SOME songs begin with a melody. Others start with a memory.
And for Taiwanese singer-songwriter Shi Shi, the starting point for her latest EP was something even more familiar: taste.
Not simply the taste of food, but of moments that linger long after they have passed-the sweetness of childhood, the bitterness of heartbreak, the comfort of lifelong friendships, and the emotions that often exist somewhere in between.
Those contrasts became the foundation of The Taste Of…, a five-track multilingual Extended Play (EP) released on July 10 after nearly two years without a full project.
Featuring songs in English, Mandarin and Korean, the record marks Shi Shi’s first step toward reaching a wider international audience while remaining rooted in the deeply personal stories that have defined her songwriting.
‘The concept is the contrast of feelings,’ Shi Shi said in a recent media roundtable. ‘It is about bitterness and sweetness. It also means there were a lot of emotions that I felt during these past two years.’
Every language finds its place
FOLLOWING her previous album Boomerang in December 2023, Shi Shi resisted the urge to immediately produce another full-length record.
Instead, she spent the past two years exploring new sounds, traveling to Los Angeles and South Korea to collaborate with producers from different musical backgrounds. The result? An EP that reflects not only different emotions but different places.
‘So these five songs are from different countries,’ she explained. ‘I’m still exploring, and this EP includes many different vibes. It also expresses different emotions.’
Yet despite working across cultures, Shi Shi said choosing the language for each song was never a calculated decision. Instead, she lets the music decide. ‘When I write in three languages, I feel they find me,’ she explained.
‘There are moments when I write a verse, and it doesn’t feel right, so I switch to Mandarin or Korean, and suddenly it fits.’
Rather than translating lyrics from one language into another, Shi Shi believes every melody naturally carries the language that best expresses its emotion. ‘I think the melodies find the right language.’
Food as memory
THE EP’s title naturally invites listeners to think about food, and for Shi Shi, that connection is intentional.
Food has always occupied an important place in her life-not only because she enjoys cooking and dining, but because she also owns a restaurant in Taiwan. ‘Food is a big pleasure for me,’ she said with a laugh. ‘I really love food. I love eating.’
But beyond enjoyment, she sees food as something that carries emotions. It becomes part of family traditions, childhood memories, and friendships that people often remember long after individual conversations have faded.
That idea is perhaps most visible in ‘Tteokbokki,’ one of the EP’s tracks, which is named after the popular Korean street food.
Slowing down without stopping
ALTHOUGH ‘The Taste Of…’ arrives after two years without a major release, Shi Shi is quick to clarify that she never truly disappeared.
‘I kept working. I just didn’t release an album,’ she said.
After releasing six full-length records over more than a decade, she felt it was time to approach music differently. Instead of immediately beginning another album, she focused on individual singles before allowing them to come together as an EP.
‘I’ve released six albums now,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I really took a rest for the last 10 or 12 years.’
The slower pace, she explained, allows her to communicate her ideas more intentionally. ‘I’m trying to take it slow,’ she said. ‘I hope I can express what I really want to express.’
Also, with two Golden Melody Awards and multiple nominations already under her belt, Shi Shi has achieved both critical recognition and commercial success.
Yet she insists those milestones are not what keeps her making music. ‘I just want to make music,’ she said. ‘I love to sing.’
The second reason, she added, is just as important. ‘My fans,’ saying ‘There are a lot of people listening to my music, so I cannot stop. I want to make more music for them to listen to.’
A taste of what’s next
ONE country Shi Shi hopes to connect with more closely is the Philippines.
Asked whether she would consider collaborating with a Filipino artist, she immediately turned the question back. ‘Do you have any recommendations?’ she asked with a smile.
She recalled watching Filipino girl group BINI perform at Coachella and said she was impressed by the group’s stage presence. ‘I saw BINI’s show,’ she said. ‘That was so cool.’
For now, however, Shi Shi’s attention remains on introducing ‘The Taste Of…’ to new listeners around the world. And if she hopes listeners remember one thing after hearing it, perhaps it is that some of life’s strongest memories are not only seen or heard.