Taiwanese Singer Chen Shuhua, Who Disappeared From Showbiz 24 Years Ago, Used To Get So Nervous Before Performing She Couldn’t Stop Shaking
Veteran singer-songwriter Luo Ta Yu recently revealed that Shuhua’s anxiety was so severe, she needed her mum by her side to calm her nerves.
Last weekend, Taiwanese singer Julia Peng, 49, held a concert performing rearranged versions of Taiwanese singer-songwriter Lu Ta Yu’s works.
At a post-concert event, Julia took the opportunity to jokingly ask Ta Yu, 67, why he “wrote so many songs for [Taiwanese singer] Chen Shuhua” back in the day.
For those too young to remember, Chen Shuhua, or Sarah Chen, was one of the most popular singers in the late '80s and '90s.
Readers of a certain vintage would definitely remember her iconic hits like ‘Is it Right to Love You?’ and, of course, ‘Awakening Dream’.
Shuhua, who is now 63, also sang the theme song to the classic 1986 SBC drama Samsui Women.
However, she retired from showbiz in 1998, and has not appeared in the public eye since.
Shuhua was named Best Female Singer at Taiwan's Golden Melody Award in 1991 and 1996
From left to right: Ta Yu, Julia, and Taiwanese conductor Chien Wen Pin
But back to Julia's question to Ta Yu.
The latter first revealed that he only wrote two songs for Shuhua at the beginning. Their most popular collaboration would probably be the song ‘Red Dust', the theme song of the 1990 Hongkong movie of the same name.
He also recalled that he once performed at the Golden Melody Awards with Shuhua. At that time, she was so nervous, she couldn't stop shaking. As a result, their record label requested for Ta Yu to collaborate with Shuhua more to ease her nerves, which was why he wrote more songs for her after that.
Shuhua and her mum
Ta Yu then added that Shuhua relied on her mother to calm her nerves before her performances.
According to reports, Shuhua was especially close to her mother, who also acted as her agent. The two of them were virtually inseparable, and the singer would bring her mother along wherever she went, be it shopping with friends, or even for televised interviews.
However, Shuhua’s mother passed away unexpectedly in 1998, after slipping and falling at home. The singer was devastated by her mum’s sudden passing, and retired soon after.
Photos: iNEWS, 陳淑樺 Sarah Chen/YouTube, Sinchew Daily
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