SINGAPORE — Yen-j is not your typical musician. At the age of 19, even though he had never considered it seriously before, the Taiwanese singer-songwriter decided to leave the University of Southern California to pursue music full-time.

He had the blessing of his father — provided he made something of himself in two years. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

Yen, who happens to possess striking, clean good-boy-next-door looks, was soon awarded a contract with record company B’in Music, which is co-founded by Taiwanese band Mayday. His debut Mandarin jazz-pop album Thank You For Your Greatness (2010), inspired by his first love, quickly won praise from both fans and industry folks — including the likes of pop superstar Wang Lee Hom and variety show host Dee Hsu. Yen spent the next few years like any other rising star — touring, recording, promoting.

Then, after working almost non-stop for years, Yen decided to drop everything and move back to Los Angeles, where he had grown up.

“I was very worried that my songs would sound more and more like each other,” the 27-year-old said during an interview at Mandarin Orchard Hotel, ahead of his appearance at the Global Chinese Music Awards in Singapore tonight.

“Every time I completed a tour, I would start work on the next album the very next day. After six months to a year, I would spend another six months promoting the new album, and then start going on tour again. My world was becoming so regulated, I was worried that my fifth album would sound like my fourth album, because my fourth album already sounded a little like the third.”

Yen spoke to his boss, who agreed that he should go on a break. The musician spent several months in San Francisco, before joining his sister and her family at their home in Los Angeles, where he played the role of musical part-time nanny.

“Every morning, I went swimming, and after my sister went to work, I would look after my one-year-old niece,” he said, joking that he is now quite adept at amusing young children and changing nappies. “I would bring her down to my recording studio in the basement, and after I settled her down, I would turn my computer on and write music freely — not specifically for any album, but to just figure out what I was feeling that day. It was a very peaceful space. Sometimes, I would spend hours just looking for a sound. I know it sounds like a huge waste of time, but I was very happy in that space.”

Yen didn’t waste a moment. During his two-year break, he wrote more than 200 songs, which would explain why he has now returned with not one, but two new albums. The soft-spoken singer released Thanksgiving in July and the more experimental Why? Art in September. The latter, he says, represents his rational side, while Thanksgiving gives fans a glimpse at his newly discovered emotional self.

“I used to be very rational. But in the last two years, I’ve felt the need to express my emotions. That side of me used to be hidden. Now they are coming out to fight with my rationality, and I am scared, because I don’t know if I know how to control it,” Yen mused.

When it comes to criticism, however, Yen remains firmly levelheaded. He calmly shrugs off questions about the minor controversy caused by some of the more antagonistic lyrics in his single Why? Art, which some listeners thought was an attack on art and artists.

“If people bother to criticise me, it shows that they care enough to say something to me. I would be more upset if what I do just goes unnoticed,” Yen said, adding that he had hoped the song would spark conversations about the value of contemporary culture — including his own work as a musician — and its contributions to the world.

But perhaps the true value in Yen’s work is in his story, at least the one he has told so far. If given the opportunity to cast an actor in a movie about his life, Yen said, after a moment’s reflection, that he would choose someone “who never thought he would become an actor”.

“I think that person would do a good job playing me. He can prove that there’s nothing impossible in this world,” he said. “Some people say that you have to start as a child if you want to learn how to play a musical instrument. But it’s better late than never. Starting late is always better than not starting at all!”