Tanya Chua won four of the top honours at the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.
Chua’s first album was the English-language “Bored” in 1997.
Chua expressed some surprise that people were still listening to her songs more than 20 years after her debut.

TAIPEI: Tanya Chua, a seasoned singer from Singapore, won four of the top honours at the Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan, one of the most prominent entertainment occasions in the Chinese-speaking world.

Chua received album of the year for “Depart,” as well as best Mandarin album, best Mandarin female singer, and best vocal album recording. Chua’s first album was the English-language “Bored” in 1997, and her breakthrough Mandarin record was “Tanya” in 1999.

At the ceremony late on Saturday, Chua expressed some surprise that people were still listening to her songs more than 20 years after her debut.

“To be quite honest, I believe that I have been singing for a long time. I am terrified that people would grow tired of it “She made the statement while attending the ceremony in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung with her mother as a guest.

Unexpectedly, Chinese rocker Cui Jian won for best Mandarin male performer. His song “Nothing to My Name” became an anthem for student demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Although he wasn’t present in person, a thank-you note was read on stage in his place.

Despite having a population of only 23 million, Taiwan’s music culture has a significant impact on the Chinese-speaking world, including the diaspora as well as China, in part because of its creative freedom from regulation.

The government’s efforts to promote languages other than Mandarin are seen in the Golden Melody Awards, which honour musicians who sing in indigenous languages including Taiwanese, also known as Hokkien and Taiwanese.

The Taiwanese-language song “Oh Love, You Are Much Greater Than I Imagined” by the group EggPlantEgg won Song of the Year.

Osay Hongay, an Amis singer from the eastern county of Hualien in Taiwan, won the award for best indigenous vocalist at the age of 83. Her award speech was delivered in Mandarin after being translated into her native tongue.

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