Big wins for veteran Singapore singer at Taiwan music awards

Singer Tanya Chua of Singapore poses after profitable the Greatest Feminine Artist in Mandarin class on the twenty third Golden Melody Awards in Taipei June 23, 2012. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang

TAIPEI, July 3 (Reuters) – Veteran Singaporean singer Tanya Chua took residence 4 prime prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards, some of the prestigious leisure occasions within the Chinese language-speaking world.

Chua, whose first album was the English-language “Bored” in 1997 and whose breakthrough Mandarin report was “Tanya” in 1999, received album of the yr for “Depart”, in addition to finest Mandarin album, finest Mandarin feminine singer and finest vocal album recording.

On the ceremony late on Saturday, Chua expressed some astonishment that greater than 20 years after her debut, folks have been nonetheless having fun with her music.

“To be sincere I believe that I’ve been singing for a few years. I’m very afraid that individuals become bored with it,” she mentioned on the ceremony within the southern Taiwanese metropolis of Kaohsiung, having introduced her mom as her plus one.

In a shock, Chinese language rocker Cui Jian, whose track “Nothing to My Identify” turned an anthem to pupil protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Sq. in 1989, received for finest Mandarin male singer. He was not there in particular person and had a message of thanks learn out for him on stage.

Whereas Taiwan has solely 23 million folks, its music scene has an outsized affect within the Chinese language-speaking world, not solely in China however amongst the diaspora, partly on account of creativity unhindered by censorship.

The Golden Melody Awards have a good time not solely Mandopop but additionally artists singing in Taiwanese – often known as Hokkien – Hakka and indigenous languages, a visual signal of the federal government’s efforts to advertise tongues aside from Mandarin.

Tune of the yr went to the Taiwanese-language “Oh Love, You Are A lot Higher Than I Imagined” by the band EggPlantEgg.

Greatest indigenous singer was received by 83-year-old Osay Hongay, an ethnic Amis from Taiwan’s japanese county of Hualien. She gave her acceptance speech in her native language, which was translated for her into Mandarin.

Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Ben Blanchard; Modifying by William Mallard

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