles family of schools, which consists of Raffles Girls' School , Raffles...
, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
Raffles Girls' School is an independent girls' secondary school in Singapore. RGS was recognised by the Ministry of Education in 2006 by being awarded the School Excellence Award , among other awards...
and Raffles Junior College
Raffles Junior College
Raffles Institution offers the Raffles Programme at Year 5 and 6 . It is located in Bishan beside the Year 1-4 school campus of Raffles Institution. The Principal is Mrs Lim Lai Cheng...
. She later majored in mass communications and English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. Corrinne left Singapore to further her music education at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, where she majored in songwriting and film scoring. In order to pursue her dreams in music, she moved to Los Angeles in 1999.
May has been playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
since the age of 5, and is also proficient with the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. On 11 February 2005, The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
interviewed May, who related that being a devout Catholic, "much of her music has been inspired by her relationship with God".
Career
Corrinne co-wrote the song "If You Didn't Love Me" with the legendary songwriters Carole KingCarole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter, singer, and painter.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
as part of her winning entry in a songwriting competition on the music industry website Tonos.com. Carole King and Carole Bayer Sager wrote the lyric for the song and entertained submissions for the best musical accompaniment and melody. Corrinne's version was the winner. The song is featured on Corrinne's debut album.
In September 2004, Corrinne May became the first (and only) artist singing exclusively in English, to be signed by the record label Forward Music
Forward Music
Forward Music is a Lebanon based independent record label specializing in World Music.- History :Forward Music was founded in 2001 by CEO, composer, artist and producer Ghazi Abdel Baki...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, which distributes her music to Taiwan, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Two songs from Corrinne's second album, "Save Me" and "Everything in its Time", were featured in Channel 5
MediaCorp TV Channel 5
MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 is a 24-hour free-to-air English and Malay language television channel based in Singapore....
's hit television series Chase, which ran from March to May 2005. Chase arguably propelled Corrinne May from relative obscurity to an unprecedented level of recognition in Singapore.
On August 10, 2005, Corrinne held her first sold-out concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall, playing to a 1600 strong crowd.
On February 12, 2006, Corrinne held a concert "Strings & Serenades: Corrinne May in Concert" in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
at UCC Hall. Singapore's answer to Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
returned to kick off the Arts Festival with this one-night-only acoustic concert, backed by an eight-piece string ensemble. Due to popular demand, an extra show was added on Monday 13 February 2006. This second show was more intimate and featured Corrinne on her piano accompanied by just a string quartet.
On December 16, 2006, Corrinne held a Christmas Concert in Esplanade following the release of her Christmas album, The Gift.
Eager fans snapped up all the tickets for the concert one month prior to the concert date, making the concert a sold-out success.
On August 3, 2007, Corrinne held her "Beautiful Seed: Corrinne May in Concert" at the UCC Hall. She performed tracks from her latest CD "Beautiful Seed", which was released the following Monday. A pre-release sale of the CD was held after the concert, followed by an autograph session, which lasted almost four hours.
In 2010, Corrinne was invited to write the annual theme song for Singapore's National Day. On 9 August 2010, she performed 'Song for Singapore' on the floating platform, in front of more than 9, 000 people, wearing a shimmering white dress. A music video was also filmed, which featured her as a young schoolgirl with a passion for music, aspiring to be a music teacher. She also begins to learn how to play the piano. She eventually realises her dream. There has been more than 400, 000 views on YouTube and more than 900, 000 downloads on the song. The song has received generally very good reviews and is featured on her website.
On July 21, 2010, she was the lead guest on prime time Channel 5 show "Entertainment on 5", Mediacorp.
On December 5, 2010, she performed at Marina Barrage
Marina Barrage
The Marina Barrage is a dam in Singapore built across the mouth of the bay, between Marina East and Marina South. It was officially opened on 1 November 2008[1]...
in Singapore for the "I Love V" concert to celebrate International Volunteer Day. The event is a celebration held to recognise 8,000 volunteers for their service to the community.
Albums
- 2001 - Fly Away (originally titled Corrinne May)
- 2005 - Safe in a Crazy WorldSafe in a Crazy WorldSafe in a Crazy World is the second album by Corrinne May, released in 2005 by the independent Pink Armchair Records label. The album was released in Japan by S2S records and by Warner Music Singapore.-Track listing:#"Little Superhero Girl"#"Save Me"...
- 2006 - The GiftThe Gift (Corrinne May album)The Gift is Corrinne May's first Christmas album, released in 2006. In it, she covers traditional Christmas carols.-Track listing:#"Silent Night"#"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"#"Joy to the World"#"Angels We Have Heard on High"#"The Answer"...
- 2007 - Beautiful SeedBeautiful SeedBeautiful Seed is the fourth album by Corrinne May, released in 2007 by Warner Music Singapore. S2S Pte. Ltd. released this album in Japan at the same year.The album has achieved platinum status in Singapore.-Track listing:#"Love Song for #1"...
Awards
- 2001
- Kerrville Folk Festival, New Folk Award
- 2003
- Just Plain Folks Music Awards, Best Contemporary Album
- 2007
- COMPASS Young Composer of the Year (Singapore)
- COMPASS Wings of Excellence (Singapore)
- NUS Young Alumni Award (Singapore)
In popular culture
Her song "Journey" was featured on the Taiwanese drama Love at the Dolphin Bay and was covered by Asian singers Angela ChangAngela Chang
Angela Chang was born on 19 January 1982. She is a Taiwanese Mandopop singer and actress. She has been nominated twice for Best Leading Actress in a Television Series at the Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan.-Biography:...
and Gigi Leung
Gigi Leung
Gigi Leung Wing-kei is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.-Biography:Given the name Leung Bik-Zi at birth, at the age of 7 her mother changed her name changed to 'Wing-Kei' for superstitious reasons; as a child, Leung suffered from frequent asthma attacks and it was believed a change of name...
.
Corrinne's cover version of the Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
classic "Close to You
(They Long to Be) Close to You
" Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You," without parentheses. However, it was the single's flip side, "Blue Guitar," that became a hit...
" was featured prominently in the movie So Close
So Close
*So Close* is a 2002 action film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Shu Qi, Karen Mok and Zhao Wei. The English title is derived from The Carpenters' song Close to You, which has a prominent role in the film.-Plot:...
released by Columbia-Tristar films (2002).