Veteran Taiwanese singer Yu Tian, 68, values health above wealth after he and his daughter were recently plagued by medical conditions.

He underwent emergency surgery after complications arose from an inflammation of his right eye in August, while his second daughter Yu Yuan-chi, 31, has colorectal cancer.

"We had never expected my second daughter to be diagnosed with cancer. She's getting better. I hurt my eye after falling off my bed earlier this year," he says in Mandarin, sounding sombre during a recent telephone interview with Life from Taipei.

"You can't avoid getting sick - be it a major or minor illness. What's most important is to remain positive. Don't let it get you down."

Ever the professional, Yu is back on his feet. He will be performing in Singapore, along with his singer-wife Li Ya-ping and their fellow Taiwanese singers Chang Kui and Liu Ming-chu.

At the mention of the Singapore show, which will feature collaborative performances, his mood seems to lift.

"There will be songs interwoven into a play. It won't be fun for fans if I divulge too many details now. You have to come and see for yourself," he says of the concert on Saturday.

Joining the interview, Li says with a laugh: "What am I performing? I'm just following him to take care of him."

The husband and wife, who have two daughters and a son, are household names in Taiwan's show business.

Li, 64, is known for her rousing rendition of Xing Lai Ba Lei Meng Na (Wake Up, Lei Meng Na).

The moustachioed Yu shot to fame in 1978 with the soulful ballad Rong Shu Xia (Under The Oak Tree) and later made headlines for his involvement in politics as a legislator.

The former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator was in office from 2008 to 2012. He returned to show business after losing his bid in the 2012 elections when the party failed to garner enough seats, according to the Taipei Times.

Last month, Taiwanese media outlet The Liberty Times reported that Yu was seen rallying support for DPP's presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen by serenading supporters at an event.

With the Taiwanese elections due next year, he has been asked if he will return to the political fray.

Unsure whether he will be fielded at the time of this interview, Yu says: "Originally, I wanted to keep singing and retire when the audiences get tired of me.

"But now that I have another path, why not try it out? After all, I've been a legislator, I already have experience in politics."