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Wakin Chau changes things up

SINGAPORE — Even an old hand like Wakin Chau isn’t immune to stage fright. The maestro of Mandarin ballads confessed to being overwhelmed by nerves during his live performance at the recent ComChest Care Share Charity Show 2014, during which he flubbed the lyrics to three of his classic hits.

SINGAPORE — Even an old hand like Wakin Chau isn’t immune to stage fright. The maestro of Mandarin ballads confessed to being overwhelmed by nerves during his live performance at the recent ComChest Care Share Charity Show 2014, during which he flubbed the lyrics to three of his classic hits.

“I’ve been singing Hua Xin for 22 years, Peng You for 17 years and Ai Xiang Sui for 18 years. I’ve sung these songs 2,000 times. That night, I forgot the lyrics to all three,” Chau said sheepishly on Tuesday. “The fact of the matter was that my mind was very troubled — I was trying to think of how I could persuade people to donate money in an easygoing kind of way. Later, I said, ‘Next time, don’t ask me to sing. Can I just talk?’ But maybe the effect wouldn’t be the same — people still want to see me forget lyrics!”

But it’s precisely because he has been singing the same evergreen songs for two decades, with more than 40 albums to his name, that he needs fresh projects to occupy his mind. “Doing pop songs, I often get frustrated, saying, ‘Who would want to listen to sweet nothings from someone of my age?’” he confessed, laughing.

And so, with his latest album, Jiang Hu, Chau pretty much went and did a Sting. The album is a collaboration with Taiwanese writer Chang Ta Chun, whose lyrics are so classically dense that Chau himself confessed to having a hard time understanding them.

“That album was really difficult to make. It’s also not easy to understand or accept. ‘What are you doing, Wakin?’ There were a lot of questions and even people speculating that I was about to retire. But it was a rare opportunity. If I hadn’t had the determination or confidence, or if I hadn’t wanted to challenge myself, this album might not have been done. Making it gave me a huge sense of achievement. No matter how difficult, I gained something in life. I respect my work and my music career. Finishing it was something I did for myself,” he said.

That’s why he didn’t mind losing the Best Male Mandarin Singer trophy at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards to Singapore’s JJ Lin a month ago. “Just seeing JJ Lin’s dimples, I don’t feel like beating him,” Chau quipped.

Our burning question for him was: Has he ever thought about changing his hair? “Sure. I’m open to that,” he chuckled. “Next year, for my concert, I’ve ordered some wigs. I’m not kidding! I’m not sure what hairstyle I’d like to try. I usually give my stylist a lot of instructions on how to do my hair, but at the end of the day, it still looks the same! Actually, to be honest, I ought to change it. (But) before I leave the house, I don’t feel confident unless I give it a bit of a blow-dry.”

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