MAY 29 1997
Mandarin crooner Xiong Tian Ping tells of the two events which changed his life
IF it is because of his physical appearance that Taiwanese singer Xiong Tian Ping is nicknamed Panda, one can understand why.
With broad shoulders beneath an oversized beige jacket, the slightly stout Xiong walks with his fingers clutching his jacket cuffs tightly, looking every bit as cuddly as his furry namesake. The fast-rising Mandarin crooner with the boy-next-door image is in Singapore for more than a week to promote his albums River Of The Blues and Huo Cai Tian Tang (A Heaven Of Matches). At a press conference on Tuesday, the singer, who is in his early 20s, revealed that, because of his cuddly image, he has fans as young as five years old.
"My fans send me all sorts of bear and panda merchandise, including bear toothbrushes and bear bibs for my future child," he said happily in Mandarin.
He added: "I don't mind that the bear or panda is associated with me in the publicity for my albums, as long as it helps people remember me." A life-size cut-out for his first album has him posing with a teddy bear.
Xiong has certainly attracted his own following. Although he has been singing for less than a year, and released his first album, River Of The Blues, only in March this year, it has already chalked up sales of 800,000 in Asia, with 12,000 copies sold in Singapore alone.
A 24K gold version of the same CD, with new packaging that includes 12 of his pictures and scores of his 12 songs, is also selling well here, according to his record company What's Music.
Xiong's second album, A Heaven Of Matches, was actually a demo tape he recorded at home with just his guitar and vocals.
"Unexpectedly, the record company wanted to release my demo tape as an album as well," he said.
Xiong has strong emotional attachments to the acoustic album, which was released here on Tuesday, and looked pensive as he revealed the story behind it. The album contains a compilation of songs he wrote between 1988 and last year, some of which were in the earlier album.
He said: "My path in the music industry has not been a smooth one. Through many rejections I was made more determined to succeed but I also faced threats from my family to sever ties with me if I continued to pursue my ideals.
"During this darkest period in my life, it was my younger brother who constantly gave me support. He loved the song, A Heaven Of Matches, and when he was killed in a motor-cycle accident last year, I rushed to finish this song for him and played it for him at his grave," Xiong said, eyes turning red.
The song won him the Best Lyricist award in Taiwan's coveted Hit Awards this year -- a major feat for a newcomer. Although a fresh face as a singer, Xiong has been penning songs for other artistes, including Qi Qin, since last year. He attributes the beauty of the mountainous region where he lives in Tai Chung, Taiwan, as the source of inspiration for his song-writing. He is often compared with Jeff Chang because of his crisp, clear, high-pitched voice. Xiong, however, is a lot less comfortable with the media than the more experienced Chang. Shy in front of the camera, he comes across as modest and unassuming. When asked if he considers himself a star, he answered quickly: "No. I definitely am not a star. I am still learning. In my next album, I hope to inject new experiences. People need feelings, not mere words in a song. I want to be able to move my listeners."
He says his third album will be ready for release at the end of this year. And he realises its importance.
"People look at the third album as a measure of the artiste's talent and potential." Although known affectionately as Panda, Xiong is more at home in the winter landscape than in the bamboo forest. He skis in Korea every winter and, as a 12-year-old, was selected to represent Taiwan in the Winter Olympics held in Japan. But he was injured and did not take part.
"That was a turning point in my life. It was then that I turned to music," he said.
It was a decision that fans of this talented youngster certainly welcome. From the sales figures of his first album alone, this Panda looks set to leave a strong trail.