[Reporter Fu Mingyu/Exclusive Interview] After 16 years, "Super Popularity List" still uses an open arena with one level after another to find new talents and cultivate new blood for the Taiwanese music scene, and also introduces contestants to the real market. So far, 15 people have successfully defended the title for 20 levels. Jiang Huiyi has won the Golden Melody Award for Best Taiwanese Female Singer twice, and Wu Shenmei and Lin Qiaoan have also been nominated for the Golden Melody Award. These achievements make "Celebrity List" not only a weekend singing program, but also a cradle of talents in the Taiwanese music industry.
Kwong Zedong became the first Malaysian male singer to win the championship since the show was launched. (File photo, taken by reporter Hu Shunxiang)
The 15 contestants who completed 20 levels and defended their title include Jiang Huiyi, Wu Shenmei, Ye Nuofan, Meng Yan, Lin Qiaoan, Gao Jiaqun, Wen Hanlong, Wu Meilin, Yu Kaiyang, Weng Yujun, Lin Xiuqi, Deng Pinyan, Lin Yating, Wei Xiaoyu and Kuang Zedong. Among them, Meng Yan and Kuang Zedong are from Malaysia, which also highlights that the program attracts not only local amateurs, but also serves as a platform to bring Taiwanese songs to overseas Chinese communities.
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Chen Mengxian attracted attention when he participated in the "Super Celebrity List". Later, he formed "Million Brothers" with his brother Chen Zhaowei and branched out into singing and hosting. (Provided by Yiming Jingren Studio x Global Superstar Studio)
However, the development of "Celebrity List" is not just about who can get to the top. Shao Dalun made it all the way to the 19th level. Although he did not complete the 20th level defense, he became recognizable from the show's singing, and later continued to publish films, and branched out into broadcasting and hosting. Chen Mengxian also failed to advance, but was seen due to his reaction and variety show sense during the competition. Later, he formed "Million Brothers" with his brother Chen Zhaowei and stepped onto the singing, hosting and event stage. Producer Hsieh Meng-fen and producer Lin Sit-ting said with a smile that in major temple fairs and local programs across Taiwan, singers from the "Celebrity List" have "a very high market share." The program not only cultivates stars, but also actually makes up for the singer gap that the Taiwanese music scene has faced for many years.
Lin Qiaoan has completed 20 rounds of "Super Popularity List" defense, and was confirmed as a finalist for the Golden Melody Award for Best Taiwanese Female Singer. (Provided by Sanli)
Host Yu Meiren bluntly said that the reason why these contestants were able to get out of the show has never been based on the popularity of one episode. "Singers need stage experience." She believes that traditional TV exposure channels are not as concentrated as in the past, and it is difficult for singers to truly establish themselves if they only appear in one audition. The design of the 20 levels of "Celebrity List" is to allow contestants to polish themselves into independent performers through singing, mistakes, adjustments and facing challenges again and again.
Show producer Xie Mengfen revealed that "Celebrity List" has invested a lot of auditions since the first episode, but it does not send applicants directly to the stage. The production team will select seed contestants who have the opportunity to develop from their timbre, potential and characteristics, and then arrange for two teachers to continue training every week. After a period of training, it is confirmed that the contestants are ready in singing, song selection and stage performance, and then they will officially face the camera and the audience. "Those who were recorded on stage today are all those who have been in class for a long time and feel that they are OK and ready." Xie Mengfen said that the competition on the show stage does not depend only on luck on the spot, but on the homework accumulated every week. Contestants have to learn how to choose songs that suit them, how to deal with emotions, how to find recognition in different genres, and they have to constantly make corrections based on the judges' opinions.
Wu Shenmei successfully passed 20 levels in the show and was named "Taiwanese Sweetheart" and "Sweet Goddess". (Provided by Sanli)
The most cruel part of the 20-level competition system is in the last 3 levels. Producer Lin Siting pointed out that when the contestants are close to defending their title, the program will arrange industry singers to serve as PK opponents. In the last three levels, a total of 15 singers will face challenges. The contestants must win a certain percentage in the high-pressure showdown before they can truly complete the 20 levels. Yu Meiren described that most of these "devils" are singers who have already released films and have practical experience in the field. They are willing to return to the ring to accept the challenge, which is a rare generosity in itself. "He is already a singer who has released films. In fact, he does not need to bear such difficulties." It is also because the opponents are strong enough that the contestants cannot relax even if they survive to the last level. She believes that without such long-term and rigorous training, it will be difficult for singers to truly face the more cruel market and stage in the future.
Judge Xu Changde's criteria for judging the contestants are not limited to whether they can sing accurately this time. From the perspective of a record producer, he thinks about whether a singer has a future: If he were the owner of a company, would he be willing to invest in this person? Therefore, even if some players can get high scores with a certain singing method, they will still remind the other players not to be tied down by the immediate results. "Getting high scores does not necessarily mean there will be a future." What the judges should really give is advice that the contestants can take away and move to the next stage.
Jiang Huiyi stepped out of the "Super Popularity List" stage and later won the Golden Melody Award for Best Taiwanese Female Singer twice. (Provided by Sanli)
The way programs find people has also changed with generations. Lin Siting said that in the early days, physical auditions were mainly conducted, waiting for people with dreams to come to sign up. Now with the rise of self-media, many Cover singers have already accumulated attention on the Internet, and the production unit will take the initiative to ask if they are willing to participate in the competition. The sources of contestants have become more diverse, and the program continues to design different themes, adapt old songs, and even try to fill in Taiwanese lyrics with different genres, hoping to break the imagination that Taiwanese songs can only belong to a certain age group.
Yu Meiren said that many contestants originally focused on Chinese songs, but only rediscovered the emotions and possibilities of Taiwanese songs after entering the "Celebrity List"; some released films after competing, and some participated in local activities, singing teaching, temple fair stages, or became local TV hosts. Not everyone will become a hit singer, but they bring the songs they have learned to different places, giving Taiwanese songs more opportunities to be heard.
