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Mandopop: Could the next Jay Chou come from China?

I love hate-watching The Voice Of China (VOC).

I love hate-watching The Voice Of China (VOC).

To be fair, the reality singing competition is superbly entertaining and has produced some real singing talents. But, sometimes, I simply cannot decide if the television show sets out to test the extent of its contestants’ vocal talents, their families’ ability to sob dramatically in front of the camera or the number of different “I am impressed” faces the judges can muster.

Still, there is no denying the show’s immense popularity. VOC reportedly garners an average viewership of seven million per episode and more than 70 million viewers online. That is a whole lot of people.

And it is the quality and sheer reach of such music programmes that has convinced Singaporean composer Lee Wei Song that Beijing is the place to be — at least for Mandopop musicians.

“We went to China very early on because our team believed it was a very good opportunity. We saw that it was a place that would slowly grow — that is why I was sent there,” Lee said. He spends about three weeks a month in Beijing, shuttling between Wise Entertainment, which he set up with his twin brother Lee Si Song, his apartment at Dong Si Huan in the relatively fashionable Chaoyang District, as well as numerous press and fashion events.

“I saw it grow slowly. And later, more and more people moved to Beijing, too, so I no longer felt lonely and I didn’t want to come home anymore. It’s a great place for musicians — there are many opportunities for us to use our talents.”

 

HELLO BEIJING

 

Lee may be on to something. In the past decade, China has seen a meteoric rise both in the quality and quantity of its entertainers. Once a country whose singers, such as Na Ying and Faye Wong, had to seek their fortunes abroad in cities such as Taipei and Hong Kong, China is now attracting increasing numbers of aspiring musicians and singers who see Beijing as a launch pad for their music careers. Popular singing reality television shows such as VOC, I Am A Singer and Sing My Song have successfully launched and re-launched the careers of China’s Momo Wu and Li Dai Mo, Singapore’s Ng Ling Kai, Hong Kong’s G.E.M. and even Malaysia’s Shila Amzah.

“China is definitely a power to reckon with right now and you cannot deny it. You do feel the rise of Chinese music,” said Tanya Chua, who is based in Taipei where she began her Mandarin singing career seven years ago. “It’s not really there yet, but I’m telling everyone — blink and China will be there.”

Unfortunately, the rise of China spells bad news for Taiwan, arguably, the current hub of Mandopop.

“You do feel a slump coming in Taiwan,” said Chua. “If anything, one good indication is that the last time we had someone who became a huge name was Jay Chou — everybody could tell that this guy was going to be a star. But we haven’t had that for a very, very long time.

“Yes, we have some newcomers. But they don’t seem to stand the test of time for some reason. You don’t feel the influence of their music. It also has to do with social media and how the media is working right now. People just go for new things and don’t stick around anymore. At the same time, there are so many singing competitions around, but you don’t have enough songs to support them,” said Chua, who was also a judge on Sing My Song.

Taiwanese singer Jia Jia agreed: “Maybe (Taiwan is) not doing very well at the moment because people haven’t been differentiating themselves enough. The styles of music are too similar. There are too many singing competitions and it’s a source of stress for existing singers. Sometimes you can’t tell which singer is which.”

 

HURDLES

 

As the Mandarin pop music industry sits on the cusp of a new age, however, China has a few hurdles to overcome before it can take the lead. The first and most important one is getting people to pay for music.

This year’s report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), showed that China is a market of huge potential that is stifled by piracy. With last year’s revenues estimated at US$81 million (S$103 million), it ranks only 20th in the world. Revenue per capita is a measly US$0.10 compared with Japan’s US$34.70.

China also needs to find ways to groom performers with a unique sound, who have international appeal and can stand the test of time.

“What does a singer need before he can become an Asian superstar? Besides talent, he also needs packaging before he can have market value,” argued Shen Kuang Yuan, founder of Spring Wave, Taiwan’s largest Mandopop outdoor music festival. “There aren’t that many mainland Chinese singers who have influence outside China, in Asia or in territories with Chinese people. In Taiwan, we have big acts such as A-mei, Jam Hsiao, Mayday and Jay Chou.”

He added: “Perhaps the only Chinese artiste I would think of inviting to Spring Wave is Na Ying. If I were to invite Na Ying to Singapore, Taiwan or Macau, for example, she would have an audience. But it’s difficult to find other Chinese artistes like her who have international appeal.”

But there is much to be optimistic about. IFPI said record companies have begun working with China’s major online music services — some of them previously infringing on copyright — to tap into China’s 618-million strong Internet population. Industry professionals also believe it is only a matter of time before China is equipped with the right skills and marketing know-how to create their own stable of international superstars.

Until then, I will just have to grit my teeth and bear with the theatrics as I watch out for new talent on The Voice Of China. Who knows? That fresh-faced student contestant might just be Mandopop’s next Jay Chou.

 

Catch the latest season of The Voice Of China on Saturdays at 7pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

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