I begin this post by offering prayers to those who passed away in last year's disaster in Japan. I also pray for the recovery of those severely affected, and wish for the speedy recovery to their normal lives. Please donate here Global Giving.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Teresa Teng was a megastar who ruled both the Japanese and Mandarin music scene. My mom would play all her music while she cooked, cleaned, or during karaoke nights when she and my Dad would invite friends for all night sing alongs.
I decided to host a Taiwan culture night featuring Teresa Teng this past weekend. She sums up the cultural fusion between Taiwan and Japan. Case in point, Taiwan was occupied by Japan for many years, and the locals were educated in Japanese language and culture. My Taiwanese grandparents probably spoke fluent Japanese. Due to my mixed parentage (Dad from Taiwan, Mom from Japan), I have an affinity for both cultures.
In my humble opinion, Teresa Teng has a female voice many Asians like which is soft, feminine, and smooth. From my Westernized ear, she sounds okay and maybe too soft, but she has good range and sang with passion. It is important to see and feel it from a singer. Below is a video of the Japanese version of "Toki No Nagare Ni Mi Wo Makase" (I Only Care About You) where Teresa begins to tear up after accepting a music award.
I also LOVED the fact that she was a diva in the fashion sense. Check out the dreads in this video. Her voice is much stronger and full of range. Also if you skip to 6:40:00 you will notice Teresa was CRAZY MULTILINGUAL. She spoke fluent Mandarin, Japanese, and Cantonese in a span of 2 minutes.
I wish she was able to continue to share her gift with the world. Ms. Teng passed away in Thailand of a severe asthma attack in 1995.
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