Unlike her debut days when she was nervous, Qu walks with her head up high now as an original singer-songwriter in her own right.

With big black curls, dark eyeliner, and a hint of rasp in her voice, Qu walked into the office of Universal Music located in downtown Beijing recently filled with confidence.

"The first album was not completely what I wanted. I don't think people know who exactly I am," she says. "For the audiences, I am a girl from Harbin with a strong Dongbei (northeast) accent, who was lucky enough to become known overnight for one song, You Exist in My Song. But it's not the whole truth."

For the second album, Qu has participated in the whole production from writing to composing and producing. "This album speaks for me," she says. "When you know who I am, you will understand why I talk like this and why I think like this. I sing my life. My songs are my biography."

With the new album, she was invited to sing at a CBC music event in Canada in August, another big boost for her confidence.

"When I moved to Canada in 2000, I started watching CBC, where many famous singer-songwriters performed and told their stories. Now, when I turn on the TV, I see myself sitting there playing the piano and singing my own songs. I feel so proud that I can tell my story as a Chinese singer-songwriter," she says.

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