借來圖片一張: 代言你知道的那款錶 http://blog.omy.sg/jun-jie/files/2009/02/200209_straits-time_01.jpg 2/20/2009 Venturing to the capital of Mandopop has paid off for local singers, with more following suit It started with songbird Maggie Theng, 48 who was the first Singaporean to break into the competitive Taiwanese market in 1981 with the ballad Leading Along. Then, over the yrs, local singers such as Kit Chan, Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin have gone on to achieve huge success in the capital of Mandopop. Sun,30, has sold more than 10 million albums in Asia since her 2000 debut. As for pop idol Lin, 28 his latest album Sixology has been in Taiwan’s top 20 album sales charts for 12 weeks running. Now, more home-grown talent is making waves in Taiwan, where the domestic market alone is about 10 times bigger than Spore’s in terms of album sales. There are other rewards: regional exposure by appearing on TV variety shows and lucrative product endorsement deals. In the last yr alone, Singpaorean newcomers Huang Jinglun, 25, Kelly Poon 26, and Derrick Hoh, 24, became famous in the region after launching albums in Taiwan. Huang made it big after being a finalist in the third series of Taiwan’s hugely popular singing contest on TV, One Million Star, which is airing here on E City (StarHub Channel 56) on Thursdays at 8pm and Sundays at 9pm. His debut album, Jing’s Note, released in Taiwan last December, has been in the top 20 on the G-music billboard. Taiwan’s most reputable album sales chart, for 7 wks running. So far, he has sold more than 40,000 copies there and 4,000 in Singapore. In Taiwan, a figure of 40,000 is regarded as impressive for an overseas newcomer. For example, sales of popular Taiwanese singer Aska Yang’s debut album Dove, totalled 60,000 copies there for the whole of last yr. As for Poon, she was handpicked by Taiwan’s top music producer Yao Chien, who is now grooming her for success. She has already released two albums there. Sales figures were unavailable but she has generated enough buzz to be in demand to appear on variety shows in Taiwan and make inroads into the China market. Last year, she was named Best Newcomer at the Sprite Chinese Original Music Awards in Shanghai. And boy-next-door Hoh’s debut album Unclassified made it to the top 20 album sales charts in Taiwan for five wks. He has 30,000 fans on his fansite now, compared to a mere 10 in Taiwan when he first ventured there. The website is currently undergoing a revamp. As Mr James Kang, marketing director for recording label Warner Music, notes: “Taiwan, being the entertainment hub for Chinese music, offers many platforms for exposure and music promotion that influence the other Mandarin markets substantially.” One platform is Taiwanese variety shows, which are often beamed to other Mandarin-speaking countries in the region. Ms Yvonne See, assistant general manager of Spore label Ocean Butterflies Music, agrees: “Taiwan holds the leading power in Asia, from music production to packaging of artists. “There is a strong network of platforms in the entertainment scene, ranging from newspapers to cable TV, karaoke and digital new media.” However, cracking the market is not that easy. Local stars who have “been there, done that” cite language barriers, adapting to the distinctive Taiwanese culture and appearing on the many fast-paced variety programmes as things they have had to learn to deal with. Also, with minimal professional training by their own record label to tackle the aggressive media there, many have had to learn on the job. Home-grown success story JJ Lin, who is usually comfortable speaking in a mix of English and Mandarin, overcame the language problem in a predominantly Mandarin-speaking country by making more friends there. He says: “I spent a lot of time fitting in, understanding and enjoying the life-style there. After six yrs, I can say I am only 70 per cent familiar with it all - 30 per cent more to cover. As for appearing on TV variety programmes to promote his albums, Lin has found himself taping one show almost every day. He reveals that he gets stressed out thinking of interesting and funny stories he can share on the shows to create the comedic effect that Taiwanese audiences are used to. Veteran pop star Kit Chan, 37, recalls the days when she had to appear on these variety shows: “I was absolutely stressed out by my public relationships people who would remind me to smile, to look interested, to be perky and chirpy, to tuck in may tummy, et cete-ra. “It was awful and truth be told, it was one of the biggest deterrents to me putting out an album.” Still, Singaporean singers go there with a trump card up their sleeve - their wider regional appeal, thanks to the multi-language music influence of home. Ms See explains that Taiwanese singers listen only to Mandarin music, but local talents, having grown up in a multi-cultural society, are influenced by music of various cultures such as English, Malay, Chinese and Indian. She says: “These influences are reflected in their songs as they have a wider approach to music and are able to accept different genres.” So, despite the difficulties and hard work, taking on Taiwan, is worth a go for Singapore’s singing talent. Huang, who is now based in Taiwan, says: “I am happy, thrilled and shocked that my album Jing’s Note did so well. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.” REPORT: Joycelyn lee --

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