Seven Castles

Mavis Fan

                                      

May 12, 2008

 

Mavis Fan (born on February 27, 1977) is a Taiwanese pop singer who also plays flute and piano. Since her parents separated when she was just two years old, it was her mom who raised her. She was attracted to music ever since she was a child, as her mom, an aspiring singer, had put all of her own musical dreams in her and forged her unbreakable bond with music. She was sent to learn the flute and piano at the tender age of three, joined an elementary music class at seven, and even penned her class's graduation song at twelve. She and her mom led a tight life. Her mom had to sing at bars to afford her tuition for the best music school in Taiwan.

 

She began to sing on stage at 14. She used to be a successful idol, running around in videos, singing children's songs. When she entered the Taiwan music scene in the mid-1990s, she was first packaged as a sweet little girl in mini skirts. Her music company came up with the idea of featuring children's songs on her albums. Her first records got incredible sales, so that each album sold over a million copies, thus giving her nickname - "Little Witch of Music".

 

However, 1998 saw her astonishing transition with the album "Darling". She not only proved herself to be a good songwriter, but also stunned the media with her true colors by getting a buzz cut. She rebelled against her past and adopted a more mature image, singing in a variety of pop styles for a more general audience and making moody love songs haunting to many a heart. She is known for the high standards she sets on all her works. She believes that high-quality work is essential for winning the respect of music lovers.

 

Although she had flowers and applause, she said she was not content. Rumors said she developed depression during her transition period, because she put herself under too much pressure to produce good music. Reports of her crying in public, eating disorders and not talking, continued for nearly five years. She saw doctors, took pills, pierced her body and got a tattoo to relieve her pain. She even tried to jump out a hotel window once and would have succeeded if her boyfriend had not caught her in time.

 

The saying goes that a girl changes 18 times as she grows up and she is a good example. Time has brought about many changes to both her life and her music, but her passion for expression has never changed. She never stops exploring what she is capable of and looking for ways to surprise her audience. In the past few years, she has set up her own music workshop, starred in a movie and written songs for pop stars.

 

Her film debut was in "The Private Eye Blues" in 1995. She played the role of A-Su in the 2005 film "About Love".

 

Since her last album in 2004, she has remained low key with only occasional news about her independent music label. Now she only sings for her own pleasure, and marketing is the least of her concerns. She will stage her first Chinese mainland concert on May 23. For the Shanghai concert, she says she has overcome her depression and will even sing some of her early songs but "in a different style". 

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2008年05月11日 星期日 05:56】【注册】【打印】