Chen Yi Heng is a Taiwanese musician most known for his progressively modern Taiwanese songs. At first glance this description holds nothing out of the ordinary. However, in Taiwan, for decades “Taiwanese” itself had been considered as a secondary (or even second-rated) language in all forms of usage.

Blending indie rock, soul and funk, Yi-Heng sees his work as a way to push boundaries, challenging the frontier of a generally more conservative fraction of the music scene. 

In late 2024, he released his debut album can cancan cancancan , and was awarded the Golden Melody Award (GMA) Best Taiwanese Male Singer in 2025. This album was also nominated Best Rhythm and Blues Album of the year by the Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA). His debut EP When I My Heart Inside You (2019) earned him his first GMA nomination for Best Taiwanese Male Singer and won EP of the Year at Singapore’s Freshmusic Awards. He has also collaborated with bands and artists such as Robot Swing, Our Shame, Jen-Jen and Pei-Yu Hung on numerous projects. 

Yi-Heng’s work is rooted in a deep respect for the Taiwanese language, which suffered decades of systemic suppression. This history led to generational gaps in fluency and a narrowed image of what Taiwanese music could be. Through his songs, Yi-Heng ventures into uncharted waters of Taiwanese songs, discovering new possibilities in lyrical temperament, themes and timbres without being confined by stereotypes and dogmas.

From a high school student who couldn’t speak Taiwanese to an artist writing and performing in it, Yi-Heng’s music is both a personal journey and a cultural statement — one that invites listeners to see the language, and foremost his music, in a new light.