Best Female Mandarin Singer is the most hotly-contested category for the Golden Melody Awards every year, and 2020 is no different. Compared to the Male Mandarin Singer category, the eventual winner among female artists is still a toss-up. There are too many different factors that can come into play, and the albums nominated this year are all outstanding.
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王若琳 Joanna Wang -《愛的呼喚》“Love is Calling Me”
It’s hard to believe this is Joanna Wang’s eleventh studio album. It didn’t seem so long ago when we were all captivated by her soulful voice in her remarkable debut album “Start from Here” in 2008. The daughter of renowned Mandopop producer 王治平 Bing Wang (Wang Zhiping), Joanna has inherited the musical talent, but has veered off in a very different direction. Eschewing the mainstream leanings of her father, she is now known for releasing alternative music like “The Adventures of Bernie the Schoolboy”.
《愛的呼喚》, however, is much more palatable to mainstream music listeners than her previous works. The album consists of covers of Mandarin, Japanese and Cantonese pop songs popular from the 1960s through the 1980s, but reinterpreted through Joanna’s ethereal crooning. The entire album has the feel of a noir film, with her haunting voice adding to that atmosphere. According to Joanna, she wanted her album to be a “horror interpretation” of these classics, and thus had the album cover designed to show monsters and oddities. Theresa Teng is not down with this.
But trust Joanna to see the concept through, with the album sounding like it was recorded on a retro voice recorder. It is a wonderful reinterpretation of these pop classics, and one cannot deny the impeccable instrumentality in each song. Highlights include her cover of Teresa Teng’s 《奈何》 (“Helpless”), which has been covered before by countless Mandopop legends like Sylvia Chiang, Liu Wen-Cheng and Feng Fei-Fei, but still sounds refreshing when Joanna puts a country spin to it.
Another worthy cover is《魅せられて》(the Japanese version of “Love is Calling Me”). One has to watch the music video to truly grasp Joanna’s vision for this album: a retro-low budget science fiction film replete with a spacewoman eating cup noodles in space.
It is clear that after releasing her mainstream debut album “Start From Her” that catapulted her to fame—and which she greatly resisted—Joanna is now firmly in the artsy-weird territory of music. It’s good that she’s doing what she enjoys, but my guess is that it is too alternative to bag her an award at the GMA. Moreover, cover albums have a bad track record at the GMA, which is unlikely to change this year.
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梁静茹 Fish Leong -《我好嗎？— 太陽如常升起》“The Sun Also Rises”
Oh Fish, oh Fish … my heart aches for the perennial non-winner at the GMA. After being nominated six times for the Best Mandarin Female Singer without a win, she is back to try again with her seventh nomination。 The Sun Also Rises is her 13th studio album, released shortly after she announced her divorce from her husband of nine years after allegations he had cheated. This makes for a very personal album that fleshes out the bruises and warts of a deteriorating relationship. Songs that wallow in the throes of heartbreak are Fish Leong’s forte, and this album’s two hit singles 《我好嗎》(“How Am I”) and 《慢冷》(“Slow to Cool Down”) are just that.
It is quite clear her record label is trying its hardest to make this a GMA-friendly album. Fish Leong doesn’t write her own songs, which already puts her at a disadvantage, considering the GMA’s preference for singer-songwriters. Leong’s producers have made up for this by bringing on board a formidable crew of producers and songwriters to tailor-make the album for her, while retaining her long-time musical partner Tiger Chung to helm the ship.
The result is somewhat formulaic of every Fish Leong album, consisting of a few mega-hit love songs, followed by some light-hearted songs for easy listening, making this probably the most marketable out of all the albums nominated in this category.
In recent years, Fish has been stuck in an awkward position of deciding between giving some surprises in her albums to suit the GMA’s tendency to reward musical breakthroughs, or to continue making the love songs that her fanbase (and pretty much everyone else) likes to hear. After her experiment with a pixie-cut and ballad-rock in the 2010 album 《情歌没有告訴你》“What Love Songs Didn’t Tell You”, which still did not garner any GMA nomination, it seems Fish Leong is falling back on the tried-and-tested method of her earlier albums.
It is also noteworthy that despite releasing a trio of albums since 2009, she has not received GMA nominations for any one of those. The resulting pressure for her to win a Best Female Singer GMA results in critics inextricably linking every album release with the next GMA cycle, contemplating the likelihood that the new work will finally win the award for her.
Fish Leong’s position in the Mandopop world is widely recognized and few would doubt her claim to being the Queen of Love Songs. In a musical career that spans over two decades, she has sung countless popular love songs that have comforted many a broken heart. At this point, Fish doesn’t need a GMA to prove anything—but the truth is Leong does want to win one of the coveted honors. She was left in tears after losing the award in 2007 to Tanya Chua, and has publicly mentioned that she thinks the GMA Jury has overlooked her, making it all the more heartbreaking for fans who have supported her through the years.
Leong is currently the record-holder for the most nominations without a win in both the female and male singer categories. Her perennial inability to clinch the award has become a running gag, with the GMA producers actually compiling a video montage of Leong hugging her fellow nominees as the results are announced, from all the past years that she didn’t win. This video was shown as a comedic segment at one year’s award show—talk about insensitivity.
Leong has released some excellent albums in the past, especially during the 2004-2007 era, when the powerhouse Love trilogy albums 《燕尾蝶》“Wings of Love”,《絲路》“Silk Road of Love”,《親親》“Kissing the Future of Love”, and then 《崇拜》“J’Adore” were released one year after the other. It is just unfortunate that every time she appears close to winning Best Mandarin Female Singer, another artist releases an exceptional masterpiece and steals the award from her. In 2003, Leong’s 《美麗人生》“Beautiful” had to fight with Mandopop legend Faye Wong’s 《將愛》“To Love”. Wong aannounced it was to be her last album, and the GMA jury knew they’d better give her an award, or there would be no chance to do so in the future. Because of this, Leong lost out to Faye by one vote in the second round of voting.
In 2006, Leong’s 《絲路》“Silk Road of Love” was blocked by Tanya Chua’s 《雙棲動物》after four intense rounds of voting, though to be fair, even if Tanya had not eventually triumphed, the award still wouldn’t have gone to Leong. The competition that year also featured Cheer Chen’s career-defining 《華麗的冒險》(“Adventure”) and Penny Tai’s 《愛瘋了》(“Crazy Love”) also nominated.
The closest Fish ever got to a Golden Melody title was probably in 2008 with her album 《崇拜》“J’Adore”—my personal favorite—but lost out again, fairly and squarely, to Tanya Chua’s monumental “Goodbye And Hello” album—my favourite album of all time.
My sense is that this latest album isn’t Leong’s best, but just might clinch her the award, considering GMA’s practice of rewarding singers late in their career for their subpar albums, after their earlier, better works were nominated, but not awarded. See David Tao’s 2010 win for 《六九樂章 Zero to Hero》“Opus 69” after six previous nominations, and Khalil Fong’s 2017 win for 《JTW 西遊記》“Journey to the West” after five previous nominations.
Leong’s voice does seem to be getting more strained with age, so the GMA better give her an award now before it gets too obvious in the future that it’s just a consolation prize!
Stand out songs from this album, apart from the two hits mentioned above, include 《子非魚》“Non-Fish” and 《如愛所願》“With Where the Love Goes”.
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鄧紫棋( G.E.M) – 《摩天動物園》“City Zoo”
Mandopop wunderkind G.E.M shines in her seventh studio album and second nomination in this category with the album 《摩天動物園》“City Zoo”. This is her first album since her public falling out with her previous manager and record label, and the album paints the anarchic, dog-eat-dog world of the music industry as a zoo, with people no better than animals.
For a 29-year old singer to so publicly criticise her former boss and music label, without any impact on her career, bears testimony to the power and fame she has accrued in the industry. She’s Asia’s answer to Taylor Swift: young female singer-songwriters mired in disputes with their former bosses, but still emerging unscathed.
Apart from being an undisputed power belter, G.E.M has already shown her ability to write songs that can take over radio airwaves, as seen by her long list of hits. Now free from the shackles of her old record label, this is G.E.M’s first time producing, writing, and deciding the creative direction of an entire album, and it is a commendable effort.
This album deals with a diverse range of themes, including depression in “Fly Away” and her gratitude to her mum in 《螢火》(“Mama”). This album was produced to fully showcase G.E.M’s repertoire of talent, with her taking on the role of songwriter, lyricist, rapper, EDM deejay. G.E.M. looks set to be a formidable force in Mandopop for years to come.
Recommended tracks include 《透明》(“Selfless”),《差不多姑娘》(“Miss Similar”) where she shows off her rapping, and《句號》(“Full Stop”) where she calls out her ex-boss for betraying her trust. However, her duet with the Mandopop prince Eric Chou on《别勉强》(“Don’t Force It”) was disappointing—I had expected more from this power pairing.
The time still does not seem ripe for G.E.M to win this award. She is too young, and her music too mainstream. With only two nominations so far, she will need to work for a few more years before she will be considered a serious contender. In this way, the GMAs differ from the Grammys, which won’t hesitate to anoint young prodigies. In contrast, the GMAs in recent years have preferred to reward nominees who deliver a string of musically excellent albums before bestowing the highest laurels upon them.
The current political climate might put G.E.M at a slight disadvantage: out of all the nominees, she may be perceived as the friendliest to China, considering her active participation in variety shows broadcast by PRC state television. If given a choice between Hong Kong-based G.E.M, and nominees like Waa Wei and Peggy Hsu, the GMA’s might skip any controversy by leaning towards the latter.
Only one PRC-based singer, Na Ying, has ever one a GMA, for Best Female Mandarin Singer in 2001. The rest of the award winners have come from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, testifying to the musical strength of the larger Sinosphere.
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許哲珮 (Peggy Hsu ) -《失物之城》“Hypnocity”
Every time I see the name Peggy Hsu, I visualize an old Caucasian lady living in the Deep South—sweet and welcoming, but harbouring deep-seated racist beliefs. Her name is Peggy-Sue. Inadvertent fictional characters aside, I don’t think I’ll ever get Peggy Hsu and her music—it always delivers a whimsical, fairy-tale sound that bores me to no end. Peggy’s album 《失物之城》(“Hypnocity”) centres around tapping into past lives and memories, and is built on Peggy’s other interest as a hypnotist. Apparently the stories she sings about in her album are all true. The melody and lyrics are penned by Hsu herself.
My main issue with Peggy’s music is that all her song sound the same, remaining relatively unchanged from all her past few albums. It accords her with a strong signature style, but it is getting quite repetitive. This style was perhaps most obvious in her 《奇幻精品店》“Magical Shop” album, though she did try to inject more electronic sounds into her last critically-acclaimed album 《搖擺電力公司》“Swing, Inc”。
Hypnocity does incorporate a huge range of musical instruments, such as harmonica in 《石板畫家之死》“Death of a Slate Painter”, violins in 《垂死天鵝》“The Dying Swan”, and what sounds like a shakuhachi—an ancient bamboo flute—in the Japanese-inspired 《戰》“Ikusa”. Other than a few lively refrains, most of the album consists of slow songs, all in the minor key. Fans may appreciate the story-telling element of her songs, but if I wanted that, I would download an audiobook. I found this latest effort unremarkable, and was quite bored listening to it. There may be people out there who appreciate this kind of music—but it ain’t me. The only song that I had any memory of by the end of the album is 《在没有你的城市晚安》“In the City Without You, Goodnight”.
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楊乃文 Faith Yang – 《越美麗越看不見》“The More Beautiful, The More Invisible”
Faith Yang Nai Wen—an irreplaceable voice in Mandopop—is Asia’s answer to Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. Yang is one of the best rockers in Mandopop, and has carved out a distinct niche in the market with her strong, emotive voice. During her appearance on the show, “The Masked Singer” a few years ago, guests pretended they could not recognize which artist was under the mask. The things people will do to hear Faith Yang sing even more!
As a singer hovering between the boundaries of mainstream and indie-pop, Faith has always been seen as an “other” in the music scene, and she fully embraces this identity of hers in her latest album. The songs explore what it means to be part of the “counterculture” and to be labelled as “going against the grain.” Like Fish Leong, Faith is not a songwriter, so her record label has gathered some of the top music talents in Mandopop to write and produce the songs for her, including Lala Hsu, Weibird Wei, Xiao Yu, and Guo Ding. The album marries various musical styles, including her usual rock, to the beautifully heart wrenching love ballad 《路痴》“Disoriented”, Europop in “Body Sing”, and a moving duet with singer-songwriter 許鈞 Xu Jun in 《不再》“Never Again”. In her distinct voice, the mood is consistent throughout the album—generally a slow, introspective affair.
Yang grew up in Sydney, Australia, and studied biology and genetics at the University of Sydney. Her earlier music was very much influenced by Australian pop-rock, and among this year’s nominees, she is the only previous winner for Best Mandarin Female Singer, in 2000 for her sophomore album “Silence.” (A bit of an anomalous year for the GMAs where Puyuma singer Pur-dur 陳建年 won for his debut, 海洋.)
However, ever since her record label switched to Asiamuse Entertainment, she has taken on more ballad-driven songs, especially notable in the 2013 album “Zero” and reaching its peak in 2016’s 《离心力》“Centrifugal Force”. That continues in this newest offering, The More Beautiful, The More Invisible. Perhaps this late-career trend represents her mellowing with age, or just as a likely, a recognition that ballads still reign supreme in Mandopop.
Other excellent songs on this album—apart from 《路痴》and 《不再》—include 《妄想》“LaDiDa”, written by Lala Hsu; and《如今》“Til’ Now.” Of all six albums by the nominated artists, Yang’s is my favorite, although I am not sure about her chances of bagging another award this time around.
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魏如萱 (Waa Wei) – 《藏著並不等於遺忘》(“Hidden, Not Forgotten”)
Indie darling and awards favorite Waa Wei returns with her sixth album. Waa is a familiar presence at the Golden Melody ceremonies: out of her past six solo albums, she has gotten nominations in the Best Mandarin Female singer for four of them. That’s not even counting her four nominations as part of the band 自然捲 (Natural Q). But with no wins in any categories as of yet, many are counting on this album to clinch the GMA for her. Of course, Wei is up against Fish Leong sobbing for an award in the other corner, with her six unrequited nominations.
Waa Wei is a singer, actress, mother, and also a DJ—she sometimes sings for listeners during her radio show. Waa’s voice has an incredible ability to soothe, and over the years, I have gained a greater appreciation for her singing, especially since her last album 《末路狂花》(“Run! Frantic Flowers!”).
Hidden, Not Forgotten is a rollercoaster of emotions, though no single theme links the pieces. There is the relaxing “Don’t Cry Don’t Cry” for her daughter, which transitions to the dramatic “Ophelia”, then jumps to the schizophrenic 《恐慌症》“Panic Attack”). In more inexperienced hands, the album would have been all over the place, but Waa still manages to present them as a coherent album.
The album is packed with songs that show off Waa’s vocals, making it a serious contender for the Best Mandarin Female Singer award. Some of the songs like 《兒歌》“A Song for my Son and《竊笑》“Stolen Smile” escape me, but I absolutely adore the songs that are written by Waa herself, like “Don’t Cry Don’t Cry”, 《陪著你》“Be There For You”, a song about mental health and 《彼個所在》“Heaven”. The music video for 《彼個所在》is highly recommended; it so well-directed, I tear up every time I watch it.
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Predictions
Who will win: 梁静茹 (Fish Leong) – 《我好嗎？－太陽如常升起》“The Sun Also Rises“
It’s a toss-up between Fish Leong and Waa Wei. Will the Golden Melody jury lean towards mainstream acceptance or continue its indie slant? I suspect Fish will win the award, simply because she’s endured six nominations without a single win, and the jury can’t be so heartless as to nominate her again, only to let the award slip from her grasp. The GMAs have a record of being compassionate to perennial nominees, and a snub this year might poison the ceremony’s relationship with Leong forever. She won’t be releasing many more albums—the strain in her voice is starting to become apparent—so the GMA might see this as the last chance to recognize her place in the Mandopop world. They’ll be rewarding her for an album that is not her best work, but is certainly above-average.
Who should win: 魏如萱 (Waa Wei) – 《藏著並不等於遺忘》(“Hidden, Not Forgotten”)
Based on vocals and artistic value, Waa should win, and might just eke out a victory if the Golden Melody Awards continue their recent indie inclinations. After all, Waa is also a long-time nominee. However unfairly, one factor counting against her is that she is still in her prime, and likely to produce more high-quality albums going forward. The GMAs can still bide their time in giving her the top honor.
Who I Want to Win: 楊乃文 Faith Yang – 《越美麗越看不見》(“The More Beautiful, The More Invisible”). My favourite album and favourite voice out of the six contenders.
Notable exclusions: 陳珊妮 Sandee Chan – “Juvenile A”
Nominated for both the Best Mandarin Album and Best Album category, Sandee was not nominated for Best Mandarin Female Singer. This intelligent, relevant, and important album defies listeners’ expectations, and shows how much farther Chan can push herself.
A Spotify playlist of the songs mentioned above can be accessed here. Be sure to check out Ketagalan Media’s assessment of the Best Male Mandarin Singers category.
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- New Wave Mandarin City-Folk: Leon Zheng’s Museum of Tears - December 22, 2020
- Golden Melody Awards 2020 – Best Mandarin Album - October 2, 2020
- Predictions for Golden Melody Awards 2020 – Best Female Mandarin Singer - September 30, 2020