03/9/9 David's Tao-ism
by Tommy Wee
SOME hail him as Taiwan's rhythm 'n' blues pioneer. But other less enamoured critics call him The Americanised One.
If you are hearing American-accented, lightweight R&B Chinese pop with some diction issues, it is probably David Tao.
But critics should hold their tongues, for the 34-year-old now reigns supreme as the Best Male Vocalist at last weekend's Singapore Hit Awards 2003. He beat veterans like Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and even infamous song-mumbler Jay Chou.
In an interview at the Ritz Carlton Millenia hotel before the awards, he says in English: 'I have a mission to raise the level of Chinese music. I think I do have gifts given by God. There is some original stuff out there, but most of it is garbage.
'It concerns me because a generation of people will grow up listening to crap.'
This bedrock statement of purpose epitomises the steely drive in Tao's broad, 1.78m frame. He speaks in an unhurried, formal and businesslike way, like a great sage who hardly comes down from the mountains - or releases albums.
His output so far amounts to a grand total of three studio albums in the last six years, hardly typical of the average chart-hogging Taiwanese singer who produces twice that number in the same space of time.
But Tao may be the closest thing to authentic talent in the Chinese pop scene.
'Music is a responsibility. I'm not drained creatively. I want to make breakthroughs for the Chinese music industry,' he says coolly.
Born in Hong Kong on July 11, 1969, he was raised in Taipei from the age of six.
Tao - full name David Tao Hsu-chung - did not embark on a musical career until a chance meeting with one of Taiwan's famed producers, Wang Chih-ping, whom he met upon graduation as a psychology and film student at UCLA in Los Angeles.
He returned to Taiwan in 1997, and started producing records for artists like A*mei and Eric Sun. Then, his self-penned, self-titled 1997 debut album detonated the formulaic Chinese music scene, and remains the high-water mark for sweet, R&B-afflicted vocals.
His three albums - 1997's Taoism, 1999's I'm OK and 2002's Black Tangerine - have sold more than 500,000 copies in Taiwan and Singapore.
He was Billboard magazine's Asia's Best Artist in 1998. In 2000, he was named Best Chinese Artist at the American MTV Awards.
The only child of Taiwanese showbiz veteran Tao Ta-wei, who runs a graphics and animation business, and opera singer Wang Fu-jung, Tao boasts a spot-on instinct for songcraft and melody.
He belongs to that particular breed of Taiwanese music iconoclasts who studied abroad, speak more American than Chinese and know how to wrangle a tune out of guitar.
'The music scene is dominated by over-packaged idols. I have no problems with that, but I would like to change how the music is being marketed,' he says.
His hits, like Black Tangerine, Blue Moon and Close To You, indulge in confessional lyrics, and the blurry intimacy of his voice holds actual personality.
His radio-friendly vocals scale heights unheard of since the days of Taiwanese choirboy Jeff Chang. And Tao is just as clean-cut, mind you.
He calls his mother every day on the phone. He also demonstrates a higher level of social consciousness than his chart-topping R&B copycats.
His third album, Black Tangerine, was inspired by the Sept 11 tragedy in New York, and weaves a haunting tale of sadness and loss.
Among the record-buying public, there is a genuine, almost palpable, reverence for his craft - and his knack for self-preservation.
In six years, his tabloid scandal count in rumour mill-driven Taiwan and Hong Kong is zero.
'It depends what kind of a person you are. If you go out every night, you just become visible. I don't. I like to stay in and work on my music. I like staying away from people's cameras,' says Tao, who adds that he has no time in his busy schedule for a girlfriend.
This is hardly surprising, considering he also takes time off to mentor a highly-successful brood of Taiwanese N' Sync-wannabes called Tension.
Tao's talent notwithstanding, he can sometimes be all-too-precious about his music.
'My greatest hits is more like a concept album of tunes I handpicked. I'm also working on a DVD documentary of the making of my last album, Black Tangerine. There aren't that many serious music documentaries around now,' he says.
Still, despite his credentials, he has also been slagged off for being musically derivative - some of his songs sound like B-sides to Stateside releases, critics say.
But Tao is unfazed.
'There are only so many notes, chords and instruments you can play. Things will always sound like someone else, but the important question is, are you trying to copy somebody, or are you doing your own thing but just happen to sound like somebody else?' he asks, sounding almost philosophical.
Anyway, he has bigger things to worry about than accusations of musical plundering: He admits to fretting about his parents' retirement, his career stability and starting a family.
He knows he is no spring chicken. 'It's something I've been thinking about. I'm concerned with settling down and having kids.'
But in the meantime, he will wrap up his fourth studio album, slated for release next year, and return to Singapore for a concert at the end of the year.
He has played Hong Kong and Taipei so far, and will entertain Kuala Lumpur fans this weekend before coming here in early December. The date and venue have not been finalised.
He says: 'There'll be no dancers, no BS. It's a very simple show about the band, the music and my connection with the audience. I'm calling it the Soul Power Tour, because it's what comes from inside.'
David Tao's greatest hits, Ultrasound 1997-2003, is available in stores. He returns to Singapore in December for his first concert.
SINGING THE BLUES
SOME people say the originals are emulated but never duplicated. Life! profiles other artists leading the R&B charge on the Chinese pop charts.
JAY CHOU, 23 (Taiwan)
He has cornered the Chinese hip-hop market for reticent, beady-eyed mumblers. Appeals to the manga-loving, basketball-playing and gongfu-fighting demographic. After selling more than two million copies of his four albums across Asia, he remains the hottest Taiwanese teen idol today.
ALEX TO, 40 (Hong Kong)
This half-Filipino acts, dances, sings in R&B-tinged English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and is generally remembered on fansites as the 'disco king' of the early 1990s. To is one of the first - for better or worse - to mix English and Chinese lyrics. 'Feel so sorry, baby I'm so sorry.' Indeed.
ELVA HSIAO, 24 (Taiwan)
Bright, photogenic and cute-as-pie, this successor to Taiwan's CoCo Lee is breaking hearts in army camps across the country. She headlined the recent Courage Fund Concert at Sentosa and staged her first solo concert here in July.
ANSON HU YANBIN, 19 (China)
Widely tipped as mainland China's answer to Jay Chou, this 19-year-old excels at cutesy, bubble-gum hip-hop. He bagged several best newcomer awards at last year's Singapore Hit Awards. He was also nominated for Best New Artiste and Regional Most Popular Artiste (China) at last Saturday's event, and picked up the award for the latter category.
LANDY WEN, 24 (Taiwan)
Once rumoured to be the squeeze of Jay Chou, this R&B siren cannot make up her mind on the shade of her complexion. She appears tanned - thanks to tanning salons - one moment, fair the next. 'Maybe men are afraid of me because I look too wild,' she says. Three albums later, she is still trying to give Hsiao and Lee a run for their diva dollar.
The Straits Times 9/9/2003
(Singapore)
