Music Picks: Golden Melody Awards performances, album by Taiwanese band Trash

Taiwanese singers Lala Hsu (left) and Eve Ai performing during the Golden Melody Awards show on July 2, 2022. PHOTO: GOLDEN MELODY AWARDS/FACEBOOK

Golden Melody Awards performances

The 33rd Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Grammy Awards, was held on July 2 at Taiwan's Kaohsiung Arena. Apart from honouring the best new music and musicians, the show also featured many notable performances, which can be viewed on YouTube.

One highlight was when Taiwanese singers Lala Hsu and Eve Ai collaborated on a string of their hits (bit.ly/3AIEVTH), such as Hsu's Do You Dare and Ai's Forever Young. Another high point was when Taiwanese singer 9m88 performed a medley of songs by nominees in the Best Female Singer (Mandarin) category (bit.ly/3PlN7gG), including Ilid Kaolo's The Island Of Women and Waa Wei's Have A Nice Day. The award went to Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua, for her album Depart.

Then there was Weibird Wei's medley to introduce the Best Male Singer (Mandarin) nominees (bit.ly/3OYM7zm). The Taiwanese singer took on Xu Jun's Dreams Company, Jude Chiu's The Last Aquarium and Ma Nien-hsien's 1989 Afternoons, switching between high-octane belting and laidback delivery.

Chinese singer Cui Jian won the award for the album Fei Gou.


Wan Kwong concert

Wan Kwong performing during a concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2008. PHOTO: WSM MUSIC HK/YOUTUBE

Oldies singer Wan Kwong, whose songs often reflected the lives of the working class in Hong Kong, staged a concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 2008. In June 2022, a recording of that show was uploaded on WSM Music HK's YouTube channel in two parts.

Dressed in a sparkling jacket, the Vietnam-born performer opened the show with a medley of Cantonese numbers, including Hollywood Grand Hotel, which tells the story of three women playing ball along a river. He also performed other numbers such as Ignoring Father and Chasing The Dragon.

Several guest singers appeared, such as veteran actress-singer Mimi Chu and actor-singer Lo Hoi-pang.

Info: To watch the concert on YouTube, go here (Part One) and here (Part Two).


Rock

Holy Trip!

Taiwanese group Trash's album Holy Trip! was a worthy contender. PHOTO: WARNER MUSIC TAIWAN

Trash

4 stars

Although Taiwanese group Trash failed to win the Best Band award at the recent Golden Melody Awards (the prize went to Taiwanese metal band Flesh Juicer), their album Holy Trip! was a worthy contender.

The song Love is a reminder that one can heal and become stronger after being hurt by love. The multi-layered Be Like You expresses a desire to escape from the daily working grind, but its cartoony music video suggests how breaking away may not be simple or ideal. And Leaving Taipei is a touching narrative of putting on a brave front to mask one's hurt and insecurity.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.