Tanya Chua reveals she moved to Taipei with just 3 months’ rent after hitting rock bottom

Though she remains a familiar name in Singapore, many fans may not be aware that acclaimed Singaporean singer-songwriter, Tanya Chua, has lived in Taiwan since 2006.

In a recent article by 8days, Tanya opened up about her decision to relocate to Taiwan in 2006, and how the move, made under difficult circumstances, would ultimately redefine her career and creative identity. The comments were drawn from her appearance on Let’s Go Home, a Taiwanese talk show hosted by Bowie Tsang, where she spoke candidly about the personal and professional challenges that led to her departure from Singapore.

“I had no choice,” Chua said in the interview. “In my life, I’ve always had to make decisions after being forced into a corner.”

At the time, Chua was facing professional challenges with her Singapore-based record label and management team. Although she had recently won her first Golden Melody Award – the Mandopop industry’s equivalent of the Grammys – she described feeling creatively stifled and unsupported.

According to 8days, she recounted being told by someone she trusted: “No one wants you anymore. Why are you still so insistent on singing the songs you wrote?”

In response, Chua said she began performing songs written by others, leaning into karaoke-friendly ballads that were expected to appeal to broader markets. But the experience led her to question her artistic purpose.

“I did not have a natural affinity with singing,” she explained, “but I fell in love with music when I began writing my own lyrics.”

With limited financial resources and no confirmed prospects, Chua made the decision to move to Taipei. “I only had three months’ worth of rental money,” she said. “With my guitar and suitcase, I told my mum I was leaving.”

She rented a small apartment and began building her career from the ground up without a label, representation, or formal support. While she had been active in the regional music scene since the late 1990s, Chua said the move marked a personal and professional reset.

“People thought, ‘Oh, you already got an award, everything must be going smoothly,’” she said on the programme. “But that was not the case. I felt like I had hit rock bottom.”

Chua’s decision proved consequential. In the years following her relocation, she would go on to win three additional Golden Melody Awards for Best Mandarin Female Singer – the most awarded in that category to date – and become one of the most recognisable voices in contemporary Mandopop.

Her most well-known contribution to Singapore’s cultural canon, the National Day Parade theme song Where I Belong, was released in 2001 – five years before her big move.

The contrast between the song’s lyrics about returning home and Chua’s real-life departure is not lost on fans. In the Let’s Go Home interview, she described the move as “fate’s arrangement,” saying she never expected to stay this long but now considers Taiwan her home.

“Taiwan is really a place where I experienced the most growth, changed the most, and been through the most phases to become the version of myself I love the most today,” she said.

The artist also spoke about feeling like a “vagabond” earlier in her life, unsure of where she fit in – even after her professional debut.

“Instead, it was in Taiwan where I experienced plenty of affirmation,” she said. “It made me feel more certain of myself when those around me shared that same certainty.”

Now 50, Tanya continues to release music that spans genres and themes. Her 2022 album Depart marked a more experimental turn, reflecting both personal introspection and artistic independence. In recent years, she has also spoken publicly about mental health, including her own experiences with depression.

Though she maintains ties to Singapore, Chua has said she no longer feels the need to justify her decision to stay in Taiwan.

“This is home,” she said.