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Hanjin Tan

Here's one of those rare multi-disciplinary musicians who is at that stage in his career where you know he's brilliant but you can't quite put a finger on what he's exactly about just yet. He sings straight from the heart but if you listen closely, there lies some immaculate technique and maturity under all that unchecked emotion. He's dabbled in a myriad of genres from rock to chinese pop music and now he's put out a back-to-basics jazz album. You just can't help but wonder what he's gonna do next.

Hanjin is a “Jack of all trades”, and there are only a few in Asia. He is an award-winning record producer and songwriter, a trend-setting arranger and mixer, as well as an acclaimed singer. An absolute show-stealer.

Born and educated in Singapore, Hanjin debuted as a songwriter on Hong Kong artist Jacky Cheung ‘s “No Regrets” in 1998, and has made more than 400 songs since. He is popular for his work in creating edgy songs and developing album concepts for Chinese records in the region of South East Asia and China. In 2004, he formed a music production team known as The Invisible Men with a small group of devoted producers and arrangers including Alex Fung, Kenneth Tse, and Tim Ngoh. In 2007, he produced a song for international sensation Christina Aguilera and Korean pop idol, Rain, for a Pepsi Campaign.

Hanjin currently serves as an ambassador for Diesel:U:Music founded by renowned fashion brand Diesel.

In "Raw Jazz", Hanjin sings eleven Jazz standards in the album with a three piece band, Jason Cheng (piano), Paul Candelaria (bass) and Skip Moy (guitar). All songs were recorded in one take, in the form of live recording sessions.

"Raw Jazz" is currently available on itunes, amazon and is out in stores in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Awards

2001 top 10 singles (China and Taiwan)-"love is suspicion" by Eason Chan (for both lyrics and music categories) 2002 RTHK 25th annual music awards top 10 singles of the year-"I never told you" by Edison Chen 2nd annual Chinese Music awards (Malaysia)-Best Arrangement for "I never told you" by Edison Chen Singapore composer of the year and Song of the year for "love is suspicion" by Eason Chan (producer and song-writer's award) 2003 3rd annual Chinese music awards (Malaysia) Album of the year: "So Cruel" by Jordan Chan (producer's award) Singapore composer of the year award. 2004 Commercial Top 10 Singles of the year (Hong Kong) "Hong Kong Dei" by Edison Chen feat. Hanjin and MC Yan Metro annual music awards 2004 Song of the year: "Hong Kong Dei" by Edison Chen feat. Hanjin and MC Yan (producer and song-writer's award) 2005 Pepsi 5th Annual International Chinese Music Awards Producer of the year for "Please Steal This Album" by Edison Chen 2005 top 10 radio singles "sweet words" by Gigi Leung "boy band" by Jan Lam feat. Ronald Cheng, Edmund Leung, William So and Hanjin 5th annual Chinese Media music awards Hip Hop artiste of the year 2006 Commercial top 10 singles of the year (Hong Kong) "boy band" by Jan Lam feat. Ronald Cheng, Edmund Leung, William So and Hanjin

Take Five With Hanjin

by AAJ Staff
May 11, 2009

Meet Hanjin:Here's one of those rare multi-disciplinary musicians who is at that stage in his career where you know he's brilliant but you can't quite put a finger on what he's exactly about just yet. He sings straight from the heart but if you listen closely, there lies some immaculate technique and maturity under all that unchecked emotion. He's dabbled in a myriad of genres from rock to Chinese pop music, and now he's put out a back-to-basics ...

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Recording

Time Magazine Reviews Hanjin Tan's "Raw Jazz"

Source: All About Jazz
April 27, 2009

Tan's swinging debut brings together some of the best names in the Hong Kong jazz scene Hong Kong isn't known as a city of swingin' hepcats, but it does play host to a small, surprisingly busy jazz scene and a newly launched international jazz festival. It's against this homespun backdrop that the album Raw Jazz emerges, with a kind of indomitable energy that's entirely fitting for the place in which it was born. Introducing Singaporean vocalist Hanjin Tan, a producer ...
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“Standout tracks include a jive-worthy version of "Honeysuckle Rose" and "That Old Black Magic," in which Candelaria's bass grounds Tan's larger- than-life channeling of the already larger-than-life Sammy Davis Jr. Exuberant and unexpected, this album reveals a little-known side to a town that clearly knows how to swing,” reviewed by TIME MAGAZINE (April 6, 2009 Issue).

“Hanjin is a technically accomplished vocalist. He has been compared to Michael Buble, but these small group recordings are far removed from the Canadian singer's big-band performances, and his phrasing in the upper area of his register is closer to Aaron Neville's,” reviewed by Robin Lynam on South China Morning Post (March 15, 2009).