Taiwan-based Malaysian singer Fish Leong has had a tough year.

Last September, the 42-year-old divorced Taiwanese wine merchant Tony Chao after nine years of marriage and shortly after that, she released her 13th studio album, The Sun Also Rises. The record included heart-wrenching tracks such as ‘How Am I’ and ‘Slow To Cool Down’, which listeners assumed were about her split.

In August, it was revealed that Fish was nominated for Best Female Vocalist (Mandarin) at the Golden Melody Awards. It was her sixth nomination in her 21 years of being in showbiz and many hoped that she would finally be victorious. Alas, she would go home empty-handed again at the ceremony on October 3, with Taiwanese singer Waa Wei beating her to the award.

It seems Fish also thought she had a good chance of winning. She revealed on Instagram that she had an acceptance speech all typed out, even uploading a snap of the note. “I was eventually unable to fulfill my dream even with this cheat sheet in my hands. I wanted to start off my speech by saying, ‘I’m really happy to finally stand on this stage. For the past 20 years, a lot of my showbiz friends have received this Golden Melody Award. I’m the last one. Finally.’ I thought I could start off my speech with this…”

A careful read-through of the note also showed that she would also have said: “The bad things that happen to you in life are just a phase. Tonight, I want to honour every strong independent woman. I’d like us to cheer for each other and give each other a tight hug.”

Fish has since deleted the post.

In an interview prior to the awards, Fish admitted that she was so moved by her nomination that she cried. “This is the sixth time that I’m nominated. It’s not possible for me to not take this seriously, she said.

Fans have since left her encouraging comments on social media, sharing tales of how her music has inspired and helped them over the years.

Photos: PBE Media

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