A-Mei, welcome to TALK ASIA. It's good to have you with us.
Now, you have been a near constant feature on the music scene here since the late '90s,
and you continue to stand out as the only known Taiwanese tribal pop star.
Why do you think that your music has been so successful and so enduring?
I think, perhaps, it's because of my passion for music. I've been exposed to music ever since I was a child. Singing music to me is a part of life.
I think I have a lot of passion for music and when I hold so much passion,
I'm easily inspired and I want to share my inspiration with people when I'm performing on stage or for my album[s].
I think this is, perhaps, the reason that people have been very supportive and have encouraged me to produce good music.
You were born into the Puyuma clan of aborigines in the eastern mountains of Taiwan, which sounds very mystical, indeed.
How different was your life then to the glamorous existence you lead now?
My hometown in the east is a very tranquil town where life goes on slowly.
My life in the tribe can be described by one word, simple. Everything is simplified.
Very simple resources, very simple thoughts, very simple happiness.
A simple lifestyle was sufficient for us to live in the tribe.
So, transitioning from such a simple life in the tribe to my fast-paced life in the city,
especially given my current profession as an artist, I think was extremely different at the beginning.
It took me about three to four years to adjust to the fact that I need to approach things differently compared to when I was in the tribe.
During that transitional period, I encountered quite a few obstacles because I had to transform my introverted and rather shy personality
into an artist who has to have the ability to excite tens of thousands of fans on stage.
I think this transition is quite incredible.
By 2000, you had become a household name, and that led to Chen Shui-bian asking you to sing the Taiwanese anthem at his presidential inauguration.
He was seen very much by China as a splitist -- somebody who wanted independence.
Sprite axed you as its spokesperson, Beijing decided to ban you from playing on the mainland,
though eventually they relented and said, "OK, you can come back and tour." So you did that.
And then, in 2004, when you were touring on the mainland, protesters demanded that you sing the Chinese national anthem.
Back home in Taiwan, people were saying, "A-Mei's not sticking up for Taiwan enough." It was just this constant thing,
and reading it, you know, it just feels like this poor girl can't win. Did it feel like that to you at the time?
In my opinion, the big issue about the relationship between the two sides is not something I could comment on, because I don't think that I'm qualified to comment on it.
To me, just as I said before, it's very simple. I am a singer. So there shouldn't be so many complicated relationships added upon me.
So I only hope that prominent figures do not place too much complication upon professional artists, because we all hope that everyone is good, just like my songs.
They convey love, peace and feelings. I hope the same for the world.
It wasn't that long ago where you decided to perform your first concert under your new name, which is your tribal name, Amit.
Yes.
What was the name change about?
Actually, to me, since the beginning of my career, until right now, more than a decade later, I think I've mostly sang pop music, including love ballads and dance songs.
After singing many different types of songs, I've always hoped to create a new brand for me to experiment [with] more authentic music.
So, in recent years, the government implemented a new policy to allow aboriginal people to convert their names back.
So, at the time, since my aboriginal name is Amit, I thought, A-Mei is me, Amit is also me.
So why not use my aboriginal name, Amit, to establish a completely new music brand?