One in a million
By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-10 11:33
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The winner of a talent show in Taiwan, Hu Xia, is surfing a wave of popularity but does he have the legs for a long career? Chen Nan reports
It's morning and Hu Xia warms up in a tiny meeting room of a Beijing-based television studio. His agent checks his looks and he listens to her instructions before the TV recording starts. The Guangxi singer won the popular Taiwan television talent show One Million Star in April, wowing the judges and tens of thousands of fans with his clear, smooth voice. He was the first mainland winner of the show that has run for six seasons and made a star of the first winner, Yoga Lin, who has released two albums and done an Asian tour.
Hu's new fame seems to make him a little nervous. He fidgets when he talks in front of the camera and on stage in front of fans. He laughs shyly and scratches his head occasionally.
When the camera stops rolling he utters a big sigh and yawns a little.
"Finally it's over," he smiles. He quickly changes into a bright yellow T-shirt and shorts for another interview.
"I am so overwhelmed by success that I feel like I'm dreaming even now," says the 20-year-old.
"My whole attention was on the competition. I chose songs and practiced everyday, just like preparing for a big exam at school," he says. "Even though I won, I was a little bit depressed and restless. I didn't know what to do next."
The recent rush of publicity has not helped him either.
"I know how to sing but I don't know how to be a singer. I have so many things to learn, such as presenting myself in front of the media," he says.
Fortunately, his agent does know where his young star is headed. Hu has already received contracts from music companies and will soon release his debut album, do concerts and collaborate with big name musicians.
But stardom is far from a sure thing, as sales figures for CDs keep going down and music reality is basically competitive.
As such, agents try to build complementary careers for their artists, such as acting and modeling, in order to increase profit and visibility.
Last year, Li Yuchun, the former Supergirl Singing Contest winner of 2005, played a supporting role in Hong Kong movie Bodyguards and Assassins. Meanwhile, another former Supergirl winner, Shang Wenjie, recently made headlines with her eye-catching makeup and published a fashion book.
Hu, however, says he doesn't care too much about being a big star. All he wants to do is to sing.
Hu stayed in Taiwan for seven months and competed with hundreds of other young singers on the One Million Star show. He also opened for Kelly Clarkson's Taipei concert.
"The stage was so big that I couldn't believe it," he says excitedly. "My biggest dream was to sing on the stage like my long-time idol, Cantopop king Jacky Cheung, and opening for Kelly Clarkson made me feel I was so close to that dream."
"Year after year, contestants are keen to become stars through singing contests. But how far they can go is a problem," says mainland producer Zhang Yadong. "Personally I love a singer who can write their own songs rather than follow a market formula."
The producer, who has been working with pop diva Faye Wong for years, is going to write songs for Hu's debut album, which is coming out this year.
"Looking at today's music industry, the young singers are highly exposed through the Internet. But the long-established artists still have top-selling albums and concerts," Zhang says.
Caralinda Booth, the A&R consultant at Universal Music China, agrees: "Anyone who has real talent, and whose career is managed carefully and thoughtfully, will be able to have a long musical career.
"But the young kids who support pop idols from the TV shows are a fickle audience, and will often move quickly onto new things as they grow up. Only a few of the pop idols actually have enough talent or special qualities to have longevity in their music careers."