Taiwanese singer Tarcy Su may be known for her catchy '90s Mandopop tunes like ‘Lemon Tree’, ‘Duck’, and ‘The Fool’, but behind her success lies hardship and struggles.

In an interview with Apple Daily, the 49-year-old star, who celebrates her 30th anniversary in showbiz this year, opened up about her days as a singer and how it took a toll on her health. Looking back, she said she was working round the clock, and hardly had any time to rest. In fact, things were so bad that one night, just before a promotional event in Hongkong, she found herself breaking down in front of her wardrobe.

The stress did not just affect her emotionally, but physically.

“I felt like a robot. I couldn't think. One day, when I was doing my make-up, I realised I couldn’t move the left side of my face,” recalled Tarcy, who turns 50 in October.

The mother-of-one revealed that she became a singer solely for her love of singing and didn’t think much about being an artiste. She wasn't ambitious and just followed the arrangements her record label had planned for her.

However, her popularity and workload surged following the release of the three hits in the mid-'90s, and Tarcy found herself frequently shuttling between Hongkong and Taiwan. Describing herself as “a zombie who was being pushed by work”, she was so overwhelmed that she lost all direction in life.

In 2014, Tarcy married her boyfriend, businessman Jimmy Sun, and gave birth to a son the following year. She gradually cut back on work to spend more time with her family. It was only last year, when her son started attending school, that Tarcy decided to make a comeback.

“I returned to music 'cos I just wanted to do something. But somehow I kept doing more and now I'm even holding a concert,” quipped Tarcy, referring to her 30th anniversary concert in Taipei in September.

Fans who are hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer’s five-year-old son at her show shouldn't get their hopes up. The self-professed Tiger mum says the boy is too playful and active and she's afraid that he will not be able to sit still during the concert. Furthermore, he thinks her songs are “bad”.

Last year, there was speculation that Tarcy’s marriage was in trouble after her husband allegedly went on a drunken rant about her. When asked about the rumours, Tarcy just laughed it off, saying: “He doesn’t even drink!”

Photos: Tarcy Su Facebook, Udn