A-Mei's R U Watching? At Number 1

After almost two years between records, Taiwan pop superstar A-Mei (阿妹) has released a new album, and it went straight to the top of the G-Music album charts. R U Watching? (你在看我吗) is her first release since the Golden Melody-winning album AMIT, released back in June 2009, and like its predecessor went to number one on the charts in its first week of release. According to G-Music it had 28.92 percent of album sales in the week 22 to 28 April, displacing F.I.R's Atlantis who dropped to second spot.

R U Watching? is A-Mei's fifteenth studio album, and also commemorates fifteen years in showbusiness. The 38 year old aboriginal Taiwanese, who is also known by her full name Chang Hui-mei (张惠妹; pinyin: Zhāng Huìmèi), had a number one hit with her first ever single back in 1996, and hasn't looked back since. Her distinctive sultry voice and energetic stage presence made her a star not just in Taiwan but on the mainland as well. Even after singing at the inauguration of pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian in 2000 - a political indiscretion in the eyes of the mainland government that earned her a one year performance ban - her return to the mainland the following year attracted huge crowds of admiring (and forgiving) fans. For a period of time back then she seemed to act as a lightning rod for tensions between Taiwan and the mainland, although A-Mei herself insisted that she had no interest in the political squabbling.

A-Mei is twice winner of the Golden Melody award for Best Female Artist, she has the second biggest-selling album ever in Taiwan (Bad Boy, released in 1997 and sold over 1.38 million copies), has appeared on the cover of Newsweek, and was named one of Time Magazine's Asian Heroes. Although essentially a pop singer, she has never been afraid to incorporate new musical styles, sometimes at the expense of commercial popularity.

R U Watching? contains ten tracks, led off by the first single, What Time Is It Already? (都什么时候了). What Time Is It Already? is one of five ballads on the album, while the title track is a more up-tempo dance track. A-Mei herself co-produced the album, and five of the album's tracks were written by renowned Hong Kong lyricist Albert Leung (林夕). A review of the album can be found here at the jpopasia website.

18th Oriental Billboard Awards

Some old news, from a month ago. The Oriental Billboard Awards (东方风云榜, sometimes referred to as the Eastern Billboard Awards) have a place in Mandopop musical history, being the first ever pop music awards ceremony in mainland China. The original awards ceremony was held back in 1993, organised by the Shanghai Media Group through leading radio station FM101. On March 19 this year, the Oriental Billboard Awards were held for the 18th time in Shanghai with many stars of the music scene in attendance.

Best Female Singer, for the third year in a row, was Jane Zhang (张靓颖, pinyin: Zhāng Liàngyǐng - pictured left, courtesy of iEasy.tv), establishing herself as a genuine Mandopop superstar. The 26 year-old Sichuan native is a former runner-up in the popular TV talent show Super Girl. Her performance earned her a recording contract with one of China's leading labels, Huayi Brothers Music and her debut EP was released in 2006. She has gone on to record four studio albums, switching to the Universal Music label to record her most recent one, and has had six number one singles. She's best-known in the West for her appearance in 2009 on Opray Winfrey's The World's Got Talent show.

Best Male Singer went to Li Jian (李健), who was once one-half of the popular mainland singing duo, Shui Mu Nian Hua (水木年华) which he formed with a fellow classmate from the prestigious Tsinghua University in 2001. Shui Mu Nian Hua were an immediate success, scooping most of the Best Newcomer awards on the mainland, but after just two albums Li Jian left to embark on a solo career. A talented guitarist, the Harbin-born 36 year-old also writes most of his own songs. He had one of his biggest hits last year with the song Legend (传奇), written several years ago but revived by Faye Wong at last year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

The Best Band award was given to Mirror Band (反光镜), the veteran rock band who started off in the Beijing bar scene back in 1997. The three-member Brit-rock influenced band are best-known for their live performances, and have toured all over China as well as the US and Europe. Best Group award went to Milk@Coffee (牛奶咖啡), a duo from Beijing made up of singer-guitarist Kiki (Yan Fu) and keyboard player and producer Ge Fei. They released their debut album in 2005 and have gone on to record a further three albums. Both Mirror Band and Milk@Coffee are first time recipients of an Oriental Billboard Award.

The Oriental Billboard Awards also handed out gongs to non-Mainland artists. This year the Hong Kong award for Most Popular Singer went to Khalil Fong (方大同) and the Taiwan award was given to Kenji Wu (吴克群). There were also awards for Most Popular Singapore Artist (Tanya Chua, 蔡健雅), Most Popular Malaysian Artist (Michael Wong, 光良), and Most Popular Mainland Artist to 29 year-old singer Chen Chusheng (陈楚生), a former winner of a TV singing contest.

There were Asian Singer Awards to Hong Kong's Eason Chan ((陈奕迅) and mainland diva Han Hong (韩红), a Singer of the Year award to Taiwan's "queen of live music" Tiger Huang (黄小琥), and Annual All-Round Entertainer which went to the mainland singer-dancer Han Geng (韩庚).

The Awards also announced their Top Ten Songs of 2010 (in no particular order):

• My Logo - Han Geng (韩庚)
• 23 Seconds, 32 Years (23秒，32年) - Shang Wenjie (尚雯婕)
• Special (特别) - Isabelle Huang (黄龄)
• How Wonderful (多好啊) - Yu Quan (羽泉)、Xiao Juan (小娟)、Sitar Tan (谭维维)
• Singing Stone (石头在歌唱) - Wang Feng (汪峰) and Sitar Tan (谭维维)
• Fu Good - Della Ding (丁当)
• Lucky Star (幸运星) - Milk@Coffee (牛奶咖啡)
• Legend (传奇) - Li Jian (李健)
• 'Love of the Hawthorn Tree' Theme Song (山楂花) - Chen Chusheng (陈楚生)
• If This Is Love (如果这就是爱情) - Jane Zhang (张靓颖)

The full list of winners can be found here, but only in Chinese.

F.I.R Rock Their Way to Top of G-Music Charts

Rock-pop band F.I.R (飞儿乐团; pinyin: Fēiér Yuètuán) head the G-Music Album Charts this week with their new album Atlantis - Chapter 6 (第六章 - 亚特兰提斯). Atlantis ends The Next Me by Aaron Yan's three-week stay at the top position, going straight to number one in its first week of release. According to G-Music it had 32 percent of Mandarin-language album sales for the week 15 to 21 April.

Atlantis is F.I.R's sixth studio album - hence the Chapter 6 subtitle - and the fifth F.I.R album to hold the top spot on the charts. The three-member group is made up lead singer Faye Chan, keyboard player and the band's producer, Ian Chen, and lead guitarist Real Huang. They formed back in 2004 as a studio band, gained fame when they performed the theme song of a hit Taiwan TV series, and followed up with a number one album on debut. The next year, 2005, they were awarded Best New Artist at the Golden Melody Awards.

Atlantis contains ten tracks, and its first release is the title track. Parts of it sound a little Celtic-influenced, and it's accompanied by an impressive music video that emphasises the underwater theme of Atlantis. The second single, Let Love Be Reborn (让爱重生) is more mellow-sounding but still rocks along.

Jay Chou Wins Six at Golden Chart Awards

The inaugural Global Chinese Golden Chart Awards (全球流行音乐金榜) were held in Taipei on 9 April, and Taiwan superstar Jay Chou (周杰伦, pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún) was the biggest winner collecting six awards. The Golden Chart Awards were organised by several Chinese-language radio stations from around the world, including Taiwan, mainland China, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

Jay Chou's trophies included Favourite Male Singer and Outstanding Global Chinese Artist. His album, The Era ((跨时代), was also named Best Mandarin Album. Another big winner was Jay's former girlfriend and reigning Queen of Dance Music , Jolin Tsai (蔡依林, pinyin: Cài Yīlín), who collected four awards, including Favourite Female Singer and DJs Favourite Artist of the Year.

Best Male Singer went to Leehom Wang (王力宏, pinyin: Wáng Lìhóng), and Best Female Singer to Malaysia's "Queen of Love Songs", Fish Leong (梁静茹, pinyin: Liáng Jìngrú). Show Luo (罗志祥, pinyin: Luó Zhīxiáng) won awards for Best All-round Entertainer and also for his album Rashomon (罗生门) which won Album with the Longest Chart Run. Singapore's JJ Lin (林俊杰, Lín Jùnjié) was awarded Best Singer.

In the group awards, Taiwan's eight-member boy band Super Junior-M, an offshoot of the Korean boy band Super Junior, was awarded Most Popular Group. Best Band went to the indie band from Taiwan, Sodagreen (苏打绿, pinyin: Sūdá lǜ), while Best Group went to the three-piece girl group S.H.E. Former Super Junior-M band member Han Geng (韩庚), who released his debut solo album last year, was named Newcomer of the Year.

Over sixty trophies in 29 categories were handed out on the night. The main award winners follow - this Chinese-language article has the complete list.

Best Male Artist: Leehom Wang
Best Female Artist: Fish Leong
Favourite Male Artist: Jay Chou
Favourite Female Artist: Jolin Tsai
Most Popular Group: Super Junior-M
Newcomer of the Year: Han Geng
Annual Excellence Award: Kenji Wu (吴克群, pinyin: Wú Kèqún)
Best Stage Performance: Elva Hsiao (萧亚轩, pinyin: Xiāo Yǎxuān)
Album with the Longest Chart Run: Rashomon, by Show Luo
DJs' Favourite Artist of the Year: Jolin Tsai
Media Recommendation Award: Hebe Tien (田馥甄, pinyin: Tián Fūzhēn)
Outstanding Global Chinese Artist: Jay Chou
Best Band: Sodagreen
Best Group: S.H.E
Best Mandarin Album: The Era, by Jay Chou
Best Singer: JJ Lin
Best All-round Entertainer: Show Luo

Top 20 Songs (in no particular order)

• It's Okay To Be Lonely (寂寞寂寞就好) - Hebe Tien
• Not So Simple (没那么简单) - Tiger Huang (黄小琥)
• The Opposite Me (相反的我) - Jing Chang (张芸京)
• Once In A Lifetime (十年一刻) - Sodagreen
• The Leading Role (爱的主场秀) - Show Luo
• SHERO - S.H.E
• Heartache On Your Heartache (心疼你的心疼) - Farenheit (飞轮海)
• I Believe (我相信) - Jane Zhang (张靓颖)
• It's Love (这，就是爱) - Jason Zhang (张杰)
• What Love Songs Didn't Tell You (情歌没有告诉你) - Fish Leong
• Play (玩乐) - Khalil Fong (方大同)
• Meet You at the Next Crossing (下个，路口，见) - Li Yuchun (李宇春)
• It Doesn't Matter (没关系) - Kenji Wu
• Honey Trap (美人计) - Jolin Tsai
• Say No - Han Geng
• All The Things You Never Knew (你不知道的事) - Leehom Wang
• Superman Can't Fly (超人不会飞) - Jay Chou
• Hundred Days (第几个100天) - JJ Lin
• Grandpa (爷爷) - Gary Chaw (曹格)
• Wrong Person (错的人) - Elva Hsiao

Leehom Wang Wins Most at Malaysia's MY Astro Awards

(Leehom Wang has his hands full with awards at the MY Astro Music Awards)

American-born Leehom Wang (王力宏, pinyin: Wáng Lìhóng) picked up six awards at the MY Astro Music Awards held in Kuala Lumpur on 26 March. Other big winners were Taiwan's queen of pop Jolin Tsai (蔡依林, pinyin: Cài Yīlín), and Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit (飞轮海, pinyin: Fēilúnhǎi). The MY Astro Awards are organised by Astro, one of Malaysia's largest satellite TV networks, and MY FM radio station, and were held for just the second time.

Wang took home the major award of the evening, the Annual Best Award (至尊年度大奖), as well as Best Male International Singer, and Best Male Creative Artist. His songs All the Things You Never Know (你不知道的事) and Bo Ya Cuts the Strings (伯牙绝弦) - both from the movie Love in Disguise which the multi-talented Wang directed and starred in - were amongst the 25 Golden Melody Songs, and he also picked up an award for Best Producer.

Jolin Tsai's awards included Best Female International Singer, Best Dance Song for Honey Trap (美人计), and two songs in the Golden Melody Songs - Honey Trap and Love Player (玩爱之徒). Fahrenheit were named Best Band and Best Professional Performance, and also had two songs in the Golden Melody Songs list - Super Hot (太热) and Heartache on Your Heartache (心疼你的心疼).

Awards were also handed out to local stars, and Gary Chaw (曹格, pinyin: Cáo Gé) was named Best Male Malaysian Singer, while Amy Wang (王明丽, pinyin: Wáng Mínglì) won Best Female Malaysian Singer. Wang, although 30 years old, is a relative newcomer - releasing her first EP in 2009 and her follow-up EP last year. Chaw began his career in 2006 and has gained popularity not just in his country of birth but throughout East Asia. In 2008 he won Best Male Mandarin Singer at Taiwan's prestigious Golden Melody Awards.

The major award winners were as follows (a complete list can be found here, but in Chinese):
Best of the Year: Leehom Wang
Best Male International Singer: Leehom Wang
Best Female International Singer: Jolin Tsai
Best Male Malaysian Singer: Gary Chaw
Best Female Malaysian Singer: Amy Wang
Gold Award for Best Band: Fahrenheit
Best Male Creative Artist: Leehom Wang
Best Female Creative Artist: Lala Hsu (徐佳莹)
Best Album: Eason Chan (陈奕迅) - Time Flies
Best Rock Song: Guardian (守护者) by Y2J (神木与瞳)
Best Dance Song: Honey Trap by Jolin Tsai
Best Love Song: It's Okay To Be Lonely (寂寞寂寞就好) by Hebe Tien (田馥甄)
Best Music Video: You Are Too Savage (你太猖狂) by Hebe Tien
Best New International Act: Alien Huang (黄鸿升)
Best New Malaysian Act: Josh Lai (赖力豪)
Best Professional Performance Award: Fahrenheit
Best TV Theme Song: I Love Him (我爱他) by Della Ding (丁当)
Best Single: Rainbow Family (彩虹的家) by Stephanie & Fyone (刘佩芯、陈慧莹)
Most Popular Singers: Thomas Jack (东于哲)
Best New Interpretation: I'm a Little Bird (我是一只小小鸟) by Della Ding
Best Interpretation: Eason Chan
全台主持联颁至尊歌手(Malaysia): Thomas Jack
全台主持联颁至尊歌手(Internationa): Jolin Tsai
Best Producer: Leehom Wang

25 Golden Melody Songs:

• World's Most Romantic Song (地球上最浪漫的一首歌) - Alien Huang (黄鸿升)
• I Love Him (我爱他) - Della Ding (丁当)
• Fairy Tale (说谎) - Yoga Lin (林宥嘉)
• Goodbye to Singlehood (再见单身) - Chen Weiquan (陈威全)
• Grandpa (爷爷) - Gary Chaw (曹格)
• Back to Back (背对背拥抱) - JJ Lin (林俊杰)
• All the Things You Never Know (你不知道的事) - Leehom Wang (王力宏)
• Cry and You'll Be Fine (哭过就好了) - Rachel Liang (梁文音)
• Desperado - Yise Loo (罗忆诗)
• Superman Can't Fly (超人不会飞) - Jay Chou (周杰伦)
• Honey Trap (美人计) - Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)
• Tourbillon (陀飞轮) - Eason Chan (陈奕迅)
• Cut Song (切歌) - Sam Lee (李圣杰)
• Miracle of Love (爱的奇迹) - Thomas Jack (东于哲)
• If You Can Love Again (如果能重新恋爱) - Zeng Guohui (曾国珲)
• It's Okay To Be Lonely (寂寞寂寞就好) - Hebe Tien (田馥甄)
• Nice Guy Card (好人卡) - Hao Ren (朱浩仁)
• Bo Ya Cuts the Strings (伯牙绝弦) - Leehom Wang (王力宏)
• Acrophobia (惧高症) - Lala Xu (徐佳莹)
• Love Player (玩爱之徒) - Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)
• Super Hot (太热) - Fahrenheit (飞轮海)
• Forgiveness (宽恕) - Y2J (神木与瞳)
• Fragile (脆弱) - Kay Tse (谢安琪)
• Love and Not Love (爱与不爱) - Will Ng (黄威尔)
• Heartache on Your Heartache (心疼你的心疼) - Fahrenheit (飞轮海)

Farenheit's Aaron Yan Rises to No 1 on Album Charts

Aaron Yan (炎亚纶, pinyin: Yán Yǎlún), a singer in the popular Taiwanese boy band Farenheit (飞轮海), has gone straight to the number 1 position on Taiwan's G Music Album charts with his debut solo record The Next Me (下一个炎亚纶). The new release, an EP, finally displaced Show Luo's Only For You after a marathon five-week stay at the top. The Next Me had an impressive 55.7 percent of all Chinese-language record sales for the week 25 March to 31 March. Show Luo dropped to number 2 on the chart with 7.1 percent of sales.

Yan is the first of the four members from Farenheit to release a solo album. Born in either 1985 or 1986 (depending on which website you read) Yan spent a few years of his childhood in the US before returning to Taiwan to complete his schooling. He started off his entertainment career in 2004, appearing in Taiwanese television dramas before being recruited to the newly-formed Farenheit in 2005. Best-known as the "cute shy one" in the band, his solo foray shows another side to him, including a strip tease on the music video for the title track.

The Next Me is a two-CD EP with CD 1 containing six tracks including the first single, a ballad The Next Me (下一个我) and an instrumental cover, The Truth That You Show, which shows off his piano skills. The second CD contains six live tracks.

Show Luo's New Release Dominates Album Sales

Taiwan's King of Dance Music, Show Luo (罗志祥, pinyin: Luó Zhīxiáng), released his latest album Only For You (独一无二, pinyin: Dúyīwúèr) on February 18, and it has achieved a domination of sales that has rarely if ever been equalled. The G Music charts, which measure album sales in Taiwan, showed that it had a staggering 74.6 percent of the share of Chinese language record sales for the week 18 to 24 February. That means three out of every four records sold was Only For You, way way ahead of the second biggest selling album, Will Pan's 808. Even looking at the figures for all record sales, including Western releases, Show Luo's sales numbers are still stunning. Just under half of all records sold (48.4 percent) in Taiwan last week were Only For You.

Only For You's success follows on from that of his previous release, Rashomon, which was Taiwan's biggest selling album of 2010 (including ten weeks as the number one seller). The previous year he had the number two selling record with Trendy Man. All of which begs the question: can Show Luo now be hailed Taiwan's biggest pop superstar, ahead of previous claimants to the position like Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai and S.H.E?

Only For You is the 31 year old singer's eighth studio album since he first released his debut record in 2003. Before that he was a member of two boy bands, the Four Heavenly Kings and Romeo. Ironically, considering he's now one of the hottest properties in Mandopop, no record company wanted to sign him after Romeo was disbanded in 2000. He had to wait three years until Avex took a chance on him and signed him up. But it has been first EMI Music and now Gold Typhoon who have benefitted most from having him in their record company stable.

First single from Only For You was, uncharacteristically, a ballad, What Am I Fighting For? (拼什么?). But he was back in familiar territory with the release of the title track, a blistering dance track, as the second single. A third single has been released, the cutesy and boppy Touch My Heart, which currently holds the number one spot on the MTV Taiwan singles chart. The Only For You single also made MTV's number one, while What Am I Fighting For? reached number 3.

Della Ding's Soul Mate At Number 1

Mainland-born singer Della Ding (叮当) has climbed to the top of Taiwan's G Music album charts with her new release Soul Mate (未來的情人). In the first two weeks of its release it was the number 2 selling album in Taiwan, but this week managed to edge past the previous number 1, Wilbur Pan's 808, in sales. According to G Music Soul Mate had 21.23 percent of album sales for the week 4 February to 10 February, while 808 had 20.37 percent, ending Pan's three-week stay at the top of the charts.

Della Ding is also known as Della Wu, also known as Ding Dang, and also known simply as Della, and though it sounds like a criminal's rap sheet, she's actually a petite 28 year old from Zhejiang province. She ran away from home at the age of 18 with dreams of becoming a professional singer. For five years she sang in bars, took singing and dancing lessons, then made the big move to Mandopop headquarters, Taiwan. She released her first album in 2007, appropriately named Run Away From Home, on the record label Rock Records, Taiwan's biggest independent record label.

She is best known for her love ballads, especially on her early records, although she included more dance numbers on her third album, Night Owl released in 2009. She has also collaborated with record label-mates Mayday on several songs, and sung the theme song to the popular TV drama Autumn's Concerto. Her career appears to be going from strength to strength, with a successful concert tour in 2010. Soul Mate, her fifth studio album might just be the record that propels her to superstar status.

Helping out on the album are Mayday, again, UK dance music producer Pete Martin, and Golden Melody winning songwriter Chung Cheng-Hu. Singles released so far are One Half (一半), a slow tempo ballad, and Cold Blooded Creature (冷血動物) which has been used in an online computer game (阿洛斯) and also featured in the Korean drama series The Queen Returns.

Taiwan's HitFM Top 100 Singles of 2010

Hit FM, one of the most popular music radio stations in Taiwan, has been releasing its annual Top 100 Singles since 1998. The results are based on weekly charts, sales volume and online polls, and the 2010 edition was announced last month. At number one was Taiwan's unofficial Queen of Pop, Jolin Tsai (蔡依林, pinyin: Cài Yīlín, pictured right) with the electronic dance number Honey Trap (美人计). The single was the first released from her Myself album, and came with an impressive music video by Korean MV director Cha Eun Taek.

It's the third time Jolin has had the number one song of the year; she also achieved the feat in 2007 (Sun Will Never Set), and in 2006 with her duet with David Tao, Marry Me Today. Jolin had another two songs in this year's top 100: Nothing Left To Say (无言以对) at number 20, and Love Player (玩爱之徒) at number 55.

Jay Chou (周杰伦, pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún) had to settle for the number two spot, with his single Superman Can't Fly (超人不会飞 - and another song with a great video). The Chairman, who finished top of the singles charts in 2002, 2004 and 2005, has now had a song in the annual top three an amazing nine times in the past ten years. He was also the only artist in 2010 to have more than one song in the top ten. Rain Falls All Night (雨下一整晚) was placed at number 10. A third song, the title track from The Era album (跨时代), came in at number 39.

Justin Bieber was the highest-ranked foreigner on the Top 100, with the ubiquitous Baby, and Korean superstar boy band Super Junior also finished in the top five with Bonamana (Beauty). Sandwiched between them at number 4 is the Taiwan-born, Canadian-raised Elva Hsiao (萧亚轩, pinyin: Xiāo Yǎxuān) with the ballad Wrong Man (错的人). The song was from her Miss Elva album, another album to provide three songs to the top 100 - the other two were Miss Cool (潇洒小姐) and Rhapsody (狂想∙曲).

The top 10 were as follows:
1. Honey Trap (美人计) - Jolin Tsai
2. Superman Can't Fly (超人不会飞) - Jay Chou
3. Baby - Justin Bieber
4. Wrong Man (错的人) - Elva Hsiao
5. Bonamana - Super Junior
6. All The Things You Never Knew (你不知道的事) - Leeholm Wang (王力宏, pinyin: Wáng Lìhóng)
7. SHERO - S.H.E
8. Love The Way You Lie - Eminem and Rihanna
9. The Leading Role (爱的主场秀) - Show Luo (罗志祥, pinyin: Luó Zhīxiáng)
10. Rain Falls All Night (雨下一整晚) - Jay Chou

The full Top 100 can be found here, but only in Chinese.

Show Luo's Rashomon The Number 1 Selling Album in 2010

There were no surprises with the announcement by the PMW Music website that Show Luo (罗志祥, pinyin: Luó Zhīxiáng) had the biggest-selling album in Taiwan in 2010 with Rashomon (罗生门). The studio album, his seventh, spent a record-equalling 10 weeks on the top of the Taiwanese album charts and sold over 150,000 copies in Taiwan. The album also sporned five hit singles, three of which made Taiwan's Hit FM Annual Top 100 Singles Chart. PMW bases its annual rankings on both album sales and digital downloads, making it a more accurate barometer of album popularity.

The 31 year old Show, dubbed Asia's Dance King because of his dancing skills and predominant style of music, has been riding a wave of success over the past couple of years. In 2007 he won the prestigious Golden Melody Award for Most Popular Male Artist, and in 2009 his album Trendy Man was the second-biggest selling album of the year. That accolade was tarnished slightly with accusations that his record company had inflated sales of the record. However last year there was no dispute that his was the dominant record of the year, even ahead of superstars like Jay Chou (周杰伦, pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún) and Jolin Tsai (蔡依林, pinyin: Cài Yīlín).

Jay Chou's 10th studio album, The Era (跨时代), had to settle for second position instead. The record spent three weeks at the top position on the weekly G Music charts - a relatively disappointing result no doubt for the record company JVR Music. His previous album, Capricorn, had been the biggest selling album of 2008.

Another former holder of the biggest album of the year crown, Jolin Tsai, has the third-biggest selling album of 2010. Myself, her 11th studio album and released in August, spent four weeks in total in the top position of the G Music charts. Like Rashomon, the album is predominantly dance music. The previous year, her album Butterfly had been the biggest selling album of 2009. Although this year she had to settle for third place, she did have the number 1 single of the year according to Hit FM with Honey Trap (美人计), the first single from Myself.

In fourth place is singer-songwriter Kenji Wu (吴克群, pinyin: Wú Kèqún) with his sixth album, Love Me, Hate Me (爱我 恨我). The album marked a change of pace for the 31 year old singer, with more up-tempo dance numbers on display. But it wasn't all dance music that Taiwanese music fans were buying in 2010. The number five selling album of 2010 was by singer-actress Rainie Yang (杨丞琳, pinyin: Yáng Chénglín). Her fifth album, Rainie & Love...? (雨爱), is predominantly made up of Mandopop ballads, including four from the soundtrack of the romantic comedy TV series Hi My Sweetheart, which she also starred in.

The top ten albums of 2010, according to PMW Music are:
1. Rashomon - Show Luo
2. The Era - Jay Chou
3. Myself - Jolin Tsai
4. Love Me, Hate Me - Kenji Wu
5. Rainie & Love...? - Rainie Yang
6. Miss Elva - Elva Hsiao
7. To Hebe - Hebe Tien
8. Together - René Liu
9. SHERO - S.H.E
10. The 18 Martial Arts - Leehom Wang

Source: XinMSN

Jane Zhang Wins Her 5th Beijing Pop Music Awards

The 2010 Beijing Pop Music Awards, one of mainland China's major music awards, were announced on 17 January. Also known as the Sprite Music Awards, the ceremony honours artists from the mainland as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Jane Zhang (张靓颖, pinyin: Zhāng Liàngyǐng, pictured) wept tears of joy when she was named Best Mainland Female Artist for the fifth successive time. 26 year-old Zhang first achieved fame through her performances in the Super Girl TV singing contest back in 2005. In 2010 she released her fourth album, Believe in Jane, represented China at the Asia Song Festival, and was even named by Asia's Sexiest Vegetarian by PETA. Besides winnng the Best Female Artist prize she also won Album of the Year, and her song If This Is Love (如果这就是爱情) was one of the Annual Golden Songs.

Li Yuchun (李宇春), who won the Super Girl contest in 2005, was named Favourite Female Singer. She too collected multiple awards, winning Best Female Stage Performer and also with a song in the Annual Golden Songs list, Meet You at the Next Crossing (下个路口见) - making it three awards apiece for the great rivals.

In the male categories, Best Male Artist went to the 41 year old veteran Sun Nan (孙楠), winning the award for the seventh time. In a career spanning over 20 years Sun is best known for his love ballads belted out in his trademark powerful tenor. In an eventful 2010 he also won Best Singer at the MTV-CCTV Music Awards, but on a down note, found himself entangled in a messy child custody battle with his ex-wife. Favourite Male Artist was awarded to Jason Zhang (张杰, pinyin: Zhāng Jié), another graduate from TV singing contests.

Corresponding Hong Kong/Taiwan awards were also handed out. Favourite Female Singer went to Hong Kong's two-time Golden Melody winning singer-actress Karen Mok (莫文蔚, pinyin: Mò Wénwèi). Taiwanese singer-actress, René Liu (刘若英, pinyin: Liú Ruòyīng) was named Best Female Singer. It was a case of experience triumphing over youth, with both recipients now in the forties. Taiwan superstar Jay Chou (周杰伦, pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún) won Favourite Male Singer, while Best Male Singer was taken home by Rochester, NY-born, Taiwan-based Leehom Wang (王力宏, pinyin: Wáng Lìhóng).

In the groups awards, pop duo and perennial winners Yu Quan (羽泉) were named Best Mainland Group, while Singapore's teenage twins By2, won the Hong Kong/Taiwan category. Four-piece folk act Xiao Jun & the Valley Residents (小娟与山谷里的居民) were named Best Band.

Here's a list of the night's major winners:
Best Male Singer (Mainland): Sun Nan
Best Male Singer (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Leehom Wang
Best Female Singer (Mainland): Jane Zhang
Best Female Singer (Taiwan/Hong Kong): René Liu
Favourite Male Singer (Mainland): Jason Zhang
Favourite Male Singer (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Jay Chou
Favourite Female Singer (Mainland): Li Yuchun
Favourite Female Singer (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Karen Mok
Most Popular New Act: Li Wei (李炜)
Most Popular Group (Mainland): Yu Quan
Most Popular Group (Taiwan/Hong Kong): By2
Most Popular Band: Xiao Jun & the Valley Residents
Album of the Year (Mainland): Believe in Jane - Jane Zhang
Album of the Year (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Era - Jay Chou
Best EP: Green Surging - Chen Chusheng ( 陈楚生)
Best Singer-Songwriter (Mainland) - Chen Chusheng
Best Singer-Songwriter (Taiwan/Hong Kong) - JJ Lin (林俊杰)
Best Female Stage Performance: Li Yuchun
Best Male Stage Performance: Wallace Chung ( 钟汉良)
Chinese Music Outstanding Achievement Award (Mainland): Mao Amin ( 毛阿敏)
Chinese Music Outstanding Achievement Award (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Chyi Chin (齐秦)
Annual Media Recommendation Award (Mainland): Man Jiang (满江)
Annual Media Recommendation Award (Taiwan/Hong Kong): Hebe Tien (田馥甄)
Media Recommendation Rock Music Award: Xie Tianxiao (谢天笑)

Annual Golden Songs
'Love of the Hawthorn Tree' Theme Song (山楂花) - Chen Chusheng
If This Is Love (如果这就是爱情) - Jane Zhang

'Love of the Hawthorn Tree' Theme (山楂花) - Shilei Chang
Eastern Fountain (东泉) - Kiki Gema
23 Seconds, 32 Years (23秒，32年) - Shang Wenjie
It's Okay To Be Lonely (寂寞寂寞就好) - Hebe Tien
To My 15-Year Old Self (给十五岁的自己) - René Liu
Happy (痛快) - Sun Nan
Exercises (练习题) - Vivi Jiang
This Is Called Love (这叫爱) - By2
Meet You At The Next Crossing (下个路口见) - Li Yuchun
Honey - Yao Yao
This Is Love (这，就是爱) - Jason Zhang
Chinese Calligraphy (中国字画) - Ji Long
All Because Of Love (只因为爱) - Yao Beina
Fireworks Cool Easily (烟花易冷) - Jay Chou
Missing You (想念式) - Allen Su
Baby (宝贝) - Karen Mok
If There Is An Afterlife (如果有来生) - Tan Weiwei
No Time (没时间) - Milk@Coffee
The Me You See Is Blue (你看到的我是蓝色的) - Li Xiaoyun
Never Mind (没关系) - Kenji Wu
Back To Back (背对背拥抱) - JJ Lin
Left Side Wing (左半边翅膀) - Xu Fei
The Most Beautiful Time (最美的时光) - Man Jiang
Rock Star - MIC Nantuan
Flower Days (那些花开的日子) - Shui Mu Nian Hua
How Wonderful (多好啊)- Yu Quan, Tan Weiwei & Xiao Jun

The full list of award winners can be found here, but in Chinese.

Eight is Lucky for Wilber Pan

American-born singer and rapper Wilber Pan (潘玮柏, pinyin: Pān Wěibó) is the new number one position holder on Taiwan's G Music Album charts with his latest release, 808. It's his eighth studio album, and the number eight also holds special significance for him as he was born in August 1980. With over 26 percent of sales in the first week of its release, 808 was a clear number one for the week 14 to 20 January. According to Pan's record company Universal, the album holds the top spot on eight charts - there's that number 8 again.

First single from the album is called Most Wanted (全面通緝) which with its heavy use of synthesisers has a vaguely retro 80s feel to it. A second single has also been released, a slower tempo dance number called U U U. The album also contains We Are All Afraid of Pain (我们都怕痛), a standard Mandopop ballad. We Are All Afraid of Pain is the theme song from the TV drama Eternally Yours in which Pan co-stars with Sandrine Pinna.

Joey Yung Wins Record 6th JSG Best Singer Award

On 14 January the last of the big four Hong Kong music awards were held, the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation for 2010. Joey Yung (容祖儿, pinyin: Róng Zǔér) won five awards on the night, including her sixth Most Popular Female Singer title. This breaks the previous record of five she had held with the late Anita Mui. Her other awards were Most Popular Commercial Song (绿野仙踪, Wizard of Oz), Most Popular Mandarin Song (信今生爱过, Believe I Loved This Life), as well as a song in the Top Ten Song Awards (破相, Disfigured).

Also in the female category, Miriam Yeung (杨千嬅, pinyin: Yáng Qiānhuà) won the consolation prize of Asia Pacific Most Popular Female Hong Kong Singer. The results were a direct reversal of last year’s, where Yeung won Most Popular Singer and Yung was awarded the Asia Pacific Hong Kong Singer award.

The Most Popular Male Singer award went to Leo Ku (古巨基, pinyin: Gǔ Jùjī), edging out last year’s winner Raymond Lam (林峯 Lin Feng). Again, it was a reversal of last year’s results with Lam picking up the Asia Pacific Most Popular Male Hong Kong Singer award that had been won by Ku in 2009. The results lend credence to the cynical theory that the awards are less about merit and are decided more so as to ensure awards are distributed evenly amongst participating record companies’ lineup of stars.

The Jade Solid Gold Awards were once arguably the most prestigious of Hong Kong’s music awards, but have been tarnished in recent years, and not just by the sometimes quite public negotiating that goes on between record companies and organisers on who gets what award. For the second year in a row, the awards were boycotted by the Big Four record companies – Universal, Sony, Warner and EMI. This explains the absence of the “Awards King” himself, Eason Chan, from any of the prizes. The reasons for the boycott were outlined in my blog post on last year’s awards.

Most Popular Group was awarded to RubberBand, helped by the absence of their main rivals because of the boycott. Janice Vidal (卫兰, pinyin: Wèi Lán) and JW won the Gold Song Gold Award with What Do Men Believe? (男人信什麽). JW was also named Most Popular Newcomer.

The Top Ten Songs were:
Ivana Wong - Song Bird (开笼雀)
Leo Ku - Theme from "No Regrets" 义海豪情
Miriam Yeung - 斗零踭
Raymond Lam - Until You Can No Longer Find Me 直到你找不到我
Andy Hui - Golden Mask (金钟罩)
Joey Yung - Disfigured 《破相》
Janice Vidal & JW - What Do Men Believe? (男人信什麽)
Justin Lo - Love Habit (爱的习惯)
Stephanie Cheng - K歌之后
Charlene Choi - Able To Let Go (放得低)

A full list of award winners can be found here at Kay's Entertainment blog.

Lotus Wang Resumes the No. 1 Position on G Music Charts

Lotus Wang (王彩桦, pinyin: Wáng Cǎihuà) returned to the top of the G Music album charts with her record, 有唱有保庇 (untranslatable into English, so just called BoBee). The album had almost 20 percent of sales for the week 7 to 13 January, marking it’s second time in the top position (it was also number one three weeks ago).

The Taiwanese entertainer is an unlikely pop success story. It comes after 25 years in show business, where she started out singing in dance halls and hotels before moving on to TV hosting and acting. Then last year, at the age of 41 years, she decided to record an album, which must make her one of the oldest artists to release a debut pop record. 2010 turned out to be a year of new beginnings for Wang – she also published her first book in July.

Wang's initial plan was to release a cover of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, but copyright restrictions put paid to that idea. Instead she looked closer to home and Korean girl group T ara, covering their catchy dance tune Bo Peep Bo Peep. Wang’s Taiwanese version, the title track of her album, has proved to be just as infectious as the original. A barrage of promotional appearances in the last month or so helped propel Bobee, with its mix of Taiwanese and Mandarin language songs, to the top position on the music sales chart.

Eason Chan Wins 17 Awards in 10 Days

RTHK, Hong Kong’s public broadcasting company, announced its 33rd annual awards on January 6. The big winner at what is Hong Kong’s longest-running music awards show, was Eason Chan (陈奕迅, pinyin: Chén Yìxùn). He won seven awards, which now brings his tally from the three major Hong Kong music awards held so far to 17 trophies. (The other two are the Metro Awards, announced on December 29, and the Chik Chak Ultimate Song Awards on January 1. The fourth major awards ceremony, the Jade Solid Gold Awards, will be held later this month).

Eason Chan’s awards included Most Outstanding Male Singer, Highest Selling Male Singer, and Most Honoured Gold Song of the Year (Tourbillon). In the Media Recommendation awards he won Male Singer of the Year and Song of the Year. Such has been the 36 year old’s dominance of the Hong Kong music scene over the past few years, that the media have dubbed him the Awards King (奖王).

In the Female category, honours were shared between Joey Yung (容祖儿, pinyin: Róng Zǔér), who won Most Outstanding Female singer, and Sammi Cheng (郑秀文, pinyin: Zhèng Xìuwén). 38 year old Cheng, one of Hong Kong’s richest celebrities, was named Highest Selling Female Singer and won the Media Recommendation Female Singer of the Year. The singer-actress is in phase two of the career, after a brief retirement between 2005 and 2007. The RTHK awards are her first since she won Highest Selling Female Singer back in 2002. Both singers had songs in the Top Ten Golden Songs: Sammi Cheng with Do Not Disturb Love, and Joey Yung with Disfigured. Yung in fact continues her remarkable run of having a song in the RTHK Top Ten every year since 2000.

Rock band Mr. were named Highest Selling Group, while Taiwanese six-piece indie band Sodagreen (苏打绿, pinyin: Sūdá lǜ) were named Best National (as distinct from Local) Group. RubberBand, who had won the group prize at the Clik Clak Awards, were named Most Improved Singers, while another indie group, the Hong Kong duo Sugar Club (糖兄妹, pinyin: Táng Xiōng Mèi) were awarded gold in the Best Newcomer category.

The list of RTHK Top Ten Golden Songs is as follows:
1. Tourbillon (陀飞轮) – Eason Chan
2. Love Habit (爱的习惯) – Justin Lo
3. Disfigured (破相) – Joey Yung
4. Sinner (罪人) – Hacken Lee
5. Space Elevator (天梯) – C All Star
6. Era (时代) – Leo Ku
7. The Overcast After Rain (雨过天阴) – Kay Tse
8. Do Not Disturb Love (不要惊动爱情) – Sammi Cheng
9. Test Love With Body (收身试爱) – Jade Kwan
10. Get Over You – G.E.M

RTHK’s prestigious Golden Needle, a lifetime achievement award, was given to the Taiwan-born, Canadian-raised and Hong Kong-based Sally Yeh (叶蒨文, pinyin: Yè Qiànwén). During the 80s and 90s Yeh was one of Cantopop’s biggest stars, and from 1990 to 1993 won a record four consecutive Most Popular Female Singer prizes at the Jade Solid Gold awards. She also won Best Female Artist at Taiwan’s Golden Melody awards in 1994. Yeh retired from the entertainment industry in the mid-1990s, but made a well-received comeback in 2002. She has also had a moderately successful acting career.

The full list of award winners can be found here.

A Transformed Angie Lee Has G Music's First No 1 Album for 2011

The weekly G Music charts, which measure album sales in Taiwan, show that the first number one album of 2011 goes to the relatively obscure Angie Lee (李爱绮, pinyin: Lǐ Aiqǐ). Her album, No.100 Love Road (恋爱路100号) had 17.84 percent of album sales for the week 31 December to 6 January.

The album is actually her 18th CD (she released her first album way back in 1988 when she was just 12 years old). But up until now the pint-sized singer has had a low profile and is little known outside Taiwan. The new album marks a transformation for the singer. She has changed her name, from her stage name of 李嘉 (Lǐ Jiā) to her birth name, 李爱绮. As part of her makeover she has engaged Jolin's hairstylist, and reportedly had some plastic surgery done. She then displayed the new, improved Angie Lee for all to see in a raunchy music video and bared all in a provocative photoshoot. No doubt that, plus all the promotional weight of a major record label (Warner) behind her, played a part in the strong sales for the album, released on Christmas Eve.

Several big name Taiwanese producers and song-writers have helped out on No.100 Love Road's production. The album, with 10 tracks in all, showcases a variety of musical styles ranging from rock and pop to folk, funk and a bit of hip hop. Several of the songs are sung in the native Taiwanese language, and the rest in Mandarin.

No.100 Love Road just edged out the new release of hip hop bad boy, Edison Chen (陈冠希, pinyin: Chén Guānxī). Chen's album, CONFUSION, his first since the scandal that interrupted his career in 2008 (this post provides some background), retains its position at number 2 on the G Music chart with 15.13 percent of sales.

Chik Chak Ultimate Song Awards Presentation

This blog has recently returned from a six-month break, and it seems nothing has changed in the Hong Kong entertainment scene. While TVB recycles hit television series (see my previous post on 2010’s top rating shows), the same singers continue to dominate Hong Kong’s pop music awards shows.

Joey Yung celebrates - but mind you don't take an eye out with that!

Chik Chak 903 radio station held its Ultimate Song Awards Presentation 2010 on New Year’s Day, and the role of honour was almost identical to 2009’s list of winners. Joey Yung (容祖儿, pinyin: Róng Zǔér) was named Best Female Singer again, collecting the award for a record sixth time. And just like last year, she was toppled by actress/singer Miriam Yeung (杨千嬅, pinyin: Yáng Qiānhuà) in the Favourite Female Singer category. Both singers were also represented on Chik Chak’s Top Ten Songs of 2010: Joey Yung was at number 4 with Peach Blossom Adventure, and Miriam Yeung had the number 10 song, I Am I.

Eason Chan (陈奕迅, pinyin: Chén Yìxùn) continues to dominate the male section of Hong Kong singing awards. He repeated his success in 2009 to be named Best Male singer, and took home a total of five awards. He was also named Favourite Male Singer, had Album of the Year (Time Flies, 时日如飞) and Favourite Song (Tourbillon). Tourbillon was also on the list of Chik Chak’s Top Ten Songs.

There was a slight changing of the guard in the Groups category. Hip hop duo FAMA (农夫, pinyin: Nóng Fū) edged out last year’s winners RubberBand for the Best Group award, while RubberBand had to settle for Favourite Group award. RubberBand also had the number 1 song on the Chik Chak Top 10 with SimpleLoveSong. The 2009 winner of Favourite Group, Mr., didn’t go home empty-handed. Their song Black and White Fanatic was ranked number 2 in the Top 10 songs.

The Top 10 Songs of 2010 were:
1. RubberBand - Simple Love Song
2. Mr. - Black & White Fanatic (黑色狂迷)
3. Kay Tse - Fragile (脆弱)
4. Joey Yung - Peach Blossom Adventure (桃色冒险)
5. Eason Chan - Tourbillon (陀飞轮)
6. Pakho Chau - Homeless Prince (乞丐王子)
7. Endy Chow - Sometimes (有时)
8. Leo Ku - Era (时代)
9. Andy Hui - Forget Cannot Forget (忘了　忘不了)
10. Miriam Yeung - I Am I (我係我)

A full list of winners can be found here at the Kay's Entertainment site.

A-Mei Sweeps Golden Melody Awards

Taiwan's premier music awards night, the Golden Melody Awards (金曲奖), were held on the weekend, and A-Mei (阿妹) was the evening's most successful artist. The "Pride of Taiwan" was named Best Female Mandarin Singer, and she also won Song of the Year and Best Mandarin Album for Amit. Amit, released almost exactly a year ago, also won awards for Best Lyricist, Best Arranger and Best Producer.

It's the second time A-Mei, also known as Zhāng Huì Mèi (张惠妹), has won the major Golden Melody Award; she was named Best Female Singer back in 2002. The sometimes controversial, sometimes cutting edge A-Mei is a regular nominee at the Golden Melody Awards. This year she was a clear favourite going into the ceremony, with the most number of nominations - ten. Her Amit album, more rock-oriented than previous offerings, had already been one of the winners at Hong Kong's Metro Mandarin Awards last year.

In the Male category, David Tao (陶喆; pinyin: Táo Zhé) finally broke a long drought to win Best Male Mandarin Singer, after been nominated eight times in the past. Regarded as a pioneer of Taiwanese R&B, the 40 year-old veteran was born into a show business family. He grew up in Hong Kong and the United States, and first entered the music world as a songwriter for other artists. Tao released his self-titled debut album in 1997 and was named Best Newcomer that year. Subsequent album releases were irregular, and last year he released just his sixth studio album, Opus 69. Ironically, Opus 69 is regarded by critics and fans alike as one of his weaker efforts, so this year's Golden Melody award is probably more in recognition of his overall career.

Best Mandarin Band Award went to 1976, indie rockers now in their fifteen year of playing their Britpop influenced tunes. Hip hop band Da Xi Men (大囍门) were named Best Vocal Group. A special Judges' award was given to the four members of Taiwan super group Super Band (纵贯线): Luo Dayou, Zhou Huajian, Jonathan Lee and Zhang Zhenyue - all legends of the Taiwan music scene.

A full list of winners can be found here.

Zhou Bichang Topping Album and Singles Charts

Former Super Girl runner-up Zhou Bichang (周筆暢, also known as Bibi Chou) is the new number one this week on the G Music album charts with her latest album, i魚光鏡. Hopefully the album has an English title that is less odd-sounding than the literal translation, i fish light mirror, though I haven't come across it yet. i fish light mirror is the fifth studio album Zhou has released in the five years since she came second in the very first Super Girl TV singing competition, narrowly losing to Li Yuchun.

Born in Changsha in the central province of Hunan in 1985, she is the first mainlander to have a top-selling album in Taiwan since...well, ages. The reluctant superstar - immediately after the Super Girl contest made her a household name she took a break from singing to return to college - is known for her distinctive R&B vocal style. Another trademark was her tomboyish looks, but judging by the various covers of her latest album it looks like she's traded the anti-idol appearance for a more glamourous one.

Zhou Bichang is also enjoying success with her most recent single, a duet with Han Geng (韩庚) member of Korean boy band Super Junior and their Mandopop offshoots, Super Junior-M. The single, Having Me As Luck (亚运有我精彩之吉) is the theme song for the upcoming Asian Games, and according to reports has reached number one on the charts of at least 20 mainland radio stations, setting new records in the process. A translation of the Chinese-language report can be found at this Super Junior fan blog. The duet may be a first, transitory step towards a solo career for Han Geng, who is disgruntled with Super Junior's record company and is wanting out from his contract.

Amber Kuo Ends the Jay Chou Era at the Top

Twenty-four year-old Taiwan singer Amber Kuo (郭采洁, pinyin: Guō Cǎijié) is making a habit of out-selling Mandopop superstars. One year ago, her album i amber displaced Jolin Tsai's Butterfly from the top position on the G Music album charts. Now her latest album Sparklers (烟火, pinyin: Yānhuǒ) has knocked off Jay Chou's The Era from the top, going straight to number one in its first week of release.

For Jay Chou, it had been a surprisingly modest reign at the top of the album charts - just three weeks at number one. Although Jay won't be crying poor just yet - The Era set records for pre-order sales in Hong Kong for example - his time at the top doesn't compare so favourably to some other stars. Earlier this year, Jay Chou's great rival Show Luo spent an amazing 10 weeks at number one with Rashomon. Even the Butterfly album released last year by Jay's ex, Jolin, had a reign twice as long at six weeks.

Sparklers is just the third album by Amber Kuo. Stand-out tracks are the title track and first single, the up-tempo Cartoon Life (卡通人生getting a lot of TV airplay courtesy of the car ad in which it features), and the power ballad No Meddling (不过问).

Besides her promising singing career, Kuo's acting ventures are also progressing nicely. She recently starred in the award-winning romantic comedy Au Revoir Taipei, and last year was seen in the TTV romance series, The Happy Times of That Year. And if her singing and acting careers were to suddenly and unexpectedly collapse, she could always turn to social work. She majored in the field at the National Taipei University, graduating in 2008.