CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, July 3, 2019 | 19 YOUTH Flame of fame alert for hopefuls
Stars highlight pitfalls and obstacles for upandcoming female musicians on the road to success, Xing Wen reports.
star who shunned the respectively on Tencent’s video spotlight has sage streaming platform. advice for those who Mao Buyi, 24, the winner of want to burn bright its first season, became a house on the music stage. Fame, sheA hold name in 2017 due to the says, comes at a cost, especially poetry of his lyrics and the con in terms of stress and loneli tagious emotion of his songs. ness. He, too, knows the pitfalls. Her words came as a talent The young singersongwriter, show sees new stars emerge and once a nursing intern at a hospi former stars, who had been tal in Hangzhou, East China’s eclipsed, shine again. Zhejiang province, became a Stefanie Sun cut a bestselling celebrity who garnered more debut album in the summer of than 13 million followers on Sina 2000, after graduating from Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Nanyang Technological Univer Twitter. sity. The new season of the show is With the album Yan Zi, she highlighting female talent, and captured the Best Newcomer Mao Buyi returned to share his title at the 12th Taiwan Golden experiences with these young Melody Awards. And the album women about how to keep sold more than 400,000 copies afloat in rough waters and sur in Taiwan alone that year. vive in the show. Other albums followed, estab The demands of stardom can lishing the Singaporean musi take its toll, he says. cian as one of the most Maintaining a public face is influential pop singers in the important, he says, regardless of Chinesespeaking world in how you are feeling inside. 2000s. “Staying true to yourself is However, fame can be a very important for songwrit demanding master and she opt ers,” he says. ed to withdraw from entertain Apart from Sun and Mao Buyi, ment circles several times to Alist actress Song Dandan, sing strike a better worklife balance. ersongwriter Hua Chenyu, pop But the spotlight beckoned star Meng Meiqi and the show’s again as she coached contest coinitiator Long Danni also ants for the talent show The coach the female contestants. Coming One, where more than They have been divided into 50 female contestants compete two groups — the “start” and for a chance to launch their own “restart”. The former involves music careers. contestants who haven’t been “One of the reasons for my onstage before. The latter? Well, presence in the show is that I they have been there before and want to tell these young singer are seeking a new beginning. songwriters how to deal with the Singaporean twins Miko and loneliness and stress they will Yumi Bai, from the “restart” face as entertainers in the group, broke into entertain future,” says Sun. ment circles in 2008 when they She says the music market in were only 16 and enjoyed huge this current age of information popularity in Asia. overload is quite different from However, after going that of early 2000s when CDs, through some ups and downs, or compact discs, were the vehi they have remained on the side cle for singers. lines in recent years. These young aspiring stars The show presented the twins should carefully consider how with a perfect opportunity to to find suitable platforms or relaunch their stalled careers. channels to publicize their In the first episode of the songs and performances, and show, their performance wowed avoid getting lost in the daz the other contestants and won zling light of stardom, Sun approval from the coaches. says. “All they need is a chance to “I hope they follow their display their talents,” says Long. hearts when making important “We would like to help both decisions,” Sun says. the newcomers and restarters According to boxoffice track Clockwise from above: Contestant Hong Yinuo sings in the talent show, The who have a passion for music er Maoyan, the first and second Coming One. Celebrities and production team leaders attend a recent promo and a strong thirst for a bigger season of the show, both of tional event for the show, including four coaches (from third to sixth, from left) stage to realize their dreams.” which focused on male singer actress Song Dandan, pop stars Hua Chenyu, Stefanie Sun and Mao Buyi. songwriters, notched up 4.27 bil Sun is in the spotlight again as she joins the show to coach dozens of female Contact the writer at lion and 7.78 billion hits contestants. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY [email protected] British illustrative author apes artistic masters with Beijing exhibition
Now, a rare opportunity has aris Li Yiman, a children’s book critic en for young Chinese fans of attending the exhibition, says: Browne’s work, as the first ever exhi “Gorillas under Browne’s pen are all bition of original artwork by the about warm stories. We can see he illustrative author is currently knows the emotional spectrum of underway at the National Library of children well, and he knows that a China in Beijing and will run child’s imagination needs to be care through Sept 22. fully protected. I am amazed by his The exhibition, Anthony Browne’s surrealist style.” By WANG KAIHAO Happy Museum, is named after the People are often reminded of Bel “It’s like walking through a histo [email protected] first comprehensive collection of his gian surrealist artist Rene Magrit ry of fine arts,” says Bai Jianjian, a work published in China thanks to te’s works when they see Browne’s designer who is also attending the Perhaps many children will find Beijingbased China CITIC Press. illustrations. exhibition. “I love this way of learn resonance with Willy the Wimp, a The event displays 162 artworks by Indeed, Browne’s work is not ing, which feels more engaging and childlike gorilla character brought Browne. Of course, Willy — who merely aimed at children. immersive.” to life by the drawing pen of British Browne has said is a semiautobio “As an artist per se, Browne is high And this might be true for every author Anthony Browne. graphical character — and other ly demanding and has a great atten visitor to the exhibition. After all, He is timid when confronted with iconic gorilla characters created by tion to detail, despite his wandering the whole space has been turned problems, as his name suggests, and the author, are the highlights. imagination,” Surina adds. “For into a miniature “theme park” for he wouldn’t hurt a fly. However, the “His mind is just boundless when example, we can clearly see the hairs people to take pictures and attend young ape has been blessed with a creating these characters,” Surina, of the gorillas in the original pictures. onsite mentoraided illustration powerful imagination and a strong from the Mongolian ethnic group, Personally, that attitude is among my workshops. will, and eventually nurtures his curator of the exhibition from China favorite of his characteristics.” According to Surina, the exhibi confidence thanks to the support of CITIC Press, tells China Daily. “His The British author is renowned tion has already visited at least 10 his friends. books usher us to shuttle between for “borrowing” the styles of other other countries before coming to Since his first children’s story reality and imagination. established artists and adapting Beijing and will also tour Shanghai Through the Magic Mirror, a prolific “It’s fun reading the books, which them in an amusing way. A section and Shenzhen. Browne has published more than 50 are full of novelties,” she continues. of the exhibition shows his parodies “Our country’s market for chil books, which have been translated “For decades children have loved of many wellknown works of the dren’s books is growing rapidly,” she into 26 languages, and have earned these surprises, because it is like great masters, including Michelan explains. “Only the real classics him numerous toptier children’s hunting for treasure within the gelo’s The Creation of Adam, Sandro stand out, so, in recent years, medio publishing awards, including two pages of the book.” Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, Jean cre works have been fading away. Kate Greenaway Medals and the Browne’s strong social conscience Francois Millet’s The Gleaners, and “I believe that a precious collec world’s highest recognition availa has also influenced the creation of Top left and right: Anthony Browne’s two parodies of Millet’s The Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of tion of works such as this, which ble to creators of children’s litera Willy the Wimp, and through the Gleaners and Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de la Grande Memory. shows Browne’s lifetime of devo ture — the Hans Christian Andersen character, he shows his consideration Jatte. Top and above: Visitors immerse themselves in a miniature The difference is Willy becomes tion, will become one of those clas Award — in 2000. for disadvantaged groups of people. “theme park” at the exhibition. PHOTOS BY WANG KAIHAO / CHINA DAILY the key focus of these parody pieces. sics that will stand the test of time.”