20 Years Later, sodagreen Have the Same Goal — Make Good Music They Love
“In the first twenty years of our lives, we hadn’t even met. But the second twenty years of life are marked by the name ‘sodagreen’ etched into us.”
First formed in 2001, the Taiwanese band sodagreen is somewhat of a legend. Vocalist Qing-Feng, bassist Hsin-Yi, drummer Xiao Wei, guitarists A-Fu and Jia-Kai, and keyboardist A-Gong make up the 20-year strong band. (The six current members of the group have remained the same since 2003.) They released their debut album, sodagreen, in 2005, following the drop of two singles and an EP the year before.
However, in 2020, sodagreen was embedded in a legal battle for this name. For two years, the band changed their name to “Oaeen.” This Oaeen period ensued a more rebellious and experimental style that continues to inform the group’s discography until now. Luckily, in 2022, the band was able to reclaim the sodagreen name.
Now, they are in the midst of celebrating their 20 years of persistence and creativity through an anniversary tour. “Sodagreen 20th Anniversary Concert Tour” has made stops in Taipei, Singapore, Melbourne, and Sydney and will be making stops in London, Berlin, and Tokyo in the next two months. EnVi chatted with the Taiwanese band over email about their “sodagreen 20th Anniversary Concert Tour,” their sources of inspiration, and what “sodagreen” means to them.
What Makes Sodagreen “Sodagreen?”
When the band got their start in 2001, they created the name “sodagreen” for themselves. Originally, it was just “soda” — or 蘇打 (sūdǎ) in Mandarin Chinese. However member Xiao Wei, the drummer and the leader at the time, preferred a three-syllable name. Vocalist Qing-Feng offered up his favorite color to complete the band name of 蘇打綠 (sūdǎlǜ) — “sodagreen.”
“We don’t like to label ourselves or anything else,” the band mused when asked how they would describe sodagreen. “Perhaps certain songs or certain qualities of the band are what draw you in — and that’s what matters.”
As for this writer, their 2011 track “當跟我們一起走過” (dāng gēn wǒmen yīqǐ zǒuguò), introduced me to the band. The song served as the graduation song for the Taiwanese school I was teaching at, and so listening to “當跟我們一起走過” brings back sentimental feelings. Sodagreen as a group also got their start at a Taiwanese university. The band competed in the Golden Melody Cup in May 2001, which was hosted at National Chengchi University in Taipei. There, they won the Best Popularity award for their song, “Peeping.” Sodagreen was then able to record it with the support of Shiao-Ying, a judge at the competition.
A little bit of member shuffling occurred between the competition and 2003 to arrive at the current line up we know and love. Sodagreen’s two guitarists, A-Fu and Jia-Kai, joined the band in March 2003. Meanwhile, keyboardist and violist A-Gong, from Taipei National University of the Arts, rounded out the six members.
Throughout their 20 years as sodagreen, they have brought the vast spectrum of emotions to listeners from around the world. In-your-feels, joy, anger and frustration, and trying your best all characterize sodagreen’s discography. They got their start in the indie scene, releasing their first album in 2005. In the next 20 or so years, sodagreen produced 11 albums, including a re-recording of their self-named debut. In addition, the band and Qing-Feng as an individual songwriter received 35 Golden Melody Award (GMA) nominations. Known as the Grammys of Taiwan, sodagreen and Qing-Feng won a combined nine GMA awards.
While the awards and the global recognition is a nice icing on top of the cake, creating music has always been sodagreen’s goal. “We create the music we love! This core principle hasn’t changed, whether as sodagreen or Oaeen,” they stated. The band also echoes the words a young drummer once shared with them: “Whatever the six of [us] create together — that’s sodagreen.”
Celebrating Around the World
From February 22 to May 29, sodagreen are celebrating their music together with fans through their “sodagreen 20th Anniversary Concert Tour.” The 2025 leg of the anniversary concert tour kicked off in Taipei at the end of February. (The 2024 leg started last March in Hong Kong.) Recently, the band made their way over to Australia with energetic shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Next up, sodagreen will be heading to Europe for their London and Berlin concerts.
Before they embarked on this celebratory tour, the band released two singles earlier in the year. “Silent Angel” leans into a ballad sound, with Qing-Feng’s vocals taking the lead and the instrumentals gently supporting the dreamy yet melancholic story. The track released at the end of March, “白日夢繩索” (bái rì mèng shéngsuǒ or “Daydream Rope” in English) plays around with rhythm, which is especially heard in the drums. With a light “doo doo doo doo” and “na na na na” bit before the outro, the song brings springtime freshness to listeners’ ears. The upbeat vibes reflect the celebration theme that characterize sodagreen’s current tour.
Sodagreen purposefully chose the seven cities they have and will stop at. “Each city plays a unique role in the story of the 20th Anniversary Concert Tour,” the band shared. For example, London and Berlin harken back to the days when they worked tirelessly on their Vivaldi Project in these cities. Meanwhile, Australia also had a special story behind it: “[Thirteen] years ago, it was the first time we were invited to perform somewhere so far from home. Whether in Melbourne or Sydney, those experiences became part of sodagreen’s story,” they added.
Their concerts are the sort that stay with you forever. In November of 2007, for example, sodagreen held their “Absolutely Beautiful Concert” at Taipei Arena. Not only were they the first indie band to hold a concert at this 15,000-seat venue, but they also set a different type of record. Sodagreen recorded the longest concert ever played at Taipei Arena, clocking in at over five hours — and receiving a fine for “playing too late into the night.” But some things are worth the sacrifice.
Cheers of joy and tears of emotions tend to make equal appearances at sodagreen shows. They may be stricter about concert rules than other performers, as they request no phones or recording at their shows. But, it is all to ensure everyone is in the moment with them. When you are with sodagreen, you are dancing, signing, and walking together as one.
“Just like last year, we’re looking forward to every city, and we trust that we’ll be welcomed by a community of music lovers who respect and cherish these shared moments,” sodagreen noted.
The sodagreen & Oaeen Journey
You don’t get to 20 years without overcoming a fair share of hurdles. Within sodagreen’s impressive history, their persistence, well, persists. From 2016–2020, the band took a break to reflect on the direction of sodagreen. In addition, this pause allowed members such as A-Fu and A-Gong to complete their mandatory military service in Taiwan.
Before that break, however, sodagreen endured one of the biggest challenges of their careers: a trademark dispute with a former producer over the “sodagreen” name. During this time, they created “Oaeen” (魚丁糸, yú dīng mì, in Mandarin; “fish-line-spool,” literally, in English), a derivative of the original title. In Chinese, “sodagreen” is “蘇打綠.” To build “Oaeen,” the group plucked smaller characters from the Mandarin and selected letters from the English (sodagreen to Oaeen).
The band explained Oaeen further, noting, “Since Oaeen was meant to be a space where we could let loose and play without the expectations tied to sodagreen, we even adopted stage names, almost like taking on new personas to explore music more freely.” Similar to how they created “Oaeen,” the sodagreen members formulated new stage names by playing with what already existed. Vocalist Wu Qing-Feng (青峰) cleverly became “日出,” which also means “sunrise” in English. But why these characters? In the lead singer’s “青,” the bottom part of the character is “月,” or “moon.” By shifting his Oaeen stage name to “日,” meaning “day” or “sun,” this change indicates a shift in artistic identity as well.
Meanwhile bassist Hsieh Hsin-Yi (馨儀/Claire) became “香我;” drummer Xiao Wei (小威) became “八女.” The two guitarists — A-Fu (阿富) and Jia-Kai (家凱) — became “可田” and “豕豆,” respectively. Keyboardist A-Gong (阿龔) became “金八,” which is derived from his Mandarin given name, 龔鈺祺.
Sodagreen’s commitment to their craft is crystal clear. Despite these challenges pressed upon their name — quite literally — sodagreen emerged victorious and continued creating art. During this period, the six members kicked off their Oaeen period with the single “Tomorrow will be fine.” The following year, they released their first album as “Oaeen” titled Strange Pool.
Sodagreen took EnVi behind-the-scenes of that music-making process. “During the Oaeen period, many of our songs were created through group discussions and collective composition,” they wrote. In addition, on the production-side, the band collaborated with different producers, thus “spark[ing] some truly exciting creative moments.”
Another notable collection in Sodagreen’s extensive discography is their Vivaldi Project. This series, which blends a rock band sound with the classical legend’s “Four Seasons,” started in 2009 with a focus on spring. Sodagreen released Daylight of Spring after recording the album in the eastern Taiwan county called Taitung. The group also spent time in London recording Summer / Fever before sharing it with the world in the same year.
Although sodagreen took an unexpected pause from this Vivaldi Project until 2013, they announced the third installment, Autumn: Stories, that August. (Despite this slight detour, the band still released live albums, received awards, enlisted in the mandatory military service, and performed shows around the world.) The last album of the project, Winter Endless, was released in November 2015 and clinched the most wins at the 2016 Golden Melody Awards — Best Mandarin Album, Best Band, Best Lyricist, Best Album Producer, and Best Musical Arrangement.
When I listened to my first Vivaldi Project track — a cut off of Winter Endless called “痛快的哀艷” (tòngkuài de āiyàn) — it felt a bit like a scavenger hunt to try and find the Vivaldi inspiration. However, once the recognizable themes hit your ears (usually in the middle of the track), it truly hits. “痛快的哀艷,” in particular, is a giant of a song, running at over six minutes. The attitude Qing-Feng brings to the table is unlike any other sodagreen song. The flow of the story through the instruments, too, is genuinely awe-inspiring — this is art.
Throughout the past year, sodagreen have been re-recording their Vivaldi Project as “sodagreen versions.” The release of these re-recordings came after October 1, 2022, as they received the trademark of their original band name back for a validity of 10 years. And to make the news even sweeter, the group announced that “sodagreen” are back during their February 2023 concert.
“The re-recording process felt like revisiting the exact moments when we first recorded these songs. Even after all these years, our passion for music and our original intentions remain unchanged,” Sodagreen stated. “What has grown, however, is our experience — having performed these songs countless times on stage, each piece carries new layers of emotions and stories. The notes we play stay the same, but the depth of our connection to them has only deepened over time.”
Reflecting Life Through Music
Speaking of these songs and their layers of “emotions and stories,” sodagreen emphasized that their “inspiration comes from life itself.” They find a muse in the seasons, in colors, in the universe, and even in their fans who have remained by their side for 20 years. “Whether it’s our own experiences or those of our friends, they all become nourishment for our creativity. Every musician has their own approach to songwriting; for us, music is a way of recording life,” the band added.
Sodagreen continued, their pondering clear even through an email interview, “We’re probably all more sensitive, emotional people. Our reflections on life are expressed through music and songwriting. Sometimes, something as simple as getting sick ends up becoming a song. There’s no secret — it’s all about practice and becoming skilled through repetition.”
Their tracks are usually first written and composed by vocalist Qin- Feng or by drummer Xiao Wei. However, as they are “constantly exploring all creative possibilities,” sodagreen also have tracks created by other members. The six have made songs together as a “full band,” too. Once a track is ready to be arranged, this stage brings more chefs into the kitchen, so to speak. This is when sodagreen will create with all six members.
“Sometimes, the songwriter will first share the inspiration, the intended style, or their favorite musical phrases. Then, we all discuss how to contribute our ideas,” noted the band. Keyboardist A-Gong tends to be “responsible for refining the harmonies and tuning.” Meanwhile, Xiao Wei usually “focuses on developing rhythmic ideas.” Certain members may work on specific aspects of songs more frequently than other aspects, but these roles are not set in stone.
As Sodagreen pointed out, “We never deliberately define what ‘sodagreen-style’ is — after making music together for over 20 years, it’s become something natural to us.”
This Is the Story We Made Together
If the six could give advice to their 2005-selves, who just started making music together as a six-member band, they had a few words to share. “Practice your instruments diligently, live life sincerely, and treat everyone around you with care,” they simply expressed.
“Sodagreen” means so many different things to so many different people from around the world. But what about what sodagreen means to the band members themselves? “This name carries all the beauty, joy, pain, and sorrow we’ve gone through,” emphasized the band. Yet they know they were never alone — and never will be. Their fellow members, partners, fellow creators, friends, and fans have always been there “helping [sodagreen] start again and smile once more.”
Just like their song “當我們一起走過” — especially the live version from the band’s Taipei show in 2012 — demonstrates, togetherness forms the foundation of “sodagreen” and their timeless music. “‘Sodagreen’ may refer to these six people, but for us, it also represents all the people who’ve walked this road with us — our team, our friends, and all of you who love our music,” the group shared. “Together, you complete what the name ‘sodagreen’ stands for.”
Listen to sodagreen’s music on Spotify and Apple Music. Keep up with the band on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Want more exclusive interviews? Check out EnVi’s conversation with Kevin Woo here!
