In July 2009, alan released her first album since her 2005/2006 cover albums in China. The album is considered her debut, since it features all original material. However, all the songs on the album were released prior, mostly self covers. The album also features the Red Cliff themes, and her collaboration with Wei Chen from October of 2008. 天女 and sign are in Tibetan, and both are featured in their original forms, exactly as they were featured in earlier Japanese releases.
久遠の河 was released a little more then a month after her debut album, in April 2009. The single is the Japanese theme for the second part of Jon Woo's Red Cliff. It includes the Chinese version, as well as the themes from the first part. This single put alan down in the record books. On it's last day, the single peaked #1 on the daily chart, the first time ever for a Chinese artist, and she broke Faye Wong's previous record by making it to #3 for the weekly, becoming the highest charting single from a Chinese artist in Japanese history. 久遠の河, for whatever reason, has a lower key then it's Chinese counterpart, which received some fan scrutiny.
In March 2009, alan finally released her debut Japanese album, Voice of EARTH. The album features the a-sides to the eight prior singles, as well as six new tracks. The first press of the album contained a bonus track, Together, which was composed by alan herself. The album track 夢のガーデン also features lyrics she collaborated on. The album made it into the top 20 for the week, and even managed to enter the top 10 for a day.
群青の谷 was alan's first single of 2009, and her last before her debut album Voice of EARTH. It's alan's second upbeat a-side. The song was a collaboration with singer Cocco, as in she wrote the melody and lyrics. It's a different sound from most of alan's music, and fans appreciated. The photos and video for this single were shot in alan's home province of Sichuan in China. This single was also dedicated to the earthquake. It also started a current trend in alan's singles to not feature a unique b-side.
In December 2008, for her last release of the year, alan released a digital EP in China featuring the theme to the second part of Jon Woo's film epic, Red Cliff. 赤壁 〜大江東去〜 features unique operatic vocals from alan. This version of the song is shorter then the versions released later on the 久遠の河 and her debut Chinese album. However, this version is featured on the special edition of the 久遠の河 single released at theaters showing Red Cliff Part 2 in Japan, the song is titled 赤壁 〜大江東去〜(End Roll version) on that single.
In November alan released the last of the Elements project, the water single 恵みの雨. This song was a sweet ballad, and one of alan's only direct love songs. Despite being regarded as the worst of the Elements by some fans, it did better then 空唄 and 風の手紙 making it into the top 30 on the charts.
Late October brought alan back to China for a collaboration with Wei Chen for Epson printers. The song is alan's first upbeat song in China, and was later featured on her Chinese debut album. The single was released digitally, and did fairly well, launching alan's success in her homeland.
