Painting has inspired Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun to look at music in a different way. And in her new album, A Dancing Van Gogh, Sun focuses on the Dutch painter. Chen Nan reports.

About two years ago, Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun picked up painting. It was part of the national movement, called SkillsFuture, which provides Singaporeans aged 25 and above with an initial $500 of SkillsFuture Credit to develop their potential.

Sun went to study painting at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and has not stopped since then.

"Painting is like meditation. When you finish something pretty, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Music is a kind of audio art, but I am a very visual person. When I listen to a song, I think of pictures and colors," says Sun, 39.

Painting also inspired her to look at music in a different way. In her new album, A Dancing Van Gogh, Sun focuses on the Dutch painter.

"He had a dramatic life, cutting off his left ear, shooting himself and was little known to the art world until the time of his death," says Sun in Beijing while promoting her new album.

"He was crazy but his unswerving devotion to his art made him one of the greatest heroes of the art world."

In the title song, A Dancing Van Gogh, Sun portrays a world of darkness with her firm voice to the accompaniment of symphony orchestra, which is not a typical music style for her.

In her 17-year-long career, the singer has released 13 full-length albums and built up a large fan base in Asia thanks to her heartfelt love ballads.

"A Dancing Van Gogh is considered as a departure of me because of the different music style and my way of singing. But everyone has a darker side, although we are always encouraged to pursue the bright side in our lives," says Sun.