From left: Li Yuanxi, Na Lin (Thai), Yi Yizi, Shen Xuanjing (Korean) and Liu Meihan

The long anticipated Super Girls girlband is finally about to debut in the next month.  This will be the first major mainland girlband.

iMe is composed of a member each from Thailand and Korea and three members from last year’s Super Girls competition (Chinese Idol for females). The group is a collaboration between Hunan Broadcasting Systems company eeMedia and Korean company DoReMi.

An intro on the Super Girls members below the cut.

Name: 李媛希 (Li Yuanxi)
Birthday: February 10, 1990
College: Sichuan University of Electronic Science and Technology
Personality: Determined yet fun; sexy but goofy
Talents: Excels with both fast songs and slow songs; sings Sichuanese rap; and is so dedicated to Super Girls that she volunteered their when she was too young to compete

Name: 刘美含 (Liu Meihan)
Birthday: April 9, 1991
College: Beijing Foreign Language University (China’s best university for languages)
Personality: Energetic, articulate and very smart
Talents: Fluent in English and Japanese; composes her own songs

Name: 易易紫 (Yi Yizi)
Birthday: November 8, 1987
Birthplace: Chengdu, Sichuan (but later moved to Guangdong)

Yay, company !(no pun intended)

2010 Super Boys (快乐男声) has received approval from SARFT. This year, preparation time will be less rushed.
Today at 11:53am Beijing Time – message sent from a cellphone

-Sina Weibo(microblog) of Zhang Huali, Vice-Director of Hunan Satellite TV

Super Boys has been approved by SARFT! After a three years, eeMedia will finally get a new dose of hot and talented singers.
In addition to Super Boys, another competition show named “Green China: Flower Blossoms” was approved mid-February. The show will be hosted by Hunan TV’s recently brought subsidiary Qinghai TV.

Super Girls 2009 iBubble commercial

Going backwards from 2009, the the first 2009 Super Girl to release a MV was top 60 Luo Zhenhuan for her new EP. Zeng Yike will be the first to release her new album. See her album cover (with a sheep!) here. Meanwhile, Jiang Yingrong sings the new theme for Maybelline. You can hear the recorded version here, or you can watch the much superior live version:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGu8tnz-nmc]

From 2006, Tan Weiwei released a fascinating song dissing both eeMedia and Laure Shang. The song was composed by Life Journey and penned by Gao Xiaosong and Tan Weiwei.

Newly named Jeno, Liu Liyang released her new EP “Forward” and three new MV’s – Present, Worship You and Fine alone, though our favorite video of her recently was one of her kissing Yoga Lin.

From the 2005 crowd, Li Yuchun released two MV’s for movie theme songs, including a cute one for an anime version of the Monkey King and a sad one for Bodyguards and Assassins.

He Jie also released the MV for her song “You’re my scenery.” She’s so beautiful, though we miss her smiles.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvIs0Lg-z1s]

The girl with a 80% chance of winning Super Girls

Super Girls is the epitome of a suspenseful reality TV show. After the eventful leaving of Zeng Yike, Li Yuanxi and Pan Hongyue, Pan Chen and Tan Lina soon joined them. Liu Xijun leaving was a huge surprise, but perhaps not as much as Zeng Yike or Pan Hongyue leaving. She was soon followed by Yu Kewei, leaving Huang Ying, Li Xiaoyun and Jiang Yingrong to vie for the 3 spots next week. A few of my favorite performances since the 10to7:

Wei Chen ft Yu Kewei singing their love’s duet
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thcCAQpU1nY]

Jiang Yingrong shows off her stellar vocals and dancing in Huang Ling’s “High Song”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkoaO1GLkAw]

Liu Xijun gives what I think is her best performance so far, “Dear Child.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5uyjFy1Mso]

Li Xiaoyun and Su Xing performs in a skit that made me teary:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOV6jfrd9zE]

As her voice control increases, Huang Ying’s also going increasingly rock
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw8KYzacPCo]

Who will light my sticks of hope?

A car accident made her an orphan at the age of ten.
A pile of family debt forced her to leave school when she was fifteen.
Five years later, a competition that brought her story to light.
This is her story, as told by Harbin TV News.
Meet Wang Zhixin, the Little Match Girl of super girls

Walking in the chilling, snowing night sky, a stick of match warms my dreams. Every step of frozenness, every step of loneliness, the coldness of people numbs my hands.

When the heavenly, almost ethereal sound was softly enounced from the mouths of a seemingly average girl, when it filled the 600 square meter room of the GBS auditorium, below the stage, the hundreds of audiences were silent.

On the night of June 14th, Wang Zhixin, a petite girl with a headfull of stubborn short hair, stood on the stage of the 2009 Super Girls, playing her guitar and lost in her own world.

Matches Heaven
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ccZkdfcerM]

A box of matches sets my heart aflame; the freezing night cannot stop my steps; the wind pierces my face;  the snow cuts at my mouth; dragging my feet, how far can I go?

In the winter of 1988, Zhixin was born in a farm family that’s as simple as can be. Though poor, her hardworking parents and the rich fields made Zhixin’s childhood one of freedom and joy. But then, a car accident made Zhixin an orphan. On the verge of death, Zhixin’s father held her aunt’s hand, tears in his eyes, and gave the only 10-year-old Zhixin to the care of her aunt and uncle. From that day, Zhixin viewed her aunt, uncle and their son Zhizhong as her own father, mother and brother. Zhixin changed. She was no longer so happy-go-lucky. Often, she would sit under the tree in the yard and stare at the rise and fall of the sun.

One night, a still sleepy Zhizhong was shaken awake by his younger sister: “brother, I saw mommy, she’s looking at me from outside the window!’

One Night was all it took, music and lyrics by Wang Zhixin
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXMjjwiUKc]

Who will buy my matches? Who will light my sticks of hope? Who will buy my loneliness?  Who will fulfill my longings of home…

A winter night of 2003, the wind, carrying the sound of whistling, beated at the window of her uncle. Zhixin, Zhizhong and uncle circled her sick aunt. In the end, brother Zhizhong spoke. After three years of bad harvest, the family is plagued by debts. Mom’s already falllen from overwork, and father’s health is also dwindling. He has decided to drop out of college to work. What does Zhixin want to do? After thinking, Zhixin surprised everyone by saying that she will also drop out to work with her brother to support the family. Although everyone knows that Zhixin should continue her studies, but with no other way of paying the debts, the family agreed.

So the 15-years-old 7th grader droped out of school and begun working. She worked as a waiter in a restaurant with a wage of 300yuan per month. Often, she would watch her classmates joyfully passing by the store window with the backpacks behind them, and Zhixin’s heart was bittersweet. One day, the scene of a farm worker playing the guitar deeply touched her, she fell in love with the unique sounds of the guitar. She wanted to learn, but there was no place to go.

Her brother, who was workng in Beijing, learned that his sister liked the guitar, and especially sent a few books to her. With the few money she had saved, she brough a guitar. And using the books her brother sent her, Zhixin began to learn the guitar.

Some say that the gods are always fair: In the deepest suffering, they will give people joy. Zhixin was born with a clear voice and a sharp ear. She learned the guitar by herself. Since she had the guitar, her eyes became peaceful again. Whenever she’s not working, she would always be softly humming, embracing herself in her music.

“I understood” on Happy Camp, she appears at 2:39
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSAAkQQuPI]

Every time I light the soft glow of the match, I can see hope; I can see dreams; I can see mother in the heavens speaking; she says you must be brave; you must be strong; don’t be afraid; don’t worry; from now on, you’ll never wander again…

August 2007, in a chance opportunity, a neighbor told her of a national youth singing competition. Wanting to try, Zhixin brought her guitar to Harbin, and walked into the competition. The heavenly music and the pure voice immediately captured the heart of the judges. From then on, the restaurant server Wang Zhixin became singer Wang Zhixin.

Music, like a lighted candle, brightened up Zhixin’s life and warmed her lonely heart. Wang Zhixin once said,”I’m not trying to practice anything when I’m playing the guitar and singing, but when I play the guitar, I want to sing, I don’t want to stop. Only when singing is my heart the most peaceful.” In the sounds of music, Wang Zhixin build her own “match heaven.”

“Let me and my guitar bring you my music.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03K2jUEX2E]

Because she won a national award, 19-year-old Zhixin was slowly known by everyone, and sung at a popular bar. To earn more money to help her aunt and uncle to repay their debts, other than singing at night, she also performs at various ceremonies in the day. With the money left over in 2008, she brought a guitar, her treasure that she used on the stage of Super Girls.

2009 May the 24th, auditions began for the Super Girls’ Harbin region, with an “angel’s wings,” she touched the judges. After being asked to sing two other songs, she received a pass card to go on the top 50. On May 29th, with “Match heaven” and “Cao Cao,” she got into the top 30. On May 31st, she sung “match heaven” again to enter the top 10 of Harbin, giving her a spot in the national top 300.

Don’t let my tears spend the night with me
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JChP20iV4EQ]

Everytime I light the soft glow of the match, I can see hope; I can see dreams; I can see mother in the heavens speaking; she says you must be brave; you must be strong; don’t be afraid; don’t worry; from now on, you’ll never wander again; mother will take your hands and take you home, to sleep in the warm and flower-filled heaven.

“I don’t understand music, I only know that sister lives in her music,” her brother Wang Zhizhong is almost teary when interviewed about his sister,” we’re poor, and we have no money to provide for our sister. On the first day in Harbin, all the other girls ate KFC, but Zhixin only had fried rice. On the last day in Harbin, she said, “brother, can I eat one hamburger, just one?” When I saw her eating, my heart was happy but sad. I’m her older brother, yet I can’t provide a happier life for her, but she could through her own powers!” *(Western restaurants, even fast food, in china is about four times the price of a normal meal)

Thunderous clapping of hands were released as Wang Zhixin’s fingers played the last note. The “Heaven of Matches” that she sung with her heart touched the audiences’ heart, touched the judges’ heart.

On June 17th, Wang Zhixin, a girl who has never had any type of musical training, won a place in the national top 20 of the 2009 Super Girls with her self-composition “In One Night.” She used her own match – her music – to light up her youthful life.

Matches Heaven, one last time on the stage of Super Girls
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iESt8QGPEMo]

Harbin TV News’ report ends there, but not her story.

Fastforward to the Super Girls Finals 15 to 10 competition. There were five contestants left and only three spots in the top 10. One of the five must be eliminated – Wang Zhixin, Zeng Yike, Huang Ying, Da Chun Zi and Li Yuanxi. The other four will go on to the next round, where a panel of judges and audiences will vote for the top three.

Judge Wu Qixian announced the results.

Wang Zhixin, the songs you chose are wonderful songs, and they require the voices to match them. I’m very happy that you have such taste to sing, but currently, you’re not good enough to sing those songs.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBWHcNH4XmY]

I was going to put this up when the Elle photoshoot for the top 10 came out, so everyone could see the little match girl as she found heaven. I should’ve known better. There are so many stories with happy endings, so many fairytale princesses Wang Zhixin could’ve been. But she was no Cinderella, she had no Prince Charming, she was the Little Match Girl, the girl whose sticks of matches illuminated her dreams, but eventually must return home when the matches all burn out.

Without a spot in the top 10, Wang Zhixin has a year with eeMedia. She’s only 20, she has more time. I sincerely hope she’ll be in the girlband, because I can’t imagine someone with her voice not singing.

Welcome to the build-a-girlband workshop! Create your very own Girl Band and other related artists at the Build-a-Girlband Workshop! You can choose and group your new Super Girl...

EE-Media has stated that through this year’s Super Girls, they were going to create a “female version of Top Combine.” And since only three of the people I mentioned last time were in the top 18 (further proving that eeMedia CEO Long Danni and I do not have the same taste in artists), and all of the top 18 are already signed with eeMedia, I decided to do another post. On the other hand, not being in the top 18 doesn’t mean not being in the girlband. Only 2 members of Top Combine were in the top anything, and Hunan TV/eeMedia has said that they will invite selected eliminated Super Girls to go on Yi Hu Bai Ying to select more girlband members.

To keep with the female Top Combine comparison, I’ve even organized them into groups for you.

Wang Zhixin’s self composition – one night

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXMjjwiUKc]

Silent composer/ Ma Xueyang

Wang Zhixin (20)
Pro:  talented composer, touching voice, and a sob story to go with it.
con: I think she’s too good to not go solo.
Li Xiaoyun (22)
pro: fluent in English (training to be a teacher in Australia), gorgeous voice and a Li Yuchun-like powerful personality.
con: her personality seems too strong for a girlband, and she can’t compose as well as Wang Zhixin

Hoping to follow suit of fellow Guangdong Liu-clan member Liu Zhoucheng, Liu Meihan and Liu Xijun are already girlband-bonding.

Cutie pies/ Jin Ensheng

Liu Xijun (21)
pro: enough voice + looks to go solo
con: she seems too popular and ambitious for a girlgroup
Liu Meihan (18)
pro: fluent in English, Japanese and German and was specially admitted to the Beijing Foreign Studies University this fall, which is China’s best school of the kind (He Jiong is currently a professor of Arabic there.) She’s young, cute, energetic, and she composes.
con: she doesn’t sing that well, but she’s perfect girlband material

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV0zHL-Cut0]

Sexy dancers/ Li Mao

Li yuanxi (19) and Jiang Yingrong (21) both manages to pull off singing “sexy songs” while maintaining fun, almost klutzy, personalities. With her looks, voice, dancing and personality, Li Yuanxi is the most well-rounded of the group. Jiang Yingrong is a more powerful singer, but I wish she would stop wearing sweat jackets in every performance.
Tan Lina (19)
pro: she’s a quarter Indian. Though she doesn’t know the language, she pulls off Indian dancing pretty well, and she looks gorgeous in photos
con: neither her voice nor her dancing is as spectacular.

Tao Le's artistic, but not so musical.

Pretty and talented?/ Liu Zhoucheng

Pan Chen(21)
Pro: sings well, cute
con: not spectacular in anything
Tao Le (25)
pro: model, designed the trophy for the 2008 Olympics Arts Fest and is currently a web designer at Sina.
con: weak voice, too old for a girlgroup. Maybe she can go into acting?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4Q_KeQwSo]

One-of-a-kind/ Zhang Yuan

Huang Ying (20)
pro: unique, simple, adorable, and has a beautiful voice.
con: really, really needs a boost of confidence

Soloists all the way

Yu Kewei (23) and Pan Hongyue (19), both of whom I touched on last time.
Pan Hongyue is young, fun, pretty-ish, can dance, can sing and has a very strong personality. I think she has the most Super Star potential out of all of them. Yu Kewei’s personality is softer, and could fit into a group, but her voice is too pretty for that.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmCqF-qeOok]

Then there are Mo Chen (26+) and Yang Zi (25), who I don’t see going anywhere since neither are good enough to go solo, yet are both too old to be in a girlband. Da Chun Zi (26) may be a talented singer and Cheng Chen has a cute personality, but unless they can compose very well, they won’t be able to succeed commercially. Finally, there are two wtf artists that no one has any idea how they got in, since they have neither the voice, the personality nor the looks. If either Zeng Yike or Zhang Youfang manage to get into the top 10, to use a phrase from judge Bao Xiaobo, “If they stay, then I’m leaving.” Zeng Yike does compose, though, so she might be useful behind the scenes. But her voice is…worth Bao Xiaobo leaving.

Words of Wisdom from flip-flopper Gao Xiaosong

Last heard suggesting that the coastline vs. land mass ratio was an indicator of pureness of the thought, future Super Girl judge Gao Xiaosong switched his opinions by saying that mainland musicians make music as if it were art, and TW-HK musicians make music as if it were a commercial product. On the other hand, from his home in LA, he writes a loving note to Zeng Yike, among a rather amusing and insightful extended metaphor of Zeng Yike’s musical talents.

The last words are for Zeng Yike: When I was little, I had a dream, and that’s to view the world through my eyes, to use my pen to write down my feelings, and then find the right voice to sing those feelings to more people. When I see everyone from Sa Dingding to Li Yuchun singing my song to warm the hearts of many, my dream was fulfilled. I never wanted to run around singing, even if I’ll earn a lot of money that way, but those opportunities belong to people that Heaven gave good voices and looks to. Heaven gave us good eyes and good writing, and we should be satisfied.

From the competition today, we can see that for a long time, we will lack neither good voices  nor good performers, what we lack is quiet and talented writers like you to write a new generation’s loves and worries.

Future competitions

Since SARFT is anti-voting, Super Girls this year will have a combination of three voting panels. The first round is judged by three judges, as usual. The second round is judged by a panel of regional head manager/president/editor-in-chief of Sony (regional , Go Go Rock (Mayday, Beyond), Warner, EEG, HIM(SHE, Jade Liu), Ocean Disk (JJ Lin, Hu Ling), Avex (Shin, An Youqi), Taihe Rye (Zhang Yadong, Li Yuchun), Modern Sky (represented by the judge who loved Zeng Yike), Poly Agency,and Elle magazine. The final PK is decided by a group of audiences, like this.

Side note: I’m so disappointed in Chinese companies for not staking out in the Sichuan Conservatory of Music looking for newbies. Or at least watching TV. Wouldn’t this have made a nice girlband? Effortlessly discovered and sings wonderful. I really want Zeng Sixuan to be in the girlband. She’s so refreshingly cute. 

This year's Super Girls are definitely pretty, but can they sing?

A brief overview of the top 300 of this year’s Super Girls. Note that I haven’t watched every competitions, or even half of it. I watched most of Chengdu, Changsha and online. The rest are viewed only if someone on baidu tieba recommended them. And though there are a lot more good singers, I’ve only picked some that really stood out to me. All opinions are mine.

Best English singers: Yu Kewei and Pan Hongyue

I really love what judge Wu Qixian said about the two of them:

Right now, among those who can sing Western songs so beautifully, but still maintains the identity of Chinese, one is Qi Yu, and the other one is Yu Kewei. Pan Hongyue, you have even more techniques and things to show off than Yu Kewei. Unfortunately, when you sing Western songs, you become no longer Chinese but a foreigner. We can only see an imitation, not a Chinese who can understand the essence of Western music and culture. That’s the difference between Yu Kewei and you. Many may be wowed by your glamour today, but what we really seek is the uniquely Chinese way of expressing our values,spirit and culture, and you need more careful thought on that. I hope you can grow, and understand how much we expect of you.

Yu Kewei singing “Gloomy Sunday:”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIMuUhHYAHs]

Pan Hongyue singing “Prelude to a Kiss” and the judge’s comments
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOwozPIWNI]

Celebrity Lookalikes: Yao Yao and Gong Mi.

Yao Yao became famous at the age of 10 after winning a singing competition. Since then, she’s been on and off the radar. Unfortunately, she seems to sing better when she was 12 than she does now. She’ll be nice for the Super Girl group since she also has a dancing background. Gong Mi is the Cecilia Cheung look-a-like that everyone’s been talking about. She probably has the worst voice of the top 300.

Most Zhong Guo Feng: Dong Zhen and Wang Mengran

Dong Zhen has gained popularity for composing and singing many songs for popular video games. She’s quite talented, though she seems to be too nervous on stage. Wang Mengran from Inner Mongolia also composes zhong guo feng and Mongolian styled songs.
Dong Zhen’s self-composition, theme of Zhu Xian
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyhPTd6mX40]

Prettiest: Luo Zhenhuan and Liu Xijun

The good thing is, neither sings terrible. Luo Zhenhuan‘s okay, but she probably won’t go solo anytime soon. Liu Xijun, sings better, but not amazing.

Dancers of the group: Yue Liang and Zeng Sixuan

Yue Liang was the dance teacher for the Super Boys competition, but now she’s a competitor in Super Girls. Yue Liang breezed through the competition, much to the dismay of many who complained about her singing. Zeng Sixuan majors in modern dance and sings a lot better. Definitely an eyecatcher.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5P20iFOcOE]

Other recommendations: Jane Zhang girls and Huang Ying

Other than English songs, Jane Zhang seems to be a favorite among the girls this year. Though they both sound way too much like Jane Zhang for my liking, my two favorite performances of Jane’s songs are Wang Lulu’s “We’ve agreed” and Li Ling’s “Only for love.” Huang Ying’s voice seemed like screaming at parts, but for some reason, her voice touched me. Most renditions I’ve heard of this song were sad, but hers was agonizing:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1GyHNAJyhs]

Ending note: Pan Yuehong and Zeng Zixuan are two of the eleven current Sichuan Conservatory of Music students in the top 30. There are also more alumna, but no one made a list, and I wasn’t going to baidu all 300 of them. Over the next two weeks, the top 300 will be split into 6 groups of 50, and those 50 will compete for 10 spots each, forming the top 60.

Words of Wisdom by Judge Ding Wei

Ding Wei, the singer-songwriter who mainly now composes for others  has stated in the past that she is afraid competition singers results in an excess of young aspiring hopefuls that the market may not be able to accommodate. I wasn’t really sure what to think of those words when she first said them, but after reading more about her she seems like someone who really cares about the growth of these young artists, rather than someone who wants to discourage them, or is afraid of them ruining Chinese music.

She was a judge for Kunming’s 30 to 10 round (which we haven’t found videos off) and praised the girls for being very sincere in her blog.

I loved how in her blog entry she chose to praise in particular someone who didn’t make it rather someone who did:

A girl ran up to me and said:

“Ding Teacher, I was one of the contestants that was eliminated today. After seeing today’s contest and hearing your critiques, I know why I was eliminated. Thank you, I will continue to work hard. ”

I was very happy to hear these words, not because she thanked me, but because she learned from the experience, and thus her entry into the competition was not wasted.”

One of the nicest things about running Cfensi is discovering people like Ding Wei. For some reason I had never heard of her before, but she’s someone I definitely admire now. I hope she gets to judge in later rounds and I hope all the girls listen to advice from this woman, who’s already gone through the route that they hope to travel.

Conquering the world with beauty isn't easy when you look like you're made of glass

That’s the choice that millions of competitors and viewers have or will have to make this summer as the three talent shows battle it out. A look at what each one offers:

Conquer the world with beauty
Despite having the shallowest slogan of them all, SMG’s female “My Hero”, Jiayou! Dong Fang Tian Shi, or as we’re going to translate it, Jiayou! Dragon Angels,  has a quite deep, if not solid, backing. First up is the big fish – Huayi Brothers. Being a mainly film and drama producer, it makes sense that Huayi would want to go for the lookers over the voices. The Dragon Angels have been promised spots in Disney, SMG and Huayi’s High School Musical and possible spots in Feng Xiaogang movies. And then there are two starring roles in Hai Yan dramas.  If the Angels prefered flying over acting (who wouldn’t want to act opposite BOBO?), the top 60 are also guaranteed jobs as air attendants on CE-air. However, I do admire the fact that they require all contestant to audition without makeup. After all, SMG wants actresses, not make-up artists.

Absolute Singing
With the endorsement of Golden Typhoon this year, Absolute Singing is probably the best place for serious singers. Granted, you probably won’t go far in popularity this summer, but you’ll end up in one of the few mainland singing companies that has a proven track record in successfully marketing new artists, famous or not. Also, this is pretty much the only competition that isn’t female-only (though there were a few bold males caught dressing up as girls for Super Girls)

Does this poster hint a method of popular vote on Super Girls this year? One can only hope so.

Happy Female Voice’ Identity Crisis – Happy or Voice?
Despite it being “Happy Female Voice,” many are complaining that the “Happy” seems to take precedent over “Voice” in many cases. For example, how dance teacher Yue Liang or Cecilia Cheung lookalike  Gong Mi, with their less-than-superior voices, got into the top 300 is a puzzle to many. Nevertheless, most girls, unless they’re big fans of Chen Chusheng or He Jie, will probably be flocking to Super Girls. So this’ll still be the one to watch for the most talent.

sources: Sina

Lin Xinru adorable both before and after Ugly Wudi

Good Morning America, along with the random New Yorkers that it surveyed, agrees with Cfensi that Ugly Wudi is not that ugly. Click here to watch the report. Of the various news sources that have picked this story up, this I feel is the only one that shows justice to the story. Every other story makes it seem as if the Chinese hate it, when in fact Ugly Wudi was one of the most popular shows last year. Its product placement ads reached the level of Super Girl ads, and that’s beyond impressive. The third season is currently under production. Of my memory, this is the only thing America has picked up from Chinese pop culture other than Edison Chen, Jane Zhang and the Olympics, and Chris Lee. Interestingly enough, all the mainland news stories are associated with dear Hunan TV.

A personal find that I was quite proud of: A children’s book at a library in the middle of nowhere in America, with a photo of He Jie, Chris Li Yuchun and Jane Zhang:

Which one of those two do not belong? Chris Lee, for staying in EE Media

Anson Hu a month ago became an exception to Taiwan's rule that no mainlanders could give solo concerts in Taiwan...now he'll be one of the many.

The company that brought Na Ying and Faye Wong to fame is ready to present it’s newest mainland superstar – Huang Yali, an energetic 19-year-old. Taiwanese companies have recently been increasingly signing on mainlanders, from rock bands such as Fusion and AOK to pop stars like Jade Liu. This is probably in light of the fact that after Taiwan’s changed presidents this past year, things have begun changing with respect to Mainland-Taiwan relations, including a suggested lifting of restrictions on mainland artists activities in Taiwan.

This finally became reality recently:

Taiwanese Informational Department head announced on the 24th that mainland artists will be allowed to come to to Taiwan to record music, to perform commercially, and to hold concerts. The control of popular music will also be switched from the educational department to the informational department. Mainland artists will also be allowed to apply for permanent residency in Taiwan. In the future, mainland artists will not have to be checked in at the police upon arrival. Furthermore, the number of mainlanders allowed in Taiwanese-funded movies have been increased from two to five.

source: Sohu

So what does this mean? Well, Taiwan has the most established Chinese music scene, having been around the longest, and due to this has more experienced companies, with the best knowledge of promotion amongst the many Chinese-language regions. Taiwan’s launch pad has allowed many Chinese-speaking non-Taiwanese get known internationally including Singaporeans such as JJ Lin, and Malaysians like Gary Cao. However, due to political reasons Taiwan has not allowed mainlanders to promote in Taiwan except for a select few because of fear of closer cross-straight relations.

While the popular mainland artists can make a lot of money just within China they are limited in their impact beyond mainland borders. So now that the laws in Taiwan have changed mainland singers should get known more globally. The Chinese language is unique in that it has spread to so many parts of Asia, allowing a wonderful diversity of influences. Hopefully Chinese music can grow stronger with this greater flow of ideas and understanding between two of the most powerful Chinese-speaking regions, one with the firm and solid foundations, and one with the huge consumer-market with untold potential.

Let’s take a look at some of the mainlanders who are already making waves across the strait.

Preview of the next post on the newcomer awards

Wang Yuexin

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3iRMpAgeyk]

Jade Liu

Jade Liu’s album is the only album whose every song has made it onto my mp3. With the collaboration of some of the best composers and lyricists in Taiwan, and the support of the popular HIM artists, it’s a mystery to me how she flopped. Even Wang Yuexin sold better than her, and her album was 100x higher-qualitied (Cfensi: I don’t agree with this! ). Cfensi thinks that it’s due to her ugly clothes and cover (and they were quite bad) (Cfensi: and the lack of variety show appearances which hopefully the new laws will change). Hopefully by her next album, they’ll find better clothes and more people will recognize her great voice.

This is the Way I Am ft Tank and Power Station

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ljnmg2iEg]

Despite having a relatively boring company and no one to help him, Anson Hu captured the audiences’ heart with his irresistible voice, undeniable talent and passion for music, and sharp Shanghainese humor. By the end of his second trip there, he gained enough popularity to get the Taiwanese informational department to make an exception for him by allowing him to be the first mainlander to hold a concert in Taiwan. Anson Hu already has plans for a trip to Taiwan next summer.

Goodbye Poem:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDfq8h-pk2o]

Jane Zhang

Although Jane has yet to officially enter Taiwan, her duet with Wang Leehom in his new album has already stirred up discussion. Many say that now, with the popularity of Painted Heart and the new duet, is the perfect time for her to break into Taiwan. And Jane’s voice alone is enough for anyone to fall in love with her. (Cfensi: She needs to go to America, and I would never say that lightly about an Asian singer)(idarklight: plus,she already has enough English songs of her own to fill an album, as seen below)

To Be Loved at a cross-strait friendship concert in Taiwan

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30HzmpWo0mA]

Huang Yali

Finally, we return to Huang Yali, the latest mainlander in Taiwan. Huang Yali has enough energy to run from Mars to the Moon and is sure to make any show lively . Her two singles, “I can still fly” and “Mars loves the moon.” have also been great. She’ll have a good support group (Fan Weiqi, Angela Zhang and Claire Kuo). Will that be enough for her to break into Taiwan? Hope it’ll be enough for her to fly.

Mars loves the moon, Huang Yali’s newest single under her new company

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKE2rvdjF-0]