In 1999, a young Taiwanese won Singapore's Star Search contest, later making a name for himself as an eloquent variety show host.

Last Friday night, Jeff Wang lent some of his stardust to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative candidate Chang Hung Lu in New Taipei city, singing and bantering with residents outside a sports stadium in the Banqiao district.

Wang, who left Singapore in 2009 for Taiwan, where he has since shone in various soap operas, tells The Straits Times he and fellow television artistes are being engaged by political parties this election season to woo would-be voters to the rallies.

Before this DPP gig, he had performed at another - for its rival, Kuomintang (KMT).

"It's like getai. We are not affiliated to any political parties but are invited to perform," he explains. "For us, it's a way to meet and thank our fans, the uncles and aunties."

Such "election concerts", where Taiwanese actors from popular soap operas sing and dance are a snazzy new element in these polls.

Given that there has always been an element of entertainment in Taiwan politics, what is perhaps more surprising is how long it has taken for this tactic to materialise.

The vibrant, raucous democracy has toned down on its infamous fist fights in Parliament. But there remain no holds barred on how political parties and politicians are reaching out to the voters - from using dramatised skits to giving out heads of cabbage.

With Taiwan holding its presidential and legislative races simultaneously for the first time, a total of 559 candidates and their entourages are criss-crossing the island.

The DPP - which hopes to seize control of the Parliament on top of winning the presidency - is campaigning on the need for change after eight years of unpopular KMT rule, while the latter is positioning itself as the best protector of stability in Taiwan, especially with regard to its relations with China.

It is not just the mainstream parties that are vying for attention. This election has seen the rise of small parties championing various issues - from doing away with the Republic of China Constitution (Free Taiwan Party) to pigeon-racing (Peace Pigeon Union Party).

Some are hosting intimate townhall meets. To knowing chuckles, Mr Lo Chih-chen, a DPP candidate in New Taipei, asked a crowd of about 30 residents to raise their hands if they were fearful of being chucked away in nursing homes as he underscored the need for more to be done for an ageing society.

At the other end of the spectrum are the mega events for the presidential candidates.

On Saturday, hip-hop music reverberated around the historic Liberty Square in Taipei as 150,000 KMT supporters - including many elderly backers brought in by bus - cheered the arrival of President Ma Ying-jeou and candidate Eric Chu. There was sex appeal too: Nubile dancers in hot pants and off-shoulder T-shirts printed with the party flag completed the political fantasy.

The south also showed that it could throw a good party, with the DPP holding massive rallies in its strongholds of Kaohsiung and Tainan over the weekend. With ecstatic fans, elaborate stage lighting timed to high-octane music and drumbeats that swelled with the frequent cheers of "Jiayou! Jiayou!" ("Give it your all!"), it was a sleek gig worthy of any A-lister.