Some of the biggest names in the Chinese-language music industry came out for the 25th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei on Saturday night. The awards are seen as the Chinese-language version of the Grammys, honoring recipients from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and across Asia.
The night kicked off with a joint performance by American pop star Jason Mraz and JJ Lin from Singapore, who would go on to win Best Male Singer in the Mandarin Chinese category. He said that the award had eluded him for the past four years in a row, but finally he knew what it felt like to win.
While the jury overlooked Taiwanese singer Chang Chen-yueh for the Best Male Singer award, they honored him instead with the top award of the night – Best Mandarin Album. He took the stage dressed in the traditional indigenous clothing – a nod to both his aboriginal heritage, and his album. The album, titled “I am Ayal Komod”, introduced his Amis heritage and name for the first time.
Meanwhile, the top female vocalist award in the Mandarin category went to Malaysian singer Penny Tai, who also picked up the best producer award, making her one of the biggest winners of the night.
One of the most closely watched nominees was a virtual unknown from China – Li Ronghao – who was nominated for five awards, including best producer, singer and album. He ended up winning Best New Singer.
As for Best Band, that award went to a new Taiwanese band called Mixer, which came out with its first album last June.