From the beginning, Jones and Jackson planned to make Thriller a blockbuster pop album. "We went through 800 songs to get to nine," Jones said. "That's not casual." The work was exhausting.

The catchy tune is one of several Penang Hokkien songs on “Book One: Songs For You and I,” Ng’s debut album. The singer hopes to introduce more listeners to the beauty of the dialect, which holds a ...